marie7890's review against another edition
2.5
i’m too tired of heroes with megalomania saving people who are fine
and negligence and description of women in all these stories just makes me sick
knowing that this book was also written by a woman, i cannot fathom why the hell she decided to change important plot lines but kept the idea of men superiority, of women’s ”job” to be petite, beautiful, obedient and so on… the author awfully sexualised and objectified female characters, kept scenes of basically assault and coercion
for what?….
please, read “Ariadne” instead
if you see the same review under the second book, it just me again not willing to write sth new as i’ve already said everything i wanted in this text :)
and negligence and description of women in all these stories just makes me sick
knowing that this book was also written by a woman, i cannot fathom why the hell she decided to change important plot lines but kept the idea of men superiority, of women’s ”job” to be petite, beautiful, obedient and so on… the author awfully sexualised and objectified female characters, kept scenes of basically assault and coercion
for what?….
please, read “Ariadne” instead
if you see the same review under the second book, it just me again not willing to write sth new as i’ve already said everything i wanted in this text :)
waffelton's review against another edition
2.0
Very slow paced and the writing style was not for me. And I was waiting and waiting for Theseus to be introduced as an unreliable narrator, but it just never happened and he was just… genuinely nice ?? I hate it here.
cknickerbocker's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What can I say … but literature?
claireadtea's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading: September 19th 2013
“A man is at his youngest when he thinks he is a man, not yet realizing that his actions must show it.”
Spoiler
Mary Renault tells the story of a boy-king, Theseus, whose adventures are roughly based on the Greek Theseus legend. Various changes are made to make the story more plausible, and for me it ruins a bit the fantasy of the original myths round Theseus. The beginning of The King Must Die is a tad slow and confusing, which doesn't encourage readers to continue... But luckily I managed to continue reading and the story did become more interesting after the initial chapters.
The story begins in Theseus' homeland, where he grows up to be a short but very agil young man, trying to get to know who is his real father besides Poseidon. When he discovers he is the heir of king Aigeus in Athens, he decides to travel to meet his destiny (moira). He is stopped on the way by the queen of Eleusis and becomes the year-king of this woman-dominated land. Fate decides this isn't his final stop and he manages to make it to Athene, where he finally meets his father. This isn't the last stop either though; for it is the island of Krete, the home of the famous Minotaur.Theseus is send with other unfortunate youngsters to Krete to participate in the famous bullfights in the Labyrinth. In groups, they 'dance' with the bulls and as they do, trying to survive and not end up as a sacrifice for the great Bull of the Sea, Poseidon...
It's an alteration of the most famous episode in the Theseus myth where he confronts the fantastical half-man half bull commonly known as the Minotaur. Mary Renault altered the story to make it more plausible, and the mythical part sadly was lost in this adaptation. But still it makes an interesting and moving story about the adventures and struggles of young Theseus to survive in the ancient Greek world.. If you can make it through the first chapters, it's definitely worth it to try and finish the book.
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
erink87's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Misogyny, Animal death, and Violence
seconddaysea's review against another edition
4.0
More readable than Fire from Heaven in first person, which is not something I would've thought I'd ever say. But good as well, and interesting, though not because Theseus becomes a compelling character as much as Alexander was. I think missing Alexander's mystery, being one step removed from his deepest thoughts and seeing him through the eyes of those who loved him best made him into something greater than a man.
In this Theseus is humanized in the other direction; a figure of myth picked apart until he becomes a man. Which is arguably the purpose of the book, but magical was lost in return for this.
In this Theseus is humanized in the other direction; a figure of myth picked apart until he becomes a man. Which is arguably the purpose of the book, but magical was lost in return for this.
hashashash's review against another edition
2.0
this was a weird one, for me
did i enjoy it? yes, but I found it difficult to discover what it was that makes this book so loved by so many. in the end, I think it was mostly my love for history and mythology that made this a worthwhile read.
the attempt to find a possible basis for the legend of Theseus was great; it was always interesting to see the author's take on his being a demigod, his meteoric rise to kingship, the Labyrinth, the Minotaur, Ariadne, etc etc.
the cultures that are discussed - Hellene, Minyan, Cretan - are fascinating, and the author makes sure that the world feels old and lived and yet still so young to those reading from thousands of years in the future.
the prose was nice and there are some beautiful phrases in there, but a boring first person perspective, flat plot, and one-dimensional side characters meant there was nothing that elevated this book into the extraordinary, and I don't think it will end up being very memorable for me.
rating - 5/10
standout characters - none
quotes -
“When I rode on to meet the army, I learned a thing one never forgets after: how much easier it is to move the many than the few.”
“I know I thought of many things: of death, and fate, and what the gods want of man; how far a man can move within his moira, or, if all is determined, what makes one strive; and whether one can be a king without a kingdom.”
“Many-formed are the gods; and the end men look for is not the end they bring.”
mousie_books's review against another edition
3.0
The King Must Die is the tale of Theseus told as if it were realistic, historical fiction (even tempting to classify it as such). I knew virtually nothing about Theseus other than he killed the Minotaur (which I gleaned from the back cover), and there was somehow a ball of twine involved. After reading up on the myth, I was impressed by the faithfulness despite the 'realism'. In general, I like the idea of creating plausible events that could have mutated into myth, and it was well done here.