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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I felt that this book was less successful than The King Must Die, but also that it tries to tell a more complicated story. It seems strange to me that Renault did not divide her treatment of the Theseus myth into three books rather than two. At the end of The King Must Die, Theseus is still a teenager; The Bull from the Sea picks up exactly where that book leaves off and must carry him all the way to his death. There is so much crammed in here--his early kingship in Athens, the capture of Hippolyta and his years-long relationship with her, the Scythian war, the marriage to Phaedra and all the attendant disasters--that it would be almost impossible to get the pacing just right. Still, the final third of the book is so compelling and sits in such strange contrast to all that has gone before that I had to go ahead and give it the four-star rating.
theseus did get his premonition about life after crete after all, in form of these two girls from his group who died - philia and other one: you can escape crete, but you can't leave it behind, and you'll be left hanging between two worlds. he did it until he could - and then fell. it feels almost on physical level in the last parts, the way he cares less and less and less. and you know the way it would end, and still want in not to, and it all crashes down, damn it.
and poor hyppolytus, who doesn't deserve this fate at all. and this really creepy scene with oedipus. and also that one, when he, paralyzed, becomes aware of losing his earthquake premonitions, his only link to his God - ahhh, i wish I'd stopped reading at hyppolyte part, while everything were good. but still, so awesomely written.
and poor hyppolytus, who doesn't deserve this fate at all. and this really creepy scene with oedipus. and also that one, when he, paralyzed, becomes aware of losing his earthquake premonitions, his only link to his God - ahhh, i wish I'd stopped reading at hyppolyte part, while everything were good. but still, so awesomely written.
The continuation of the Theseus story begun in "The King Must Die," "The Bull from the Sea" is his adventures as an adult. The centerpiece of the book is his romance with the Amazon Hippolyta, which is beautiful and touching and...well, millenia before its time. This is a sad book (Greek heroes, not known for their happy endings), but very beautiful.
As good as the first of the series, with a strong plot and a strong finish. Keeps you guessing right up to the end (if you aren't aware of the deets of the Myth of Theseus, which I was not).
I wish more historical fiction was plot-driven like this, rather than endlessly walking the halls of the protagonist's character.
I wish more historical fiction was plot-driven like this, rather than endlessly walking the halls of the protagonist's character.
adventurous
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
unfortunately mary renault thinks i am much smarter than i actually am.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“To love is to be vulnerable, but it is also the greatest strength”
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Had to move from the UK to Germany and this book just didn’t make the cut. Won’t purchase again if I see it in the wild