4 out of 4 stars
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The fox by M. N. J. Butler is a historical fiction that was originally published in 1995 but got rediscovered in 2018. The story focuses on Leotychides, a young man who holds a very powerful secret about his lineage; he is the illegitimate son of Spartan royalty. Problems arise when he realizes that he has to be formally recognized by his father in order to receive the throne and serve as king. Butler takes us all the way back to ancient Greece, 4th century BC, to tell us the story of how Leotychides grew up. The readers got a very vivid image of how the young man interacted with his friends and family, became a warrior and fought in wars. Leotychides was raised and educated among the local who his views were not that of his father’s but rather of the commoners he grew up with.
There is a glossary of terms located within the first few pages which are very useful as there are many unusual terms used throughout the book. I found myself quite amazed with how well the author portrayed the 4th century as this book gives an excellent sneak peek into the lives of the Spartan warriors. The incredible details made me feel as though I was right there in every scene. You can tell the author put a lot of attention into the details and spent a great amount of time with the overall planning as the book has a very complex plot. The only negative aspect of the book would have to be the multiple names characters have which can get confusing at times as there is no indication as to why they are being called something else.
The book seemed to have been professionally edited and I found no spelling or grammatical errors. Reading this book will make you feel as though you’re a part of all the action that is happening in this ancient time. I found it near impossible to get bored as there were so many great and interesting descriptions and events occurring. Butler himself is a very skilled writer and has an amazing vocabulary that really showed itself in this fascinating tale. The book holds a lot of historical facts but the author clarifies which details are facts and which are that of fiction. It is an educational read and I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 because of its incredible attention to detail, the use of historical facts and an overall intriguing plot. Anyone that is interested in historical fiction or even history students would most definitely enjoy this book.
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The Fox
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