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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a wonderfully crafted story from the classical age, March 21, 2008
This review is from: Black Ships (Paperback)
A well constructed opening to this novel of Trojan refugees draws the reader in quickly and never disappoints. This is a wonderfully crafted story which takes place at the end of the age of heroes and the beginning of the story of Rome. Almost hidden behind marvelous storytelling is an excellent conflation of the mythic and heroic tales of the ancient Greek world, and the historic and archeological records related to ancient Greece, the Middle East, ancient Egypt, and pre-Roman Italy.
This is one of those novels whose three dimensional characters grow on the reader to the point that finishing the book is like watching old friends disappearing around the bend. Though Black Ships tells of the many adventures these refugees encounter in their wanderings, real excitement comes from watching as the main characters struggle to find their path - sometimes relying on faith in the whispers of gods; sometimes by trusting their own judgement.
Jo Graham tells the story through a significant female character, and the feminine experience is a major theme of the book. However, she has avoided one of my frequent complaints about novels that strive to give a 'new' point of view. She has done a fine job of "fleshing out" both male and female characters, and giving some of the male characters 'real' lives that are not always told only as they impact the main character/narrator/
This is a great read for anyone who enjoys a well crafted adventure story, but, for those with an interest in the history and mythology of the ancient Mediteranean, this is a real treasure.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cross the wine-dark sea with Gull--you won't regret it, May 30, 2008
This review is from: Black Ships (Paperback)
There's nothing I love so much as sinking into a big fat book that combines the sweep of history with a dash of magic. This book is an adaptation of the Aeneid, from the point of view of the Sybil who, in the poem, guides Aeneas through the underworld.
She's a lot more fleshed out here. Her name is Gull, later known as Linnea and as Pythia, and jumps off the page from the very beginning of chapter one with a self-introduction that reminded me a bit of Phedre's at the beginning of Kushiel's Dart. The wording and the voice are different, but it's the same sort of introduction: This is me. This is who I am. Take me or leave me--and if you take me, I've got a damn good story to tell you.
Gull is the daughter of a Trojan slave. When she is crippled in an accident, her mother realizes she'll be seen as a useless mouth to King Nestor. She takes the girl to be apprenticed to Pythia, an oracle and priestess of Persephone, the Lady of the Dead. In time Gull succeeds to the role of Pythia herself, and it seems that she will spend the rest of her life prophesying from her remote cave. Fate, however, has other plans.
Aeneas and his ragged band of refugees from Troy arrive to raid Nestor's palace, and Gull's life is forever changed.
(Oh, I should explain that Graham posits two separate Trojan Wars in this tale. Gull's mother was abducted in the first; Aeneas fled the city in the second.)
The novel follows Aeneas, Gull, and Aeneas's courageous and sexy captain, Xandros, as they search for a place to call home.
To me, one of the major themes of Black Ships is being human in a world that calls for larger-than-life gods and heroes. You see it with Gull, who operates within a strict set of rules as a priestess, and then throughout the story breaks most of them when the will of the Goddess or the needs of her people demand flexibility. You see it with Neas, whose father is constantly exhorting him to act in a more regal fashion. One of my favorite bits is when Gull is examining the cave near Vesuvius that she will use for the ritual of descent into the underworld, musing about how much work it will take to prepare it--and yet, though she works hard to ready the cave, when the ritual occurs it is governed by forces beyond her human control. I liked the contrast between the human and divine here.
The other major theme is love, and how these three flawed and scarred people find it with each other. I love that you can't clearly say "this character is gay, that one is straight." What it really comes down to is that these three people have a bond that transcends all categories. They're just...well, when reading this book I just can't imagine any of them without the other two.
Beautiful book, and I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer. ;)
(And, y'know, I really ought to go read the Aeneid. I never did read the whole thing, though I was supposed to for class once, and Jo has made me more intrigued by it.)
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not perfect, but nonetheless exceptional. Brilliantly conceived and executed, this is an amazing book. Highly recommended, July 26, 2008
This review is from: Black Ships (Paperback)
The daughter of a slave taken from fallen Troy, Gull is an oracle, the voice for the Lady of the Dead. When nine black ships appear, captained by Aeneas, the last Trojan prince, Gull joins her mother's people on their flight from Greek enemies and their attempt to find a new land to call home. Black Ships follows the journey of the Aeneid, but revised: with careful historical revisions, a cast of incredibly real characters, and skillfully interwoven religion, it is the personal story about the founding of an empire. There are a few little quibbles--who am I kidding? This novel is brilliantly conceived and executed, bringing history to life with the utmost care and skill. Black Ships is a stunning debut novel, and it deserves an unqualified recommendation.
Not unlike Mary Renault's novels or Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, Graham's Black Ships takes a part historical, part mythological, part religious story--here, Virgil's Aeneid--and brings it to life via realistic characters, historical integration, and religious overtones. Gull, the protagonist and narrator, becomes close adviser to Aeneas and fast friends with one of the ships's captains, and these relationships and characters--as well as the dozens of others that populate the book--feel real, pulling the story to a local level where every character has meaning. Gull joins Aeneas's fleeing fleet of ships as they journey across the Mediterranean sea, looking for safety and for a place to call home, and here the journey in the Aeneid is revised--ahistorical Dido, for example, is replaced by an Egyptian princess. These changes create a story which is all the more meaningful and impressive for its realistic rendering. Gull is also an oracle for the Lady of the Dead, bringing faith and gods to the story--and Graham handles both with aplomb, creating a divinity with real impact but realistic presence and a religion that feels authentic. Local and universal, personal and divine, Graham reaches to both ends of the spectrum. The book is historical fiction, but with careful research, skillful integration, and the author's palpable love for her story and setting, Black Ships feels wholly real.
The book isn't perfect, but the imperfections are no detraction. The climax and conclusion moves at a faster pace than the rest of the book, stripping away desirable detail. Graham's writing style is more than competent but neither is it exceptional, which renders it almost invisible--I remember characters, plot, scenes, but little about the writing style. A longer author's note or more exposition may help explain the historical setting--which was never confusing but made me wish I knew more about this era. While there are such quibbles and faults, they mean next to nothing. It may not be perfect, but the imperfections don't distract. Black Ships is a triumph--intelligently conceived, brilliantly executed, and a true delight to read. Nothing should deter the interested reader from picking up this book. Captivating and impressive, it is a realistic, human story set on a history-altering stage. It is an astounding debut novel, and I look forward to more from Graham. All told, Black Ships is amazing, and I recommend it to all readers. Renault or Bradley fans will find a literary cousin in Graham. Greco-Roman enthusiasts should love it, and even if you're unfamiliar with or uninterested in this time period you may find that at Graham's hands it comes alive.
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