The Walled Orchard (The Walled Orchard Series, Vol. 2) [Hardcover]

Tom Holt (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Walled Orchard Series, Vol. 2 | Publication Date: May 1991

The hero is Eupolis, weary, cynical and believing only in comedy. The heroine is Athens, at the height of her schizophrenic glory. A startling mixture of comedy and tragedy, THE WALLED ORCHARD is the poignant, charming story of their turbulent relationship. THE WALLED ORCHARD is a masterpiece of historical fiction from Tom Holt, best-selling author of over twenty comic fantasy novels. For information on this and other Orbit titles visit the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Poor comic dramatist Eupolis has promised the god Dionysus that he'll look after his arch-rival and fellow soldier, the playwright Aristophanes. As they embark on the invasion of Sicily, the Peloponnesian War turns into a "fever-stricken slaughterhouse"; upon returning to his native Athens, Eupolis is falsely accused of treason and blasphemy. The Fates are perverse and the gods reckless in this wonderfully down-to-earth re-creation of Greece in the fifth century B.C., a sequel to Goatsong. With irreverent wit and hindsight, Holt takes the classical world off its pedestal, revealing the Greek psyche to be an amalgam of logic and irrationality, passion and superstition, and fear. Eupolis, sane and cynical, consults with Socrates; bickers with his wife, Phaedra; and plans his own legal defense while a vulnerable, corrupt democracy ineluctably slides toward oligarchy. In this dark "autobiography," readers are reminded that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In this second volume of the "Walled Orchard" series, Eupolis, Athenian comic playwright and rival of Aristophanes, continues relating the story he began in Goatsong ( LJ 2/1/90). Joining the ill-fated expedition to Sicily, Eupolis is one of the few combatants to escape from the walled orchard where the troops have taken refuge. Once back in Athens, he is accused of toppling statues of Hermes before the army sailed and is tried for treason. After his acquittal, he writes his final play, The Demes , a satirical look at Athens and its problems. As in Goatsong , the narrator's tone is conversational, with self-deprecating humor. His description conveys impressions of fighting and flight in Sicily and of being on trial in 5th century Athens. Readers interested in historical fiction as related by a minor Athenian poet will find this version amusing and interesting as well as thought-provoking. Recommended.
- Ellen Kaye Stoppel, Drake Univ. Law Lib., Des Moines
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; First US edition. edition (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312059906
• ISBN-13: 978-0312059903
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,277,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If Pratchett's God, then Holt is Jesus, June 5, 2007

By 

Wenderric "Wenderric" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walled Orchard (Paperback)

Ancient Greek playwrights are probably not your idea of an interesting and fun good time but that's only because you haven't read Holt's book. Eupolis is a great character. Funny, endearing, and with all the humanity that should exist in all book characters. The book is told from his point of view and is supposed to be an autobiography. It's really good and you really love all the characters, including Phaedra, Eupolis' wife whom you don't like at first because she doesn't like Eupolis and seriously how can that be?! I also love the way that the playwrights are in fierce competition with each other and sabotage each other's performances and there's all these literary politics...it's so brilliant. Anybody with any interest in the classical world will love this book.