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galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
READ: Jan 2023
FORMAT: Audio
FORMAT: Audio
BRIEF SUMMARY:
This historical fiction takes us to ancient Sparta from 396 to 371 B.C.E. We follow Axios from the age of 10 and on while he, Eryx, and their peers are trained away from their humanity and molded into true Spartan warriors. We see them as they struggle to understand love, friendship, family, loyalty, honor, and more in a world where emotion, pain, and disobedience are weaknesses to be punished and excised from one’s individuality.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 4.75 / 5⭐
“Axios” is a fascinating work that I enjoyed quite a bit. It’s not typical for me to search out reads that I know are going to be war- or combat-heavy, but this one brought to mind the experience of playing through “Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey,” something I deeply enjoyed. I was excited to dig into a world and a geography that I felt ready and capable of visualizing.
We see a number of characters that are wonderfully fleshed out and realized, although I feel like more care and attention could have been given to side characters who sparked my interest and are largely just... there. Axios is our main protagonist who experiences more difficulty than most in letting go of his humanity, ideals, and respect for life. Eryx is there every step of the way to push and encourage Axios to become what's expected of him, while at the same time finding the unwanted values that define Axios to be alluring.
Axios and Eryx find balance in one another; Eryx provides Axios with reason to keep pushing through and surviving, while Axios tethers Eryx to his own humanity, grounding him. The two couldn’t be any more unalike in body and mind, but their devotion to one another is unfailing.
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 4.5 / 5⭐
As mentioned, there were some side characters I felt were owed a bit more thought than they were given. As one example: there are two characters who are romantically involved that are always named in tandem with one another. Their names come up frequently, and they often share knowing glances with our two MC’s, but neither character is given a single speaking line in the entire span of the book. It leaves me wondering what their purpose was, and if they were even necessary – especially since they aren’t the only side characters to form connections with other men. I kept wanting them to be something, to do something, but they never did.
As mentioned, there were some side characters I felt were owed a bit more thought than they were given. As one example: there are two characters who are romantically involved that are always named in tandem with one another. Their names come up frequently, and they often share knowing glances with our two MC’s, but neither character is given a single speaking line in the entire span of the book. It leaves me wondering what their purpose was, and if they were even necessary – especially since they aren’t the only side characters to form connections with other men. I kept wanting them to be something, to do something, but they never did.
Beyond that, Osborn did an excellent job writing in a style that let me escape into the historical setting. I never found myself distracted or yanked out of the moment. I felt present and focused through the war and conflict scenes, and everything else captured my attention very well. I listened to the audiobook version of this work and thought Adam Stubbs did a lovely job with it. This was my first introduction to the author and the narrator, and I am suitably pleased by both.
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.5 / 5⭐
If you, like me, were looking for something similar to “The Song of Achilles,” this isn’t quite it. It holds a similar setting, structure, and series of events, but lacks that ethereal tone that made Miller’s work pure poetry. It will scratch the itch, however, if you’re looking for a historical fiction that also includes romance and a decent amount of spice.
This book doesn’t have much representation in diversity, although that's largely due to the nature of its setting.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, and Gore
Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Death of parent