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Title: The King Must Die
Author: Mary Renault
Published: New York: Random House, 1988 (1958).
Pages: 338
Total pages: 13, 191
Text number: 37
Read for: for my personal enjoyment, recommended and lent by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
spelunkingplato.
In brief: The King Must Die is a retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus, following the hero from the contested fatherhood of his early childhood, through his Kingship at Eleusis, to his time at Crete as living as a bull-dancer, ending with the successful journey through the labyrinth and the slaying of the Minotaur. The text humanizes the mythic figure of Theseus, giving him mortal weaknesses and human wants, while at the same time preserving a sense of power and destiny through moira the scope, possibility, responsibility, and end of every man's life. The end result is a realistic yet still heroic tale, fairly easy to read, with an interesting and motivating concept of fate. I would recommend it to those who like myths, specifically Greek myths; it's not a world-changing book but it is a fairly enjoyable read.
( In depth review. )
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Mary Renault
Published: New York: Random House, 1988 (1958).
Pages: 338
Total pages: 13, 191
Text number: 37
Read for: for my personal enjoyment, recommended and lent by
spelunkingplato.In brief: The King Must Die is a retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus, following the hero from the contested fatherhood of his early childhood, through his Kingship at Eleusis, to his time at Crete as living as a bull-dancer, ending with the successful journey through the labyrinth and the slaying of the Minotaur. The text humanizes the mythic figure of Theseus, giving him mortal weaknesses and human wants, while at the same time preserving a sense of power and destiny through moira the scope, possibility, responsibility, and end of every man's life. The end result is a realistic yet still heroic tale, fairly easy to read, with an interesting and motivating concept of fate. I would recommend it to those who like myths, specifically Greek myths; it's not a world-changing book but it is a fairly enjoyable read.
( In depth review. )
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
