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Many thanks geeker

Good puzzle, not too hard, although there's a couple I can't parse, will read the thread.

I knew playing the Hades video game would stand me in good stead (for answer to 12A).

My clue of the day was 12A, mainly because of the Hades video game though ;)

Not impressed by the parsing of 27, was the only duff clue in my opinion. Obvious that the answer had to fit in with the theme though.

Never knew about David's girlfriend and how it was spelt in the book.

I also liked 22A and 14A (most other peoples COD I think).

No idea what a Hades video game is. I've not got many and I've certainly not got the theme. I'm usually good at a literary theme but not in this case. I haven't got 23d, which I assume is the title of a novel. I have D as the first letter. Is that right?

Is it classic literature or ancient Greek or Star Wars (I've never seen the latter)? I'm usually well up on the first, but never did "Classics", though I did attempt to learn Latin in the pandemic. So I have no idea who David is. The only 24ac (an anagram I presume) I know is from 19thC. I think I must have got 28ac wrong as none of the crossers with 24d and 25d make words.

I think I need help to get going! What about clues for 18d (I have ????A?T?) and 15d (for which I only have ????I?????)

Not spelling 19D correctly at first held me up for a while, and at the end I realised my original answer to 15D was wrong, which was the last one in for me.

27 would have made more sense with Lincoln rather than Leeds; the Roman Fosse Way connects those two cities (though the direction wouldn't be exactly right.)

It's a good game, looks like a cartoon, has you escaping the Underworld to go and see your Mum Persephone on the surface over and over again, very funny and well written.

Theme is 17, 21

You are correct about 23D being (part of) the title to a novel, and your first letter is correct. The author of it provides the "David" part of the other clue.

24A is an anagram and is one of the 17 21.

Hi roof
23 isn't the full title of a novel; it's a character in it, though.

Your T in 18d is wrong, so you probably have got 28a wrong too.

Hi, roof. Just got 18D. Think of ruby as a colour (3) “embracing” something that Victoria and Virginia are geog examples of. Def is last 3 words of clue.

Hi Roof, 15d - your i is right, def. is first word, parsing is 3, 7 with the 7 being a word with a letter missing. I would add completely to the def.