Review by slj3988 -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler

[slj3988]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Fox" by M. N. J. Butler.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Fox by M. N. J. Butler is a historical fiction book set in the days of Ancient Greece. First published back in 1995, it was re-released under a new publisher in 2018. The story follows a young Spartan prince named Leotychides, who recounts his childhood and his steps to becoming a great warrior in the years building to a war that threatens to corrupt the Spartan way of life. He must find himself during the coming tide. At its heart, it is a story about family, friendship and honour.

Although a work of fiction, this book seemlessly blends real historical figures with its fictional characters in a way that feels genuine. The book opens with a genealogy of the royal bloodline and a useful glossary of characters, titles and terms for Spartan culture. Due to the many similar and hard to pronounce Greek names, I found myself going back to it a few times.

Written from the point-of-view of the protagonist via his scholar, the story is told in hindsight, much like a detailed report or journal entries as Leotychides reflects on past events. It flip-flops back and forth between his memories and his present discussions. Although it was inventive, there were moments where scenes had abrupt endings and we are dragged back to the present with subject changes that ought to have started a new chapter. Unfortunately, the paragraph structure didn't always make the passage of time clear.

The story was, however, extremely engaging. Full of fascinating history, humour and political agenda. I had a good time reading The Fox and learned a great deal about Sparta. For example, they banned the coin because they feared trade and possessions would inspire greed. Their kings wore simple clothes to let the people see they too were human, not lords to be obeyed. Characters were varied and they pondered life philosophies and laws with incredible insight. As well as learning more than I originally knew about Sparta, the dialogue was gorgeous. Page after page spilled little pearls of wisdom that had me in awe of how profound some of the characters were.

What most of us know about Spartans is their rigorous training of young boys and their bravery in battle. They were brought up through gruelling tests of survival and taught to lock away their emotions. From this story, we see beyond that. Everything a Spartan does has a truth and purity to it. Their dedication and belief, their conviction and integrity, their views on equality; all were fair and spoke volumes. They were a civilized people ahead of the times in a lot of ways. They didn't shy away from speaking their minds on their bewilderment of foreign cultures, but they never sought to conquer.

Overall, I don't have many negative things to say about the book, other than the aforementioned unsure paragraph structure in places. Grammar was excellent throughout. I only found the occasional typo and a few repeated punctuation errors. The dialogue had a few missed quotations that made me lose who was talking. Other than that, The Fox was a fabulous read. Anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, Greek mythology or political drama should enjoy it.

Violence was there, but none was cringeworthy. I hardly came across any profanity aside from cheeky jabs teenage boys make. I'd say this book is suitable for anyone above the age of 12. Certain scenes touched on the subject of homo-eroticism, though sexuality wasn't explicit. Those who know a big deal about Greek myths will be at an advantage because there are many references to legends. I decided to give this book 3 out of 4 stars.
I had to lower the rating on account of the editing, but it is still well worth a try.

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The Fox
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