Repulsed by her ugly newborn, Hera throws him into the sea, where he shatters his ankle. As darkness looms, Thetis saves the wounded child and raises him in her underwater grotto.

Hephaestus is the only Olympian whose injuries never heal, and Zeus adds to his burden by sentencing him to life with Aphrodite. Unhappily married to the adulterous goddess of love, he is fated to repeat his childhood pattern of rejection.

To subdue his emotional and physical pain, he harnesses fire to make magical inventions. Of course, the other gods take advantage of his good nature and demand all manner of trinkets. A silver mouse for Apollo. A girdle for Aphrodite. Armour for Athena. A bow and arrow for Eros. Winged sandals for Hermes. A throne for Hera. A golden mastiff for Zeus. A shield for Achilles.

But the god of fire is nobody's fool. His magic has a shadow side, as gods and mortals learn to their cost when Zeus orders him to create Pandora's jar...

God of Fire is recommended for adults who enjoy modern retellings of the classic Greek myths.