Review by Sweet Psamy -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler
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Sweet Psamy
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Review by Sweet Psamy -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Fox" by M. N. J. Butler.]
3 out of 4 stars
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I admire soldiers. Their selflessness, bravery, and undying loyalty melts my heart most times. When I saw the cover picture of this book, my admiration for them informed my decision to read it.
The Fox by M.N.J. Butler is a historical battle compilation about Sparta. It is narrated in the first person narrative. The story is centred around a major character called Leotychides. Sparta has two royal houses - the Agiad and the Eurypontid. Leotychides is the heir apparent to the Eurypontid throne. His paternity (fatherhood) is questioned. One of the gods of Sparta influences the doubt over Leotychides right to the Eurypontid throne. This came up after his father died. His mother fights to protect her son's right to the throne, but is outwitted by Agisilaos the Agiad king. Leotychides is responsible for the way his future turns out. Is kingship earned, or inherited? Is kingship in the blood? Find out as you read Spartan's journey through several battles, conquests, conspiracies, and awe-inspiring loyalty.
I saw a lot of inspiring characters in this book. The best amongst them (for me) was King Kleombrotos. I enjoyed him the most in the story. This was because his style of leadership was examplary. He did not (unlike his predecessors ) support the pattern of using war to settle conflicts. He was tactical in his approach to issues. This was what I enjoyed most in the story.
On the other hand, I did not appreciate the author's choice of character names. Most of the names sounded similar. They were also difficult to pronounce or even recall. This was what I disliked most in the book. For example, Thrasuboulos, Kalikratidas, General Pentatarchos, Kleonymos etc. This also applied to some terms/words used in the story. For example, Royal Heraklidst etc. Though I understand that the names have a traditionsl (Spartan) origin, I believe the author could have used simpler ones. This inability to recall the names or pronounce them well, was what I disliked the most in the story.
I recommend this book to all genders. I recommend it specifically to men because of the selfless acts by the soldiers in the story. There were also courageous women in the story. This book would also appeal to kings, members of royal houses, warriors and soldiers. This is because their roles are perfectly interpreted in this story. On a political level, this book would appeal to politicians because of the tussles and conflicts in Sparta.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give it a 2 because of the selfless attitude of most of the characters. I did not give it a 4 because it had some grammatical errors. It didn't look like it was professionally edited. Also, I didn't really understand why the book was given its title (The Fox). Though it was mentioned on few occasions in the story, The title was not exhaustively interpreted/expressed in the story. This was also why I did not give it a 4. I settled for a 3 because of its captivating and unpredictable plot.
This book would not appeal to people who do not enjoy fictional war stories. There are lots of it in the story. Also, people who are not interested in village/community traditions may not find this book appealing.
******
The Fox
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
I admire soldiers. Their selflessness, bravery, and undying loyalty melts my heart most times. When I saw the cover picture of this book, my admiration for them informed my decision to read it.
The Fox by M.N.J. Butler is a historical battle compilation about Sparta. It is narrated in the first person narrative. The story is centred around a major character called Leotychides. Sparta has two royal houses - the Agiad and the Eurypontid. Leotychides is the heir apparent to the Eurypontid throne. His paternity (fatherhood) is questioned. One of the gods of Sparta influences the doubt over Leotychides right to the Eurypontid throne. This came up after his father died. His mother fights to protect her son's right to the throne, but is outwitted by Agisilaos the Agiad king. Leotychides is responsible for the way his future turns out. Is kingship earned, or inherited? Is kingship in the blood? Find out as you read Spartan's journey through several battles, conquests, conspiracies, and awe-inspiring loyalty.
I saw a lot of inspiring characters in this book. The best amongst them (for me) was King Kleombrotos. I enjoyed him the most in the story. This was because his style of leadership was examplary. He did not (unlike his predecessors ) support the pattern of using war to settle conflicts. He was tactical in his approach to issues. This was what I enjoyed most in the story.
On the other hand, I did not appreciate the author's choice of character names. Most of the names sounded similar. They were also difficult to pronounce or even recall. This was what I disliked most in the book. For example, Thrasuboulos, Kalikratidas, General Pentatarchos, Kleonymos etc. This also applied to some terms/words used in the story. For example, Royal Heraklidst etc. Though I understand that the names have a traditionsl (Spartan) origin, I believe the author could have used simpler ones. This inability to recall the names or pronounce them well, was what I disliked the most in the story.
I recommend this book to all genders. I recommend it specifically to men because of the selfless acts by the soldiers in the story. There were also courageous women in the story. This book would also appeal to kings, members of royal houses, warriors and soldiers. This is because their roles are perfectly interpreted in this story. On a political level, this book would appeal to politicians because of the tussles and conflicts in Sparta.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give it a 2 because of the selfless attitude of most of the characters. I did not give it a 4 because it had some grammatical errors. It didn't look like it was professionally edited. Also, I didn't really understand why the book was given its title (The Fox). Though it was mentioned on few occasions in the story, The title was not exhaustively interpreted/expressed in the story. This was also why I did not give it a 4. I settled for a 3 because of its captivating and unpredictable plot.
This book would not appeal to people who do not enjoy fictional war stories. There are lots of it in the story. Also, people who are not interested in village/community traditions may not find this book appealing.
******
The Fox
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
