2 out of 4 stars
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This book is called The Fox by M N J Butler. It is a book on historical fiction in the ancient Greek period. It is a fairly thick book, running up to 751 pages. It delves into the politics, culture and lives of the ancient Greeks. The author was born in Kenya. He has been a journalist in France, England, the Middle East and India. There is extensive research and information packed into this book.
This book revolves around the main protagonist, Leotychides. He is a prince born in the royal family. But he has many uncles and cousins, who are also in line for the throne. The story begins with Leotychides's childhood. We can see that he has always been in the company of kings and listening to their discussions of war. Leotychides is from Sparta and they have always been at war with Athens. He appears to be estranged from his father and is close to his uncle, Pausanios. Leotychides and his mother share a close bond and it is with great reluctance that she permits him to join the " flock". This is the tradition of every Spartan child and probably is a sort of a training camp. It takes some time for Leotychides to adjust to the flock, away from the luxuries of the palace. But he makes some life-long friendships here. Leotychides forges a deep bond with his patrol leader, Doreius. He slowly rises in rank and leadership in his group.
Meanwhile, the political scene of Sparta keeps changing. A new king has taken up the throne and Leotychides is not in his favour. His team take part in many skirmishes in and around the country to train to become soldiers later. Time passes quickly and Leotychides narrowly misses being placed on the throne. One of his uncles, Agisilaos, becomes king instead. Leotychides also uncovers the secret behind his real father. However, he is content to be on the side, watching. He turns all his attention to sports and becomes an expert boxer in all of Sparta. But the frustruation and rage on not getting his rightful place causes him to assume the face of a "fox".
With the passing of time, Leotychides and his friends get married. They have children. There is war now between the Spartans and the Thebans. Leotychides loses a lot of close friends in this war. His children grow up to follow his footsteps with the same kind of training and adventure. Finally, Athens seems to have the upper hand. Leotychides, his children and most of the royal party find themselves in places they least expected.
The positive aspects of this book were its realistic and beautiful descriptions of ancient Greek lifestyle. It is imaginative and creative. There are some intricate descriptions of nature, plants and creatures that make it seem like the author existed at that point in time. There are some lovely excerpts of folk songs and local Greek customs. The author has used language skills like transliteration, similar to the works of D. H. Lawrence. The whole story is a mixture of drama, history, romance, intrigue and political games.
However, certain aspects of this book let me down. First of all, it begins with an intimidating list of characters in the glossary. Honestly, I gave up half way through. But it didn't interfere with my understanding of the story. It is hard to form connections in the story lines at times. I found it confusing because the story begins with the author narrating his life story to a scribe at court and then jumps into the actual story, narrating it in first person. There are paragraphs on political discussions and strategy that I failed to comprehend. These would be interspersed with the author's narrative. So one has to think and deduce these connections.
I think this book will greatly appeal to history lovers and students researching into ancient Greek period. It takes time and patience to read it, though. I had to resort to listening through an audio device just to complete the book. I found it exhaustive to read causally. I credit the author for the amount of work that is put into this book. But, it is not for everybody.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars because it can be read once and certain aspects of it can be enjoyed. It may appeal to a certain audience but I doubt if it can be everyone's cup of tea.
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The Fox
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