Царят на Итака

Adventures of Odysseus #1

by Glyn Iliffe

Преди Илиадата...

Вълнуваща история, изпълнена с приключения, страст, битки и легендарни герои!

В Гърция царят смутни времена. Всеки град се бори за богатство, мощ и мъст.
Младият Еперитос се притича на помощ на нападнати от разбойници пътници, без изобщо да подозира, че това е началото на невероятно приключение, в което ще се сражава рамо до рамо с Одисей, който се опитва да спаси родната си Итака.
Одисей отива в Спарта, за да потърси могъщи съюзници, но се сблъсква с коварния свят на политически интриги и надпреварата за най-желаната награда в цяла Гърция - прекрасната Елена. Но кой би обърнал внимание на един беден младеж, когато Гърция е на път да обяви война на Троя?

“Царят на Итака” е епична сага, която се разиграва в един от най-драматичните периоди на гръцката история. Един мъж намира своя път към трона и се превръща в легенда.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mythology, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Greek Mythology, Greece

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Glyn Iliffe studied English and Classics at university where he developed a passion for the ancient stories of Greek history and mythology. Well-travelled, Glyn has visited nearly 40 countries, trekked in the Himalayas, spent six weeks hitchhiking across North America, and had his collar bone broken by a bull in Pampolna.

He is married with two daughters and lives in Market Harborough.

Reviews

[Natasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! Different from other Odysseus inspired stories; you get to see the character in a whole new way.

[Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Homer with a twist. Glyn Iliffe has taken Homer’s epic poems and retold them (not translated) in a modern way.

The King of Ithaca begins ten years before the famous war and twenty years before the infamous Trojan Horse. He has introduced a new character to the mix, Eperitus, an honorable warrior from the north of Greece. Eperitus befriends the hero, Odysseus, earning his trust and confidence. The story is told from his perspective giving us an inside view to the events building up to the Trojan War, including the selection of Helen’s husband.

The events in the King of Ithaca are not from the Homeric Epics, but give all the necessary background for anyone who is unfamiliar with The Iliad and The Odyssey.

I like the introduction of Eperitus into the tale, he allows us to see the story from the first person point of view and get a different view on the events from the story.

What I enjoyed most is that Glyn Iliffe did not translate it into some kind of English poetry or try and mimic the Homeric style. He is simply telling the story in his own way.

*4 Stars

[Metodi Markov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Много слаба интерпретация по класически сюжет, съчетана с ужасяващ превод на български.

От "Бард" даже не са се изтормозили да пуснат следващата част...

[Neeke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not what I hoped it would be. It looked promising, historical fiction, lots of action, and most important: Odysseus! It's a miracle not more fiction is written about Odysseus and his adventures, so I had my hope on this series.
.. but wat was it disappointing. Also the last time I trust users reviews "If you loved David Gemmell's Troy series, you'll love this book". I loved the Troy series, but comparing this to it, that's a huuuuge insult. Doesn't even come close.

It started OK-ish, but it just didn't get me. In stead of Ody being the main protagonist, there was also another boyish dude who wanted glory blabla. Can't even remember his name. That's how much it got me!
To me the writing style feels like it's been written by a 16 y/o. If that would've been the case: good book! But no.... Too much focus on the battles and gore. Some people can, but Iliffe can't, at least not in this installment.

And what's with all the 'handsome' guys?!? More or less everybody but Ody and Little Ajax was described as such. That's getting really annoying...
The characters were changed from Homer's descriptions. Once again, nothing wrong with that, but you just have to be able to do it.

Obviously, this book/series is not for me going to be the new epic about the Trojan war. No one can beat Gemmell!
Still it's a pity that this book just didn't have the right feeling to become a new epic/cool book. Guess I'm a little bit biased by having read David Gemmell's epic Troy series.
So, if you're new to the genre/mythology in general, and/or between 16-20 y/o, you have a chance to like this book :P

[Paul Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

King of Ithaca is the first book in this series about the Greek warrior and hero Odysseus. The story begins with Laertes still the King but there is a revolt brewing that threatens to remove Laertes and his line as the royal family. Odysseus is consulting the oracle on Mt. Parnassus about his future. It is this journey where he meets the other main protagonist of the book, Eperitus, an exiled prince looking to find glory under a new lord. The Odysseus in this story is not portrayed in the Homeric mode but is rather more human than mythic. His crafty like nature is not some spur of the moment inspiration, instead Odysseus wrestles with each problem to find solutions. There is doubt and anguish involved in the process. This very human quality is found in all of the characters involved including the three main women in the story, Helen, Penelope and the most formidable of them, Clytaemnestra.

In juxtaposition to the human equation we find a taste of the Olympians mainly in the portrayal of Athena. She has promised to lend her aid to Odysseus in his quest to reclaim the throne of Ithaca but you know Olympians, they can be a bit fickle at times and Odysseus knows this.

There are many scenes of action, battles with human foes and one with a monster in the mythic tradition, and a sort of humorous scene of the hero Ajax entering the hall of Tyndareus in Sparta. He reminded me somewhat of Angus Donald's Little John but on steroids. There are also a few well placed quirks in the story line that make one pause for a second to negotiate an unexpected turn in the road. It is a very enjoyable account of my favorite Greek hero, Odysseus and look forward to continuing his story in the sequel. This book rates a strong 4 stars.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little disappointing. It wasn't a bad book, but for my tastes, it lacked a little spark. I never felt anything for the characters or the story. Some parts, the parts centred on Greek mythology, I found enjoyable though so all was not lost. However, there weren't enough of them to squeeze another star out of me to make this a 4 star book. It is a very definite 3 star book for me.

[Donmakles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glyn Iliffe wrote the book and it is the first part of his series about the life and adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus. As a student of Classical Studies, I always believed that authors or movie directors should always be chronologically accurate about their writings or their films about ancient histories and mythologies. That's simply because people, who doesn’t study Ancient Histories and Mythologies (Classical Studies), can easily say to their children and grandchildren that Herakles was the squeaky-clean hero that Disney World was trying to portray or that Hades was evil and the bad guy.

This book is one of those that lack the chronological accuracy of the Greek mythology and the errors are very visible to those who studied Classical Studies.

Here are some errors I found in the book “King of Ithaca”:

- The author mentions in the book that the meeting between Odysseus and Iphitus took place during Odysseus’ journey to Sparta as a suitor of Helen while Iphitus was on a journey to Tiryns looking for Herakles. The chronological error of that line is that Iphitus and Herakles should have been long dead by the time the suitors of Helen marched to Sparta.

- Part of the book leads up to the courting of Helen and the King of Mycenae was Agamemnon. Therefore, the hero Herakles should have been long dead, not during the courting of Helen and at least one Herakleids (sons and descendants of Herakles) invasion should have already taken place at the time of the reign of Atreus (Agamemnon’s father).

- If the hero Herakles were alive then, he would not waste his time courting Deianera or Iole since he can have the beautiful Helen to himself just southwest of Tiryns, forcefully if he wants to.

- In this book, Spartan King Tyndaerus hates Herakles. Why would the Spartan king hate Herakles when the hero himself helps restore Tyndaerus to the throne of Sparta from his brother/uncle Hippocoon.

-In this book, Telamonian Ajax (the Greater Ajax) and Achilles were not cousins. In most primary sources of Greek mythology, Ajax and Achilles were cousins. Their fathers, Telamon and Peleus were exiled brothers; both were Argonauts and founded their own respective kingdoms.

- The old swineherd Euamios is younger than Odysseus.

- Herakles’ arrows are magical according to the author. However, Herakles’ arrows are not magical, but rather poison arrows dipped from the deadly poisonous blood of the Hydra.

- In this book, the Dioskouris (Castor and Pollux), the brothers of Helen were not mentioned at all.

Despite the errors and inaccuracy, the book was a good reading and a great story for the non-Classics students. I would say it's way better than the Percy Jackson series. period.

Anyway, as a Classical Studies student, I learned to accept the story in the book and that modification of the Greek myth is necessary to spark interest to non-Classics students. I realize that Greek Mythology is bound to be modified in these modern times and that's not because to degrade it but rather to enrich it. I am already looking forward to read the sequel “Gates of Troy”.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this first novel in Glyn Iliffe's historical fantasy series about Odysseus and the Trojan War. Partly because he writes how I like to write and what I like to read but also for his great ability to recreate a sense of the ancient world. Glyn does not shy away from bringing the gods into the story which adds a whole other dimension to the novels. The characters are also very human. I would highly recommend the books in this series. Be sure to read them in order.

[Nathan Trachta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had a thing for Bronze Age stories for a while now and saw this one out there and decided to read it. I’ll be honest and say this was headed to 3 stars, the story was happening but the passion wasn’t there, only way I know how to describe it. Once it hit mid story things picked up and can say 4 stars or close enough to it. The reason was the general writing and story telling weren’t fully happening for me. Nothing bad, just a little flat or impersonal. With what I can tell is Mr. Iliffe does capture Greek mythology very nicely and how the gods might interact with mortals. His combat scenes are interesting though I think he needs to experience things a little (I’m hitting a little but in the ending scene four bad guys have drawn bows and while you can do that with compound bow, not so much with a non-compound bow). What he does capture though is the power of archers until hand-to-hand is reached. What’s also nice is injuries happen making it so that even heroes can get hurt. A good read, may come back for another in the future.

[Matthew Hamill · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[paul adshead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greatly worked classic tale

A great twist on a Greek classic and shows Odysseus in a whole different light, definitely would recommend reading this if you like the Troy series by David Gemmell.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gutsy and compelling retelling of the life and times of Odysseus, beginning with his wooing of the Princess Penelope and his attempts to suppress a revolt on his beloved island kingdom of Ithaca. This is the first in what promises to be a long-running series encompassing the Trojan War and all manner of mythical adventures on top of that.

The story of Odysseus has long been a popular one, with the hero showing up in film, television and novels over and over again. Despite the familiarity of the subject matter, the author's contribution to this mythos is a sterling one. Iliffe writes with authority and enthusiasm, sweeping us along as his book alternately involves political machinations, pure fantasy and of course bloodthirsty battles.

Iliffe takes the step of making up the leading character, Eperitus, a close friend and confidante of the legendary hero Odysseus. This allows him to have some fun and a little leeway with the plotting. I found the story to be full of "meat", with excellent action sequences, the requisite amount of traitorious doings and a large cast that's well-handled despite the oft confusing character names.

It does slow down a little halfway through, where we get stuck in the Spartan palace for what seems like an age, but things kick in again ready for some breakneck action come the climax. This is a very well written book and one that makes me hungry for the sequels. Bring 'em on!

[Sabina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

First book in a series retelling the story of Odysseus and the war at Troy. There are many versions of this classic epic and I read a fair few of them over the years. This one is by no means my favourite, but it is a competent, detailed and interesting and I'm looking forward to continuing this series. In this installment, we meet Odysseus as a young man, about to take on the responsibilities for his small kingdom. I like this Odysseus; he is a thoughtful, intelligent character, trying to do the right thing by his people, make sense of the politics of the wider region and interpret the will of the gods. There are well structured battle scenes, customs and beliefs brought to life and the supernatural element, in the shape and form of the Greek gods, added in just the right amount. The let-down for me were the female characters - I found them all to be two-dimensional, unrealistic and devoid of any kind of personality. The love story, such as it was, of Odysseus and Penelope was not believable. All in all though, a good retelling (so far) of a familiar story.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of the early history of the Ithacan King's early life as told through the eyes of a young warrior, Eperitus, exiled from from his homeland. we see the gathering of Kings and warriors at Sparta all vying for Helen's hand, meetings with the goddess Athena and the retaking of Ithaca from usurpers. The way the story is told is quite gritty in places and shows what a barbaric state "Greece" was at the time of Homer's epics. Full of roving bands and Kings who held power with brute force. Life was fairly cheap and nasty. However the power plays of Agamemnon et al are explored very well. The battle scenes leave the reader feeling like they're in a modern action movie but that's contrasted with the quite lyrical descriptions of this amazing land. Without researching the story does end leaving room for a sequel that sends the story to Troy. All in all a fun read, easy to follow, very good characterisations and descriptions.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started out promising, and ended okay, but there was just so much unwanted information (do I really need two pages of someone putting on makeup?). If a hundred pages had been cut out this would have been great. Once I employed my skim reading techniques I was able to finish. I read another review of this book where they made the comment that all the men are described as handsome, so while reading the book, that became annoying. When the story focused on Odysseus it was compelling, but it was his companion, epertius, that was not so interesting.
Note to self: dont bother with the sequels.

[Margaret]

Was expecting historical fiction whilst this is actually historical fantasy. Not in the mood to deal with cranky goddesses at the moment.

May try again some other time.

[Dimitrije Srebric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly a book I was expecting to read,but I can't say it was that bad.It's more a mythological than historical fiction.

[Greg Hollingsworth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I have some mixed feelings on this book. In terms of the technical aspects, I was quite disappointed. Namely, I found the writing to be only ok, and I wish the perspectives were a little more distinctive. For this latter, I think that it was due to the fact that I didn’t feel like each character had its own unique characterization or personality, and that’s because not much time was spent on trying to build the characters. Instead, it was very focused on what was known of Odysseus’ story. In this, I wish the author took a little more liberty to depart from his source material in order to flesh out the characters and to make the plot seem more stilted.

BUT. That being said I still really enjoyed reading this story. I think if I wasn’t as obsessed with Homer’s Odyssey, I probably would have given this a 2 star, but I loved just being able to see a chronological view of Odysseus’ life, especially before the events of the Trojan War. I do, though, wish the author listed the source material he had used, as I would love to read those as well. Anyway, I definitely plan on reading the sequel!

[Cihan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a fatal flaw that has been brought up in other reviews: I don't care about the original protagonist. The fact that the story is told from their perspective throughout this series means I won't be continuing further with it.

Inserting an original character into an iconic fictional setting was always going to be a barrier for readers, one that is usually going to be insurmountable. Whether it's the Iliad or Lord of the Rings or any other established lore, nobody wants to read about a newly created character who pales in comparison to the long-beloved traditional characters they rub shoulders with. It's one thing to create an original character and inserting them into a landscape like the Roman Empire or World War II, but it's another thing entirely to insert them into an utterly stacked cast of legends that we encounter in Greek myth.

Perhaps if this original character had a unique personality I could have stuck with it, or even if they had a modicum of a character arc. If they were incompetent at fighting, and through the course of 6 books became a master, that would be nice. But nope, Eperitus is basically adept at everything from the get-go, it's simply not interesting to read about him. And amusingly he's present at every noteworthy scene in the story, because...he has to be, he is our eyes and ears to the saga!

[Sharon Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a review of Wrath if the Gods, book 2 in this trilogy. Its not yet released, and therefore did not have the appropriate Goodreads selection to choose from as I completed my review. I will move it once the title posts.


'Wrath of the Gods' by Glyn Iliffe, was a great retelling of the stories of Hercules and his impossible challenges. What I really enjoyed about this version is the subtle changes made to the historical feelings making it more relatable to today's readers. The liberties taken do an amazing job of grasping the need for drama and adventure both in the physical environment and tasks, but also in the intimate personal relationships between characters. This is not just another retelling of Hercules's story...this is an elevated and upgraded story of a man named Hercules. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review and advanced copy of 'Wrath of the Gods' in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Rupert Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cracking adventure book based on the adventures of Odysseus in the early stages of the build up to the Trojan War.
The story is seen through the eyes of a young warrior named Eperitus, which gives a nice outsider view of the familiar tale from Homer. The story trots along with vigour and a good pace. The characters are well drawn and credible, even the gods. i must admit that i have always pictures Odysseus as being considerably more cunning than he is depicted here, but that is probably just me.
Of course, we all know how this story ends and even know the key steps along the way. The author handles this well. WE all know that Helen is going to end up married to Menelaus, so this aspect of the famous competition for her is not made the key suspense point of the visit to Sparta. Instead the adventure revolves around the minor characters - who are of course not mentioned by Homer and so can be built up into a story of unexpected twists and turns.
An enjoyable read.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF like 60 pages in.

I'm not gonna lie, the 60 or so pages that I did read really dragged on. I might have not minded if I had found myself invested in the characters or the plot but nothing really enticed me to continue on.

As far as I can tell the protagonist lacks a personality, and I don't particularly like the changes made to the characters that I do know well.

Also, on a more personal note: why do the characters keep referring to Greece? As a concept Greece doesn't exist yet, and no one would consider the skirmishes between the cities as a form of civil war. Why is this idea of a bunch of city states so hard to accept.

So while this definitely wasn't for me, I can definitely see others enjoying it for what it does provide. I just don't see a point of continuing something I don't enjoy!!

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting/Premise: 3/5:
The story of Ulises is well-known, perhaps a bit less so its origins, what was before he became the King of Ithaca.

Style: 2/5.
Somehow amateurish, but not to the point of becoming unpleasant to read.

Characters: 2/5: Main characters are flat and with very limited personalities, lacking of ethos and guided by simple, direct and (occasionally) unconvincing motivations. Almost every secondary male character is virtually undistinguesable from each other.

Plot: 3/5: Simple and straightforward, but more or less consistent.

Dénouement: 3/5: Counting that more or less everybody knows from beginning how the story will end the predictability is not much of a dissapointment. It doesn't give anything, but neither it takes. Correct.

[Colene A. Ramoutar]

I've always loved Odysseus. I read a book of short stories as a child and one of them was titled Travels of Odysseus. I fell in love with the story and the main characters. My favorite memories are of the story of the Cyclops and how
Odysseus was able to escape him. I've always wanted to read more about this hero and his witty character. This series of books Gave me that chance. The storytelling is wonderful. It makes you yearn for more and feeds your appetite for the next book in the series. I also appreciated the author's notes at the end, describing what was taken from original text and what was added in. The build of characters and how their personalities and characters change over their experiences is refreshing.

[Nana Porter-Honicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall great read. It was a bit slow at the start but once I got into it the book flew. I like when authors show characters being smart instead of telling the reader they're smart. The story also wraps up nicely while leaving room for a sequel so I can be satisfied while knowing the next book is there it I want it.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by the books use of female characters. I was originally apprehensive because of the objectifying prose in the first half of the book but in the second half of the book it became clear that was as a result of the immaturity of the point of view characters. Not to say that it's totally perfect but I can see what the author was going for even if I wish it was done a bit better.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books based on Greek myth and legend so this first book of a series on Odysseus "works" for me. Straight forward prose, character development, and plot, the writing seems a bit elementary, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Oh, this will be a long read - the first book only takes us through Odysseus as a suitor to Helen. No introduction to any Trojans yet - and the Cyclops must be thousands of pages away!

Powell's Whom the Gods Would Destroy is still the ultimate re=telling of the Trojan War IMHO.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An young exile befriends Odysseus and shares in his adventures.
It was a pretty good book. The author had lots of detail, carefully provided world building, and character development. I picked this book up for some Greek history. I was disappointed that the main story was completely fictional. An invasion of Ithaca didn't happen, it helps the author build up relationships before the whole Troy incident.

[Mark Iliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

TBH, I only picked up this book because the author’s surname is similar to mine. The first few pages were discouraging: one long, violent fight. Then it settled down to a rather engaging telling of Greek myth without all the linguistic twists and hoops of a more literary telling. Told through the eyes of Odysseus’s sidekick Eperitus, that tale feels accessible and almost modern. It’s still quite bloody and brutal, though, and I’ll probably leave it a while before moving on to Book 2.

[Nathan Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little romp through Ancient Greek myth following an outsider called Eperitus, who manages to join the inner circle of Odysseus, Prince of Ithaca. A fun and interesting background to famous stories to come later in the series including the Trojan war and Helen of Troy (currently Helen of Sparta in this book).