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A review by ianbanks
Day of the Minotaur by Thomas Burnett Swann
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I read this in the original serialised version as published in Science Fantasy Magazine in the 60s.
It’s just superb. The narrator is a Minotaur (who describes himself as a poet) who has set up house in the forests of ancient Crete along with a heap of other mythical creatures. Then, one day, two half-human children seek shelter from Achaean invaders and he becomes their protector and friend.
This is just lovely. There is not a word out of place and it describes an idyllic land, hidden from human eyes, on the verge of war. I couldn’t bear the fact that it was such a short novel yet peopled with such wonderful characters and settings. I have to read the other books in this series.
It’s just superb. The narrator is a Minotaur (who describes himself as a poet) who has set up house in the forests of ancient Crete along with a heap of other mythical creatures. Then, one day, two half-human children seek shelter from Achaean invaders and he becomes their protector and friend.
This is just lovely. There is not a word out of place and it describes an idyllic land, hidden from human eyes, on the verge of war. I couldn’t bear the fact that it was such a short novel yet peopled with such wonderful characters and settings. I have to read the other books in this series.