Review by Reubeney -- The Fox by M. N. J. Butler

[Reubeney]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Fox" by M. N. J. Butler.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Fox by M. N. J. Butler is a compelling book in the category of the historical fiction genre. The author radiated his rich knowledge in history, as he meticulously captured the Ancient Greek sociopolitical ruling state systems, narrowing his scope on the eminent Sparta Kingdom. In about 600 pages, Butler authored great work of historical fiction with a seamless blending of suspense and compelling plot twists that maintained a tight grip on my attention as the book dragged me through the ancient world of fantasy.

The story is built on the life odyssey of a bastard son of Agis װ (Eurypontid King of Sparta). Leotychides was the rightful heir to the throne of the Sparta Kingdom. Unfortunately, upon the death of Agis װ, his uncle (Agisilaos), filled with greed and lust for power, took advantage of the minor age of Leotychides and undertook the kingdom with the backing of votes of ephors.

The author has impressively narrated the story from the first-person point of view. He unfolded the story through the eyes of Leo narrating the events that transpired later in his life and the Sparta kingdom after powerlessly losing the kingship to Agisilaos. Will Leotychides regain his rightful position to the throne?

One of the aspects that I liked in the book was the author's creative opening with an illustration of The Royal Houses of Sparta through a family tree. He also added a glossary of the Greek terms used in the book with their meaning in the story making it easy to comprehend and follow the gist of the story.

The protagonist was my favorite character in the book. The author, apart from capturing Leotychides valiant and excellence as a brave warrior, clearly portrays how he heeded to his father's advice not to divide the kingdom as he never attempted to rise against his uncle's reign. This was also one of the underlying lessons in the book and a relatable character of self-discipline.

The articulate description of ancient Greek history in the book will greatly impress the readers of ancient civilizations and historical fiction work. The book favored readers of all ages including younger adults since the author has impressively eschewed from including any vulgar aspects or explicit sexual scenes.

Moving on, the negatives were hardly evident given that the book was exceptionally well-edited. There were no grammatical errors and the formatting was great. Nonetheless, I loathed the deluge Greek terminologies in the book. Although the author had tactically included a glossary of the Greek terms used with their meaning in the book, it was still slightly distracting especially in the first quarter of the book to master and relate the terms with their meaning in the story. I was forced to keep referring back to the glossary to check the meaning of the words.

To sum up, apart from the stated negative aspect, I enjoyed reading The Fox and I was prompted to give it a perfect rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The book is a bit long but worth the many afternoons to be spent reading it.

******
The Fox
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Sushan Ekanayake]

This is a novel that is already in my to be reviewed list. Nice review for a nice book