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Fateful Pathways: A Story of Theseus
Born of a mother manipulated by the goddess Athena into sleeping with a king and a god on the same night, Theseus's life was never going to be easy. Athena's plan is for him to be the hero and king who will preside over a new golden age for Athens. But to achieve that goal, Theseus can never stop fighting, first to win the crown and then to keep it. Bandits, rebels, monsters, witches, and even hostile deities stand in his way. Athena claims he is fated to succeed, but even she admits that fate is not a single path but a road with many forks. Has her intervention helped him become the hero he was meant to be? Or has she doomed him to a life of failure?
472 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 16, 2020
56 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Bill Hiatt
33 books40 followersBill Hiatt has been teaching English at Beverly Hills High School since 1981--long enough for some of his current students to be children of his former students. (It's a good thing that doesn't make him feel old--much!) Bill also sponsored the high school's literary magazine from 1992 until June of 2012, which gave him the opportunity to work with a number of young aspiring writers.
Although teaching has been and remains Bill's first love, he has also been drawn to creative writing of various sorts. From high school on, he wrote short stories, a little poetry, and an earlier novel, finished in 1982. By that point, the increasing demands of teaching kept him from pursuing writing as actively as he would have liked, but his impulse to write continued to poke him from somewhere in the back of his mind. A few years ago a particular group of students inspired him to create grammar tests in the form of short stories, with the students themselves as characters. In some cases he got so caught up in the writing that he stayed up all night to finish the material. His students enjoyed the stories so much that they actually looked forward to grammar tests--and they scored higher on the semester grammar final than any of his previous classes! Their response to his writing made Bill wonder if there was a way to find time to write and still be the kind of teacher he wanted to be.
Another force pulling Bill in the direction of writing has been (ironically) teaching, particularly his consistent advice to students to get outside their comfort zones and follow their dreams--advice he realized was somewhat hypocritical if he wasn't following it himself. After all, teaching, though certainly his most important dream, is well inside his comfort zone by now. Publishing, on the other hand, is a different kind of exposure, more scary in some ways and definitely outside his comfort zone. Authors, regardless of the genre in which they write, reveal much about themselves every time they publish; their work is a part of them, and maybe not a part that they have shared with other people before. Also, authors have to be willing to face rejection; regardless of the nature or quality of a book, not everyone is going to like it. Despite the risks involved, Bill eventually realized he needed to follow his own advice if he really wanted his students to follow it. After that, he squeezed in a little time to write each day, and eventually he finished another novel. He hopes his readers will enjoy reading his work as much as he enjoys creating it, and he hopes that his example may encourage more of his students to push themselves a little to get what they really want out of life.
Although teaching has been and remains Bill's first love, he has also been drawn to creative writing of various sorts. From high school on, he wrote short stories, a little poetry, and an earlier novel, finished in 1982. By that point, the increasing demands of teaching kept him from pursuing writing as actively as he would have liked, but his impulse to write continued to poke him from somewhere in the back of his mind. A few years ago a particular group of students inspired him to create grammar tests in the form of short stories, with the students themselves as characters. In some cases he got so caught up in the writing that he stayed up all night to finish the material. His students enjoyed the stories so much that they actually looked forward to grammar tests--and they scored higher on the semester grammar final than any of his previous classes! Their response to his writing made Bill wonder if there was a way to find time to write and still be the kind of teacher he wanted to be.
Another force pulling Bill in the direction of writing has been (ironically) teaching, particularly his consistent advice to students to get outside their comfort zones and follow their dreams--advice he realized was somewhat hypocritical if he wasn't following it himself. After all, teaching, though certainly his most important dream, is well inside his comfort zone by now. Publishing, on the other hand, is a different kind of exposure, more scary in some ways and definitely outside his comfort zone. Authors, regardless of the genre in which they write, reveal much about themselves every time they publish; their work is a part of them, and maybe not a part that they have shared with other people before. Also, authors have to be willing to face rejection; regardless of the nature or quality of a book, not everyone is going to like it. Despite the risks involved, Bill eventually realized he needed to follow his own advice if he really wanted his students to follow it. After that, he squeezed in a little time to write each day, and eventually he finished another novel. He hopes his readers will enjoy reading his work as much as he enjoys creating it, and he hopes that his example may encourage more of his students to push themselves a little to get what they really want out of life.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 22, 2024
I enjoy Greek mythology and this book was absolutely delicious!
April 8, 2021
“Fateful Pathways: A Story of Theseus” by Bill Hiatt might be the most masterful retelling of that particular hero that I’ve ever read. While Hiatt follows the same guidelines that always happen in the legend of Theseus, he puts his own twist on everything. The story he weaves draws you in and holds you there until the story is over. I couldn’t put it down! Hiatt is an incredibly talented storyteller and is obviously well versed in Greek mythology. This is an amazing read that you should absolutely add to your TBR!
I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Hidden Gems Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 2, 2021
I wanted to like this book so badly - Theseus has a great story and the author did a great job of covering everything from before birth to after death.
HOWEVER. I hated the writing style and the way his story was told was so disappointing. It got better throughout the book, but I just couldn’t move past it.
If you love Greek Mythology and are looking for a next book, this one isn’t bad. Otherwise, I’d skip it and find something else to read.
HOWEVER. I hated the writing style and the way his story was told was so disappointing. It got better throughout the book, but I just couldn’t move past it.
If you love Greek Mythology and are looking for a next book, this one isn’t bad. Otherwise, I’d skip it and find something else to read.
February 3, 2021
An exciting retelling of the Greek myths centered around Theseus.
I have enjoyed tales of the Greek myths since I was a child, but I haven’t read many in recent years. This book was a fun dive back into a childhood interest. Theseus encounters all the major gods and many demigods of ancient Greece. Most of his adventures were new to me, or perhaps merely forgotten, so they seemed fresh and exciting. Of course I distinctly remembered his most famous adventure with the Minotaur and the Labyrinth of Crete. The author has retold these old myths with a modern sensibility that make them vibrant and accessible to today’s readers. Fateful Pathways indicates this is an installment in a series of books based on Greek mythology, so I’ll look forward to other heroic tales. If you like Greek mythology at all, you will enjoy this book
I have enjoyed tales of the Greek myths since I was a child, but I haven’t read many in recent years. This book was a fun dive back into a childhood interest. Theseus encounters all the major gods and many demigods of ancient Greece. Most of his adventures were new to me, or perhaps merely forgotten, so they seemed fresh and exciting. Of course I distinctly remembered his most famous adventure with the Minotaur and the Labyrinth of Crete. The author has retold these old myths with a modern sensibility that make them vibrant and accessible to today’s readers. Fateful Pathways indicates this is an installment in a series of books based on Greek mythology, so I’ll look forward to other heroic tales. If you like Greek mythology at all, you will enjoy this book
April 11, 2022
A great retelling !
The prose is simple and direct, the plot most Greek mythology enthusiasts are familiar with.
You will read this novel and say many times - " Don't go, wait, stop, reconsider!" Despite seeing all of the choices both good and bad Theseus makes,you are along for the ride. You will root for him, applaud his heroics, appreciate his loyalty although often misguided. There are bigger themes other than derring do, such as the balance in life between action and caution, when is it ok to break a promise, what will we be judged by in the end, how much can God, ( or the gods in this case) , intervene and still leave us with free will? All in all a good read, I enjoyed the authors choice in making the gods appear much less capricious than they are typically portrayed and weaving intention in the story.
The prose is simple and direct, the plot most Greek mythology enthusiasts are familiar with.
You will read this novel and say many times - " Don't go, wait, stop, reconsider!" Despite seeing all of the choices both good and bad Theseus makes,you are along for the ride. You will root for him, applaud his heroics, appreciate his loyalty although often misguided. There are bigger themes other than derring do, such as the balance in life between action and caution, when is it ok to break a promise, what will we be judged by in the end, how much can God, ( or the gods in this case) , intervene and still leave us with free will? All in all a good read, I enjoyed the authors choice in making the gods appear much less capricious than they are typically portrayed and weaving intention in the story.
March 15, 2023
As retellings go, this one goes totally against the trend.
You have only to read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint to know that Theseus is not a hero at all.
What he is in reality is a rapist, an abductor, an abuser, a man who abandons his lover on an island and then marries her underage sister, a liar, and a murderer. A father who engenders the death of his own son (whose mother, Hypolita, Theseus raped, by the way), and does not believe the accusations that the son raped his underage wife.
Theseus is a role-model of everything a man must NOT be.
I find it outrageous that there are still authors willing to glorify someone like this, even if it is a myth.
It is about time we stop worshipping such characters, who only teach toxic masculinity to the modern reader.
A completely insensitive book.
You have only to read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint to know that Theseus is not a hero at all.
What he is in reality is a rapist, an abductor, an abuser, a man who abandons his lover on an island and then marries her underage sister, a liar, and a murderer. A father who engenders the death of his own son (whose mother, Hypolita, Theseus raped, by the way), and does not believe the accusations that the son raped his underage wife.
Theseus is a role-model of everything a man must NOT be.
I find it outrageous that there are still authors willing to glorify someone like this, even if it is a myth.
It is about time we stop worshipping such characters, who only teach toxic masculinity to the modern reader.
A completely insensitive book.
March 9, 2023
Engaging
Thesus weaves his story well , so well that I forgot all about Miltiades and why Thesus was there in the first place.
A must read for aficionados of Greek Mythology. The drama and intrigues of the Gods is engaging.
Thesus weaves his story well , so well that I forgot all about Miltiades and why Thesus was there in the first place.
A must read for aficionados of Greek Mythology. The drama and intrigues of the Gods is engaging.
March 14, 2021
Excellent work! Well justified literary licenses. The author is very well versed in Greek mythology.
March 17, 2022
Few minor typo's but it makes it even better
May 18, 2023
interesting take on the myth
December 27, 2022
Kindle version had writing mistakes. Not sure if the books is the same. Author kept using the same sort of term for describing the absence of the gods. Otherwise, it was an exciting story. Some unnecessary lengthy conversations but good read!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews