A review by hashashash
The King Must Die by Mary Renault

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.”