Owls to Athens [Hardcover]

Another excellent historical novel by acclaimed science fiction write Harry Turtledove (here writing under the penname of H. N. Turteltaub), the fourth in his series of books about the adventures of Menedemos and Sostratos, two cousins living on the island of Rhodes shortly after the death of Alexander the Great, who once a year take their family's ship on a trading expedition around the Eastern Mediterranean.

As you would expect from Turtledove he combines high entertainment values with careful attention to historical accuracy, following in the tradition of the late great L. Sprague De Camp, another sf author who also wrote a few wonderful historicals. As was the case with De Camp I admire the fact that Turtledove's characters are recognizable human beings, even the historical figures portrayed, who talk and act in realistic ways, rather than being stick figures who recite pseudo-Shakespearean dialogue as in so many other historical novels set in this period.

In this chapter, the two cousins, Menedemos, the man of action (and devil with the ladies) and Sostratos, the intellectual, travel to the great city of Athens, only to find themselves in the middle of a political and military crisis when the city is invaded and occupied by the forces of Demetrious, son of Antigonus, one of the successors to Alexander the Great. It is already a bitter homecoming for Sostratos, who had studied in one of the famous philosophical schools in the city earlier in his life and had dreamed of returning, only to find, as another philosopher put it, that you can't step in the same river twice. Meanwhile, Menedemos continues his roving ways, in this book seducing not only the wife of his host in Athens, but dangerously advancing his flirtation with his own father's young wife Baukis back in Rhodes.

If you have enjoyed any of the first three books, you will like this one. I have heard there will be seven in all, obviously leading up to a climax with the siege of Rhodes itself by the forces of Antigonos in the last book or two. (I am hoping to see cameo appearances of at least some of the characters from L. Sprague De Camp's book on this period, THE BRONZE GOD OF RHODES.)

My only slight reservation is that this is the first book that has failed to put any of the characters in real jeopardy for a dash of suspense (unless you count Menedemos' constant fears that his adulteries will be discovered by the husband's involved) so it is a little less exciting than previous volumes. But in my opinion a mediocre work by Turtledove is usually more entertaining than most others best work. Still highly recommended.

I have read all of the Menedemos/Sostratos books since stumbling across The Gryphon's Skull about two years ago. They are a fun way to spend a quiet afternoon or to keep you interested on the bus, which is more than one could say about a lot of contemporary literary fiction. While I won't say they're *serious* or especially deep, personally I don't need that and they give us an idea of what it would be like to live in that time period.

Owls to Athens is a nice book but it seemed to lack the energy of the first three. As another reviewer noted, our heroes are never in any real danger and it's when they are that the book often comes alive. The scene where they have to escape from the Roman galley in Wine Dark is good, as is the pirate attack in Gryphon, or the bandit attack in Sacred Land. Nothing like a good action scene to get the blood up now and again! Also, the travelogue aspect of the earlier novels is missing as they spend pretty much their entire time in Athens, except the start of and end of scenes in Rhodes. In the area of character development, however, Owls is good. Sostratos finds out that what he thought he wanted he doesn't necessarily and Menedemos finds out that life can get... complicated, sometimes too complicated.

One thing to note about the series generally: These novels don't pull punches when it comes to the mores of the time, many of which are VERY different from ours. Sostratos is a pretty enlightened person for his day but he sees little wrong in slavery, for instance. (He mostly thanks his lucky stars he's NOT one and occasionally muses about how things might have been different if he was.) Menedemos behaves more or less like a Greek man of his day, which involves behavior many of us would consider unexcusable (though many modern people certainly do the stuff he's completely unapologetic about on vacation). If you're at all squeamish about such things, stay away.

This series by Harry Turtletaub is in my opinion quite under-rated and under-read, judging by the number of reviews. They are a bit sophomoric, but that's just the right age for teenagers who will be this book's best audience. Charming books. Recommended as a light read on the one hand and as an intriguing enticing intro to ancient history on the other.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  3.3 out of 5 stars