The Olympic Charioteer [Paperback]

Helena Schrader (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2005

Antyllus of Tegea had everything—wealth, power and respect—until his son was killed defending Tegea against Sparta. Now Tegea is on the rise, but Antyllus can find pleasure in nothing—not even his magnificent racehorses. While all Tegea believes Antyllus’ chariot could bring Tegea an unprecedented Olympic victory, Antyllus knows that he lacks a driver capable of coaxing the best out of his team. More disturbing, Antyllus worries that Tegea’s victory over Sparta is being used by certain radicals to undermine the democratic constitution. The Strategos that won the decisive victory is a demagogue—and he wants to extend the franchise to landless men. Out of spontaneous pity, Antyllus purchases an abused quarry slave. The slave not only carries the seemingly prophetic name of “Philip”, (Lover of Horses) but has an uncanny affinity for horses as well. While Tegea slips into tyranny, Antyllus turns his back on politics and focuses his hopes and dreams on an Olympic Victory.

This is the story of a slave and a charioteer in Archaic Greece. Based on Ancient sources but using predominantly fictional characters, The Olympic Charioteer describes the events that led to the establishment of the first “non-aggression pact” in recorded history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Helena Schrader earned her PhD in history. She has since published two non-fiction works on the German Resistance to Hitler and British and American women pilots during WWII respectively. This book is her first fictional work on Ancient Greece. Helena Schrader is a Foreign Service Officer, with extensive international experience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (August 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595367828
• ISBN-13: 978-0595367825
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,505,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Helena P. Schrader
Historian, Novelist, Diplomat

Helena P. Schrader obtained a BA in History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and followed this with a MA in Diplomacy and International Commerce from the University of Kentucky, Lexington. She earned a PhD in History from the University of Hamburg with a ground-breaking biography of the German Resistance leader General Friedrich Olbricht.

Schrader worked for consulting firms in Washington, DC, for the German Privatization Agency (Treuhandanstalt), and as an Investor Relations Manager for a German bank and a German venture capital fund, before joining the U.S. Foreign Service. She is now a career diplomat.

She has lived on five continents and speaks three languages fluently. She owns property in what was once Lacedaemon, which she visits regularly and where she intends to retire.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sparta--a different perspective, August 9, 2008

By 

Quantico1 (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Olympic Charioteer (Paperback)

The Olympic Charioteer takes the reader back to the Archaic Age of Greece, an era when the city-states were ruled by aristocrats, then by tyrants--everywhere except Sparta. Helena Shrader has taken mostly fictional characters and wrapped them around real events, making for an extremely entertaining novel. Anyone interested in exploring the years prior to the Persian invasion--the alliances and the intrigues, especially between Sparta and her future ally Tegea--will enjoy this novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem!!, June 10, 2007

By 

millien (Bklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Olympic Charioteer (Paperback)

I loved Are they singign in sparta and now here is another gem to polish and keep in my bookcase when i want a look back to Greece! This ws another three part story. Its about A slave named Phillip, His Tegean master Antyllus and a Spartan Teleklos! they all cross paths in ways you wouldnt believe when you first pick this book up. i must say there are also minor characters who are major in my opinion that made this book even more of a pleasure. I hope Ms. Schrader keeps writing on Sparta. good job!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spart history, April 10, 2007

By 

Kythera A. Grunge (Black Mountain, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Olympic Charioteer (Paperback)

Historical novels are such a nice way to grasp history. Helena Schrader's meticulous research makes the reading exceptionally educational. I love that she has made this series of novels about Sparta available. It is a subject that has not been explored fully or accurately to a great extent. This book in her series I especially enjoyed, her character development is excelent.