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The story of the mythical hero Theseus, slayer of monsters, abductor of princesses and king of Athens. He emerges from these pages as a clearly defined personality; brave, aggressive and quick. The core of the story is Theseus' Cretan adventure.
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This is the first book in Mary Renault's Alexander quartet. If you are interested in Ancient Greek history, it is a fine, powerful read. It is not a children's book, but certainly assessable to anyone from age 13 or so. I have degree in Classical Greek History, probably because of this series of books.
It is actually for me to comment without bias on this book, and the following two ( Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy) as I more or less lived them over and over again, and in a way I feel they are utterly personal to me - almost 'mine'. However, I think they still are worth reading. Mary Renault has written several others set in the ancient Greek world, and a few about lesbian love, but nothing touches these novels, and nothing touches her ones about Alexander. I believe she went into a kind of altered state when she wrote them. I love a good hero, and Mary Renault's Alexander is one of the best.