A review by serendipitysbooks
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

When I saw Glorious Exploits, my first thought was, "I don't need another mythology retelling in my life," and moved on. Thankfully, I started paying actual attention to the reviews since this is not a mythology retelling, and I very much needed it in my reading life. Glorious Exploits is set in Syracuse, Sicily, during the Pelopponesian War. The Greeks attempted an invasion but were repelled, and now thousands of Athenian prisoners of war are being held in fairly appalling conditions in an old rock quarry. One day, two unemployed potters head to the quarry and offer food to any prisoner who can quote them a few lines from Euripedes. Somehow, this morphs into the two planning to stage an increasingly elaborate performance of Medea, with the Athenian prisoners as the cast.

I loved the freshness and energy of this story, which was enhanced by the decision to have the Syracusian characters speak a distinctly modern Irish vernacular. There was a definite political point to this choice, but, as a bonus, it also made the audio a real pleasure. The characterisation was excellent, particularly the juxtaposition between Gelon, brooding and despondent following the death of his son and departure of his wife, and Lampo, more of a lovable rogue, very devil-may-care. At least he is initially. For Lampo forges a connection with one of the Athenian prisoners, which really shakes him out of his complacency, particularly after the performance goes horrifically wrong, leading him to undertake some serious risks for the slim chance of saving this man's life. This was one of the story's highlights for me, and one with a lesson for readers. Getting to know people as individuals rather than as a group of feared "other" - refugees/migrants/ perhaps newly released prisoners in a nearby halfway house - can really change how you perceive them and highlights the commonalities between you and them. There are plenty of serious topics, such as power imbalances, exploitation, and unifying power of the arts, canvassed in this novel.They are never explored in detail - this mostly a light-hearted blokey caper than morphs into a more serious charcter led drama - but they are there for a reader to note and consider. Memorable characters plus a fresh, fun feel albeit with some underlying substance combined to make Glorious Exploits a winner for me.

Content Warnings