The life and work of the Spartan people is always exciting. His arrival to this day as the best army of warriors, educated for battle from the cradle, is used as an emblem of effort, austerity and the fight and defense of all causes.
For this reason, it is always suggestive to embark on a new installment of the fascinating mythology that surrounded this town, transformed by the literature of Homer and Virgil into a kind of prelude to Heaven on Earth. At book The Spartan we enjoy a unique chapter on the mythical Perseus, son of King Demaratus.
In the middle of a war, back in the XNUMXth century BC, Perseus is entrusted to leave the front and return to Sparta to deliver an epistle from King Leonidas to his wife. Perseus accepts the assignment without much pleasure, but ends up assuming the hierarchy and proceeds to the assignment.
The development of this novel has quite a few similarities to the movie Gladiator, and I indicate it this way, suddenly because the events after this fact abound in this idea of the conspiracy. Great characters always have gigantic enemies. It happened with Máximo Décimo Meridio and the same happens with Perseus in this case.
But the reading of the novel is not less attractive because of this analogy. Perseus is disinherited, disowned and of course also removed from an unspeakable love for Gorgo. But a Spartan faces his destiny with courage, and will offer his life if necessary for the restoration of his honor.
The idea of revenge is one of the literary motifs that have always worked best. The great reference is The Count of Montecristo, but any creative work that addresses this feeling of necessary replacement of the evil caused involves the reader to the core.
And in that line this plot moves, with its corresponding warlike aspect from a moving point of view in which it is hoped to discern if the good old Perseus finally achieves glory, revenge or death ...
You can buy the book The Spartan, the new novel by Javier Negrete, here:
A good novel that perfectly portrays the way of life and customs of Sparta. At first it gets a bit tiresome until the protagonist falls out of favor, as you say it sometimes reminds of The Count of Monte Cristo. Highly recommended reading.
PS With fewer pages you can also count the same.
The straw thing is always relative. But yes, I also like a little more synthesis ...