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A review by marianneiriss
Epic of Helinthia by M.J. Pankey
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed reading Epic of Helinthia, and for me it falls in the area just between 4 and 5 stars - If I was a little less stingy with ratings, I would round it up to 5.
I can understand how this might not be the book for everyone, as it is quite long, and has a complex plot with what would be unfamiliar and potentially difficult vocabulary for those unfamiliar with the ancient world. However, as someone who is a keen reader of classics texts, enjoyer of Homer and the ancient playwrights, and loves to sink her teeth into a good long book and be absorbed for a few days - I loved this book! I will also just add that you definitely don't need to be familiar with the ancient texts to read and enjoy Epic of Helinthia as there is a helpful glossary and explanations of ancient Greek social hierarchies in the front of the book.
I think the usage of transliterated ancient Greek titles (such as basileus and anassa) and using original words for common objects (e.g. agora, amphoriskos etc) is a clever stylistic choice within the book, as it creates an absorbing and detailed world for the story to take place in. By the end of the book I was close to being convinced that Helinthia was a real ancient Greek kingdom that I had just never heard of before! Whilst I can see that using this form language might make it less accessible or enjoyable for some readers, I personally think that it adds depth and value to the book which would be sorely missed if this vocabulary was swapped for modern terms.
Now, after that little linguistic discussion - on to the plot and characters! I love historical fiction when it is well done, but I dislike reading fantasy (mostly). I was a little worried that there would be too much fantasy within this book for me to enjoy, however I was happily surprised by the skillful usage of mythical/divine themes without it overtaking the other elements of the book. I was very impressed by the way which the author has included gods/goddesses/nymphs - I really liked that the descriptions of them were limited to what served the plot best, so that they came and went from the story without it becoming overly focussed on them and their fantastical powers. This reminded me of the way in which the gods are often portrayed in ancient literature, as driving forces behind human fates, but with their own flaws and without a focus on their magical/mythical sides. I thought this was a very clever nod to the ancient epic poems and classical plays which Epic of Helinthia takes its inspiration from.
A quick note on this subject - from my understanding of it, this book is not a Greek myth retelling. Whilst it deals with similar themes to the Greek myths (as does most of the Western literary tradition..) and it is set in a fictional ancient Greek kingdom, the story and characters are original to this book. There has been a lot of (very good and enjoyable) myth retellings recently, so I found this a refreshing change.
Why not 5 stars? Basically, I am a bit too picky for my own good. There were a few nit-picking things which I felt meant I couldn't give this the full 5 stars, but these really are no big deal - just my personal rating system and literary opinions leading me to be a little harsher than I perhaps should be. For example, I felt that some of the character names didn't quite fit with the world they were placed in, as they seemed more Northwest European than classical (for example, to me, Gonivein feels more like an ancient Britannic name than ancient Greek). However, this did not detract from my overall feeling that this an excellent, generally very well-researched book, with engaging and loveable characters and a deeply enjoyable plot. I look forward to the next book in the series, and many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and MJ Pankey for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this.
I can understand how this might not be the book for everyone, as it is quite long, and has a complex plot with what would be unfamiliar and potentially difficult vocabulary for those unfamiliar with the ancient world. However, as someone who is a keen reader of classics texts, enjoyer of Homer and the ancient playwrights, and loves to sink her teeth into a good long book and be absorbed for a few days - I loved this book! I will also just add that you definitely don't need to be familiar with the ancient texts to read and enjoy Epic of Helinthia as there is a helpful glossary and explanations of ancient Greek social hierarchies in the front of the book.
I think the usage of transliterated ancient Greek titles (such as basileus and anassa) and using original words for common objects (e.g. agora, amphoriskos etc) is a clever stylistic choice within the book, as it creates an absorbing and detailed world for the story to take place in. By the end of the book I was close to being convinced that Helinthia was a real ancient Greek kingdom that I had just never heard of before! Whilst I can see that using this form language might make it less accessible or enjoyable for some readers, I personally think that it adds depth and value to the book which would be sorely missed if this vocabulary was swapped for modern terms.
Now, after that little linguistic discussion - on to the plot and characters! I love historical fiction when it is well done, but I dislike reading fantasy (mostly). I was a little worried that there would be too much fantasy within this book for me to enjoy, however I was happily surprised by the skillful usage of mythical/divine themes without it overtaking the other elements of the book. I was very impressed by the way which the author has included gods/goddesses/nymphs - I really liked that the descriptions of them were limited to what served the plot best, so that they came and went from the story without it becoming overly focussed on them and their fantastical powers. This reminded me of the way in which the gods are often portrayed in ancient literature, as driving forces behind human fates, but with their own flaws and without a focus on their magical/mythical sides. I thought this was a very clever nod to the ancient epic poems and classical plays which Epic of Helinthia takes its inspiration from.
A quick note on this subject - from my understanding of it, this book is not a Greek myth retelling. Whilst it deals with similar themes to the Greek myths (as does most of the Western literary tradition..) and it is set in a fictional ancient Greek kingdom, the story and characters are original to this book. There has been a lot of (very good and enjoyable) myth retellings recently, so I found this a refreshing change.
Why not 5 stars? Basically, I am a bit too picky for my own good. There were a few nit-picking things which I felt meant I couldn't give this the full 5 stars, but these really are no big deal - just my personal rating system and literary opinions leading me to be a little harsher than I perhaps should be. For example, I felt that some of the character names didn't quite fit with the world they were placed in, as they seemed more Northwest European than classical (for example, to me, Gonivein feels more like an ancient Britannic name than ancient Greek). However, this did not detract from my overall feeling that this an excellent, generally very well-researched book, with engaging and loveable characters and a deeply enjoyable plot. I look forward to the next book in the series, and many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and MJ Pankey for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this.