Review by 123Esther -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler

123Esther · Post by **123Esther** » 07 Oct 2020, 12:07

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

4 out of 4 stars

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The Fox by M.N.J. Butler, is a historical fiction novel, the major protagonist Leotychides (Leo) a vigilant, courageous Spartan warrior narrates the accounts of his life and development in a first-person narrative, his memoir also turns out to be the history of Sparta. Leo was born in the Eurypontid palace of Sparta, and he knows that he is a rightful heir to one of Sparta’s two thrones, after his father Agis. Unfortunately, many people regard him as illegitimate. He takes us through his life full of challenges, miseries, events, secrets, and his tact of survival. Argisilaos his uncle is determined to see him not rise to the throne soon after his father recognizing him as the succeeding heir and death. And there is more turns of events.

When he is sent on a mission at the king’s feast, he gives us a fine detail of what his painful life has been after the turn of events when he realized that the late king wasn’t his father. The first account was very pivotal to his life, at a tender age of seven. He chooses to join the flock; training camp of young soldiers. The flock seems unbearable, it’s full of bullying and rigorous work, but he uses this place to form strong bonds with his teammates that last a lifetime. These attachments are valued by the people of Sparta, and Leo is determined to maintain his loyalty to his people and ensure that the kingdom remains united.

The major themes in this book are war, betrayal, and family relations; all these are intertwined skillfully by the author to bring out the history of ancient Sparta. He largely used vivid descriptions to describe events that are therein thus I was able to create mental pictures throughout my reading, it also had a simple plain language that was easily understood save for the Greek names that were almost similar and difficult to pronounce.

I did not like finding a flowchart, and a 10-paged glossary of names and terms at the beginning of the book, I did really seem scary and tiresome to read and keep referring to the glossary because I could forget what the names stood for too soon. The first book took me days to finish. As I continued to patiently flip the pages, it turned out to be amazing historical work. I liked the fact most that the author did an accurate work of research, digging deeper to find facts and link them to a fiction novel.

I believe that this book was professionally edited, as I did not come across any grammatical errors. I, therefore, gave it a 4 out of 4 stars, it had no instance of the erotic scene and profanity. I would recommend it to lovers of historical fiction and anyone who would wish to learn something new.

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The Fox
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Phelicia Gloria · Post by **Phelicia Gloria** » 12 Oct 2020, 13:23

Wow, your review was great Ester, Leo was my favorite character on this one

Kevivas03 · Post by **Kevivas03** » 13 Oct 2020, 01:02

Series and movies such as Game of Thrones and 300 are my favourites. This book is in the same genre and I am sure I would love it. Themes of love, war and betrayal always play out with a beautiful twist. Excellent summary!