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Odyssey of a Slave #3
Arrow through the Axes
Fiction. Young Adult. ARROW THROUGH THE AXES concludes the "Odyssey of a Slave" trilogy that began with the Red Maple-nominated TORN FROM TROY, retelling Homer's Odyssey. The slave Alexi, now free of his Greek captors, infiltrates the Greek strongholds of the Bronze Age in search of his sister. In so doing he participates in the stories of Orestes, son of Agamemnon, as he seeks revenge for his father's murder, and of Telemachus, son of Odysseus, who lands on Ithaca, the home island of Odysseus, just in time to witness the arrival of a mysterious stranger. As Alexi comes to understand the damage that the Trojan War has visited upon its victors, both he and the reader are forced to confront an unpleasant truth, while Alexi must decide where his allegiance really lies. Re-casting the Odyssey as a YA adventure, this trilogy brings ancient mythology to life in a way that traditional retellings cannot. We see what life would have been like for Bronze-Age warriors as Bowman interweaves adventure, ritual and historical detail into a realistic and compelling narrative. Readers who have experienced pop mythology, and now want to dive deeper, will find ARROW THROUGH THE AXES especially satisfying, but all readers will enjoy this powerful excursion into the classic mythology that shaped western culture.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
Paperback
First published March 15, 2014
26 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Bowman
7 books13 followersPatrick Bowman was born in Ottawa and educated in Toronto. He has twenty years of writing experience, all of it in software, but has been fascinated by Greek mythology since stumbling over a copy of Bulfinch's Mythology in his father's library as a child. TORN FROM TROY is his first book. He presently makes his home in Toronto.
From the author himself;
Born Ottawa, Ontario; moved Toronto age 9; BSc from University of Toronto (computer science, psychology); worked in software for 20 years; currently trying writing. Married to a wonderful woman, Barbara Cox. Two girls, 10 and 14.
From the author himself;
Born Ottawa, Ontario; moved Toronto age 9; BSc from University of Toronto (computer science, psychology); worked in software for 20 years; currently trying writing. Married to a wonderful woman, Barbara Cox. Two girls, 10 and 14.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 13, 2016
My original Arrow Through the Axes audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Arrow Through the Axes is the third installment of the Odyssey series told from the viewpoint of a captured slave, Alexi. Through a series of events, Alexi finds himself a free man and able to search for his sister. To do so is dangerous as he must go to Greece where the Greek soldiers and others may recognize him as a Trojan and enslave him again.
Always insightful, Alexi learns that the people of Troy are not the only ones who suffered through the war but rather there were dire consequences for both sides – the victors and the defeated. The young men are gone, dead in the war or failed to have return thus leaving the old and frail on their own and the children unsupervised and of a pack like mind.
Alexi reconnects with old friends and makes new ones. The newest is Telemachus, the son of his former Master Lopex. Again Alexi must decide where his allegiances lie as he comes face to face with a situation that could exact some revenge but also put in peril an innocent life. Who will receive Alexi’s allegiance? Who is the stranger who seeks to wed the mother of Telemachus and wife of his former Master?
Patrick Bowman does a magnificent job of bringing mythology to life and makes it even more exciting. Using the view of a young man opens the story up to others, for listeners to connect with other characters than just the hero. He casts the tales in a new light allowing for a greater understanding of issues and life around that time. He gives authority to the young man, Alexi through his actions and quick wit.
Gerard Doyle, narrator, once again fit the voice to the character while still maintaining the previous voices. I loved how he made Alexi sound – young, vibrant, unsure and innocent. His voices are calming yet invigorating when the story needs it. I hope to hear more of Doyle’s reading; he is refreshing and highly talented.
I am honored and delighted that I was given this series to hear. Books like this were what made me fall in love with words; and narrators such as Doyle made me love audio-books.
There were no issues with the audio production of this audio-book.
Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.
Arrow Through the Axes is the third installment of the Odyssey series told from the viewpoint of a captured slave, Alexi. Through a series of events, Alexi finds himself a free man and able to search for his sister. To do so is dangerous as he must go to Greece where the Greek soldiers and others may recognize him as a Trojan and enslave him again.
Always insightful, Alexi learns that the people of Troy are not the only ones who suffered through the war but rather there were dire consequences for both sides – the victors and the defeated. The young men are gone, dead in the war or failed to have return thus leaving the old and frail on their own and the children unsupervised and of a pack like mind.
Alexi reconnects with old friends and makes new ones. The newest is Telemachus, the son of his former Master Lopex. Again Alexi must decide where his allegiances lie as he comes face to face with a situation that could exact some revenge but also put in peril an innocent life. Who will receive Alexi’s allegiance? Who is the stranger who seeks to wed the mother of Telemachus and wife of his former Master?
Patrick Bowman does a magnificent job of bringing mythology to life and makes it even more exciting. Using the view of a young man opens the story up to others, for listeners to connect with other characters than just the hero. He casts the tales in a new light allowing for a greater understanding of issues and life around that time. He gives authority to the young man, Alexi through his actions and quick wit.
Gerard Doyle, narrator, once again fit the voice to the character while still maintaining the previous voices. I loved how he made Alexi sound – young, vibrant, unsure and innocent. His voices are calming yet invigorating when the story needs it. I hope to hear more of Doyle’s reading; he is refreshing and highly talented.
I am honored and delighted that I was given this series to hear. Books like this were what made me fall in love with words; and narrators such as Doyle made me love audio-books.
There were no issues with the audio production of this audio-book.
Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.
August 4, 2017
I ADORED this series! The second book was by far my favorite, but in this one, I really loved the beginning!
I had really hoped that Orestes and Alexias would venture off together (and like... get together, because the moments they had were so cute), but sadly, it didn't happen like that.
Disappointingly, this book had a lot of... rushed endings? It felt like the departures from one adventure to the other were lacking, and a lot of it was, "you are awesome Alexi, and I, a very rich and powerful person, will always welcome you in my home. Now I must leave, but before I do, let me give you lots of food and water."
And the ending really was just so forced. After all this time apart, I had really hoped for a better reunion with his sister. But it was just a "she tried to kill me. I proved I was her brother. She should marry Tel, the son of my former master."
Overall, I loved these books, but there was a definite decline in this book after parting with Orestes.
I had really hoped that Orestes and Alexias would venture off together (and like... get together, because the moments they had were so cute), but sadly, it didn't happen like that.
Disappointingly, this book had a lot of... rushed endings? It felt like the departures from one adventure to the other were lacking, and a lot of it was, "you are awesome Alexi, and I, a very rich and powerful person, will always welcome you in my home. Now I must leave, but before I do, let me give you lots of food and water."
And the ending really was just so forced. After all this time apart, I had really hoped for a better reunion with his sister. But it was just a "she tried to kill me. I proved I was her brother. She should marry Tel, the son of my former master."
Overall, I loved these books, but there was a definite decline in this book after parting with Orestes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2019
Once again a great read! I was sorry the series had to end! I look forward to reading more of his books!
May 31, 2014
Book 3 picks up where Book 2 left off. Our young hero Alexi is now somewhere between 17 and 19 years old and he has done a lot of learning and growing in Books 1 & 2. With the death of an enemy in Book 2, he finds himself escaping the island of the sacred cattle with Lopex and crew. Only, there is this big thundercloud chasing them, raining down lightning bolts. Pretty soon, the ship is torn apart. Alexi finds himself rescued by the young woman who warned him about the cattle on the island. His wounds are tended and eventually he leaves to go in search of his (hopefully) alive sister. His travels take him on many adventures through Greek lands. On the way, he befriends Orestes and meets Agamemnon and the infamous Helen. Later, he meets Telemachus (Tel to his friends) and finds himself in the middle of the ribald wooing of Lopex’s wife (everyone assumes Lopex is dead since he has been gone for so many years).
If you checked out my reviews of Books 1 & 2, then you know I have quite enjoyed this series. While Book 3 was still enjoyable, I felt that Alexi’s character backslid in age and intelligence a bit. Perhaps this was done on purpose to keep Book 3 suitable for a certain age of readers? I am not sure. I did enjoy Alexi’s growth in Books 1 & 2. He lived through the siege of Troy, most of it without parents. Lived through the sacking of Troy and was made a slave. He has been a slave for 2 books and 3-5 years of sailing around on adventures with rough men. So by Book 3, I would think that he would be a little more jaded about a lone woman on a sacred island populated by sacred cattle. Every evening, she makes him a nice tea, and after consuming it, he grows very weak. This goes on for just over a month. Alexi’s father was a healer and Alexi himself has been tending sailors with poultices and concoctions and stitches for years. And yet, he doesn’t suspect this tea. Since this event happens early in the book, I don’t mind using it as an example, but it is not the last example of Alexi’s sudden dimwittedness.
Still, if I set that aside and pretend that Alexi is 12 or 14 again, then the story is quite fun. Two adventures really stand out for me. He meets Orestes and at the court of Agamemnon, he meets Helen. Agamemnon is a little crazy and very possessive of Helen. This spells trouble for even young, innocent Alexi. Helen gets a chance to tell her side of the love story between her and Paris, and that was a nice touch. The second scene that I thoroughly enjoyed was at the very end. I can’t say too much about it, but the title and the cover will click once you get there. It was intense and a very good wrap up to this trilogy (though part of hopes that Bowman goes on to write the further adventures of Alexi, the Adult).
Telemachus was an odd character. His father went off to participate in the siege and sacking of Troy, so the lad grew up with out a father. He is a bit socially inept, yet friendly. I did find it a weak plot point to say that his social ineptness was due to not being raised by a man, so he doesn’t know how to behave as a man. Yet he is traveling with a male companion as he searches for his father, interacting with lots of men. Seems to be plenty of men in this story line, and around his mom’s house (the steward, the hopeful suitors, the slaves, etc.). Later, we see Telemachus become more ‘manly’ which seems to be mostly the character trait of decisiveness (I guess Tel never saw his mom be decisive).
Which points to the women of the story. There are a few and they have small roles. And they are mostly cast in the roles of love interest, slave, wife. We do have one who helps Alexi escape at one point and it would have been nice to see a more balanced arrangement of characters and roles. But this might have been difficult to do and stay mostly true to the ancient original storyline. So I won’t harp on the point too much.
Over all, this has been a great trilogy and a fun retelling of this ancient tale. While I missed having Lopex in the bulk of this story line, I did find Alexi’s adventures through Greece as he searches for his sister to be amusing. Also, it was very interesting to see through Alexi’s eyes how the lengthy siege against Troy took its toll on the Grecian lands, and not just on Troy. The lengthy war was not good for the masses and few people profited from it. The side jaunt over to Agamemnon’s court was quite chilling and it was a good way to show how one of the main provocateurs of the war fared.
Narration: One again, Gerard Doyle is a great voice for Alexi. He kept Alexi’s voice young and innocent, which suited his actions and words for this book. His sad Helen voice was also great.
If you checked out my reviews of Books 1 & 2, then you know I have quite enjoyed this series. While Book 3 was still enjoyable, I felt that Alexi’s character backslid in age and intelligence a bit. Perhaps this was done on purpose to keep Book 3 suitable for a certain age of readers? I am not sure. I did enjoy Alexi’s growth in Books 1 & 2. He lived through the siege of Troy, most of it without parents. Lived through the sacking of Troy and was made a slave. He has been a slave for 2 books and 3-5 years of sailing around on adventures with rough men. So by Book 3, I would think that he would be a little more jaded about a lone woman on a sacred island populated by sacred cattle. Every evening, she makes him a nice tea, and after consuming it, he grows very weak. This goes on for just over a month. Alexi’s father was a healer and Alexi himself has been tending sailors with poultices and concoctions and stitches for years. And yet, he doesn’t suspect this tea. Since this event happens early in the book, I don’t mind using it as an example, but it is not the last example of Alexi’s sudden dimwittedness.
Still, if I set that aside and pretend that Alexi is 12 or 14 again, then the story is quite fun. Two adventures really stand out for me. He meets Orestes and at the court of Agamemnon, he meets Helen. Agamemnon is a little crazy and very possessive of Helen. This spells trouble for even young, innocent Alexi. Helen gets a chance to tell her side of the love story between her and Paris, and that was a nice touch. The second scene that I thoroughly enjoyed was at the very end. I can’t say too much about it, but the title and the cover will click once you get there. It was intense and a very good wrap up to this trilogy (though part of hopes that Bowman goes on to write the further adventures of Alexi, the Adult).
Telemachus was an odd character. His father went off to participate in the siege and sacking of Troy, so the lad grew up with out a father. He is a bit socially inept, yet friendly. I did find it a weak plot point to say that his social ineptness was due to not being raised by a man, so he doesn’t know how to behave as a man. Yet he is traveling with a male companion as he searches for his father, interacting with lots of men. Seems to be plenty of men in this story line, and around his mom’s house (the steward, the hopeful suitors, the slaves, etc.). Later, we see Telemachus become more ‘manly’ which seems to be mostly the character trait of decisiveness (I guess Tel never saw his mom be decisive).
Which points to the women of the story. There are a few and they have small roles. And they are mostly cast in the roles of love interest, slave, wife. We do have one who helps Alexi escape at one point and it would have been nice to see a more balanced arrangement of characters and roles. But this might have been difficult to do and stay mostly true to the ancient original storyline. So I won’t harp on the point too much.
Over all, this has been a great trilogy and a fun retelling of this ancient tale. While I missed having Lopex in the bulk of this story line, I did find Alexi’s adventures through Greece as he searches for his sister to be amusing. Also, it was very interesting to see through Alexi’s eyes how the lengthy siege against Troy took its toll on the Grecian lands, and not just on Troy. The lengthy war was not good for the masses and few people profited from it. The side jaunt over to Agamemnon’s court was quite chilling and it was a good way to show how one of the main provocateurs of the war fared.
Narration: One again, Gerard Doyle is a great voice for Alexi. He kept Alexi’s voice young and innocent, which suited his actions and words for this book. His sad Helen voice was also great.
November 22, 2014
Patrick Bowman brings to life the intricacies of the Greek Gods' pantheon and the potentially deadly political affiliations therein during the aftermath of the Trojan war. Alexi, former slave to Odysseus, travels the countryside in search of his sister Melantha, witnesses the devastation of war as he struggles to find his own identity. Recommended for teen fans of the Percy Jackson series.
February 7, 2015
I love this trilogy. In the library these books never make it to the shelves because people either have reserves or see them on the cart and take them out. They are a great modern re-telling of Homer's wonderful classic. Love it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews