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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I found the wrong clunky and just did not feel drawn in by the plot or characters
This is the story of Theseus, a man who, whenever he comes in contact with a culture different from his own, declares himself king of it, and then craps all over its customs, no matter how ancient and venerable they may be. He is particularly hostile to tribes with matriarchal practices, because the only thing that gets up Theseus’s nose more than not being in charge of everything is when the person who *is* in charge of everything is a woman. That really turns Theseus into a monster. And so he marches through this book desecrating and dismantling one goddess-worshipping tribe after another
All of this may be reflective enough of the behavior of royalty in Classical Greece, of the Hellenistic attitude towards its neighbors, but it makes for a frustrating novel with a profound deficit of nuance. The story is told in first person by a righteous Theseus who, despite the perspective of his advanced years as he recounts the exploits of his youth, is not terribly introspective, nor terribly given to reflecting on the humanity or validity of the cultures he demolishes—nominally in service of civilizing them, but really in service of his own outsized and terribly fragile ego. It’s a one-sided hero’s story, one in which the very real damage he’s doing is never called into question, in which we never even catch a glimpse of the perspective of the people whose ancient customs he wrecks, except to show them as barbarous, conniving, inferior. And it’s a terrible shame—a terrible waste of Mary Renault’s superb skill as a writer. It reads with the subtlety and sophistication of a children’s book, written in beautiful adult language. A complete waste.
There are a couple of things the book does very well, which saved me several times from throwing it across the room in disgust. One of these is presenting Classical religion from the perspective of its adherents, people who believe that all the gods of Olympus and all their mythology is real, without asking the reader to believe that it’s all real. Nothing happens in this book that demands the reader to accept a supernatural explanation, even though Theseus often offers such and believes them himself. It’s a true and compassionate way to present a religion, and it’s something Renault is very good at; it’s one of the great strengths of Fire from Heaven, the first book in her masterful series on Alexander the Great (and a vastly better book than this one).
The other strength of this book is just how entertaining the whole Cretan bull-dancer section is. Partway through his adventures, Theseus is captured as part of a tribute offering whereby Crete collects strapping young men and women from all around the Mediterranean and uses them for a particularly acrobatic sort of bull-fighting sport. The immersive description in this part of the book, of the bull-dancing custom itself, of the incredible diversity of the people Theseus encounters in it, of the intrigue and machinations of the Cretan court, are all just fascinating. Theseus, naturally, judges the Cretan society to be decadent and blasphemous, and craps all over its customs too on his way out the door. But notwithstanding the irritating, persistent, unnuanced bias of the narrator, the entire Cretan section of the book is a standout.
All of this may be reflective enough of the behavior of royalty in Classical Greece, of the Hellenistic attitude towards its neighbors, but it makes for a frustrating novel with a profound deficit of nuance. The story is told in first person by a righteous Theseus who, despite the perspective of his advanced years as he recounts the exploits of his youth, is not terribly introspective, nor terribly given to reflecting on the humanity or validity of the cultures he demolishes—nominally in service of civilizing them, but really in service of his own outsized and terribly fragile ego. It’s a one-sided hero’s story, one in which the very real damage he’s doing is never called into question, in which we never even catch a glimpse of the perspective of the people whose ancient customs he wrecks, except to show them as barbarous, conniving, inferior. And it’s a terrible shame—a terrible waste of Mary Renault’s superb skill as a writer. It reads with the subtlety and sophistication of a children’s book, written in beautiful adult language. A complete waste.
There are a couple of things the book does very well, which saved me several times from throwing it across the room in disgust. One of these is presenting Classical religion from the perspective of its adherents, people who believe that all the gods of Olympus and all their mythology is real, without asking the reader to believe that it’s all real. Nothing happens in this book that demands the reader to accept a supernatural explanation, even though Theseus often offers such and believes them himself. It’s a true and compassionate way to present a religion, and it’s something Renault is very good at; it’s one of the great strengths of Fire from Heaven, the first book in her masterful series on Alexander the Great (and a vastly better book than this one).
The other strength of this book is just how entertaining the whole Cretan bull-dancer section is. Partway through his adventures, Theseus is captured as part of a tribute offering whereby Crete collects strapping young men and women from all around the Mediterranean and uses them for a particularly acrobatic sort of bull-fighting sport. The immersive description in this part of the book, of the bull-dancing custom itself, of the incredible diversity of the people Theseus encounters in it, of the intrigue and machinations of the Cretan court, are all just fascinating. Theseus, naturally, judges the Cretan society to be decadent and blasphemous, and craps all over its customs too on his way out the door. But notwithstanding the irritating, persistent, unnuanced bias of the narrator, the entire Cretan section of the book is a standout.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A brilliant retelling of the mythology of Theseus and the Minotaur recounted in first-person by Theseus himself. The historic and cultural details woven into the plot are excellent. Theseus' experiences and adventures, although fantastic, are credible.
Did the gods really speak to him? Theseus believes so. Although modern readers know that shifting plates are the real reason for the earth shaking and buildings crumbling, Theseus takes it as a sign from the gods. And the earth DOES seem to tremble at the most opportune moments for him. So maybe.......
Really fun read.
Did the gods really speak to him? Theseus believes so. Although modern readers know that shifting plates are the real reason for the earth shaking and buildings crumbling, Theseus takes it as a sign from the gods. And the earth DOES seem to tremble at the most opportune moments for him. So maybe.......
Really fun read.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I tried to read this but couldn't get into it and have no intention of trying again
Less and less interested in reading stories focused on solely men to the exclusion of women
Less and less interested in reading stories focused on solely men to the exclusion of women
Was boring me out of my brain. Realising not only was i not picking it up but was actually putting it off so bye....
I’m not interested in men’s tales told again from the men’s point of view. I’m not interested in Theseus and his possible growth. His character is too static for me to care about.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated