Crystal River, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/11/2015 -- Asklepios, the Greek God of medicine, is all but lost to society. Few know that his name was part of the original Hippocratic Oath sworn by all physicians; or that the symbol on ambulances refers to him. At a time when much of humanity views kindness as lame and integrity as too much effort, author Matthew Kennedy is calling on Asklepios to quite literally change the world.

Everything plays out in 'Gamers and Gods: AES', a cocktail of technology and mythology hailed "uniquely creative" by critics.

Synopsis:

A hero from the Bronze Age finds himself reincarnated in an online game to fight for the freedom of Earth from alien superbeings. But who is this Hero? Is he Hercules, or Achilles? No. He's Asklepios, the "blameless physician" mentioned by Homer -- the demigod of Healing, unknown to most people today. Seriously? Can a man whose temples were hospitals, who was killed for resurrecting the dead, whose name is in the first sentence of the Hippocratic Oath, hope to defeat the Devourer of Millions? What is Zeus thinking?

In the year 2051, Darla Kaplan logs into PanGames to find a healer for her gaming team. She gets more than she bargained for when she meets Asklepios, whom she nicknames Aes. Unlike her, Aes has no body to log out to. For those who help him, the incentive is freedom from the alien "gods" who have been with us since ancient Egypt. For Aes himself, the reward is his own apotheosis - the right to dwell with the superbeings of Olympus.

The contest between the Olympians and the Egyptians will be fought by the rules of a timeless Covenant. There will be no mercy given or asked. The stakes could not be higher, or the sacrifice more poignant. And in this fight for our freedom, the most powerful weapon of all may be the love of a woman for a man who is only a ghost in the machine.

"This volume forms just the first of my new completed trilogy, under a sub-genre I call Inspirational Science Fiction," explains the author, co-inventor of the Hypercube Loudspeaker. "It seeks to engage readers' imaginations and touch their hearts through a story that keeps humanity and the human condition at its core."

Continuing, "We live in a world of angst, cruelty and anger; forces that ultimately threaten to obliterate our race. Stories of love, sacrifice and courage are needed more now than ever before. So I've decided to write science fiction that inspires people.."

Since its release, the book has garnered a string of positive reviews. G. Jackson comments, "Gamers and Gods: AES" has one of the most uniquely written storylines I have come across. If you enjoy gaming you will eat up the pages. If you have never gamed in your life you will enjoy experiencing the story based on its entertainment value alone. Any knowledge you have about philosophy or Greek mythology will add to your enjoyment. The story is neither predictable nor anything like I have read before. It takes you into a world within a world and I found it most unique and enjoyable."

Jim Meade adds, "I enjoyed this story throughout every chapter. It is very well written 'ghost in the machine' story. Moved along at a steady pace. A fine example of the fantasy/sci-fi genre. IMO It would make a good movie or tv mini-series. Started book 2 and can't wait to find out how it all ends........"

'Gamers and Gods: AES' is available now: http://goo.gl/o2b2iN

About Matthew R. Kennedy
Matthew R. Kennedy (1956 - ) was born in West Point, NY -- which was odd, because his father was a Navy pilot. He received his BS in Physics from the University of Central Florida ... after co-inventing the Hypercube Loudspeaker (US Patent 4,231,446 "Resonating Chamber") while still an undergraduate.

After physics graduate school at FSU, he pursued a career in software. His work in Web Development and Active Server Pages has played a role at Sylvan (educate.com), where he developed Web pages for their international testing and certification scheduling, and at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he worked with disease population statistics and medical scorecard pages to assist doctors in following clinical practice guidelines.

He is an avid gamer delighting in virtual worlds.