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Over the Wine-Dark Sea Mass Market Paperback – November 18, 2002

by H. N. Turteltaub (Author)

12 customer reviews

Book 1 of 4 in the Hellenic Traders Series

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Menedemos was born with enough confidence for three men, and he can switch from threats to charm and back again. But he can also be foolhardy--for instance, risking everything for the chance at another man's wife. Sostratos can perform unheard-of feats with numbers, he knows the old histories and the natural sciences--but he lacks the common touch and, Menedemos would say, common sense. Each of them has strengths the other lacks. Now, in the troubled waters off of Sicily, they face a chance at untold riches . . . if they can evade the massed strength of the Carthaginian fleet.

Colorful, engaging, rich with likeable, human characters, Over the Wine-Dark Sea is historical adventure at its best, in the finest tradition of Steven Pressfield and Patrick O'Brian.

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Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (November 18, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765344513
ISBN-13: 978-0765344519
Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 1.3 x 6.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,343,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #73738 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary
- #86129 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
- #87176 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

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3 star		33%
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Top Customer Reviews

Not as 'vintage' as I had hoped for

By B. Morse on October 21, 2004

Format: Hardcover

Reading 'Over The Wine Dark Sea' was, to me, like whetting my appetite for a good ancient-Greece adventure story...the story is plotted out well, as far as pacing and continuity go, but overall I was left relatively flat by this tale.

Menedemos and Sostratos, like the 'Publisher's Weekly' review here on Amazon says, never rise above their station as opposites of one another before the tale concludes. Time and again, the author reminds the reader of the strengths and weaknesses of both, but fails to explore the reasons for the former, nor to deliver any real progression for the characters to overcome the latter.

While the author has obviously done significant research on the time period, and on the trade business of the classical Greeks, one would think that an author such as H.N. Turteltaub (also Harry Turteldove), with such a catalogue of works already generated would produce something a bit more indepth in making a genre-jump from his usual fare.

I found the business about the 'peafowl' to be far too dragged out overall, though it is the crown jewel of their trade voyage, and found myself rolling my eyes and skimming pages each time they were brought up again...as comic relief they work briefly, but the author relies on the squawking birds to 'entertain'a bit too often. There are also several references to a possible attack of pirates, and considering the solution employed by the cousins,...it's lively the first time, but when used more than once...it's simply repetitious.

For a reader looking for adventure-lite in the lives of the ancient Greeks...this will serve it's purpose...but for those wishing for more enlightenment and exploration into the era the story is set in, I would recommend other authors, such as Mary Renault, and Steven Pressfield.Read more ›

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... set several years after the death of Alexander the Great. His generals have split up his empire and ...

By jimx on December 2, 2014

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

I read this book along with three others in a series of sequels set several years after the death of Alexander the Great. His generals have split up his empire and are battling one another creating political and economic discontent throughout the Greek world.

Two cousins range from Athens to Egypt to Italy on a trading vessel powered by oarsmen and sails. This means they have to carry high value cargos like wine, silks, and perfume made from crushed roses. But a smaller ship also means the ability to out run pirates whom they encounter.

The two are different in moods which play to the strengths lacking in the other. One is married and more interested in the business side of trading while the other acts as captain and is responsible for the safety of all. But he is also a bachelor leading to problems created by his womanizing. Especially involving married women.

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Sad comedown for a writer I used to enjoy

By Michael K. Smith TOP 1000 REVIEWER on December 2, 2005

Format: Hardcover

When he first began writing fiction a couple of decades ago, Harry Turtledove (who is Turteltaub in his everyday suit) was quite good. A Byzantine scholar, he showed a knack for straight historicals (especially the excellent _Justinian_) as well as alternate history yarns with an eastern Mediterranean setting. Then he hit the big time with _Guns of the South,_ and now he has way too many interminable series going at once, and his talent -- while considerable -- has turned out to be a finite quantity that's stretched too thin, the result being that he's now cranking out a great deal of very forgettable verbiage. This story of two young cousins in 310 B.C. on a trading voyage from Rhodes to the Greek colonies in Italy is a separate book (though it now appears to have spawned its own series, unfortunately), so I had hopes for it. And there's a lot of interesting sightseeing, but there sure isn't much narrative tension, and hardly any point to it all. This is Turtledove in "history teacher" mode: "See, the Dorics indicated assent by dipping the head rather than by nodding and dissent by tossing the head rather than shaking it, so I'll be sure to tell you every single time someone dips or tosses." He also insists on rendering place names in phonetic Greek-ified English, which makes the reader uncertain what ports the guys are stopping to trade at -- ignoring the fact that this book is, in fact, written in English, so why bother with that? The main characters also spend a lot of time explaining routine points of everyday life and ship operations to each other for the benefit of the reader -- an annoying device any creative writing student learns to avoid in his first semester. Maybe I'll just go back and reread some of his earlier books.

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Really Good... Somehow

By Arch Stanton on April 7, 2013

Format: Unknown Binding

This book is an odd one and no mistake. It has a very basic and repetitive plot with no real narrative progression. The basic story goes: arrive in port, sell goods at the market, make an unexpected profit, sail off. They repeat this at every port along the Greek/Italian coast. And they don't do much else. Sure there is the occasional encounter with pirates and some dealing with rowdy passengers but the essence of the book revolves around this repeating tale. It is entirely to Turtledove's credit that he makes this interesting. Darned if I know how he does it.

A big part of the reason why this book is so entertaining is the characters. Menedemos and Sostratos are cousins whose fathers run a shipping business. They are in charge of the akatos Aphrodite, a rowing ship that trades in luxury items across the Mediterranean. In this book their voyage takes them to Magna Graecia in Italy while they try to sell their cargo, which this year includes a bunch of peacocks. Menedemos is a loveable rogue who is always seducing men's wives but is a reliable and clever captain. He doesn't get along with his father and this seems to make him impulsive and risk-taking. He's the captain of the ship. His cousin is Sostratus.. He fancies himself a philosopher since he studied at Athens and he is always thinking about things. The two of them annoying each other is half the fun of the book.

This book feels like a guided tour around the Classical Mediterranean. You get to see how the ancient world operated as well as a perspective you don't often get with two merchant sailors. And you get to see a whole lot about how the Greeks thought. As this is a Harry Turtledove book (even though it's published under the alias H.N.Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Not supervolcano, thank God

It's by HarryTurtledove who didn't write a bad book until super volcano. worth reading do get the set of four

Published on October 8, 2013 by Prismbars

Really Good... Somehow

This book is an odd one and no mistake. It has a very basic and repetitive plot with no real narrative progression. Read more

Published on April 7, 2013 by Arch Stanton

Pleasant Enough Historical Fiction

I have trouble appreciating historical novels, but I was curious as to what Harry Turtledove, author of numerous alternate histories and here writing under a pen name, would do... Read more

Published on November 18, 2008 by Randy Stafford

Entertaining

My wife bought this book for me brand new for fifty cents out of a bargain bin, so I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining it was. Read more

Published on September 30, 2006 by pspahn

Nice story, interesting history, but annoying at times.

I just read this book and found it very enjoyable. A good read on the bus. There are, however, a couple of irritating points that I just have to get of my chest. Read more

Published on May 19, 2006 by Johnjx

A LOOK INTO ANOTHER TIME

This is a very clever book that gives the reader a look at another time, over two thousand years ago. Read more

Published on February 13, 2002 by MJR reader

You'll read this more than once.

This is a masterly evocation of the ancient world -- with interesting characters who are sympathetic and understandable, but _not_ like modern people stuffed into chitons. Read more

Published on August 1, 2001 by S. M Stirling

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