REVIEWS ON LI N E E XC LUSI V ES Due to an ever-increasing number of books for review and space constraints within HNR, some selected fiction reviews and all nonfiction reviews are now published as online exclusives. To view these reviews and much more, please visit www.historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews
A NC I E N T H I STORY EMPIRES OF BRONZE: The Dark Earth Gordon Doherty, Independently published, 2022, £3.99, ebook, 476pp, 9798801230498
In 1237 BC, the entire Mediterranean world is becoming embroiled in existential peril. The threat comes in multiple guises: environmental droughts and earthquakes, shifting political alliances, intrigue and betrayal within ruling families, and mysterious, seemingly unstoppable, invading hordes made up of disparate peoples. The Trojan War has relatively recently concluded, and three formerly dominant empires are holding on precariously: the Hittites, Egyptians and Assyrians. King Tudha takes the Hittite throne at a most inauspicious time. The Hittite Empire is composed of upper and lower halves surrounded by an array of smaller vassal tribes and statelets. Compounding Tudha’s political difficulties are strains and suspicions within his own family. His mother has been a source of strength and unity after the death of his father, but he is not sure about the rest of his kin. One possible source of hope is the potential for the Hittites to be the first to master the secrets of iron-making and then mass produce weapons and armor to overwhelm his enemies’ bronze armament. But it’s a race against time and events. This is an epic historical novel of sweeping events covering decades. It is replete with multitudes of colorful characters and details. As it’s part of a series, it is recommended that readers start with the first book. The thorough research conducted by the author is evident throughout and only heightens the interest in the themes of mastering iron working and the mystery of the Sea Peoples. Graphic but period-genuine battle scenes are excellently rendered. My only minor quibble is the extended length of the book with its protracted dream sequences. Still though, The Dark Earth is a superb imagining of a historically neglected empire and time which will captivate the reader. Recommended. Thomas J. Howley
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KAIKEYI Vaishnavi Patel, Redhook, 2022, $28.00, hb, 496pp, 9780759557338
The great ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana, is told from Ram’s point of view— naturally enough, as he’s the god-hero of the story. But Ram’s story begins when his stepmother Kaikeyi demands he be banished, and Kaikeyi has been the villainess of the tale ever since. It’s this story that Vaishnavi Patel turns inside out, giving us Kaikeyi’s version of the classic. Ancient India is a land of demons and magic, and of gods. Of the three, a god causes the most trouble… The happy third wife of a king, Kaikeyi is far more than she appears to be. She has painstakingly learned magic, for all the good it does her. She has formed a strong, fond bond with her two sister wives. She’s even driven her husband’s chariot in battle and saved his life. In gratitude, he grants Kaikeyi two boons, promises she may claim at any time, asking anything and he will have to grant it. Kaikeyi never dreamed the cost was her magic, or that the boons she would demand would tear her family apart, or that saving the world would cost her everything she held dear. But when her stepson Rama is revealed as an uncontrollable god, Kaikeyi knows nothing matters except teaching him patience and humanity. Kaikeyi is a brilliant novel with a strong narrative voice. Kaikeyi is an appealing point-of-view character, nuanced and strong. And it’s a pleasure to read a prequel to the Ramayana from a woman’s point of view. Seen through Kaikeyi’s eyes, the struggle between what seems good and what is good takes on a fresh perspective. Highly recommended. India Edghill
C L A SSIC A L LION (UK) / THE LION (US) Conn Iggulden, Michael Joseph, 2022, £20,00, hb, 435pp, 9780241513125 / Pegasus, 2022, $26.95/$34.99, hb, 432pp, 9781639362226
In his notes at the end of the book Iggulden writes, ‘The lack of information for key years between the Persian Wars and the conflict with Sparta is a great shame.’ I have to disagree with him. In the hands of a master storyteller, those missing years can be brought to life, seamlessly weaving imagination in and out of what is gleaned from the available historical evidence. Lion, although told mainly through the eyes of a young Pericles, is the story of Cimon, ‘one of the greatest strategos of Athens, the lion of a new generation.’ Pericles comes of age, under the tutelage of the man who brought about the end of Xerxes. From the finding of the bones of Theseus on Scyros, through the destruction of the Persian fleet on the Eurymedon River, to the final action against King Hesiodos of
REVIEWS | Issue 101, August 2022
Thasos, which helped sow the seeds for a future war, Iggulden tells a believable tale wonderfully, in a style which is easy and enjoyable to read. Pericles is a well-structured character with many flaws. The thread of the complex relationship between himself and Attikos, frequently changing between enmity, camaraderie and duty, endures throughout the novel, with many twists and turns. One thing grates: at one point Attikos says to Pericles, ‘I knew you was a good man.’ Attikos’s character has a great arc, and using this modern grammatical error feels incongruous in context. Tiny pieces of Greek history are cleverly woven into dialogue and prose, both informing and entertaining the reader without lecturing. An apparent volte-face by Pericles towards the end is intriguing, and bodes well for the next book in the series. This book should please Iggulden’s fans and, I hope, introduce new readers to his well-told stories from Ancient Greece. Aidan K. Morrissey
ITHACA Claire North, Redhook, 2022, $28.00/C$35.00, hb, 400pp, 9780316422963 / Orbit, 2022, £16.99, hb, 400pp, 9780356516042
Wily Odysseus, King of Ithaca, wed Penelope, then a few years later sailed off to the Trojan War with every man of fighting age. Eighteen years later, one hundred suitors camp out in the palace to win the hand of the mourning Penelope. She is weaving a funeral shroud for Laertes, promising to choose when it’s complete, but unravelling nightly. To choose one suitor means bloodshed and civil war. This queen possesses the cunning and wit of her presumed dead husband. North gives a fresh voice and point of view to the tale narrated by Hera, goddess of women and marriage. Poets sing the praises of heroes in epic ballads, ignoring the women. The stunning cover in black and ochre, reminiscent of Ode on a Grecian Urn, sets the tone. Women shine in this tribute, the jealousies of the goddesses adding drama. Athena, protector of Odysseus, watches over his son Telemachus training as a warrior; Artemis teaches the women to fight plundering raiders. The prose loses power, detracting from the classical nature, when Hera speaks in colloquial language. Penelope seems a raven-haired Princess Grace with her patience, quiet strength, and regal dignity. It took me several pages to become involved with so many foreign-sounding names and a large cast of counsellors, suitors, maids. It is rife with political machinations and no love story. What drives the plot is the women defending their queen and island. When Penelope’s cousin Clytemnestra flees, having killed her brute of a husband, and her children, Orestes and Electra, arrive to avenge his death, an intriguing subplot is set up, adding tension to an already fraught situation. Penelope reflects on destiny: “we have no power over
