Review of The Fox

[jaym_tan]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Fox by M.N.J Butler is an epic tale about the last glorious days of Sparta. The prologue begins with a scene at court. At the court, there were some Greeks and Macedonians present. The main character, Leotychides, remarks on how they act self-important or sly. According to him, it is impossible to keep anything secret in Sparta, and this character can sense that something is going on in court. The Greeks and the few Macedonians at the banquet seemed unaware of the coming storm. As the story progresses, the readers will look through the eyes of Leotychides, a bastard of the Spartan royal line, and his experience in the agoge. The agoge is the educational system of Sparta, and this system helped shape Leotychides as a person. Despite his tragic upbringing, he achieved success on the battlefield. Even as an aging man, he was still a renowned figure in King Phillipos' army. Throughout his life, he had trained intensely for battle since he was a part of a camp of Spartan soldiers called "the Flock." Life has a way of playing games, and Leotychides will soon realize this as he tries to unite Sparta amidst all that is happening. The illegitimate prince might get wind of the secret schemes and plots in the palace.

Each chapter was captivating and filled with historical information unknown to me. The description of the statues and sceneries were vivid, so it was not difficult to make my imagination come to life. My knowledge of the ancient world has become limited throughout the years. Reading this novel brought back my love for history which remained dormant for a long time. Another detail I love about this book is the accuracy of the period and setting. I approve of the author's depiction of Spartan women because it clearly shows they had more agency than other women of Ancient Greece at that time.

The characters were an interesting bunch because many of them were important people in history. Since I was unfamiliar with other historical characters in the novel, I decided to do my research. What I discovered made me more impressed with the author because he went to such lengths to get the names and places correctly. This book gave me another great insight into Sparta's complex class hierarchies and systems.

Butler brilliantly demonstrated his skill in writing. I applaud the author for making a glossary on the book's first pages. Some Greek-sounding words and names were difficult to decipher, so providing a helpful guide for readers was a nice touch. Using the First-person narrative was the best way to get readers closer to the character. Through Leotychides, Butler could describe ancient Sparta's way of life by having the illegitimate prince tell his life story and the lessons he had learned through the years. You can see his significant role in shaping the Spartan's tale as Philippos of Macedon gave him the task of writing down the Spartan's side.

Mostly, I could not find anything to dislike about the novel. The pacing was not too rushed, and the long narrations were necessary to establish the story better. The lack of spacing and indentions are my only issues with the text. It makes the paragraphs seem tightly knit due to limited space. However, this does not diminish the fiction's brilliance.

I rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars due to its history and fantastic chronicles about the Spartan and Ancient Greek periods. Despite the lengthy passages, the story was worth reading and made me ponder the importance of loyalty, honor, and legacy. Leotychides' life was prolific because he got to experience many focal events. The rich history illustrated in the book is captivating, and I can attest to this reading experience. The historical narrative deserves praise for its excellent take on a remarkable person. There were no grammatical or spelling errors, and the sentences were comprehensible.

As for sexual scenes, I did not find anything overly describing instances of mature subject matters. Although some passage mentions husbands letting other men have intimate relations with their wives, it does not go into detail. There are also vague mentions of men involving themselves with prostitutes. Some characters have also uttered both major and minor profanities. Since the protagonist grew up as a warrior, some narrations tell of death and violence in the war. However, there are no gory depictions of these occurrences. Teenage readers may read this novel as long as they fully understand what they are reading. I highly recommend this book to history buffs and readers enthusiastic about Hellenic culture. I would not recommend this novel to young children because of the heavy themes. I also think this book will not bode well for people who are uninterested in historical fiction.

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The Fox
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