Review by Leandra81 -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler

[Leandra81]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Fox by M. N. J. Butler is an intense historical fiction novel about the life of a young Spartan prince named Leotychides. The prince was born in the Palace and raised as a soldier. He grew up believing his father was King Agis, only to be disappointed upon finding out that this is untrue. He wanted so much to make his father proud. But Leo puts all these thoughts behind him when the King lay dying on his bed. Regardless of his birthright, the King announces Leotychides as his successor and crowns him as the next monarch. However, the events that follow turn out to be vastly different from what Leo expected.

This story is set in ancient Greece and represents the hardships of that time vividly. The book has many characters, which makes it extremely difficult to keep up with the narrative. There is an extensive glossary at the beginning of the book to assist you with the referencing. It was frustrating to access this glossary from the e-book format. So I would recommend getting the book in paperback or hardcover if you are ever interested in reading it.

I am a big fan of historical fiction, but this particular one was not enjoyable for me. I like a fictional story based on historical times, but The Fox was similar to taking a history class. Another reason why this novel was unenjoyable was the complexity of the sentence structures, which makes the book come across as too advanced. The story was also very long, which made it difficult to get through.

The book was well written, and I detected no grammatical errors. The way the author describes certain scenes makes you feel as if you are right in the action. The plot was brutal now and again but executed in the best ways to bring across the point of how tough times were back then. I liked how the author wrote the social aspects of that period superbly. The fact that the story is factual and accurate to the era does make it enjoyable in that sense.

I will be rating this book 2 out of 4 stars. The reason for my score is that I had a difficult time finishing it. I would have liked to have seen a more subtle approach to the execution of the plot, but it is only my opinion. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction and historians in particular will love this book. But also, if you are the type of person that enjoys movies like 300 and Spartacus, then I recommend this book. Just prepared to put some effort into reading the novel

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The Fox
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