Etruscans: Beloved of the Gods

by Morgan Llywelyn, Michael Scott

In the early days of the Roman Empire, the noble Etruscan civilization in Italy is waning, Vesi, a young Etruscan noblewoman, is violated by a renegade supernatural being. Outcast then from Etruria, Vesi bears Horatrim, a child who carries inexplicable knowledge and grows to manhood in only six years. But a savage Roman attack leaves Vesi unresponsive and Horatrim homeless and vulnerable, and he travels to Rome where his talents confound powerful businessman Propertius, who arranges to adopt Horatrim as a son, changing his name to Horatius.

And all the while his demon father is seeking him to kill him, for Horatius is a conduit through which the demon might be found and destroyed.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Historical, Mythology, Historical Fantasy

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Morgan Llywelyn (born 1937) is an American-born Irish author best known for her historical fantasy, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.

Reviews

[Ian Racey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to say “This is a retelling of the story of Horatius at the bridge,” but that would actually not be true at all. This is a story whose hero is (sort of, but not really) a heroic Roman called Horatius Cocles and the antagonist is (sort of, but not really) an Etruscan named Lars Porsena, and it’s set at the end of the Roman Kingdom and depicts Tarquin the Proud as the last King of Rome (though the authors seem to think that “Tarquinius Superbus” translates to “Tarquin the Superb”), but that’s genuinely the end of any resemblance to the story of Horatius at the bridge. (There’s not even a bridge.) If you have never heard the story of Horatius, and you got a writing prompt to write a story of a Roman named Horatius Cocles battling an Etruscan named Lars Porsena at the time that Tarquin the Proud’s reign as the last King of Rome ended, genuinely whatever story you wrote would bear as much connection to the actual folktale of Horatius at the bridge as this does.

So, looked at on its own terms. It’s a decent fantasy novel (it’s not historical fiction and even “historical fantasy” stretches its connection to the historical record a little), though for my taste it suffers a bit from pulling the curtain too far back and exposing things that would work better if hinted at.

The book is a collaboration between a man and a woman, of course, though other reviews here, as well as the order of the authors’ names and their relative fame, seems to assume that it’s Llewelyn with the greater creative input. Regardless of if that’s true or not, it definitely bears observing how often the narrative relies on sexual assault to move the story forward. The main female character is sexually assaulted three separate times, and both the next two main (mortal) female characters are also, in one way or another, sexually assaulted. And when I say “to move the story forward”, I really do mean that it’s clear in several of the assault (though not all, because there are so many of them) that someone thought to themselves, “This is the next point I need to get there. How can I spur them on to that? Oh, I know—I’ll have her get sexually assaulted!”

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Etruscans is what I’d call a historical fantasy novel - based in (a surprisingly great deal of) fact but told through fantasy. It centers on the life of one Horatrim, a boy born to an Etruscan mother and an otherworldly father, who goes on to become a very important figure in ancient history. Along the way we also meet Tarquinius Superbus (the last King of Rome) and Lars Porsenna (an old Roman enemy) in a world that perfectly blends the superstitions of the ancient cultures of Italy with a fair amount of historical fact.

I haven’t read a Morgan Llywelyn novel in ages - not since reading Llywelyn’s take on Cuchulain back in high school - but I was soon reminded of his older works. Llywelyn has a unique ability to blend what we know with what we know can’t exist in surprising and familiar ways. Etruscans is, with the addition of Michael Scott (who I’ll now have to look up and read), perhaps the best example of Llywelyn’s ability to do so.

The story in Etruscans is also top notch and well paced. The world building does the best job I’ve ever seen at portraying not just the physical reality that the ancients existed in (rabbit warren-like structures, unpaved roads, etc) but also the metaphysical reality they might’ve believed themselves to have existed in (spirits, monsters, and the Otherworld all feel very present and close).

I wasn’t expecting much getting into Etruscans, if I’m honest, but having just been pleasantly surprised by John Maddox Roberts’ SPQR novel, I have to say that Etruscans blew me away. It was a great read that has me hankering for more Morgan Llywelyn.

[KiplingKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now don't get me wrong, the story is great. Reading at face value I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good characters, good "coming of age" story, great incorporation of the mythical elements. A very enjoyable book, a fun Saturday read. My only nit picks are a historian's pedantism.

I read Morgan Llewelyn's Red Branch (her version of the legend of Cu' Culainn) yonks ago. Back when I was a teenager, I think. It was very entertaining and made me very curious about the legend itself, which set me off on researching ancient Irish legends. She is very good at humanizing these mythic heroes, while incorporating the elements of native spirituality/religion and magic. Now, usually she's about the Celts, but for this one she (and Michael Scott) took on the Etruscans.

Part of the problem with writing about the Etruscans is that we're still learning about them. We have not even fully translated their language yet (which is one of those out of place oddball language that has no relationship to the languages around it). So most of what we know we're interpreting from art, grave goods and what is left from the layouts of their cities. (Which means it's pretty tentative.) We know little of their myths and legends. I guess that's was why Llewellyn and Brooks chose to pull their "Etruscan hero" from the annals of Ancient (I mean, really ancient, way before the Caesars) Rome: Horatius Colces. ("Hora Trim" being his "Estruscan name). So it is no wonder that the story spends minimal time in "Eutria" and sends the hero off into the wild and eventually to Rome.

But then why not set the thing in Rome to begin with?

And there was the theme that "Man gives Gods form," but that is not really explored in the story, which is a straight up fantasy adventure.

And it's a very good fantasy adventure.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a hard review considering the I generally like Morgan Llywelyn's books. However, this did not live up to the standard she has consistently delivered in other titles. The best description of this book is shallow. There is not much information on the culture of the Etruscans (besides the focus on the Dying) and little actual description for the Teutmetians or the Romans. The Ais are little more than a plot device, with only one of the Ais getting more than a brief cameo (and even this role is lacking). The story is neither original nor is it much more than a partly fleshed out outline. The story rushes through plot points like it's hitting a checklist rather than showing readers a glimpse of the world. Outside of the disappointing story I was also a little annoyed with the viewpoint of the story. While the whole of the story seems to be told in the 2nd person, sometimes the character's viewpoint would switch from paragraph to paragraph, or even mid-paragraph. This made it difficult to tell when a description was based on a external character's perception or the internal thoughts of the character. On the plus side, this is a quick read with short chapters and it is easy to follow the story.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very iffy 3 unfortunately. I had high hopes for this book too

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy, not historical fiction. Not bad and not badly done.

[Kay's Pallet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not love this. The pacing was all over the place. Each scene was so slow and dragged for way too long, but then the next scene would skip ahead through a bunch of time. It would switch to random new character's pov, which really didn't feel necessary. I felt like I was thrown into the middle of a series instead of a stand alone because there was such little world building and character introduction. Also what was with the name changing of a few characters? No thanks.

[Mike Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Ms. Llywelyn’s usual fare. Now we get a little bit of historical fiction and a LOT of fantasy (magic, gods, and demons, not just druids and the Tuatha. A decent story, some interesting characters, and some weird stuff too.

[David Leemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to go back to ancient Italy, this is a good book to read.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, lots of fun. Very creative.

[Melissa Kidd · Rating 2 out of 5]

The summary is basically what was said on the front flap of the book, which is why I bought this book so many years ago, but the story isn't as exciting as the summary makes it out to be. Instead the crux of it is Horatrim in Rome. Also, his name is changed later in the book to the Roman Horatius Cocles, who was the Roman man who singlehandedly defended the Tiber Bridge, so I was hoping for that scene. It's nowhere in the book however. I concluded that since this is only the first in a supposed trilogy that it comes later. Anyways, there's nothing substantial here, but the story is entertaining. It's also a quick read, with relatively large font. Not the best, but not the worst.

[Marco · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book didn't live up to my expectations. It's a classic novel based on the myths of the Etruscans. The myths aren't really profoundly explained and the authors only brush a basic portrait of it all. As I've been told, the authors do a much better job with other cultural groups. Don't really bother reading this book if you're interested in learning more about the Etruscans, or the Romans, or any other group. This is not really a historic novel - I've even felt that this was more written for children than adults, but then, some gore passages would prevent me to give it to then.

[Kristen Gurri]

Too much fantasy with the fiction and a little too much dribble. Just couldn't do it. Plus, the cover art was embarrassing to explain to the kids.

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a disappointment. I couldn't wait for it to end.

[Emily Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

i found a beat up old copy of this book in a box in my grammas basement and thought it looked interesting... started reading and couldn't put it down. this has become one of my favorite reads.

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I found myself caught up quickly in the character's lives & had a hard time putting it down. Very good.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little superficial but still a fun read.

[Thomas Hense · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy, fun jaunt of a read. I was only attracted to the book because the cover was painted by Boris Vallejo I had no idea what to expect, therefore I had no expectations.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated rating this so low as I generally love Morgan Llywelyn but this really is not up to her standards. perhaps it is the collaboration that created the problem. I'm getting ready to read Silverhand which may help me decide. The story was fairly superficial and rushed without adequate development of characters. The exploration of mythologies was interesting but I felt the incorporation of Christian elements (serpent in garden of eden) ruined that for me. It took me a long time to finish as it did not pull me in and I had to make myself finish it.