The Spartan

by Don Harrison

Book by Harrison, Don

Genres: LGBT, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Gay, Historical Fiction

173 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1982

Reviews

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both the story details and the writing were not very sophisticated, but then this was written before the explosion of M/M Romance genre. In other words, I IMHO I think this was gay historical ficton written before LGBT fic was as widely available today. Not romance at all. No on page sex. More like the life and times of the protagonist.

[Erastes · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an adventure story it falls down, a little, although beginning promisingly, and I found myself thinking that at times it felt like a YA novel, which is not at all a bad thing. There are some sexual encounters but I’m sure it’s not too explicit for gay teenagers!

The pairing off ceremonies for Erastes and eromenos were particularly interesting and at time, amusing, as were the explanations of training for the various sporting events.

The blurb calls it “fast paced” and it certainly is. We are whizzed from Sparta to Thebes (with no description of the (probably) hard journey to get there – to Delphi and back to Sparta at breathless pace. There are few moments where the book takes a breather and I would have liked a few more spots where Pantarkes describes the life of the time, rather than just the wrestling and the games.

I’m no expert on the era at all, but for a layman, it certainly seemed to be well researched. Original names are interspersed throughout, but never in the manner where you have to rush to the computer to look up what a helot, porna or hetaira is. You learn them in context, or they are explained without jolting the reader from the story.

There are in keeping illustrations throughout, at the beginning of each chapter but would have made a valuable addition was a map of the Hellenic world as it was at the time, as there is so much travel, and interaction with many peoples of that world, it would have clarified a lot.

Published in 1982 by Alyson Books, The Spartan is not easy to get hold of, as it’s only available from second hand sellers. However, with a bit of searching you can find a reasonably priced copy and if you are interested in the era, and more importantly the history of the ancient games, it’s an interesting read, if a little youthful.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historic, violent and fascinating, Harrison account Pantarkes' life, Spartan culture, and the culture of athletic worship remains intimate as well. Although some of the explanatory historic facts are pressed into monologues, it's countered by some grueling action. The strictures of the culture don't exclude male love, which is handled briefly, and acknowledged as normal for the era. I enjoyed rereading this after finding a used copy at a local bookstore that's since closed.

[Stevosteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is far from perfect, but it is a solid read, much like the narrator Pantarkes. It is a quick read, and the action moves rapidly between strong situation to strong situation. However, it is a dense read: the author clearly has done his research into Greek history, and historical people populate the pages (in fairly accurate fashion after researching myself some of the names). Even though it is dense, do not feel you need to know or look up Greek history to get the narrative: Greek words are clearly defined by contextual clues.

Another reader noted its similarity to a YA read, and I quite agree- and that isn't a bad thing. What is shocking is that it has been mostly ignored for so long. My copy was a rather random find that was a bit worse for wear, but don't be put off by the age of the copy you might find: the book has aged well, and could have been written today as easily as the 1980s it was written during.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Gay historical fiction, written before LGBT fic was widely available.

Focusing on the historic aspects of a violent and fascinating era, I found Harrison's account of Pantarkes' life, Spartan culture, and the culture of athletic worship fascinating. A culture that doesn't exclude male love, it's not the main focus of the story, and is acknowledged as normal for the era.

Not as polished as much of what's available today, its' clearly written by a man and is NOT a kinky-girl-author romance. No on-page sex. More like the life and times of the protagonist.

[Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great deal to this other than sex and violence. A fairly crude and disappointing read.

[Jason Prodoehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoy historical fiction, especially ancient historical fiction. There is a little homosexual eroticism in this, so be ready for that. This isn't the book to give to your grandmother.