In this, the second installment of her Orestes trilogy, Laura Gill gives us a chilling, yet very human, look into the heart and mind of history's most famous matricide.
Early in the novel, Orestes executes his plan to retake his birthright and to take revenge on the man who usurped his father's throne. He is very careful, in his planning, to avoid killing his mother outright. Unfortunately, when the time comes, he is unable to control himself, and kills his mother without meaning to.
From here, the reader is plunged into a dizzying descent into madness, as Orestes is whisked to Holy Delphi to take refuge, and, he hopes, earn absolution for his ghastly crime. At least half the book takes place in a small cell in Delphi, while Orestes struggles with his madness, his guilt, and the consequences of his crime. Eventually, he is able to earn retribution and returns to mount the Lion Throne of his father.
Two things really impressed me about this novel.
First off, Orestes is often portrayed as a rather two-dimensional character, stark raving mad at best, and a homicidal fiend at worst. Ms. Gill does a wonderful job painting a picture of his emotions as he descends into a period of madness, and gradually returns to sanity. The imagery of his ravings and hallucinations is darkly engrossing. I especially liked the metaphor of the spider.
Secondly, Ms. Gill's treatment of the Greek Religion is first rate. I have been a fan of Greek mythology since I was a child, but had always found it hard to believe that grown people actually believed this stuff. The descriptions of the rites used to appease the various gods, the characters who represent the various priesthoods, and Orestes' own fear, after his absolution, of re-offending the God's really brings the religion to life. You really see how the people of ancient Greece lived in a state of semi-fear of offending the Gods.
I highly recommend this series to any lover of Greek mythology, and eagerly await the third and final installment.
Welcome to the Historical Fiction Online forums: a friendly place to discuss, review and discover historical fiction.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
If this is your first visit, please be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You will have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing posts, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Outcast (Orestes) - Laura Gill
Outcast (Orestes) - Laura Gill
Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results.
_______________________________________________
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
_______________________________________________
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
I enrolled Orestes: The Outcast in Amazon's KDP Select Program, which means I shouldn't be publishing it anywhere else until mid-May. However, I seem to be losing sales because it isn't available in any other format but Kindle. So I opted out of the KDP Program, which means only that I don't want automatic renewal. If an Amazon Prime member sampled/leased a book and opted to buy from there, I would not receive that royalty, but in checking my sales reports, readers are not coming to my work through Amazon Prime, so I'm not really concerned.
Therefore, I give you Orestes: The Outcast on Smashwords, with all its various formats (iBook, .pdf, .mobi, etc.) Now go out there and BUY, so I can comfortably settle into working on The High King.
Boy, I better keep The High King under 5MB, or I'm dead...
Therefore, I give you Orestes: The Outcast on Smashwords, with all its various formats (iBook, .pdf, .mobi, etc.) Now go out there and BUY, so I can comfortably settle into working on The High King.
Boy, I better keep The High King under 5MB, or I'm dead...
Last edited by lauragill on Tue March 6th, 2012, 4:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: italics
Reason: italics