Ordinary tale of a fantastic legend, 05 Oct 2008
This novel is an attempt to provide a more likely retelling of the legend of Theseus. It tries to do this by omitting the fantastical elements of the legend, such as the Minotaur monster being half man half bull. All of the action and adventure here is related as conflicts between human participants only. Even the gods in this story are relegated to a more minor status. While always on the minds of the major characters, they never actually make an appearance. The implication being that they don't exist as anything more than a belief system.

Nevertheless this story is still highly unlikely. Theseus sets forth on his travels around the mythical Greek world as a very young man indeed. He conquers or guides the people he meets as he does so. He is strong, quick witted, agile and intelligent. Everything a hero should be.

This is the major problem with the book. Theseus is just too good. I guess the motive for removing the gods and monsters from the narrative is to provide a more human story. Unfortunately Theseus himself is too close to the divine for us to really sympathise or identify with. If there is one fault he can be accused of it is his overweening pride; hardly a trait fit to endear.

The prose employed gets extremely stilted in parts. This is especially true when the reader is treated to one of the many discussions of what it means to be honourable.

Having said all of this I found the novel to be entertaining in parts. It's a good recount of the legend. I just can't help feeling it would have been more pleasing had Theseus been more human and his enemies more incredible.


Preserving a vital tradition - the modern way., 05 Sep 2008
Ancient history and mythology have disastrously become neglected in recent years. We must know our origins, even if symbolic, and modern psychology relies heavily on usually mythological/symbolic 'archetypes'. There's no-one with the capacity to transfer these stories in an easily-absorbed way than the late Mary Renault. The ancient myth (=story, not 'lie') is treated almost as a contemporary novel, yet sticks to the ancient, probably Bronze Age, narrative, later portrayed on the stage. Who is Theseus? He's a typical young man, in a way, puzzled by unexplained inconsistencies in his origins. To find the truth, he must travel a long way, facing dangers and threats, symbolic and real, on the road. Now the stranger,arriving in a matriarchal society which views him as the year-king, he is honoured and revered. But the cost: he must be sacrificed and returned to the Earth. Historically true? No-one can say, even now, but a mass of evidence survives of matriarchal religion in very early Greece, including, time and again, in mythology. Volume two of his story, The Bull from the Sea (played later on the dramatic stage as the Hippolytos myth) is his adult life, now in a less threatening regal position. However, the sinister side of female belief continues to stalk him, leading to tragedy and self-blame. There's so much for a modern reader in his story to relate to, however unlikely that seems at first. We all have experiences of something like this kind, and in such myths we see aspects of our own life. I still have my first paperback copy, practically disintegrating after 45 years, but would never part with it. There's much to be said for Mary Renault (her pen name)as a rule. She was among the first modern authors to include homosexuality (see e.g. The Charioteer, and her works on Alexander), as something not to be despised, in her work. In the same vein, she campaigned with great courage against apartheid while still living in South Africa, where she moved from London. Sweetman's biography of her is itself well worth reading.

The early life of Theseus, 25 May 2006
Renault is a magical writer with an almost unique ability to immerse her readers in the glittering alien culture of the ancient world.
Here she takes the early life of Theseus, boy heir to the King of Athens and creates a powerful narrative of his coming of age. She knows her ancient sources, not just the classical Greek myths but also the pre-classical Minoan civilisation and carries us with her without faltering.
Theseus joins the band of Athenian youths paid as tribute to Minos, the King of Crete, and then saves them from early death at the hands of the Minotaur (here an illegitimate son of Minos, rather than the monstrous man-bull of myth). He meets Ariadne, daughter of Minos and with her help eventually escapes with his companions back to Athens, en route abandoning her on Naxos.
The book ends with the death of his father due to Theseus' own unthinking oversight so that he himself reaches manhood and ascends to the kingship.
Like Renault's other novels set in ancient Greece, this is a beautifully written and haunting tale of love, duty and growing up, set in an alien culture that both comes alive and is made effortlessly comprehensible through Renault's superb mediation.
If you loved this, read The Bull from the Sea, the 2nd part of Theseus' life.

"The law is: The King Must Die.", 02 Jan 2006
Mary Renault's great historical novel of Theseus begins when he is a young man in Troizen, a well-bred youth who has never known his father's identity. When, with the help of the gods, he succeeds in lifting a stone to reclaim his father's sword, Theseus discovers that he is the son of Aigeus, King of Athens. On his way to Athens to meet him, Theseus arrives in Eleusis, where after wrestling the king in a fight to the death, he finds himself, unexpectedly, the King of Eleusis. Later, in Athens, when fourteen young men and women are chosen by lot to become bull-dancers in Crete, fulfilling a tribute demanded by the King of Crete, Theseus listens to his god and joins the group, never knowing if he will survive to return to his father.

Renault tells the story of Theseus as if Theseus were a real person, not a mythical character, using history, archaeology, and a deep understanding of the cultures of the period to place Theseus in a realistic context. Her descriptions of the lifting of the stone, the wrestling match in Eleusis, Theseus's arrival at the palace in Athens, and especially his experiences in becoming a bull dancer bring the period vibrantly to life in ways consistent with the historical record. Theseus's devotion to the god Poseidon, to whom he prays throughout his journey, reflects his appreciation of his own smallness in relation to the gods, and his honoring of the gods unique to the kingdoms he visits show how the Greek religion gradually incorporated increasing numbers of gods and goddesses to explain the increasingly complex mysteries of life faced by Greek citizens.

Renault never fails to treat Theseus, his religion and culture, and the traditions of the countries in which he travels with the dignity they would have inspired in their own period. She never patronizes either her characters or her readers, writing with elegance and a fine appreciation for the details of daily life, the art of the period, and the pantheon of gods thought to control men's destinies. Whether Theseus was a real man whose strength and reputation grew to mythical proportions, as Renault illustrates, or whether he was, in fact, a mythical character whom she places in a realistic context in ancient Greece is less important than the fact that she creates a plausible life for this monumental character. Few, if any, other authors are so successful in recreating an entire era, its people, its beliefs, and its culture. Mary Whipple

Take The Bull by the Horns, 18 May 2004
Although on the surface this book is about Theseus and the legend of his life prior to becoming King of Athens, the book is much more fundamentally an adventure tale featuring all of the most desirable male adolescent fantasies. If you read it as the latter, you will be thrilled. If you read it as historical fiction, you will be disappointed because the potential to develop the historical side is clearly subordinated to the adventure tale.

The classical story about Theseus features his slaying of the Minotaur. In this book, by contrast, the central theme is Theseus fulfilling his fate, as decreed by the gods. The primary backdrop is the conflict between "the old religion" of Mother Dia and "the new religion" of the Sky Gods (all sired by Zeus). Theseus brings about a reconciliation between the two sets of beliefs by honoring both, while rejecting the practice of routinely sacrificing the king (Kerkyon) as a fertility offering.

The book has enough material in it to be four books. The first story is about Theseus as a young man growing up with his mother, Aithra, without knowing who is father is in the household of his grandfather in Troizen. The second story starts with his finding that he is the son of the King of Athens and continues through his becoming King of Eleusis. The third story starts with leaving Eleusis to meet his father, King Aigeus, and continues through writing his name on the lot that selects him as a bull dancer slave as tribute for the Cretans. The fourth story begins with his leaving Athens for Crete through his return. Although each of these stories is exciting and interesting, the fourth one is the best.

Bull leaping entailed running toward and grasping the two horns of a live Cretan bull and performing gymnastic feats, like one does today by vaulting using a pommel horse. Naturally, it was a lot more dangerous than vaulting is. Theseus revels in the danger and excitement. He also feels committed to keeping his fellow slaves from Athens alive, in a team that he has named the Cranes, for a dance that they do in the bull ring.

Some of the many adventure themes that will resonate with young male readers include being specially selected by the gods for an exalted purpose, being the unknown son of a king, being sought out by powerful and beautiful women, unlimited sexual access, being a popular hero with other males, successful conquests of animals, leading successful battles with men, and being invincible in all endeavors. I cannot remember a book with so many of these themes packed into one.

Placing the book in these ancient times gives you a fresh perspective on our own world. What are the proper roles for men and women in society? How should they relate to one another? What is the role of piety? What is the purpose of life? How can we contribute to one another? If you ask and answer these questions after you finish, you will have gotten much benefit from the book as well as much pleasure from the adventure tales in it.

Take the bull by the horns to accomplish more!

Ordinary tale of a fantastic legend, 05 Oct 2008
This novel is an attempt to provide a more likely retelling of the legend of Theseus. It tries to do this by omitting the fantastical elements of the legend, such as the Minotaur monster being half man half bull. All of the action and adventure here is related as conflicts between human participants only. Even the gods in this story are relegated to a more minor status. While always on the minds of the major characters, they never actually make an appearance. The implication being that they don't exist as anything more than a belief system.

Nevertheless this story is still highly unlikely. Theseus sets forth on his travels around the mythical Greek world as a very young man indeed. He conquers or guides the people he meets as he does so. He is strong, quick witted, agile and intelligent. Everything a hero should be.

This is the major problem with the book. Theseus is just too good. I guess the motive for removing the gods and monsters from the narrative is to provide a more human story. Unfortunately Theseus himself is too close to the divine for us to really sympathise or identify with. If there is one fault he can be accused of it is his overweening pride; hardly a trait fit to endear.

The prose employed gets extremely stilted in parts. This is especially true when the reader is treated to one of the many discussions of what it means to be honourable.

Having said all of this I found the novel to be entertaining in parts. It's a good recount of the legend. I just can't help feeling it would have been more pleasing had Theseus been more human and his enemies more incredible.


Preserving a vital tradition - the modern way., 05 Sep 2008
Ancient history and mythology have disastrously become neglected in recent years. We must know our origins, even if symbolic, and modern psychology relies heavily on usually mythological/symbolic 'archetypes'. There's no-one with the capacity to transfer these stories in an easily-absorbed way than the late Mary Renault. The ancient myth (=story, not 'lie') is treated almost as a contemporary novel, yet sticks to the ancient, probably Bronze Age, narrative, later portrayed on the stage. Who is Theseus? He's a typical young man, in a way, puzzled by unexplained inconsistencies in his origins. To find the truth, he must travel a long way, facing dangers and threats, symbolic and real, on the road. Now the stranger,arriving in a matriarchal society which views him as the year-king, he is honoured and revered. But the cost: he must be sacrificed and returned to the Earth. Historically true? No-one can say, even now, but a mass of evidence survives of matriarchal religion in very early Greece, including, time and again, in mythology. Volume two of his story, The Bull from the Sea (played later on the dramatic stage as the Hippolytos myth) is his adult life, now in a less threatening regal position. However, the sinister side of female belief continues to stalk him, leading to tragedy and self-blame. There's so much for a modern reader in his story to relate to, however unlikely that seems at first. We all have experiences of something like this kind, and in such myths we see aspects of our own life. I still have my first paperback copy, practically disintegrating after 45 years, but would never part with it. There's much to be said for Mary Renault (her pen name)as a rule. She was among the first modern authors to include homosexuality (see e.g. The Charioteer, and her works on Alexander), as something not to be despised, in her work. In the same vein, she campaigned with great courage against apartheid while still living in South Africa, where she moved from London. Sweetman's biography of her is itself well worth reading.

The early life of Theseus, 25 May 2006
Renault is a magical writer with an almost unique ability to immerse her readers in the glittering alien culture of the ancient world.
Here she takes the early life of Theseus, boy heir to the King of Athens and creates a powerful narrative of his coming of age. She knows her ancient sources, not just the classical Greek myths but also the pre-classical Minoan civilisation and carries us with her without faltering.
Theseus joins the band of Athenian youths paid as tribute to Minos, the King of Crete, and then saves them from early death at the hands of the Minotaur (here an illegitimate son of Minos, rather than the monstrous man-bull of myth). He meets Ariadne, daughter of Minos and with her help eventually escapes with his companions back to Athens, en route abandoning her on Naxos.
The book ends with the death of his father due to Theseus' own unthinking oversight so that he himself reaches manhood and ascends to the kingship.
Like Renault's other novels set in ancient Greece, this is a beautifully written and haunting tale of love, duty and growing up, set in an alien culture that both comes alive and is made effortlessly comprehensible through Renault's superb mediation.
If you loved this, read The Bull from the Sea, the 2nd part of Theseus' life.

"The law is: The King Must Die.", 02 Jan 2006
Mary Renault's great historical novel of Theseus begins when he is a young man in Troizen, a well-bred youth who has never known his father's identity. When, with the help of the gods, he succeeds in lifting a stone to reclaim his father's sword, Theseus discovers that he is the son of Aigeus, King of Athens. On his way to Athens to meet him, Theseus arrives in Eleusis, where after wrestling the king in a fight to the death, he finds himself, unexpectedly, the King of Eleusis. Later, in Athens, when fourteen young men and women are chosen by lot to become bull-dancers in Crete, fulfilling a tribute demanded by the King of Crete, Theseus listens to his god and joins the group, never knowing if he will survive to return to his father.

Renault tells the story of Theseus as if Theseus were a real person, not a mythical character, using history, archaeology, and a deep understanding of the cultures of the period to place Theseus in a realistic context. Her descriptions of the lifting of the stone, the wrestling match in Eleusis, Theseus's arrival at the palace in Athens, and especially his experiences in becoming a bull dancer bring the period vibrantly to life in ways consistent with the historical record. Theseus's devotion to the god Poseidon, to whom he prays throughout his journey, reflects his appreciation of his own smallness in relation to the gods, and his honoring of the gods unique to the kingdoms he visits show how the Greek religion gradually incorporated increasing numbers of gods and goddesses to explain the increasingly complex mysteries of life faced by Greek citizens.

Renault never fails to treat Theseus, his religion and culture, and the traditions of the countries in which he travels with the dignity they would have inspired in their own period. She never patronizes either her characters or her readers, writing with elegance and a fine appreciation for the details of daily life, the art of the period, and the pantheon of gods thought to control men's destinies. Whether Theseus was a real man whose strength and reputation grew to mythical proportions, as Renault illustrates, or whether he was, in fact, a mythical character whom she places in a realistic context in ancient Greece is less important than the fact that she creates a plausible life for this monumental character. Few, if any, other authors are so successful in recreating an entire era, its people, its beliefs, and its culture. Mary Whipple

Take The Bull by the Horns, 18 May 2004
Although on the surface this book is about Theseus and the legend of his life prior to becoming King of Athens, the book is much more fundamentally an adventure tale featuring all of the most desirable male adolescent fantasies. If you read it as the latter, you will be thrilled. If you read it as historical fiction, you will be disappointed because the potential to develop the historical side is clearly subordinated to the adventure tale.

The classical story about Theseus features his slaying of the Minotaur. In this book, by contrast, the central theme is Theseus fulfilling his fate, as decreed by the gods. The primary backdrop is the conflict between "the old religion" of Mother Dia and "the new religion" of the Sky Gods (all sired by Zeus). Theseus brings about a reconciliation between the two sets of beliefs by honoring both, while rejecting the practice of routinely sacrificing the king (Kerkyon) as a fertility offering.

The book has enough material in it to be four books. The first story is about Theseus as a young man growing up with his mother, Aithra, without knowing who is father is in the household of his grandfather in Troizen. The second story starts with his finding that he is the son of the King of Athens and continues through his becoming King of Eleusis. The third story starts with leaving Eleusis to meet his father, King Aigeus, and continues through writing his name on the lot that selects him as a bull dancer slave as tribute for the Cretans. The fourth story begins with his leaving Athens for Crete through his return. Although each of these stories is exciting and interesting, the fourth one is the best.

Bull leaping entailed running toward and grasping the two horns of a live Cretan bull and performing gymnastic feats, like one does today by vaulting using a pommel horse. Naturally, it was a lot more dangerous than vaulting is. Theseus revels in the danger and excitement. He also feels committed to keeping his fellow slaves from Athens alive, in a team that he has named the Cranes, for a dance that they do in the bull ring.

Some of the many adventure themes that will resonate with young male readers include being specially selected by the gods for an exalted purpose, being the unknown son of a king, being sought out by powerful and beautiful women, unlimited sexual access, being a popular hero with other males, successful conquests of animals, leading successful battles with men, and being invincible in all endeavors. I cannot remember a book with so many of these themes packed into one.

Placing the book in these ancient times gives you a fresh perspective on our own world. What are the proper roles for men and women in society? How should they relate to one another? What is the role of piety? What is the purpose of life? How can we contribute to one another? If you ask and answer these questions after you finish, you will have gotten much benefit from the book as well as much pleasure from the adventure tales in it.

Take the bull by the horns to accomplish more!

Must read!, 25 May 2006
This follows on from The King Must Die, which begins Renault's epic and yet overwhelmingly human re-telling of the Theseus myth.

The first book tells the story of a young man: this sequel is much darker. Here Theseus tries to re-capture his lost youth in the bull-ring of Knossos before realising that that is an impossibility. Restless, he allows his friend Peirithous to talk him into a pirate expedition where they encounter the Amazons and Theseus falls in love.
The love affair/marriage between him and Hippolyta is one of the most moving relationships in literature, but if you don't know the myth I don;t want to spoil it for you. This is a fine, fine book: imaginative, compelling, enthralling, filled with true emotion and drama. Buy it!

If only there could be a part 3!!!, 15 Mar 2005
The existence of this book is one of those truly life-enhancing experiences, ie when you read a book, think it's one of the best things you've ever read - and then find out there's a sequel! In this case, however, this second volume in the tale of Theseus, the Greek hero-king is so much more than a mere sequel.

The bare bones of the story are well-known, but Mary Renault fleshes them out which such consummate skill that the reader is right THERE with Theseus in the landscape of ancient Greece. There is no doubt that Theseus is a real man, with real problems, real happinesses, and a real LIFE! This story runs from his escape from the fall of Crete and the bull-ring of the Labyrinth to his death - an older, wiser and disillusioned man, but still one who had the courage to master his own fate.

These books should be required reading for students of English literature. Mary Renault's writing never slips. Despite some of the very dramatic, even sentimental, events in the story, her prose never becomes purple - but be warned, you may need your hanky at some points.

Absolutely superb - buy buy buy! Read read read!!!!

Remote Lives and Beliefs Come to Life!, 28 Aug 2004
First, let me take a moment to explain what this book is . . . and what it is not. Many people like historical fiction. To me, that genre means creating a modern novel that is set in an earlier historical period. It may or not not include well-known historical characters. The Bull from the Sea is not, by this definition, historical fiction. In fact, if you like historial fiction a lot, you may not like this book.

Instead, I would describe what is done in this book as literary restoration. Ms. Renault has taken well-known stories about a famous Greek character and made them more accessible to the modern reader. By staying within what is known about the character, that limits an author's ability to create a modern novel. For example, if Theseus was idle for many years (as he was on occasion), Ms. Renault is stuck with that as part of her story. By contrast, a historical novelist could simply invent interesting things for such a flat period, and not have to worry about dealing with any story limits other than general credibility.

Mary Renault has done an outstanding job of fleshing out the life of Theseus from the time he returned from Crete after escaping from the Labyrinth and became King of Athens until his death. We especially learn a lot about what kind of thoughts drove him as he united the Greeks, established law and order, and reformed religion.

The ancient Greeks always seemed larger than life to me as a child. They were playing on a cosmic scale, with gods and goddesses lurking behind every bush. Often with little room to maneuver, they suffered from complications of the gods' preoccupations with their own quarrels. The fate of civilization always seemed to be in the balance.

Yet these people did not seem real, despite their appeal. The story telling style of epics and plays leaves much to be desired for helping the modern reader understand the figures as people. Ms. Renault has done a skillful job of working within the outlines of those ancient tales and creating an understandable modern story out of them. For the first time, Theseus came alive for me in this book.

There is a lot of interesting material to work with in this part of Theseus' life. He finds the love of his life (Hippolyta), marries another woman (Phaedra) to secure his alliance with Crete, and fathers two sons (Hipplytos and Akamas) who could potentially vie to succeed him. Anyone who has ever lived in a step-family will soon recognize the potential for complications.

Theseus also liked to rove, and was often off acting the pirate. These tales make good adventure stories.

He was a central religious figure, constantly balancing the older religion of the Earth Mother with the newer religion of the Sky Gods (like Apollo and Poseidon). There is also a split between women and men involved in this religious tension that makes for interesting reading.

Although the gods make no more than cameo appearances (usually through causing Theseus to hear the sound of the ocean or be sick, or by omens), nature is a major character. Earthquakes and storms play an important role as irresistible forces that provide boundaries for Greek life at the time.

If you are like me, the most valuable part of this book will be your increased understanding of leadership though considering Theseus' decisions and actions. Theseus has much talent for leadership, and is constantly striving to be a role model. He is as concerned about slaves as he is about barons, and his concern for public opinion rivals that of any modern politician in a democracy. Undoubtedly, there will eventually be a book on the management lessons of King Theseus.

After you finish reading this book, stop to reflect on how your example and actions can make a difference in creating more understanding, communication, and cooperation. Then, go set that example!

Enjoy a life of inspiring purpose!

The Legend Continues, 31 Dec 2000
Part two of the Theseus legend (The King Must Die is part one), this book has is essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the history or mythology of Ancient Greece.

Mary Renault has managed, quite uniquely, to turn an ancient legend into a living, historically acceptible and real set of characters. Her artistry is defined in her writing - Theseus, the King, is an ordinary man (with an extraordinary fate thrust upon him) who quickly becomes a close and dear friend. The reader identifies with the character and accepts the deeply researched period of ancient Mycenaean Greek history as though it occurred yesterday - to a friend.

No bookshelf can be complete without at least some of Mary Renault's works and The Theseus saga is a truly definitive place to start!

Ordinary tale of a fantastic legend, 05 Oct 2008
This novel is an attempt to provide a more likely retelling of the legend of Theseus. It tries to do this by omitting the fantastical elements of the legend, such as the Minotaur monster being half man half bull. All of the action and adventure here is related as conflicts between human participants only. Even the gods in this story are relegated to a more minor status. While always on the minds of the major characters, they never actually make an appearance. The implication being that they don't exist as anything more than a belief system.

Nevertheless this story is still highly unlikely. Theseus sets forth on his travels around the mythical Greek world as a very young man indeed. He conquers or guides the people he meets as he does so. He is strong, quick witted, agile and intelligent. Everything a hero should be.

This is the major problem with the book. Theseus is just too good. I guess the motive for removing the gods and monsters from the narrative is to provide a more human story. Unfortunately Theseus himself is too close to the divine for us to really sympathise or identify with. If there is one fault he can be accused of it is his overweening pride; hardly a trait fit to endear.

The prose employed gets extremely stilted in parts. This is especially true when the reader is treated to one of the many discussions of what it means to be honourable.

Having said all of this I found the novel to be entertaining in parts. It's a good recount of the legend. I just can't help feeling it would have been more pleasing had Theseus been more human and his enemies more incredible.


Preserving a vital tradition - the modern way., 05 Sep 2008
Ancient history and mythology have disastrously become neglected in recent years. We must know our origins, even if symbolic, and modern psychology relies heavily on usually mythological/symbolic 'archetypes'. There's no-one with the capacity to transfer these stories in an easily-absorbed way than the late Mary Renault. The ancient myth (=story, not 'lie') is treated almost as a contemporary novel, yet sticks to the ancient, probably Bronze Age, narrative, later portrayed on the stage. Who is Theseus? He's a typical young man, in a way, puzzled by unexplained inconsistencies in his origins. To find the truth, he must travel a long way, facing dangers and threats, symbolic and real, on the road. Now the stranger,arriving in a matriarchal society which views him as the year-king, he is honoured and revered. But the cost: he must be sacrificed and returned to the Earth. Historically true? No-one can say, even now, but a mass of evidence survives of matriarchal religion in very early Greece, including, time and again, in mythology. Volume two of his story, The Bull from the Sea (played later on the dramatic stage as the Hippolytos myth) is his adult life, now in a less threatening regal position. However, the sinister side of female belief continues to stalk him, leading to tragedy and self-blame. There's so much for a modern reader in his story to relate to, however unlikely that seems at first. We all have experiences of something like this kind, and in such myths we see aspects of our own life. I still have my first paperback copy, practically disintegrating after 45 years, but would never part with it. There's much to be said for Mary Renault (her pen name)as a rule. She was among the first modern authors to include homosexuality (see e.g. The Charioteer, and her works on Alexander), as something not to be despised, in her work. In the same vein, she campaigned with great courage against apartheid while still living in South Africa, where she moved from London. Sweetman's biography of her is itself well worth reading.

The early life of Theseus, 25 May 2006
Renault is a magical writer with an almost unique ability to immerse her readers in the glittering alien culture of the ancient world.
Here she takes the early life of Theseus, boy heir to the King of Athens and creates a powerful narrative of his coming of age. She knows her ancient sources, not just the classical Greek myths but also the pre-classical Minoan civilisation and carries us with her without faltering.
Theseus joins the band of Athenian youths paid as tribute to Minos, the King of Crete, and then saves them from early death at the hands of the Minotaur (here an illegitimate son of Minos, rather than the monstrous man-bull of myth). He meets Ariadne, daughter of Minos and with her help eventually escapes with his companions back to Athens, en route abandoning her on Naxos.
The book ends with the death of his father due to Theseus' own unthinking oversight so that he himself reaches manhood and ascends to the kingship.
Like Renault's other novels set in ancient Greece, this is a beautifully written and haunting tale of love, duty and growing up, set in an alien culture that both comes alive and is made effortlessly comprehensible through Renault's superb mediation.
If you loved this, read The Bull from the Sea, the 2nd part of Theseus' life.

"The law is: The King Must Die.", 02 Jan 2006
Mary Renault's great historical novel of Theseus begins when he is a young man in Troizen, a well-bred youth who has never known his father's identity. When, with the help of the gods, he succeeds in lifting a stone to reclaim his father's sword, Theseus discovers that he is the son of Aigeus, King of Athens. On his way to Athens to meet him, Theseus arrives in Eleusis, where after wrestling the king in a fight to the death, he finds himself, unexpectedly, the King of Eleusis. Later, in Athens, when fourteen young men and women are chosen by lot to become bull-dancers in Crete, fulfilling a tribute demanded by the King of Crete, Theseus listens to his god and joins the group, never knowing if he will survive to return to his father.

Renault tells the story of Theseus as if Theseus were a real person, not a mythical character, using history, archaeology, and a deep understanding of the cultures of the period to place Theseus in a realistic context. Her descriptions of the lifting of the stone, the wrestling match in Eleusis, Theseus's arrival at the palace in Athens, and especially his experiences in becoming a bull dancer bring the period vibrantly to life in ways consistent with the historical record. Theseus's devotion to the god Poseidon, to whom he prays throughout his journey, reflects his appreciation of his own smallness in relation to the gods, and his honoring of the gods unique to the kingdoms he visits show how the Greek religion gradually incorporated increasing numbers of gods and goddesses to explain the increasingly complex mysteries of life faced by Greek citizens.

Renault never fails to treat Theseus, his religion and culture, and the traditions of the countries in which he travels with the dignity they would have inspired in their own period. She never patronizes either her characters or her readers, writing with elegance and a fine appreciation for the details of daily life, the art of the period, and the pantheon of gods thought to control men's destinies. Whether Theseus was a real man whose strength and reputation grew to mythical proportions, as Renault illustrates, or whether he was, in fact, a mythical character whom she places in a realistic context in ancient Greece is less important than the fact that she creates a plausible life for this monumental character. Few, if any, other authors are so successful in recreating an entire era, its people, its beliefs, and its culture. Mary Whipple

Take The Bull by the Horns, 18 May 2004
Although on the surface this book is about Theseus and the legend of his life prior to becoming King of Athens, the book is much more fundamentally an adventure tale featuring all of the most desirable male adolescent fantasies. If you read it as the latter, you will be thrilled. If you read it as historical fiction, you will be disappointed because the potential to develop the historical side is clearly subordinated to the adventure tale.

The classical story about Theseus features his slaying of the Minotaur. In this book, by contrast, the central theme is Theseus fulfilling his fate, as decreed by the gods. The primary backdrop is the conflict between "the old religion" of Mother Dia and "the new religion" of the Sky Gods (all sired by Zeus). Theseus brings about a reconciliation between the two sets of beliefs by honoring both, while rejecting the practice of routinely sacrificing the king (Kerkyon) as a fertility offering.

The book has enough material in it to be four books. The first story is about Theseus as a young man growing up with his mother, Aithra, without knowing who is father is in the household of his grandfather in Troizen. The second story starts with his finding that he is the son of the King of Athens and continues through his becoming King of Eleusis. The third story starts with leaving Eleusis to meet his father, King Aigeus, and continues through writing his name on the lot that selects him as a bull dancer slave as tribute for the Cretans. The fourth story begins with his leaving Athens for Crete through his return. Although each of these stories is exciting and interesting, the fourth one is the best.

Bull leaping entailed running toward and grasping the two horns of a live Cretan bull and performing gymnastic feats, like one does today by vaulting using a pommel horse. Naturally, it was a lot more dangerous than vaulting is. Theseus revels in the danger and excitement. He also feels committed to keeping his fellow slaves from Athens alive, in a team that he has named the Cranes, for a dance that they do in the bull ring.

Some of the many adventure themes that will resonate with young male readers include being specially selected by the gods for an exalted purpose, being the unknown son of a king, being sought out by powerful and beautiful women, unlimited sexual access, being a popular hero with other males, successful conquests of animals, leading successful battles with men, and being invincible in all endeavors. I cannot remember a book with so many of these themes packed into one.

Placing the book in these ancient times gives you a fresh perspective on our own world. What are the proper roles for men and women in society? How should they relate to one another? What is the role of piety? What is the purpose of life? How can we contribute to one another? If you ask and answer these questions after you finish, you will have gotten much benefit from the book as well as much pleasure from the adventure tales in it.

Take the bull by the horns to accomplish more!

Must read!, 25 May 2006
This follows on from The King Must Die, which begins Renault's epic and yet overwhelmingly human re-telling of the Theseus myth.

The first book tells the story of a young man: this sequel is much darker. Here Theseus tries to re-capture his lost youth in the bull-ring of Knossos before realising that that is an impossibility. Restless, he allows his friend Peirithous to talk him into a pirate expedition where they encounter the Amazons and Theseus falls in love.
The love affair/marriage between him and Hippolyta is one of the most moving relationships in literature, but if you don't know the myth I don;t want to spoil it for you. This is a fine, fine book: imaginative, compelling, enthralling, filled with true emotion and drama. Buy it!

If only there could be a part 3!!!, 15 Mar 2005
The existence of this book is one of those truly life-enhancing experiences, ie when you read a book, think it's one of the best things you've ever read - and then find out there's a sequel! In this case, however, this second volume in the tale of Theseus, the Greek hero-king is so much more than a mere sequel.

The bare bones of the story are well-known, but Mary Renault fleshes them out which such consummate skill that the reader is right THERE with Theseus in the landscape of ancient Greece. There is no doubt that Theseus is a real man, with real problems, real happinesses, and a real LIFE! This story runs from his escape from the fall of Crete and the bull-ring of the Labyrinth to his death - an older, wiser and disillusioned man, but still one who had the courage to master his own fate.

These books should be required reading for students of English literature. Mary Renault's writing never slips. Despite some of the very dramatic, even sentimental, events in the story, her prose never becomes purple - but be warned, you may need your hanky at some points.

Absolutely superb - buy buy buy! Read read read!!!!

Remote Lives and Beliefs Come to Life!, 28 Aug 2004
First, let me take a moment to explain what this book is . . . and what it is not. Many people like historical fiction. To me, that genre means creating a modern novel that is set in an earlier historical period. It may or not not include well-known historical characters. The Bull from the Sea is not, by this definition, historical fiction. In fact, if you like historial fiction a lot, you may not like this book.

Instead, I would describe what is done in this book as literary restoration. Ms. Renault has taken well-known stories about a famous Greek character and made them more accessible to the modern reader. By staying within what is known about the character, that limits an author's ability to create a modern novel. For example, if Theseus was idle for many years (as he was on occasion), Ms. Renault is stuck with that as part of her story. By contrast, a historical novelist could simply invent interesting things for such a flat period, and not have to worry about dealing with any story limits other than general credibility.

Mary Renault has done an outstanding job of fleshing out the life of Theseus from the time he returned from Crete after escaping from the Labyrinth and became King of Athens until his death. We especially learn a lot about what kind of thoughts drove him as he united the Greeks, established law and order, and reformed religion.

The ancient Greeks always seemed larger than life to me as a child. They were playing on a cosmic scale, with gods and goddesses lurking behind every bush. Often with little room to maneuver, they suffered from complications of the gods' preoccupations with their own quarrels. The fate of civilization always seemed to be in the balance.

Yet these people did not seem real, despite their appeal. The story telling style of epics and plays leaves much to be desired for helping the modern reader understand the figures as people. Ms. Renault has done a skillful job of working within the outlines of those ancient tales and creating an understandable modern story out of them. For the first time, Theseus came alive for me in this book.

There is a lot of interesting material to work with in this part of Theseus' life. He finds the love of his life (Hippolyta), marries another woman (Phaedra) to secure his alliance with Crete, and fathers two sons (Hipplytos and Akamas) who could potentially vie to succeed him. Anyone who has ever lived in a step-family will soon recognize the potential for complications.

Theseus also liked to rove, and was often off acting the pirate. These tales make good adventure stories.

He was a central religious figure, constantly balancing the older religion of the Earth Mother with the newer religion of the Sky Gods (like Apollo and Poseidon). There is also a split between women and men involved in this religious tension that makes for interesting reading.

Although the gods make no more than cameo appearances (usually through causing Theseus to hear the sound of the ocean or be sick, or by omens), nature is a major character. Earthquakes and storms play an important role as irresistible forces that provide boundaries for Greek life at the time.

If you are like me, the most valuable part of this book will be your increased understanding of leadership though considering Theseus' decisions and actions. Theseus has much talent for leadership, and is constantly striving to be a role model. He is as concerned about slaves as he is about barons, and his concern for public opinion rivals that of any modern politician in a democracy. Undoubtedly, there will eventually be a book on the management lessons of King Theseus.

After you finish reading this book, stop to reflect on how your example and actions can make a difference in creating more understanding, communication, and cooperation. Then, go set that example!

Enjoy a life of inspiring purpose!

The Legend Continues, 31 Dec 2000
Part two of the Theseus legend (The King Must Die is part one), this book has is essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the history or mythology of Ancient Greece.

Mary Renault has managed, quite uniquely, to turn an ancient legend into a living, historically acceptible and real set of characters. Her artistry is defined in her writing - Theseus, the King, is an ordinary man (with an extraordinary fate thrust upon him) who quickly becomes a close and dear friend. The reader identifies with the character and accepts the deeply researched period of ancient Mycenaean Greek history as though it occurred yesterday - to a friend.

No bookshelf can be complete without at least some of Mary Renault's works and The Theseus saga is a truly definitive place to start!

One of the best historical novels ever?, 20 Sep 2008
What really amazed here is not the scholarship or the good writing, they are always there with Mary Renault, but the way she imagines not one ancient culture but two -the Macedonians observed by the persian boy. Dazzling.

Personal, touching and emotive, 18 Jul 2008
A fantastic read. Renault vividly charts the later years of Alexander's life and his many achievements, adding a personal angle (and in many ways making the story more believable and touching) by telling it all through the eyes of Bagoas, a Persian Eunuch.


I found this book both Historically educational and enjoyable. Accessible to everybody and well worth a read!

Best of the three, 05 Jun 2007
The selection for the main character is brilliant. The reader feels very close to the events and the magic of Alexander can be felt through the pages. Despite the other parts of the trilogy not being as good as this masterpiece, together a brilliant trilogy is created.

Romantic view of Alexander's last years, 25 May 2006
Renault's Alexander is one of the most complex and haunting fictional characters, and this book (the 2nd of the trilogy which began with Fire from Heaven and continues with Funeral Games)is probably the most accessible. It follows Alexander's last years of conquest in Persia and the East, and is told by Bagoas, the Persian eunuch who once served Darius, King of Kings, and so is won by Alexander along with the rest of Darius' kingdom and personal possessions.
The love that grows between Alexander and his 'Persian boy' is romaticised and stops just short of tipping over into Mills & Boon territory, but is effectively offset both by the parallel relationship with Hephaistion, and the military conquest of the East, the hardship and the conflicts that it engenders amongst the native Macedonians who have been away from home for over 10 years.
Renault does a fabulous job of integrating the ancient sources while never letting them inhibit her imagination in the slightest, and 'her' Alexander has been hugely influential in the way that he is received and understood today. Not that I'm claiming that this is great history - it's not and isn't supposed to be. But it is great fiction.

a living image, 08 Oct 2002
The second volume in her Alexander trilogy, Mary Renault's historical novel *The Persian Boy* must surely be ranked as one of her finest books. Many of the reviews which greeted its original (delayed) publication, reflecting the mores of the time, were openly and unambiguously hostile. As may be expected, this disapproval by and large centred on what by any objective measure must be considered the very discreet treatment of a possible physical relationship between Alexander of Macedon and the young eunuch presumed in the sources to be his *eromenos*, the Persian Bagoas. Interestingly, given the gaps in the historical record concerning this individual, even recent students of Alexander's life and career have adopted a predominantly pejorative attitude towards Bagoas. Whatever the truth about him, it seems that Alexander's Persian boy continues to cause unease among those whom, as Mary Renault would put it, such thoughts disturb. The non-judgmental among us, however, may rightly view *The Persian Boy* as one of Renault's most accomplished works and, within the parameters of her own interest, surely also a statement of personal significance to the author. Its cyclical structure, thematic resonances, beautifully observed psychological tensions and human dilemmas, unfold in what Dylan Thomas called a `colour of saying' which is at times the match of anything she wrote.

As other reviewers have noted, the book is not without its flaws, both artistic and historical, and Mary Renault herself was fully aware of these. But because *The Persian Boy* is not simply an historical novel but a safe place of generous beauty created by an author of not inconsiderable courage-and this in the teeth of contemporary distaste for such themes-other critical standards should also be applied. It can be argued that *The Persian Boy* is as significant for an objective appreciation of a complex and important writer as it may be for a study of the development of the modern historical novel itself. A close reading of *The Persian Boy* reveals more than Mary Renault's own understanding of the nature of Alexander.

Although portrayed through the eyes of Bagoas himself, the story's creative power and tension as much concerns Hephaistion's relationship with Alexander as it does that of Bagoas. The infatuated (and, at times, potentially murderous) youth must learn to grow up, to surrender his selfishness if he is to retain what has been real. At the last, Bagoas is depicted as rising to the challenge his declared love has set him: to allow his beloved the freedom to love another more. The vengeful possessiveness of the mythical Achilles for Patroklos, juxtaposed with the unresolved ambiguities of Alexander's love for Hephaistion, find a counterpoint in Bagoas' selfless care of the dying Alexander. Even a final kiss is given as Hephaistion would have offered it, wanting Alexander to receive it from whomever his heart wishes, steady in the knowledge that the love which matters is that which is given unreservedly. All lovers come to this place; Bagoas' love has travelled far to become worthy of the name.

There will be many views of *The Persian Boy*, some more unfavourable than others. But there are also older readers who say of her books that they comforted them at a time when little comfort else was to be found. When the necessary critical analysis of Mary Renault's work is accomplished, perhaps this too should not be forgotten.

Ordinary tale of a fantastic legend, 05 Oct 2008
This novel is an attempt to provide a more likely retelling of the legend of Theseus. It tries to do this by omitting the fantastical elements of the legend, such as the Minotaur monster being half man half bull. All of the action and adventure here is related as conflicts between human participants only. Even the gods in this story are relegated to a more minor status. While always on the minds of the major characters, they never actually make an appearance. The implication being that they don't exist as anything more than a belief system.

Nevertheless this story is still highly unlikely. Theseus sets forth on his travels around the mythical Greek world as a very young man indeed. He conquers or guides the people he meets as he does so. He is strong, quick witted, agile and intelligent. Everything a hero should be.

This is the major problem with the book. Theseus is just too good. I guess the motive for removing the gods and monsters from the narrative is to provide a more human story. Unfortunately Theseus himself is too close to the divine for us to really sympathise or identify with. If there is one fault he can be accused of it is his overweening pride; hardly a trait fit to endear.

The prose employed gets extremely stilted in parts. This is especially true when the reader is treated to one of the many discussions of what it means to be honourable.

Having said all of this I found the novel to be entertaining in parts. It's a good recount of the legend. I just can't help feeling it would have been more pleasing had Theseus been more human and his enemies more incredible.


Preserving a vital tradition - the modern way., 05 Sep 2008
Ancient history and mythology have disastrously become neglected in recent years. We must know our origins, even if symbolic, and modern psychology relies heavily on usually mythological/symbolic 'archetypes'. There's no-one with the capacity to transfer these stories in an easily-absorbed way than the late Mary Renault. The ancient myth (=story, not 'lie') is treated almost as a contemporary novel, yet sticks to the ancient, probably Bronze Age, narrative, later portrayed on the stage. Who is Theseus? He's a typical young man, in a way, puzzled by unexplained inconsistencies in his origins. To find the truth, he must travel a long way, facing dangers and threats, symbolic and real, on the road. Now the stranger,arriving in a matriarchal society which views him as the year-king, he is honoured and revered. But the cost: he must be sacrificed and returned to the Earth. Historically true? No-one can say, even now, but a mass of evidence survives of matriarchal religion in very early Greece, including, time and again, in mythology. Volume two of his story, The Bull from the Sea (played later on the dramatic stage as the Hippolytos myth) is his adult life, now in a less threatening regal position. However, the sinister side of female belief continues to stalk him, leading to tragedy and self-blame. There's so much for a modern reader in his story to relate to, however unlikely that seems at first. We all have experiences of something like this kind, and in such myths we see aspects of our own life. I still have my first paperback copy, practically disintegrating after 45 years, but would never part with it. There's much to be said for Mary Renault (her pen name)as a rule. She was among the first modern authors to include homosexuality (see e.g. The Charioteer, and her works on Alexander), as something not to be despised, in her work. In the same vein, she campaigned with great courage against apartheid while still living in South Africa, where she moved from London. Sweetman's biography of her is itself well worth reading.

The early life of Theseus, 25 May 2006
Renault is a magical writer with an almost unique ability to immerse her readers in the glittering alien culture of the ancient world.
Here she takes the early life of Theseus, boy heir to the King of Athens and creates a powerful narrative of his coming of age. She knows her ancient sources, not just the classical Greek myths but also the pre-classical Minoan civilisation and carries us with her without faltering.
Theseus joins the band of Athenian youths paid as tribute to Minos, the King of Crete, and then saves them from early death at the hands of the Minotaur (here an illegitimate son of Minos, rather than the monstrous man-bull of myth). He meets Ariadne, daughter of Minos and with her help eventually escapes with his companions back to Athens, en route abandoning her on Naxos.
The book ends with the death of his father due to Theseus' own unthinking oversight so that he himself reaches manhood and ascends to the kingship.
Like Renault's other novels set in ancient Greece, this is a beautifully written and haunting tale of love, duty and growing up, set in an alien culture that both comes alive and is made effortlessly comprehensible through Renault's superb mediation.
If you loved this, read The Bull from the Sea, the 2nd part of Theseus' life.

"The law is: The King Must Die.", 02 Jan 2006
Mary Renault's great historical novel of Theseus begins when he is a young man in Troizen, a well-bred youth who has never known his father's identity. When, with the help of the gods, he succeeds in lifting a stone to reclaim his father's sword, Theseus discovers that he is the son of Aigeus, King of Athens. On his way to Athens to meet him, Theseus arrives in Eleusis, where after wrestling the king in a fight to the death, he finds himself, unexpectedly, the King of Eleusis. Later, in Athens, when fourteen young men and women are chosen by lot to become bull-dancers in Crete, fulfilling a tribute demanded by the King of Crete, Theseus listens to his god and joins the group, never knowing if he will survive to return to his father.

Renault tells the story of Theseus as if Theseus were a real person, not a mythical character, using history, archaeology, and a deep understanding of the cultures of the period to place Theseus in a realistic context. Her descriptions of the lifting of the stone, the wrestling match in Eleusis, Theseus's arrival at the palace in Athens, and especially his experiences in becoming a bull dancer bring the period vibrantly to life in ways consistent with the historical record. Theseus's devotion to the god Poseidon, to whom he prays throughout his journey, reflects his appreciation of his own smallness in relation to the gods, and his honoring of the gods unique to the kingdoms he visits show how the Greek religion gradually incorporated increasing numbers of gods and goddesses to explain the increasingly complex mysteries of life faced by Greek citizens.

Renault never fails to treat Theseus, his religion and culture, and the traditions of the countries in which he travels with the dignity they would have inspired in their own period. She never patronizes either her characters or her readers, writing with elegance and a fine appreciation for the details of daily life, the art of the period, and the pantheon of gods thought to control men's destinies. Whether Theseus was a real man whose strength and reputation grew to mythical proportions, as Renault illustrates, or whether he was, in fact, a mythical character whom she places in a realistic context in ancient Greece is less important than the fact that she creates a plausible life for this monumental character. Few, if any, other authors are so successful in recreating an entire era, its people, its beliefs, and its culture. Mary Whipple

Take The Bull by the Horns, 18 May 2004
Although on the surface this book is about Theseus and the legend of his life prior to becoming King of Athens, the book is much more fundamentally an adventure tale featuring all of the most desirable male adolescent fantasies. If you read it as the latter, you will be thrilled. If you read it as historical fiction, you will be disappointed because the potential to develop the historical side is clearly subordinated to the adventure tale.

The classical story about Theseus features his slaying of the Minotaur. In this book, by contrast, the central theme is Theseus fulfilling his fate, as decreed by the gods. The primary backdrop is the conflict between "the old religion" of Mother Dia and "the new religion" of the Sky Gods (all sired by Zeus). Theseus brings about a reconciliation between the two sets of beliefs by honoring both, while rejecting the practice of routinely sacrificing the king (Kerkyon) as a fertility offering.

The book has enough material in it to be four books. The first story is about Theseus as a young man growing up with his mother, Aithra, without knowing who is father is in the household of his grandfather in Troizen. The second story starts with his finding that he is the son of the King of Athens and continues through his becoming King of Eleusis. The third story starts with leaving Eleusis to meet his father, King Aigeus, and continues through writing his name on the lot that selects him as a bull dancer slave as tribute for the Cretans. The fourth story begins with his leaving Athens for Crete through his return. Although each of these stories is exciting and interesting, the fourth one is the best.

Bull leaping entailed running toward and grasping the two horns of a live Cretan bull and performing gymnastic feats, like one does today by vaulting using a pommel horse. Naturally, it was a lot more dangerous than vaulting is. Theseus revels in the danger and excitement. He also feels committed to keeping his fellow slaves from Athens alive, in a team that he has named the Cranes, for a dance that they do in the bull ring.

Some of the many adventure themes that will resonate with young male readers include being specially selected by the gods for an exalted purpose, being the unknown son of a king, being sought out by powerful and beautiful women, unlimited sexual access, being a popular hero with other males, successful conquests of animals, leading successful battles with men, and being invincible in all endeavors. I cannot remember a book with so many of these themes packed into one.

Placing the book in these ancient times gives you a fresh perspective on our own world. What are the proper roles for men and women in society? How should they relate to one another? What is the role of piety? What is the purpose of life? How can we contribute to one another? If you ask and answer these questions after you finish, you will have gotten much benefit from the book as well as much pleasure from the adventure tales in it.

Take the bull by the horns to accomplish more!

Must read!, 25 May 2006
This follows on from The King Must Die, which begins Renault's epic and yet overwhelmingly human re-telling of the Theseus myth.

The first book tells the story of a young man: this sequel is much darker. Here Theseus tries to re-capture his lost youth in the bull-ring of Knossos before realising that that is an impossibility. Restless, he allows his friend Peirithous to talk him into a pirate expedition where they encounter the Amazons and Theseus falls in love.
The love affair/marriage between him and Hippolyta is one of the most moving relationships in literature, but if you don't know the myth I don;t want to spoil it for you. This is a fine, fine book: imaginative, compelling, enthralling, filled with true emotion and drama. Buy it!

If only there could be a part 3!!!, 15 Mar 2005
The existence of this book is one of those truly life-enhancing experiences, ie when you read a book, think it's one of the best things you've ever read - and then find out there's a sequel! In this case, however, this second volume in the tale of Theseus, the Greek hero-king is so much more than a mere sequel.

The bare bones of the story are well-known, but Mary Renault fleshes them out which such consummate skill that the reader is right THERE with Theseus in the landscape of ancient Greece. There is no doubt that Theseus is a real man, with real problems, real happinesses, and a real LIFE! This story runs from his escape from the fall of Crete and the bull-ring of the Labyrinth to his death - an older, wiser and disillusioned man, but still one who had the courage to master his own fate.

These books should be required reading for students of English literature. Mary Renault's writing never slips. Despite some of the very dramatic, even sentimental, events in the story, her prose never becomes purple - but be warned, you may need your hanky at some points.

Absolutely superb - buy buy buy! Read read read!!!!

Remote Lives and Beliefs Come to Life!, 28 Aug 2004
First, let me take a moment to explain what this book is . . . and what it is not. Many people like historical fiction. To me, that genre means creating a modern novel that is set in an earlier historical period. It may or not not include well-known historical characters. The Bull from the Sea is not, by this definition, historical fiction. In fact, if you like historial fiction a lot, you may not like this book.

Instead, I would describe what is done in this book as literary restoration. Ms. Renault has taken well-known stories about a famous Greek character and made them more accessible to the modern reader. By staying within what is known about the character, that limits an author's ability to create a modern novel. For example, if Theseus was idle for many years (as he was on occasion), Ms. Renault is stuck with that as part of her story. By contrast, a historical novelist could simply invent interesting things for such a flat period, and not have to worry about dealing with any story limits other than general credibility.

Mary Renault has done an outstanding job of fleshing out the life of Theseus from the time he returned from Crete after escaping from the Labyrinth and became King of Athens until his death. We especially learn a lot about what kind of thoughts drove him as he united the Greeks, established law and order, and reformed religion.

The ancient Greeks always seemed larger than life to me as a child. They were playing on a cosmic scale, with gods and goddesses lurking behind every bush. Often with little room to maneuver, they suffered from complications of the gods' preoccupations with their own quarrels. The fate of civilization always seemed to be in the balance.

Yet these people did not seem real, despite their appeal. The story telling style of epics and plays leaves much to be desired for helping the modern reader understand the figures as people. Ms. Renault has done a skillful job of working within the outlines of those ancient tales and creating an understandable modern story out of them. For the first time, Theseus came alive for me in this book.

There is a lot of interesting material to work with in this part of Theseus' life. He finds the love of his life (Hippolyta), marries another woman (Phaedra) to secure his alliance with Crete, and fathers two sons (Hipplytos and Akamas) who could potentially vie to succeed him. Anyone who has ever lived in a step-family will soon recognize the potential for complications.

Theseus also liked to rove, and was often off acting the pirate. These tales make good adventure stories.

He was a central religious figure, constantly balancing the older religion of the Earth Mother with the newer religion of the Sky Gods (like Apollo and Poseidon). There is also a split between women and men involved in this religious tension that makes for interesting reading.

Although the gods make no more than cameo appearances (usually through causing Theseus to hear the sound of the ocean or be sick, or by omens), nature is a major character. Earthquakes and storms play an important role as irresistible forces that provide boundaries for Greek life at the time.

If you are like me, the most valuable part of this book will be your increased understanding of leadership though considering Theseus' decisions and actions. Theseus has much talent for leadership, and is constantly striving to be a role model. He is as concerned about slaves as he is about barons, and his concern for public opinion rivals that of any modern politician in a democracy. Undoubtedly, there will eventually be a book on the management lessons of King Theseus.

After you finish reading this book, stop to reflect on how your example and actions can make a difference in creating more understanding, communication, and cooperation. Then, go set that example!

Enjoy a life of inspiring purpose!

The Legend Continues, 31 Dec 2000
Part two of the Theseus legend (The King Must Die is part one), this book has is essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the history or mythology of Ancient Greece.

Mary Renault has managed, quite uniquely, to turn an ancient legend into a living, historically acceptible and real set of characters. Her artistry is defined in her writing - Theseus, the King, is an ordinary man (with an extraordinary fate thrust upon him) who quickly becomes a close and dear friend. The reader identifies with the character and accepts the deeply researched period of ancient Mycenaean Greek history as though it occurred yesterday - to a friend.

No bookshelf can be complete without at least some of Mary Renault's works and The Theseus saga is a truly definitive place to start!

One of the best historical novels ever?, 20 Sep 2008
What really amazed here is not the scholarship or the good writing, they are always there with Mary Renault, but the way she imagines not one ancient culture but two -the Macedonians observed by the persian boy. Dazzling.

Personal, touching and emotive, 18 Jul 2008
A fantastic read. Renault vividly charts the later years of Alexander's life and his many achievements, adding a personal angle (and in many ways making the story more believable and touching) by telling it all through the eyes of Bagoas, a Persian Eunuch.


I found this book both Historically educational and enjoyable. Accessible to everybody and well worth a read!

Best of the three, 05 Jun 2007
The selection for the main character is brilliant. The reader feels very close to the events and the magic of Alexander can be felt through the pages. Despite the other parts of the trilogy not being as good as this masterpiece, together a brilliant trilogy is created.

Romantic view of Alexander's last years, 25 May 2006
Renault's Alexander is one of the most complex and haunting fictional characters, and this book (the 2nd of the trilogy which began with Fire from Heaven and continues with Funeral Games)is probably the most accessible. It follows Alexander's last years of conquest in Persia and the East, and is told by Bagoas, the Persian eunuch who once served Darius, King of Kings, and so is won by Alexander along with the rest of Darius' kingdom and personal possessions.
The love that grows between Alexander and his 'Persian boy' is romaticised and stops just short of tipping over into Mills & Boon territory, but is effectively offset both by the parallel relationship with Hephaistion, and the military conquest of the East, the hardship and the conflicts that it engenders amongst the native Macedonians who have been away from home for over 10 years.
Renault does a fabulous job of integrating the ancient sources while never letting them inhibit her imagination in the slightest, and 'her' Alexander has been hugely influential in the way that he is received and understood today. Not that I'm claiming that this is great history - it's not and isn't supposed to be. But it is great fiction.

a living image, 08 Oct 2002
The second volume in her Alexander trilogy, Mary Renault's historical novel *The Persian Boy* must surely be ranked as one of her finest books. Many of the reviews which greeted its original (delayed) publication, reflecting the mores of the time, were openly and unambiguously hostile. As may be expected, this disapproval by and large centred on what by any objective measure must be considered the very discreet treatment of a possible physical relationship between Alexander of Macedon and the young eunuch presumed in the sources to be his *eromenos*, the Persian Bagoas. Interestingly, given the gaps in the historical record concerning this individual, even recent students of Alexander's life and career have adopted a predominantly pejorative attitude towards Bagoas. Whatever the truth about him, it seems that Alexander's Persian boy continues to cause unease among those whom, as Mary Renault would put it, such thoughts disturb. The non-judgmental among us, however, may rightly view *The Persian Boy* as one of Renault's most accomplished works and, within the parameters of her own interest, surely also a statement of personal significance to the author. Its cyclical structure, thematic resonances, beautifully observed psychological tensions and human dilemmas, unfold in what Dylan Thomas called a `colour of saying' which is at times the match of anything she wrote.

As other reviewers have noted, the book is not without its flaws, both artistic and historical, and Mary Renault herself was fully aware of these. But because *The Persian Boy* is not simply an historical novel but a safe place of generous beauty created by an author of not inconsiderable courage-and this in the teeth of contemporary distaste for such themes-other critical standards should also be applied. It can be argued that *The Persian Boy* is as significant for an objective appreciation of a complex and important writer as it may be for a study of the development of the modern historical novel itself. A close reading of *The Persian Boy* reveals more than Mary Renault's own understanding of the nature of Alexander.

Although portrayed through the eyes of Bagoas himself, the story's creative power and tension as much concerns Hephaistion's relationship with Alexander as it does that of Bagoas. The infatuated (and, at times, potentially murderous) youth must learn to grow up, to surrender his selfishness if he is to retain what has been real. At the last, Bagoas is depicted as rising to the challenge his declared love has set him: to allow his beloved the freedom to love another more. The vengeful possessiveness of the mythical Achilles for Patroklos, juxtaposed with the unresolved ambiguities of Alexander's love for Hephaistion, find a counterpoint in Bagoas' selfless care of the dying Alexander. Even a final kiss is given as Hephaistion would have offered it, wanting Alexander to receive it from whomever his heart wishes, steady in the knowledge that the love which matters is that which is given unreservedly. All lovers come to this place; Bagoas' love has travelled far to become worthy of the name.

There will be many views of *The Persian Boy*, some more unfavourable than others. But there are also older readers who say of her books that they comforted them at a time when little comfort else was to be found. When the necessary critical analysis of Mary Renault's work is accomplished, perhaps this too should not be forgotten.

Among my most valuable reading ever., 04 Sep 2008
I came across this paperback when I was 15 and keep it still, 45 years later. It has to be possibly the most informative and thought-provoking work I've ever come across. Among the everyday lifes of Greeks of the 5th Cent. BCE, we are led little by little into Sokratic analytical reasoning - the man as he must surely have been. I genuinely believe it made me the person I became, cautious over whom to trust and distrust (those disinclined to discuss basic ideas) and led me on to the translation, then the original, of the stunning Apology (=Trial speech) of Sokrates, as written by Plato. Shallow thinking, buzz-words and barnstorming are dismissed for the superficial platitudes they are - and all this against probably the most disastrous, 27 year long, war of the centuries BCE. We don't reach Sokrates' trial in the book, but a metaphorical foreshadowing of it at the very close, as indicated in the title. This I would recommend to anyone - and to the paperback translation of the Apology afterwards. The Apology has simply no work in my life to match it. In difficult times, I don't think I'd have kept my balance without these two books in mind, and what - and how - they taught me. Five stars aren't enough.

Read it, all aspiring historical novelists, and take note, 15 Feb 2007
In the slew of wordier, more hyped fiction about the classical world that is engulfing us at the moment, I hope some readers are prompted to go back to Mary Renault. Her books are an object lesson in what you can leave out. It's not about research, it's not about pages of painstaking archaeological description leavened by sword-slashing and peplum-ripping, it's about the kind of imaginitive immersion in an ancient culture that can enable the author to present it in its own terms, without explication, but so that the perennial dilemmas of the soul that were present then as now leap across to the modern reader, defamiliarised and sharpened by their alien setting.
The Last of the Wine is about Athens in the time of Socrates, but is above all an Oedipal tragedy of the starkness that you would expect in a culture where fathers had the power of life and death over their children. Alexias finds out that his father never meant him to survive and this knowledge blights their relationship and his whole life, successful and adventurous though it is on the surface. In a bitterly poignant moment, when the father lies dying, he tries to ask forgiveness but Alexias thinks he only wants to be told all over again that he was right; it is symptomatic of how Alexias, unlike his lover Lysis, is too emotionally scarred to escape from the conventions of his doomed society - but Lysis dies (as does Socrates), and Alexias survives, bereft, disillusioned, revealing much more as a narrator than he has understood himself.

For the combination of page-turning narrative brilliance with psychological insight, no one rivals Mary Renault. Read it, read all her other books on ancient Greece, The King Must Die, The Bull from the Sea, The Mask of Apollo, the Alexander trilogy, The Praise Singer. Mouth-watering, stomach-filling writing, the kind of meal one remembers years later.

The human side of Thucydides, 25 May 2006
Renault takes Thucydides' magisterial account of the Peloponnesian War, the deadly conflict between Athens and Sparta in the second half of the 5th century bc, and shows us what it meant to the ordinary people growing up and coming of age in the middle of the war that lasted over 30 years and broke the power of classical Athens.
Her 'heroes' are young men who study under Socrates, fight against the Spartans and witness the struggles of Alcibiades and Lysander.
If you've read Thucydides, this is a wonderful fictional complement, and if you haven't then if this doesn't make you want to, nothing will!
Steeped in the cruelty, violence and beauty of ancient Greece, this is a beautifully written and subtle novel that really whisks you back 2,500 years so that you can experience the texture of life then for yourself. Brilliant.

Excellent Historical Novel, 19 Aug 2002
Renault demonstrates a true understanding of the classical world and Greek culture (unlike many novelists, who demonstrate only a superficial understanding). In addition, the tale itself is gripping, and exceptionally well written.

The Platonic ideal of a historical novel... perfection, 17 May 2000
This is a book that dumps you squarely in the agora, the symposium, the trireme and the battlefield. There is not a single wasted syllable, not one sentence that rings false. Like a Mozart symphony, it is exactly right - the Platonic ideal of what a historical novel should be. Being set in the era of Imperial Athens, it naturally incorporates its own tragedy - more than one, in fact. Almost effortlessly, it leaves you understanding just why the Athenians behaved the way they did and how their arrogance led to disaster.Great historical figures spring from the pages, with all their faults and weaknesses as well as their magnificent virtues - Plato, Socrates, Alcibiades, Xenophon, Critias, and many others. Yet alongside the lucid rationality of Socrates, which rings true down the millennia, Alexias and his contemporaries inhabit a world of gods and demons. Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Athene and the Furies are just as real to them as the mountains and the sea.

Ordinary tale of a fantastic legend, 05 Oct 2008
This novel is an attempt to provide a more likely retelling of the legend of Theseus. It tries to do this by omitting the fantastical elements of the legend, such as the Minotaur monster being half man half bull. All of the action and adventure here is related as conflicts between human participants only. Even the gods in this story are relegated to a more minor status. While always on the minds of the major characters, they never actually make an appearance. The implication being that they don't exist as anything more than a belief system.

Nevertheless this story is still highly unlikely. Theseus sets forth on his travels around the mythical Greek world as a very young man indeed. He conquers or guides the people he meets as he does so. He is strong, quick witted, agile and intelligent. Everything a hero should be.

This is the major problem with the book. Theseus is just too good. I guess the motive for removing the gods and monsters from the narrative is to provide a more human story. Unfortunately Theseus himself is too close to the divine for us to really sympathise or identify with. If there is one fault he can be accused of it is his overweening pride; hardly a trait fit to endear.

The prose employed gets extremely stilted in parts. This is especially true when the reader is treated to one of the many discussions of what it means to be honourable.

Having said all of this I found the novel to be entertaining in parts. It's a good recount of the legend. I just can't help feeling it would have been more pleasing had Theseus been more human and his enemies more incredible.


Preserving a vital tradition - the modern way., 05 Sep 2008
Ancient history and mythology have disastrously become neglected in recent years. We must know our origins, even if symbolic, and modern psychology relies heavily on usually mythological/symbolic 'archetypes'. There's no-one with the capacity to transfer these stories in an easily-absorbed way than the late Mary Renault. The ancient myth (=story, not 'lie') is treated almost as a contemporary novel, yet sticks to the ancient, probably Bronze Age, narrative, later portrayed on the stage. Who is Theseus? He's a typical young man, in a way, puzzled by unexplained inconsistencies in his origins. To find the truth, he must travel a long way, facing dangers and threats, symbolic and real, on the road. Now the stranger,arriving in a matriarchal society which views him as the year-king, he is honoured and revered. But the cost: he must be sacrificed and returned to the Earth. Historically true? No-one can say, even now, but a mass of evidence survives of matriarchal religion in very early Greece, including, time and again, in mythology. Volume two of his story, The Bull from the Sea (played later on the dramatic stage as the Hippolytos myth) is his adult life, now in a less threatening regal position. However, the sinister side of female belief continues to stalk him, leading to tragedy and self-blame. There's so much for a modern reader in his story to relate to, however unlikely that seems at first. We all have experiences of something like this kind, and in such myths we see aspects of our own life. I still have my first paperback copy, practically disintegrating after 45 years, but would never part with it. There's much to be said for Mary Renault (her pen name)as a rule. She was among the first modern authors to include homosexuality (see e.g. The Charioteer, and her works on Alexander), as something not to be despised, in her work. In the same vein, she campaigned with great courage against apartheid while still living in South Africa, where she moved from London. Sweetman's biography of her is itself well worth reading.

The early life of Theseus, 25 May 2006
Renault is a magical writer with an almost unique ability to immerse her readers in the glittering alien culture of the ancient world.
Here she takes the early life of Theseus, boy heir to the King of Athens and creates a powerful narrative of his coming of age. She knows her ancient sources, not just the classical Greek myths but also the pre-classical Minoan civilisation and carries us with her without faltering.
Theseus joins the band of Athenian youths paid as tribute to Minos, the King of Crete, and then saves them from early death at the hands of the Minotaur (here an illegitimate son of Minos, rather than the monstrous man-bull of myth). He meets Ariadne, daughter of Minos and with her help eventually escapes with his companions back to Athens, en route abandoning her on Naxos.
The book ends with the death of his father due to Theseus' own unthinking oversight so that he himself reaches manhood and ascends to the kingship.
Like Renault's other novels set in ancient Greece, this is a beautifully written and haunting tale of love, duty and growing up, set in an alien culture that both comes alive and is made effortlessly comprehensible through Renault's superb mediation.
If you loved this, read The Bull from the Sea, the 2nd part of Theseus' life.

"The law is: The King Must Die.", 02 Jan 2006
Mary Renault's great historical novel of Theseus begins when he is a young man in Troizen, a well-bred youth who has never known his father's identity. When, with the help of the gods, he succeeds in lifting a stone to reclaim his father's sword, Theseus discovers that he is the son of Aigeus, King of Athens. On his way to Athens to meet him, Theseus arrives in Eleusis, where after wrestling the king in a fight to the death, he finds himself, unexpectedly, the King of Eleusis. Later, in Athens, when fourteen young men and women are chosen by lot to become bull-dancers in Crete, fulfilling a tribute demanded by the King of Crete, Theseus listens to his god and joins the group, never knowing if he will survive to return to his father.

Renault tells the story of Theseus as if Theseus were a real person, not a mythical character, using history, archaeology, and a deep understanding of the cultures of the period to place Theseus in a realistic context. Her descriptions of the lifting of the stone, the wrestling match in Eleusis, Theseus's arrival at the palace in Athens, and especially his experiences in becoming a bull dancer bring the period vibrantly to life in ways consistent with the historical record. Theseus's devotion to the god Poseidon, to whom he prays throughout his journey, reflects his appreciation of his own smallness in relation to the gods, and his honoring of the gods unique to the kingdoms he visits show how the Greek religion gradually incorporated increasing numbers of gods and goddesses to explain the increasingly complex mysteries of life faced by Greek citizens.

Renault never fails to treat Theseus, his religion and culture, and the traditions of the countries in which he travels with the dignity they would have inspired in their own period. She never patronizes either her characters or her readers, writing with elegance and a fine appreciation for the details of daily life, the art of the period, and the pantheon of gods thought to control men's destinies. Whether Theseus was a real man whose strength and reputation grew to mythical proportions, as Renault illustrates, or whether he was, in fact, a mythical character whom she places in a realistic context in ancient Greece is less important than the fact that she creates a plausible life for this monumental character. Few, if any, other authors are so successful in recreating an entire era, its people, its beliefs, and its culture. Mary Whipple

Take The Bull by the Horns, 18 May 2004
Although on the surface this book is about Theseus and the legend of his life prior to becoming King of Athens, the book is much more fundamentally an adventure tale featuring all of the most desirable male adolescent fantasies. If you read it as the latter, you will be thrilled. If you read it as historical fiction, you will be disappointed because the potential to develop the historical side is clearly subordinated to the adventure tale.

The classical story about Theseus features his slaying of the Minotaur. In this book, by contrast, the central theme is Theseus fulfilling his fate, as decreed by the gods. The primary backdrop is the conflict between "the old religion" of Mother Dia and "the new religion" of the Sky Gods (all sired by Zeus). Theseus brings about a reconciliation between the two sets of beliefs by honoring both, while rejecting the practice of routinely sacrificing the king (Kerkyon) as a fertility offering.

The book has enough material in it to be four books. The first story is about Theseus as a young man growing up with his mother, Aithra, without knowing who is father is in the household of his grandfather in Troizen. The second story starts with his finding that he is the son of the King of Athens and continues through his becoming King of Eleusis. The third story starts with leaving Eleusis to meet his father, King Aigeus, and continues through writing his name on the lot that selects him as a bull dancer slave as tribute for the Cretans. The fourth story begins with his leaving Athens for Crete through his return. Although each of these stories is exciting and interesting, the fourth one is the best.

Bull leaping entailed running toward and grasping the two horns of a live Cretan bull and performing gymnastic feats, like one does today by vaulting using a pommel horse. Naturally, it was a lot more dangerous than vaulting is. Theseus revels in the danger and excitement. He also feels committed to keeping his fellow slaves from Athens alive, in a team that he has named the Cranes, for a dance that they do in the bull ring.

Some of the many adventure themes that will resonate with young male readers include being specially selected by the gods for an exalted purpose, being the unknown son of a king, being sought out by powerful and beautiful women, unlimited sexual access, being a popular hero with other males, successful conquests of animals, leading successful battles with men, and being invincible in all endeavors. I cannot remember a book with so many of these themes packed into one.

Placing the book in these ancient times gives you a fresh perspective on our own world. What are the proper roles for men and women in society? How should they relate to one another? What is the role of piety? What is the purpose of life? How can we contribute to one another? If you ask and answer these questions after you finish, you will have gotten much benefit from the book as well as much pleasure from the adventure tales in it.

Take the bull by the horns to accomplish more!

Must read!, 25 May 2006
This follows on from The King Must Die, which begins Renault's epic and yet overwhelmingly human re-telling of the Theseus myth.

The first book tells the story of a young man: this sequel is much darker. Here Theseus tries to re-capture his lost youth in the bull-ring of Knossos before realising that that is an impossibility. Restless, he allows his friend Peirithous to talk him into a pirate expedition where they encounter the Amazons and Theseus falls in love.
The love affair/marriage between him and Hippolyta is one of the most moving relationships in literature, but if you don't know the myth I don;t want to spoil it for you. This is a fine, fine book: imaginative, compelling, enthralling, filled with true emotion and drama. Buy it!

If only there could be a part 3!!!, 15 Mar 2005
The existence of this book is one of those truly life-enhancing experiences, ie when you read a book, think it's one of the best things you've ever read - and then find out there's a sequel! In this case, however, this second volume in the tale of Theseus, the Greek hero-king is so much more than a mere sequel.

The bare bones of the story are well-known, but Mary Renault fleshes them out which such consummate skill that the reader is right THERE with Theseus in the landscape of ancient Greece. There is no doubt that Theseus is a real man, with real problems, real happinesses, and a real LIFE! This story runs from his escape from the fall of Crete and the bull-ring of the Labyrinth to his death - an older, wiser and disillusioned man, but still one who had the courage to master his own fate.

These books should be required reading for students of English literature. Mary Renault's writing never slips. Despite some of the very dramatic, even sentimental, events in the story, her prose never becomes purple - but be warned, you may need your hanky at some points.

Absolutely superb - buy buy buy! Read read read!!!!

Remote Lives and Beliefs Come to Life!, 28 Aug 2004
First, let me take a moment to explain what this book is . . . and what it is not. Many people like historical fiction. To me, that genre means creating a modern novel that is set in an earlier historical period. It may or not not include well-known historical characters. The Bull from the Sea is not, by this definition, historical fiction. In fact, if you like historial fiction a lot, you may not like this book.

Instead, I would describe what is done in this book as literary restoration. Ms. Renault has taken well-known stories about a famous Greek character and made them more accessible to the modern reader. By staying within what is known about the character, that limits an author's ability to create a modern novel. For example, if Theseus was idle for many years (as he was on occasion), Ms. Renault is stuck with that as part of her story. By contrast, a historical novelist could simply invent interesting things for such a flat period, and not have to worry about dealing with any story limits other than general credibility.

Mary Renault has done an outstanding job of fleshing out the life of Theseus from the time he returned from Crete after escaping from the Labyrinth and became King of Athens until his death. We especially learn a lot about what kind of thoughts drove him as he united the Greeks, established law and order, and reformed religion.

The ancient Greeks always seemed larger than life to me as a child. They were playing on a cosmic scale, with gods and goddesses lurking behind every bush. Often with little room to maneuver, they suffered from complications of the gods' preoccupations with their own quarrels. The fate of civilization always seemed to be in the balance.

Yet these people did not seem real, despite their appeal. The story telling style of epics and plays leaves much to be desired for helping the modern reader understand the figures as people. Ms. Renault has done a skillful job of working within the outlines of those ancient tales and creating an understandable modern story out of them. For the first time, Theseus came alive for me in this book.

There is a lot of interesting material to work with in this part of Theseus' life. He finds the love of his life (Hippolyta), marries another woman (Phaedra) to secure his alliance with Crete, and fathers two sons (Hipplytos and Akamas) who could potentially vie to succeed him. Anyone who has ever lived in a step-family will soon recognize the potential for complications.

Theseus also liked to rove, and was often off acting the pirate. These tales make good adventure stories.

He was a central religious figure, constantly balancing the older religion of the Earth Mother with the newer religion of the Sky Gods (like Apollo and Poseidon). There is also a split between women and men involved in this religious tension that makes for interesting reading.

Although the gods make no more than cameo appearances (usually through causing Theseus to hear the sound of the ocean or be sick, or by omens), nature is a major character. Earthquakes and storms play an important role as irresistible forces that provide boundaries for Greek life at the time.

If you are like me, the most valuable part of this book will be your increased understanding of leadership though considering Theseus' decisions and actions. Theseus has much talent for leadership, and is constantly striving to be a role model. He is as concerned about slaves as he is about barons, and his concern for public opinion rivals that of any modern politician in a democracy. Undoubtedly, there will eventually be a book on the management lessons of King Theseus.

After you finish reading this book, stop to reflect on how your example and actions can make a difference in creating more understanding, communication, and cooperation. Then, go set that example!

Enjoy a life of inspiring purpose!

The Legend Continues, 31 Dec 2000
Part two of the Theseus legend (The King Must Die is part one), this book has is essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the history or mythology of Ancient Greece.

Mary Renault has managed, quite uniquely, to turn an ancient legend into a living, historically acceptible and real set of characters. Her artistry is defined in her writing - Theseus, the King, is an ordinary man (with an extraordinary fate thrust upon him) who quickly becomes a close and dear friend. The reader identifies with the character and accepts the deeply researched period of ancient Mycenaean Greek history as though it occurred yesterday - to a friend.

No bookshelf can be complete without at least some of Mary Renault's works and The Theseus saga is a truly definitive place to start!

One of the best historical novels ever?, 20 Sep 2008
What really amazed here is not the scholarship or the good writing, they are always there with Mary Renault, but the way she imagines not one ancient culture but two -the Macedonians observed by the persian boy. Dazzling.

Personal, touching and emotive, 18 Jul 2008
A fantastic read. Renault vividly charts the later years of Alexander's life and his many achievements, adding a personal angle (and in many ways making the story more believable and touching) by telling it all through the eyes of Bagoas, a Persian Eunuch.


I found this book both Historically educational and enjoyable. Accessible to everybody and well worth a read!

Best of the three, 05 Jun 2007
The selection for the main character is brilliant. The reader feels very close to the events and the magic of Alexander can be felt through the pages. Despite the other parts of the trilogy not being as good as this masterpiece, together a brilliant trilogy is created.

Romantic view of Alexander's last years, 25 May 2006
Renault's Alexander is one of the most complex and haunting fictional characters, and this book (the 2nd of the trilogy which began with Fire from Heaven and continues with Funeral Games)is probably the most accessible. It follows Alexander's last years of conquest in Persia and the East, and is told by Bagoas, the Persian eunuch who once served Darius, King of Kings, and so is won by Alexander along with the rest of Darius' kingdom and personal possessions.
The love that grows between Alexander and his 'Persian boy' is romaticised and stops just short of tipping over into Mills & Boon territory, but is effectively offset both by the parallel relationship with Hephaistion, and the military conquest of the East, the hardship and the conflicts that it engenders amongst the native Macedonians who have been away from home for over 10 years.
Renault does a fabulous job of integrating the ancient sources while never letting them inhibit her imagination in the slightest, and 'her' Alexander has been hugely influential in the way that he is received and understood today. Not that I'm claiming that this is great history - it's not and isn't supposed to be. But it is great fiction.

a living image, 08 Oct 2002
The second volume in her Alexander trilogy, Mary Renault's historical novel *The Persian Boy* must surely be ranked as one of her finest books. Many of the reviews which greeted its original (delayed) publication, reflecting the mores of the time, were openly and unambiguously hostile. As may be expected, this disapproval by and large centred on what by any objective measure must be considered the very discreet treatment of a possible physical relationship between Alexander of Macedon and the young eunuch presumed in the sources to be his *eromenos*, the Persian Bagoas. Interestingly, given the gaps in the historical record concerning this individual, even recent students of Alexander's life and career have adopted a predominantly pejorative attitude towards Bagoas. Whatever the truth about him, it seems that Alexander's Persian boy continues to cause unease among those whom, as Mary Renault would put it, such thoughts disturb. The non-judgmental among us, however, may rightly view *The Persian Boy* as one of Renault's most accomplished works and, within the parameters of her own interest, surely also a statement of personal significance to the author. Its cyclical structure, thematic resonances, beautifully observed psychological tensions and human dilemmas, unfold in what Dylan Thomas called a `colour of saying' which is at times the match of anything she wrote.

As other reviewers have noted, the book is not without its flaws, both artistic and historical, and Mary Renault herself was fully aware of these. But because *The Persian Boy* is not simply an historical novel but a safe place of generous beauty created by an author of not inconsiderable courage-and this in the teeth of contemporary distaste for such themes-other critical standards should also be applied. It can be argued that *The Persian Boy* is as significant for an objective appreciation of a complex and important writer as it may be for a study of the development of the modern historical novel itself. A close reading of *The Persian Boy* reveals more than Mary Renault's own understanding of the nature of Alexander.

Although portrayed through the eyes of Bagoas himself, the story's creative power and tension as much concerns Hephaistion's relationship with Alexander as it does that of Bagoas. The infatuated (and, at times, potentially murderous) youth must learn to grow up, to surrender his selfishness if he is to retain what has been real. At the last, Bagoas is depicted as rising to the challenge his declared love has set him: to allow his beloved the freedom to love another more. The vengeful possessiveness of the mythical Achilles for Patroklos, juxtaposed with the unresolved ambiguities of Alexander's love for Hephaistion, find a counterpoint in Bagoas' selfless care of the dying Alexander. Even a final kiss is given as Hephaistion would have offered it, wanting Alexander to receive it from whomever his heart wishes, steady in the knowledge that the love which matters is that which is given unreservedly. All lovers come to this place; Bagoas' love has travelled far to become worthy of the name.

There will be many views of *The Persian Boy*, some more unfavourable than others. But there are also older readers who say of her books that they comforted them at a time when little comfort else was to be found. When the necessary critical analysis of Mary Renault's work is accomplished, perhaps this too should not be forgotten.

Among my most valuable reading ever., 04 Sep 2008
I came across this paperback when I was 15 and keep it still, 45 years later. It has to be possibly the most informative and thought-provoking work I've ever come across. Among the everyday lifes of Greeks of the 5th Cent. BCE, we are led little by little into Sokratic analytical reasoning - the man as he must surely have been. I genuinely believe it made me the person I became, cautious over whom to trust and distrust (those disinclined to discuss basic ideas) and led me on to the translation, then the original, of the stunning Apology (=Trial speech) of Sokrates, as written by Plato. Shallow thinking, buzz-words and barnstorming are dismissed for the superficial platitudes they are - and all this against probably the most disastrous, 27 year long, war of the centuries BCE. We don't reach Sokrates' trial in the book, but a metaphorical foreshadowing of it at the very close, as indicated in the title. This I would recommend to anyone - and to the paperback translation of the Apology afterwards. The Apology has simply no work in my life to match it. In difficult times, I don't think I'd have kept my balance without these two books in mind, and what - and how - they taught me. Five stars aren't enough.

Read it, all aspiring historical novelists, and take note, 15 Feb 2007
In the s