Votan

Photinus #1

by John James

A comedy set in the second century AD, Votan is the story of a Greek nobleman who is travelling and living abroad in Germany while carrying on an affair with a military man's wife. To save his own life he takes an emergency business trip and packs with his belongings certain items that lead the townspeople he encounters to think him a Norse God, which he doesn't try to dissuade them from. Written in the same tone as Douglas Adams, the story unfolds in a humorous and adventurous manner as the lead character has to keep up the pretense of being a god while staying one step ahead of his lover's jealous husband.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Novels, Greece, Ancient History

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

David John James was a Welsh author of Historical Novels.

He attended St David's University College, and also read psychology at Cambridge. In addition to writing he has also worked as a teacher and later for the Scientific Civil Service working on aviation problems.

He is known for writing four historical novels set in early medieval Britain and Europe. Neil Gaiman is an admirer of James, especially his novel Votan, which provided one model for American Gods calling it “I think probably the best book ever done about the Norse”. . James's skilful evocation of life and myths of Dark Age Europe also won him the admiration of neo-pagan authors John and Caitlin Matthews.

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Votan a really interesting read; I'm not entirely sure I liked it, but it was mesmerising anyway. There's something compulsive about it: I just needed to know what the heck Photinus did next, what trouble he got into and how he got out of it, and how that all works into the conceit that he's at the back of a whole lot of Norse mythology. Sometimes I felt I wasn't entirely sure what was going on -- that I'd missed a reference or something: there's a lot of playing around with the material, pulling from different stories and sources.

It's been published as both a fantasy and a historical novel, and I'm not honestly sure where I'd classify it. It's almost febrile, somehow -- all the things Photinus does, all the places he goes; reading it felt like a fever-dream. I lost track of people, places; somehow it didn't really matter.

I did enjoy it, I think, but I'm not so enamoured of it that I'm going to read Not For All The Gold In Ireland or Men Went to Cattreath. Not entirely sure I want to see John James ride roughshod over Y Gododdin, so I'll skip it.

[Elke Woll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel cheated. I read the book because Neil Gaiman mentions it in "American Gods" and it is interesting with that perspective in mind. But I expected something entirely different after reading the blurb. Who wrote it? Did he/she ever READ the book?
I quote: "A comedy" - no, it's not. There are some humourous elements, some mockery, some jokes but not enough to call this a comedy.
"he [...] packs with his belongings certain items that lead the townspeople he encounters to think him a Norse God" --- eh...: no. That just isn't in the story.
"Written in the same tone as Douglas Adams" definitely: no.
"the story unfolds in a humorous and adventurous manner as the lead character has to keep up the pretense of being a god while staying one step ahead of his lover's jealous husband." again: no - the jealous husband is never again mentioned once he he leaves town; this also implies that he is actually worshipped and takes part in these rites, which is again, not found in this story.
The premise that the whole of Norse mythology goes back to a Greek Roman who tries to flee from a domestic entanglement (into more domestic entanglements) while following Apollon (and actually seeing and speaking with him) and bringing war and destruction to the North is a unique one. Yet, the further the book gets along the more it is just one atrocity piled on the last one, I didn't want to read about another killing, another massacre, another torture, and I couldn't distinguish between Black Danes and Saxons and Vandals and Burgundians etc. in the end (nor did I want to bother).

[jrendocrine at least reading is good · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this after reading the Five Books interview with the historian Harry Sidebottom: "Historical fiction set in the ancient world". Sidebottom says that Votan is brilliant, but that no one but he and Neil Gaiman has read it. Pretty obvious why Gaiman loves it, as it's in the same category of his "American Gods" - here Photinus, a traveling Greek of the 2nd century AD, makes his bloody way up the Amber Road to Asgard in the north. There he sets about enough mischief (imbued with touches from civilized Rome to impress the barbarians), and fathers enough children that he has set into motion the Odin (Votan), Loki, Aser legends.

I'm not super familiar with Nordic mythology (though I did watch the really charming (!!) Norwegian series Ragnarok on Netflix !), so many of the references/characters/action went over my head. It all seems to be significantly well researched -and I particularly enjoyed Votan's little sojourn with the Picts - but I was never invested in the main character. It was a bit of a struggle to get to the end. But I'm glad I read it, thanks Five Books, someday I'll send you some $.

[Alyisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the members of my book club chose this book for us to read because Neil Gaiman listed it as an inspiration for "American Gods." While I can see how that happened, "American Gods" is one of my favorite books and plodding through "Votan" was one of the least enjoyable reading experiences I've ever had. There's a lot of "and this nation traded with that nation for this good, which traded it with a different nation for another good, which was used for x, y & z." And, "Votan sowed his seed with this woman, who liked pretty objects. And then he seduced another woman, who was unfortunate-looking but fertile and powerful. And then he took another woman, and another, and another, none worth discussing in any detail, but all producing children to continue the Votan lineage." The difference is that Neil Gaiman can WRITE. His prose is magical, and figurative, and full of wonder. John James' prose, for the most part, is very straight-forward -- except that I still managed to find myself lost, feeling like I was missing information, and wondering who most of the characters were when they popped back up again later in the text. And as for the comic bit? I guess I snorted when someone bisected a dog -- which just made me wonder about myself and what this book was doing to me, so starved for humor and whimsy was I. All I can say is, I'm glad to be done.

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh this book. So bad. It feels like it is a million pages long, even though it really isn't. Perhaps my biggest problem was that there is absolutely zero descriptive language. This happened. Then this happened. Then this happened. And then this happened. It is hard to care about a story or characters when there is nothing to help you understand them at all.

[Andrew Fear · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book. Our hero, Photinus, is a sort of Greek Arthur Daley of the ancient world. Forced to leave Vienna in a hurry, he travels through Germania, building up a business empire and creating most of Norse mythology in his wake. There's also a trip to Scotland thrown in for good measure which provides a nice philological twist at the end. James knows his history and this is cleverly worked in throughout the novel which also, in my opinion, captures the mindset of Greek and German well. It has been billed in some circles as a "comic novel", but it isn't. It's certainly light-hearted, but it isn't written for laughs. Well worth it for anyone interested in the western frontiers of the Roman Empire.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh.

[Rowdy Geirsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Votan is basically a bizarre, full-blown indulgence in euhemerism of the gods of Norse myth with a prominent dash (wit and humor) of A Confederacy of Dunces added in (there's even an ongoing obsession with sausages). The book is written from the perspective of a wayward Greek dignitary who essentially takes on the persona of Woden/Wotan/Odin in Germany 2000 years ago, and proceeds to encounter and manipulate many of the other Germanic deities-as-humans including (going with their Norse names) Thor, Njord, Freyja, etc. The main character himself, though, is a strict adherent of Apollo.

Personally, I really enjoyed the book. The humor is dark and witty, and well, truth be told, quite impudent. Probably not to everyone's liking. Some of the sensibilities and attitudes of the main character will be off-putting to some people, and some people will probably also not care for how the Germanic gods and culture are portrayed in a sort of inferior-to-Greek manner. There are also a number of anachronisms. My main criticism is simply that the plot meanders quite a bit and many of the characters come and go, which makes it a bit hard to keep track of them all. It's compounded by the fact that the characters/gods deviate a bit from what we know about them from the Eddas and more prominent retellings (so you can't always rely on any prior knowledge you might have to know who is related to who and in which way) and that there is no list or family tree included. All that said, I found it hugely entertaining and John James did a great job weaving many of the known myths together in strange and surprising ways, as well as working in very clever references in particular to Beowulf (at the end) as well as Volsunga Saga and The Kalevala. Even the destruction of the Roman army in the Teutoburg Forest is included in a clever manner--everything ties together quite nicely.

The more knowledge you have of the myths and ancient history the better--I think this book *might* be entertaining for people less familiar with those subjects, but they'll miss a lot. Overall, I'd highly recommend this to anyone familiar with those subjects and who is interested in a unique, bizarre, humorous take on the Norse myths but doesn't mind the fact that it's a bit all over the place.

---

I couldn't find the right John James in the database for quotes, so here are a few that I thought were gosh darn good:

"Well, if you really want to know how it was I came to be chained to an oak tree, half-way up in the middle of nowhere, with wolves trying to eat me out of it, I’ll tell you." [This is the opening sentence.]

"Among the men who had come in the ships with Sweyn was a noble named Starkadder. He stayed to learn the Runes, having nowhere else to go that winter but Sweyn's hall, and ours was as good. He was a landless man, having lost his farm at dice, as so often happens."

"And up Tyr stood indeed, to give what was always a popular piece, though this was the first time of many that I ever heard it. He had a sausage in his hand, and as he recited he alternatively took bites and made obscene gestures."

"They were all men who would kill you for a penny, or sack a town for sixpence."

"The evening came to an uproarious end, and we played all the games and we muttonboned the minstrel, who left next day."

"He spoke to us. He spoke at length with considerable eloquence. With fine gestures of his sensitive fingers, with exquisite modulations of tone, he went through a complex reasoned argument. It took some time. It was a pity none of us understood a word."

"...the last thing I had heard Edward singing was a dreadful song called 'Knut, the Bastard King of Scania,' and I will not trouble you with the words, except to say that even the Saxons only sing it when they are out of earshot of land."

"As long as a patient lives to pay the bill, the doctor counts it a cure."

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story, though I was not as engulfed as with some of the previous "Masterworks" I've read. I was often reminded of Vance's second Dying Earth novel, "The Eyes of the Overworld". Photinus is very similar to Cugel in his selfishness and morals (or lack of).

I've seen other reviews stating that they felt like they might have "missed something", and I can agree with this sentiment, as the plot does move along at a quick pace, and we jump from one harrowing scenario to another. But Photinus always seems to land on his feet.

I have classified this as both Historical Fiction and Fantasy, though it is really neither. It is Historical in the same way "Forest Gump" was historical...Photinus finds himself surrounded by all these famous characters and events of Norse Mythology, and it seems that he has been mistaken, due to circumstance and bad (good?) luck, as Odin (Votan) the All-father. We can't tell if it is because of this mistake that fate steps in and places Photinus amidst all these mythological events, or if this is a tale as to how these event played out in actual history. Either way, this makes the story interesting as we see our "hero" begin to take on all the physical attributes of Odin and basically ushers in Ragnarok.

Fast paced, darkly humored, interesting and enjoyable...but will take some effort on the readers part.

[Anirudh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Votan is a book that has almost passed into obscurity save for the appreciation it received from Neil Gaiman. While Gaiman wonders why this book isn't famous, I'm not entirely sure that the answer is complicated.

Set in the times of the Roman Empire, Votan follows the journey of Pontius, a greek merchant through Germany and through this journey, he seems to cultivate new myths and re live some old ones. It's very difficult to say whether this is fantasy or Historical Fiction.

The novel seems to get praise for being an accurate portrayal of the people of that era and tribes. A rendition without the taint of hindsight. However that in itself is not reason enough to come to like a book. The writing is a dry account of what happened and can range from extremely simple to complicated feverish dreams. Despite the accuracy however, it does not generate any emotional response to the story or the characters. To be very honest, it was akin to reading the newspaper about some incident that took place. The novel is only 250 pages or so but feels much longer due to this.

It's interesting that Gaiman found inspiration in this book and went on to write American Gods. Perhaps this novel will live on through it.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the book because Neil Gaiman mentions it in "American Gods."

I couldn't get into the book. I kept reading the book feeling like I'm missing something important in what they're saying. Maybe the time period is so well researched and so long ago that it's almost like trying to figure out a foreign language. I assume lots of research was done but I wouldn't probably notice if it was all made up or not. I respect the effort though it may be what came between me and finishing the book. Am I just babbling or does that make some kind of sense?

I recommend this book to anyone who likes solid historical fiction and/or the 2nd century. I won't buy the book and have no interest in trying to read it again. I think lately I've been reading lots of stuff I'm not liking. I'm trying too hard to like books that just aren't my taste just to say I read a variety of stuff. I guess. I think it's time to get back to what I'm more likely to get into.

Oh, by the way, my copy of this book was from 1966, a hardcover, and it has a different cover than shown.

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, a very curious experience. I know I read this 30-odd years ago, and I remember admiring it, finding it hilarious, and keeping it on my shelves over the course of about three housemoves and other disruptions. So I was really looking forward to rereading an old favourite.

And I just couldn't get into it at all. The central character of Photinius seemed superficial and very resistible. The connections to Norse mythology didn't seem well-developed. Quite honestly, I would prefer to watch an episode of Vikings.

It says a lot that I enjoyed the novel by Alfred Duggan that I recently revisited, an author who is in the same wheelhouse, I think: arch, knowing and slightly free and easy with the facts, revisiting obscure history and legend with a modern sensibility.

I guess I moved on, and left this behind ...

[ELIZABETH HUNTER · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this when I was in my teens and the book, plus the immediate sequel (Not For All The Gold In Ireland) instantly became one of my favourites. I reread it years later and still liked it, and decided to have a third run through now as an eBook.

It's definitely not for everyone. It's not a historical novel, not a traditional fantasy. The narrator takes himself seriously, but you don't get the feeling that the author took it seriously or expects the book's main theme to be believed as an accurate alternative history. The 1st-person hero is engaging, but I think most readers wouldn't expect to like him very much in real life.

The storyline has already been well described - a young and entitled Greco/Roman crosses the border into Germany for trivial personal reasons, and his exploits in the North end up creating an entire mythology which has come down to us as the sagas of the Norse/Germanic Gods.

It's fascinating because of the way it's written, and, if you do know the mythology, mapping the people and events in the book to that mythology. It's the type of book that, if you do enjoy it, you're likely to read again immediately to spot what you missed the first time.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photinus, a Greek living in the Roman Empire of the second century, finds himself at the northern reaches of the Empire (Germany). Needing to get out of town for spending time with another man’s wife, he begins traveling around the area. His adventures inspire the Norse legends as he becomes the prototype for Odin, the Allfather. Interesting book, kind of drags on but provides an intriguing description of life in that time and place.

[Óli Sóleyjarson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Furðuleg bók. Ævintýri manns sem verður Óðinn. Svona, "hvað ef norrænu sögurnar væru byggðar á raunverulegum atburðum". Sumt virkar ekki jafnvel þegar maður þekkir upprunalegu sögunnar vel.

[Wilte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedious string of events (raids, barter, meals, fights, trades). Mix of late Roman northern gods, some inside jokes. Not recommended.

[Tom King · Rating 5 out of 5]

shockingly good

[Vasilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't even tell if I liked this book while I was reading it, but I sure couldn't stop. One of the most engaging novels I've read.