A disappointing prequel to one of my favourite Tarr books, Lord of the Two Lands, in which her prose, though lyrical as always, is frequently impenetrable and circular, and for me the characters never really came to life. Still, a quick read, and even sub-par Tarr is better than many authors' best! ( )

Tarr’s novel was a fantasy-tinged fictional biography of Myrtale, the mother of Alexander the Great. Sounds interesting, yes? Er… no. The writing style was confusing, and I often had no idea what was going on. Literally. I sat there staring at the page thinking “what the heck is going on?!?!”, and wondering why I bothered to keep reading.

I should have just put the book down and moved on. I can’t recommend it. I have no idea how people can enjoy this kind of vague, “never actually say what’s happening but describe things in a roundabout manner with wispy narrative” kind of writing. How does this pass by an editor? How does this get through critique groups?!?!

Argh. Not for me. A waste of time, sorry to say. ( )

This story is set in the Greek heydey of things like The Histories by Herodotus. It is a short, uncomplicated, and sweet story. The heroine, a descendant of Achilles of Trojan War fame, has reached puberty and effectively rejects her upbringing as an acolyte of a temple of the goddess, whose worship is fading as matriarchal societies are giving way to various warring, patriarchal groups. During a major religious fertility festival she meets her future husband Phillip as they play the roles of god and goddess. The story ends with the birth of her son Alexander, future king of Macedonia (and more). The book is divided into three parts according to her name at each significant stage of her life: Polyxena, Myrtale, and Olympias. The story is an exploration of gender roles as much as a gentle introduction to the world of the classical period of ancient Greek civilization. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with this time period to have any sense of how accurate were her portrayals of either the cultures and mindsets or historical events. This may be an excellent way to get someone interested in history in general and ancient Greece in particular. ( )

Another of Tarr's historical fantasies, this one is the story of Alexander the Great's mother. Princess and priestess, descendant of Achilles, she marries Philip of Macedon, finds her power, and defeats the witches of Thessaly to keep her son safe. ( )

Another of Tarr's historical fantasies, this one is the story of Alexander the Great's mother. Princess and priestess, descendant of Achilles, she marries Philip of Macedon, finds her power, and defeats the witches of Thessaly to keep her son safe. ( )