Customer Reviews

Antigone's Wake: A Novel of Imperial Athens

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I thought that "Antigone's Wake" was not only a serious and incisive look into the life of an acknowledged Greek playwright and not as well known, his military career as a general.
In manner of well crafted fiction, he bases the story on an abundance of historical fact.
It is written, in same the style and wit with which Nicastro has become known.
I was absorbed by and empathized with the character.

Salvatore Novitski

I recommend this entertaining tale with gusto-- a page-turner with an edifying edge. Nicholas Nicastro both transports the reader into the ancient past and highlights aspects of a long dead world to make it relevant to our present. He provocatively exposes the reader to a supposedly enlightened society that uses brutal, inhumane tactics against an enemy in the name of democracy. He also reminds us that the worship of celebrity has existed for millenia.

We watch as Sophocles, aka Dexion, a competitive, revered writer is recruited by his friend Pericles to lead an army, despite his lack of military experience. Is this so different than having B-actors, wide receivers, and billionaires run our government? Whether Dexion rises to the challenge is part of the suspense that keeps the story moving at a good clip. The political machinations of Pericles contrast well with the more personal struggles of Dexion. And, now a trademark of a Nicastro novel, the book is spiced with some enticing sexual dalliances.

For ancient world buffs "Antigone's Wake" is a must; for lovers of good ficion, like myself, take a plunge into a world that Nicastro more than resuscitates.

Nicastro's latest book turns to Athens at the height of its empire in the 5th century BCE. The protagonist is Sophocles who, in addition to being a playwright, served Athens in a number of other capacities during his long life. The novel focuses on Sophocles's term as a general during the revolt of Samos. In addition to providing a gripping account of the siege of that city, Nicastro considers the impact of the war upon the family and art of Sophocles. Pericles plays a prominent role in the story and Aspasia, his notorious mistress, makes a memorable appearance. As with his other novels set in Ancient Greece, Nicastro has done his research well and once again I learned a few things while reviewing the manuscript for him (see page 209). Though not as dark as Isle of Stone nor as epic in scale as Empire of Ashes, Antigone's Wake is sure to please readers who enjoyed Nicastro's earlier books.

Frothy but interesting and sometimes thought-provoking "tour" of Imperial Greek theatre transposed onto a a warfare canvass. With the siege of a rebellious Ionian city as the backdrop, the protagonist is a famous playwright and an "accidental hero-warrior" whose journey through introspective experience with the martial world is in constant tension with his intellectual sensitivities dramatized by personal conflicts with loyalty to the Athenian leader, dislike--and fear--of a rough but effective general, a rebelious son and the deliciously dedicated bitchiness of his once-and still-but-secretely loving wife who saves him, constantly, from pretentiousness but denies him the affection, companionship and self-validation for which he really searches in this interesting, often funny, and compellingly thought-provoking read. Recommended, provided one isn't looking for the challenge and passion of a serious, demanding war-story such as Nicastro's outstanding, "Isle of Stone."

This is a refreshing, remarkable work of historical fiction. Nicholas Nicastro does a clever job of fabricating some "missing years" in the life of the Greek playwrite Sophocles. While all the details of the story are courtesy of Nicastro's vivid imagination, the gist of the plot is historically accurate as it centers around Athens' siege of its ally Samos after the latter had had enough with Athenian hegemony in the Mediterranean basin.

The story sees Sophocles become a military commander. This would be an absurd notion these days, but was quite commonplace back in the Golden Age of Athens. Sophocles not only participates in the siege, but conducts himself honorably, all the while trying his best to nobly protect his only son, Iophon.

The best historical novels transport the reader back in time to the period in question. That's why the present book can be counted as one of the best in its class. It is fascinating to see the poet interact with other big-time historical figures of the age, including the great Pericles, the mysterious Aspasia, his rival Euripides and the infamous Cleon. As I read the book, I could see the historical events transpire precisely as Nicastro narrated them.

Much like Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series), Nicastro dabbled with the idea of contemplating the impetus for an artist's inspiration in his craft. It's trenchant to see how Sophocles' daughter, Photia, transform into a sort of Antigone in her own way.

This book is HIGHLY recommended to persons who have a deep interest in classical history - especially Greek history. For background / pre-requisite reading on the present book I would recommend The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; Antigone, Pericles of Athens and the Birth of Democracy and History of the Peloponnesian War, The. For those who enjoy the present book, I would urge you to give The Isle of Stone: A Novel of Ancient Sparta a read. It is also by Nicastro and it recounts the Spartans' being stranded on the island of Sphacteria during the Peloponnesian war.

Hearing the story of the Pelopenisan war and Sophocles, some details of his private life and what he really thought of Pericles and Aspasia was informative, but it also dragged on a bit, but still worth reading.

Few people, including myself, were aware that Sophocles the playwright also served as a general in the Athenian army during the revolt of Samos. But Greece was a democracy and then, as now, name recognition could get you elected to whatever office you wanted, even if you didn't want it, and felt you were not qualified. This is not to say that the playwright did not deserve a general's cape; nor that he was not skilled at the task, and capable of descisive action, not the least of which caused him to be declared a hero after his trickery resulted in the dispatch of the far superior Simian fleet at the batle of Tragia.

In "Antigone's Wake" author Nicholas Nicastro recounts many such incidents of Sophocoles's wit and bravery, yet weaves a subtext that makes us understand the effect of the war on the playwright's life, art, and family. With degrees in English, filmmaking, archaeology, and psychology, Nicastro is not only skilled at researching his subjects, but also capable of recreating their thoughts and emotions, while placing them in a believable setting. "Antigone's Wake" is a well-written book that holds the reader's interest from the beginning to the end. I do not hesitate to recommend it highly.

Antigone's Wake: A Novel of Imperial Athens by Nicholas Nicastro describes Athens' campaign against Samos in 440-439 BC through the eyes of the playwright Sophocles. Allegedly, Sophocles was one of the ten elected Athenian generals who conducted the campaign under the overall leadership of Pericles. Although there is no attempt to apologize for Athens' aggressive and imperial policy and many of the negative aspects of Athenian society are described in the course of the book, Nicastro clearly likes Athens and his characters in this book better than he liked his heroes or Sparta in Isle of Stone. Throughout the book, the tone is light-hearted and whimsically self-critical rather than oppressive and hopeless, making it a much easier and more pleasant read than Isle of Stone.

Particularly well-drawn is the hero Sophocles. Nicastro very effectively portrays the great playwright as a man who is at once vain and insecure, a man proud of his accomplishments and yet conscious of his failings. He is a man with weaknesses, but not without virtues and conscience. All in all, he is a likeable protagonist and one which the reader readily follows.

The portrayal of Pericles was also intriguing. Since I know very little about the historical Pericles, I have no way of judging the accuracy of Nicastro's portrayal, although from what I do know the fictional character represents a legitimate interpretation of the historical figure. Certainly, Nicastro's Pericles was effective in the context of the novel, where the "rational" Pericles serves as a good foil for the more emotional Sophocles. Because Pericles epitomizes "rational" policy and "realpolitik," he also advocates cold-blooded political expediency and so embodies Imperial Athens, a role that is appropriate for the most famous Athenian politician of his age.

Sophocles son Iophon likewise plays a believable, if more monotone role in the novel, as the spoilt son of a successful father. Fathers of teenage sons will probably identify strongly with Sophocles in his disappointment over his son's refusal to recognize his own achievements and his frustration in trying to provide wise guidance. The relationship between father and son is at once completely modern and compellingly authentic, as a variety of ancient writers also complained about the rudeness of youth and their lack of respect for their fathers. In short, the phenomenon appears timeless.

Unfortunately, all three women characters in Antigone's Wake are mere steriotypes: the intelligent whore (Aspasia), the nagging wife (Nais) and the stupid teenage girl, Sophocles' daughter Photia. Whereas Aspasia and Nais are well drawn steriotypes, who still play their roles within the novel effectively, Nicastro's failure to breathe life into Photia is a serious flaw in the novel. Nicastro's plot requires Photio to fulfil a key function and provide a dramatic climax to the novel. Because Nicastro neglects Photia for the larger part of the novel and makes no effort to develop a character rather than a steriotype, she fails to play her assigned role convincingly. In consequence, I found the ending of the novel a disappointment after an otherwise good read.

Recommended reading with more complex women set in Ancient Greece:

Spartan Slave, Spartan Queen: A Tale of Four Women in Sparta
The Olympic Charioteer
Are They Singing in Sparta?

After reading this book about an unnecessary war waged by a democracy 2500 years ago, it was obvious why the author thought it was relevant. I don't necessarily agree with the comparison with our modern wars, but the characters and the writing are first rate. Worth a look.

I read about 50% through this book before I had to delete it. Save your money!