Review of The Fox

[addicted reader]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Sometimes, not all times, miseries and untold sufferings in the world tend to prepare people for their future roles and responsibilities. However, at times, these challenges may seem to be unbearable that leads to the direction of giving up. The Fox by M.N.J. Butler is a well crafted historical fiction novel that follows the story of a young and focused man, Leotychides born in the royal family in Sparta.

Leotychides is the narrator of his own life story in the novel. Leotychides is supposed to inherit the throne from his dead father, King Agis II according to the laws of Sparta. However, his long-term dream of becoming a ruler in Greece is threatened by his uncle, Agisilaos--who is hungry for power. Agisilaos comes up with a plan to deny Leotychides the right to inherit his father. For instance, he accuses Leotychides to be an illegitimate son of King Agis II. This meant that Leo could not become a king as he wasn't the biological son of the late King. From the story, we realize that Leotychides' real father was called Alcibiades from Athens— who impregnated his mother. Will Leotychides be allowed to take over the throne? Will Agisilaos withdraw his statement (of Leotychides being an illegitimate son of King Agis II) to allow him to become an heir to the late King?

The story is fascinating. The author divided it into chapters; this made it easier to read the story without confusion. The twists and turns present in every chapter kept me at the edge of my seat. The characters were well-developed; this kept the flow of the story from the beginning to the end. However, there are some Greek terms used in the story that were difficult to understand: the author provided a glossary at the start of the book which I used it for reference. Another thing I disliked about the book is that it is too lengthy hence, a lot of time required to read the book.

Themes of war, politics, religion, family, friendship, education, leadership, and loss have been portrayed in the story. The plot of the story was well-organized. Its title, as well as its cover page could easily catch my attention towards reading the book. While reading this great novel, there were instances of none borderline profane words.

The story is narrated in both the first- person and second-person point of view. This added flavor to it. The book was edited in a professional way, as I could not find any grammatical errors while reading it. I therefore, rate The Fox 4 out of 4 stars. The story was well woven and edited— giving it a lower rating would be unfair.

My favorite character was Leotychides. He never gives up throughout his life despite facing a lot of ups and downs. Agisilaos was my least liked character in the story. He is heartless and greedy.I recommend this wonderful novel to adult readers (above 16 years) who enjoy reading historical fiction novels. This is because of the gory and sexual content in the book.

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The Fox
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[words_dreamer]

Seems like a fetching plot for historical fiction. The review gave a comprehensive idea of the plot, will give it a try pretty soon.

[Muna Chizzy]

Leotychides sounds like an interesting character. There will be a lot of struggle since is not the biological child to the late king. I'm curious to know what will become of him. Thanks for the great review.

[addicted reader]

Leotychides sounds like an interesting character. There will be a lot of struggle since is not the biological child to the late king. I'm curious to know what will become of him. Thanks for the great review.

Indeed he is. Hope you get a copy and enjoy the entire story.

[addicted reader]

Seems like a fetching plot for historical fiction. The review gave a comprehensive idea of the plot, will give it a try pretty soon.

Thank you for your observation. Hope you enjoy it as well.