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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Any reader fascinated with mythology and lore will tend to return to literary landscapes which are open to reinterpretation. This could be Hogwarts or Middle Earth or Kurukshetra or even the fields of Troy depending on the tastes of the reader. While I have not read a completely unabridged version of the Iliad or the Odyssey, most characters are familiar to me in their glory and flaws. This novel is the first in a series of books that detail the story of the wily King of Ithaca : Odysseus.
Being the first in the installment, this volume spends time in laying down the foundation of the war to come. It introduces a host of characters from the Greek side with the exception of Achilles and plays out the parts till the marriage of Helen to Menelaus. This however is only the background against which the entire story of Odysseus plays out. The idiom 'flight of fantasy' is employed to maximum effect by the author when he gives Odysseus a trusted sidekick in the form of Eperitus and also puts the Kingdom of Ithaca in the middle of an invasion by pretenders to the throne. The parts of palace intrigue and political maneuvers in the Spartan kingdom are the best written parts of the book and carry some interesting character sketches of Agamemnon, Tyndareus and both Ajaxes.
What really drags the book down is the part of Odysseus reclaiming his island kingdom. While this is crucial from the POV of this story, it does not sit in well with the overall scheme of things. It tends to drag and this affects the overall pace of this tightly written tale.
The kind of book that makes you want to read the others in the series.
Being the first in the installment, this volume spends time in laying down the foundation of the war to come. It introduces a host of characters from the Greek side with the exception of Achilles and plays out the parts till the marriage of Helen to Menelaus. This however is only the background against which the entire story of Odysseus plays out. The idiom 'flight of fantasy' is employed to maximum effect by the author when he gives Odysseus a trusted sidekick in the form of Eperitus and also puts the Kingdom of Ithaca in the middle of an invasion by pretenders to the throne. The parts of palace intrigue and political maneuvers in the Spartan kingdom are the best written parts of the book and carry some interesting character sketches of Agamemnon, Tyndareus and both Ajaxes.
What really drags the book down is the part of Odysseus reclaiming his island kingdom. While this is crucial from the POV of this story, it does not sit in well with the overall scheme of things. It tends to drag and this affects the overall pace of this tightly written tale.
The kind of book that makes you want to read the others in the series.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF like 60 pages in.
I'm not gonna lie, the 60 or so pages that I did read really dragged on. I might have not minded if I had found myself invested in the characters or the plot but nothing really enticed me to continue on.
As far as I can tell the protagonist lacks a personality, and I don't particularly like the changes made to the characters that I do know well.
Also, on a more personal note: why do the characters keep referring to Greece? As a concept Greece doesn't exist yet, and no one would consider the skirmishes between the cities as a form of civil war. Why is this idea of a bunch of city states so hard to accept.
So while this definitely wasn't for me, I can definitely see others enjoying it for what it does provide. I just don't see a point of continuing something I don't enjoy!!
I'm not gonna lie, the 60 or so pages that I did read really dragged on. I might have not minded if I had found myself invested in the characters or the plot but nothing really enticed me to continue on.
As far as I can tell the protagonist lacks a personality, and I don't particularly like the changes made to the characters that I do know well.
Also, on a more personal note: why do the characters keep referring to Greece? As a concept Greece doesn't exist yet, and no one would consider the skirmishes between the cities as a form of civil war. Why is this idea of a bunch of city states so hard to accept.
So while this definitely wasn't for me, I can definitely see others enjoying it for what it does provide. I just don't see a point of continuing something I don't enjoy!!
Written before Troy and before Penelope, and tells the story of Odysseus' journey to Sparta to court the famous Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world.
Eperitus finds himself exiled from his home country, stumbles across Odysseus and then follows him around like a puppy, turning up just when he's needed and helping to save the day.
The story is well enough told, but there's never any sense of danger to the main characters. Eperitus is handy as a means of explaining things to the outsider/reader, but everything seems a bit too convenient.
He is quickly taken into Odysseus' confidence, eavesdrops on a private conversation with a goddess, and constantly turns up just in time to save the day.
Could have done with more of a sense of suspense or danger.
The story is well enough told, but there's never any sense of danger to the main characters. Eperitus is handy as a means of explaining things to the outsider/reader, but everything seems a bit too convenient.
He is quickly taken into Odysseus' confidence, eavesdrops on a private conversation with a goddess, and constantly turns up just in time to save the day.
Could have done with more of a sense of suspense or danger.