384 sivua ; 24 cm, 384 sidor
På English
Publicerades 29 januari 2021 av Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.
When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus …
Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles. “The best of all the Greeks”—strong, beautiful, and the child of a goddess—Achilles is everything the shamed Patroclus is not. Yet despite their differences, the boys become steadfast companions. Their bond deepens as they grow into young men and become skilled in the arts of war and medicine—much to the displeasure and the fury of Achilles’ mother, Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.
When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
I am absolutely sobbing, which I expected. Heartfelt and tragic, as it should be.
Pretty early on I get a song in my head. Not "Achilles Last Stand" or "Temporary Like Achilles" or "Tales of Brave Ulysses", but Regina Spektor's "Samson". The idea of love redeeming a tragic hero simply by making him strong enough to leave herodom behind.
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
It has its flaws, for sure. I'm not a big fan of the way it first lets us follow Patroclus fall in love with every aspect of Achilles and who he is - and doing it quite well, for a myth riff - only to then fast-forward through 9 years of siege and daily slaughter to the final act we know must come with Achilles just making the occasional cameo. It feels like the first half and the second don't quite mesh. But when it's good, it's …
Pretty early on I get a song in my head. Not "Achilles Last Stand" or "Temporary Like Achilles" or "Tales of Brave Ulysses", but Regina Spektor's "Samson". The idea of love redeeming a tragic hero simply by making him strong enough to leave herodom behind.
And the history books forgot about us
And the Bible didn't mention us
Not even once
It has its flaws, for sure. I'm not a big fan of the way it first lets us follow Patroclus fall in love with every aspect of Achilles and who he is - and doing it quite well, for a myth riff - only to then fast-forward through 9 years of siege and daily slaughter to the final act we know must come with Achilles just making the occasional cameo. It feels like the first half and the second don't quite mesh. But when it's good, it's really good, the hopeless idea of trying to protect the one you love from who they are or think they must be, the wish of NOT being the hero. There's a reason tragedies live on. Return to Ithaca it ain't, but it gets the job done.
