Ariadne's Web (Book of the Gods, Volume 2) (Hardcover)

by Fred Saberhagen (Author)
Key Phrases: Princess Ariadne, Face of Dionysus, God of Destruction (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This followup to The Face of Apollo plants one foot in the mythology of ancient Greece and the other in Saberhagen's wry take on the frailties of human nature-a slippery position, as it turns out. The novel is based on the myth of Prince Theseus, who is shanghaied to Crete as tribute to evil King Minos, cajoles Princess Ariadne into stringing him through the deadly Labyrinth and kills the monstrous Minotaur. To Saberhagen, though, Theseus is an opportunistic pirate who uses, then dumps, Ariadne in his pursuit of a god's Face: a mask "as clear as fine glass" that, when donned by a mortal avatar, sinks below his skin and endows him with divine attributes--but not with immortality. Meanwhile, Alex, a soldier smitten by hopeless love for Ariadne, becomes the avatar of Dionysus, god of wine and ecstasy. Aided by the genial Minotaur Asterion, the source of Saberhagen's pithiest reflections on human foibles, Alex/Dionysus swashes his way through several rousing Aegean adventures to rescue Ariadne, but his knees buckle at the sight of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, whose "great game" of eternal warfare against Apollo, god of the sun, anchors this fantasy series. Despite all the fun, Saberhagen's redo of classical myth has pitfalls. Jerky shifts in point of view disrupt the action; names seemingly snatched haphazardly out of Bulfinch's Mythology tend to distract. Most problematic of all, Saberhagen waters down mighty gods into mere rollicking humans, denaturing deities who for time immemorial have given Western culture its metaphors for the human condition. Something necessary to human imagination is thereby lost--and the old magic just isn't there.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
After the brutal death of her royal father, the princess Ariadne resolves to prevent her beloved Theseus from becoming a sacrifice to the whims of the dark god who presided over the assassination. Saberhagen (The Face of Apollo) gives the familiar story of Theseus and the Minotaur a whimsical twist as gods and heroes come together in an elaborate scheme to further the twin causes of love and justice. The author of the popular Berserker series brings his storytelling expertise and gracious wit to bear in this seriocomic mythic fantasy that belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312866291
• ISBN-13: 978-0312866297
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,907,360 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An acceptable sequal, February 3, 2001

By	"scorchen" (Lyman, Wyoming United States) - See all my reviews

The beginning is a little slow and at times it seems it takes many pages for anything exciting to happen, but its still a good book overall. I can honestly say i wasnt hooked on this one like i was the face of apollo, but i HAD to read what happens to Jeremy Redthorn aka apollo. After i finished the book, I went right to amazon.com and bought the next one. Arms of Hurcules. I am currently half way through Arms of Hurcules and its worth reading adraines web just to understand more of Hurcules.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The God's 2nd coming!, January 26, 2000

By	Angela Goodwin (Oviedo, FL United States) - See all my reviews

I read the 1st book of the gods and though it was a mite slow at first, it soon gathered speed and was a really enjoyable book with lots of adventure and action. But the 2nd installment was too confined for way too long and I found myself wondering if I was even reading the same author that I know and love for many years. But I hung in there and it got better but just not great. When he writes about a person changing into a god and mixing with all of the others, thats when he's at his best and its real interesting. Apollo made a guest appearance and that was one of the shining moments in the book, but overall it kind of left me flat and wondering what was this all about?

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not as solid as The Face of Apollo, September 26, 2005

By	Omar Siddique (Ellicott City, MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ariadne's Web: Volume II: Book of the Gods (Mass Market Paperback)

The second book in this series set in the world of Greek Mythology is a quick, entertaining read, but not as gripping as the first volume in the series, the Face of Apollo.

Character development is weaker than in the first volume, and the main character doesn't seem to have to struggle nearly as hard as the character who becomes Apollo did in the previous volume. Apollo makes an appearance in this volume, but his compatriots from the previous volume do not.