Julian BarrRecensioni

Tooth and Blade is a collection of 3 Norse fantasy-inspired YA novellas. Dota is a girl brought up by trolls in their subterranean cave, who discovers she is in fact human. She enters the human realm and is soon drawn into clan and kingdom battles there, whilst also seeking to protect them against Grethor, her bloodthirsty troll brother. There is a sense of menace in the book, but the violence is never graphically described, and the themes of identity, loyalty and family predominate. There is also a queer subtext which is never laboured but is an integral part of the story. I found this a gripping story grounded in research (I enjoyed spotting nods to the Icelandic sagas), which kept my interest until the end. The ending of the third novella is satisfyingly complete, but leaves the door open to further installments.

The Way Home begins with one of the most dramatic events in history – the pillage and destruction of Troy - and it is in the midst of this carnage that we are introduced to the main character, eighteen-year-old Aeneas. As Troy burns, Aeneas is forced to flee his beloved city, along with other citizens seeking refuge. His efforts to lead and protect them are heroic, but the gods are quick to meddle, making for plenty of action and suspense. True to form, the immortals are vengeful, disdainful of humans and willing to use their absolute powers to achieve their aims.

However, Aeneas, a legend in the making, has powers of his own, which come into play during the hazardous journey ahead. The source of these is slowly revealed as we learn more about the gods and their schemes. The author's light touch and engaging style makes The Way Home immensely readable and I was left wanting more. This is a story sure to appeal to those who enjoy myth and adventure.

Julian Barr's debut novel The Way Home (Ashes of Olympus) is the first in the Ashes of Olympus trilogy, a modern retelling of Virgil's Aeneid. The action starts just after the Greeks have entered Troy in the Trojan Horse and destroyed the city, and Aeneas and the remnant of the Trojan people escape, steal some Greek boats and sail away to try and find a new homeland. Behind the scenes - and sometimes centre stage - the gods are scheming. Battles earthly and heavenly ensue. This book finishes with the Trojans arriving at Queen Dido's Karkhedon. The next in the trilogy, The Ivory Gate, has just been released recently, and I'm really looking forward to carrying on with the story.½

"This is no game .. Zeus means for the Trojan bloodline to join that of the Latins. His empire will mean starvation for all gods. Go now. Shatter the peace, turn brother against brother.’ Hera to Athena and Ares."

In 'The Way Home', the first book of 'The Ashes of Olympus' trilogy, the survivors of Troy flee the Greeks and take to the wind dark sea to find a new home. You might like to read my review also on Library Thing.

Now in 'The Ivory Gate' Julian Barr continues this emotive and action packed story. We are reminded that Aeneas’ troubles, the fate of the Trojan’s and of the Latins, all arise from the feud between the goddesses Aphrodite and Hera. I like how Julian Barr gives us gods you can not only fear but also feel for. Hera’s machinations, for instance, are driven by her quite understandable desire to protect her daughter, Queen Dido of Karkhedon (later known as ‘Carthage’).

Aphrodite recruits the Furies, Poseidon, Cyclops and Hephaestus, god of fire and forger of weapons. Hera ramps up this arms race by summoning not only the warrior Athena but also the war god himself, Ares. And this is no mere spat among the Olympians. This is for their survival.

As the narrative moves from Karkhedon to Scilia and on to Italia, the mortals struggle on, protecting their loves and striving for their destinies even as the Olympians wreak havoc. Julian Barr brings to life Dido's anguish at being abandoned by her lover Aeneas, his clumsy attempts to connect with his son Julos who in turn resents being pulled away from Dido, the only mother figure he has known, Lavinia's attempts to live up to her father's memory, Beroe's smouldering grief at the loss of her partner.

There are many reasons for me to give this trilogy my whole hearted recommendation: it brings to life the misty times of legend, it delivers Virgil's stories in an exciting form to a modern audience, it contains maps and superb illustrations, and anyway I simply love stories like this.

'The gods give no more than you can bear. The unfriendly sea shall be your road. A new homeland lies far across the roaring waves’. Kruesa’s ghost to Aeneas, p.44

The first lines of The Way Home plunge us into the night a civilisation was turned to ashes. The Greeks raze Troy. Trojan leaders are cut down. After trying in vain to save King Priam, young Aeneas fights his way past Ares himself, the god of war, to bring his father and son to the hills where they join the survivors. These, the last of the Trojans, huddle together, shocked by the disaster. Like refugees through the ages, they have no idea what to do, where to go.

‘We need you for a king, Aeneas’, said Mmestheos. ‘The people are ready to make their oaths’. Anxiety crept over Aeneas. P. 41

Aeneas, only 19, is racked by grief for his wife Kruesa, struck down by Hera, queen of the Twelve Olympians, whose determination to wipe out the Trojans knows no bounds. But he must summon the resolve to play the part of a leader. He plans to steal Greek ships, but the land loving Trojan men do not know how to sail them across the dark sea.

Social boundaries must give way to character and ability. Aeneas takes counsel from all ranks, including commoners - and women. Beroe leads forward her fisher women, and they take charge of the sailing. The Trojans turn their prows toward an unknown world where men and gods alike are hostile. During this search for their new home, Aeneas must dig deep for the courage to challenge the accepted way of things, to do what must be done for the good of all.

This is a great read for anyone who loves seeing the misty times of legend turned into a driving adventure. Lest because of spear throws and dented shields this be misconstued as a 'book for boys', I am going to make special mention of recommending it to young women. The female characters outnumber the men, I think: healer Eumela, 'Little Red' who will one day become Lavinia, no-nonsense Beroe, tragic Andromakhe, Dido of Karkhedon, the warrior Amata, and more. The entire story, in fact, is propelled by the terrible feud beteeen goddesses Hera and Aphrodite.

‘Most of our playmates die of the flux by the time they’re old enough for betrothal’. Ankhises, p.63.

With short, fast sentences packed with both action and feeling, Julian Barr , novelist and itinerant bard, turns harpies, cyclops, nymphs and bitter gods into breathing characters. And Barr is also an historian, and here he shows us an early world where life for humans was hard, slavery the norm, marriage came early (Aeneas and Kreusa were betrothed at the age of eight) and death came soon.

‘Aeneas ..’. Sergostos’s lips tightened. ‘Just don’t die’. Aeneas gave a bark of laughter. ‘You know me. I’m going to live forever’.

Aeneas indeed lives on, in myth and poetry, and now in Julian Barr’s highly readable trilogy, The Ashes of Olympus. The series is based on the latin epic The Aeneid , written by Virgil around 25 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans.

The Way Home, with illustrations by Matt Wolf and maps by Linc Morse is published by Odyssey Books, 'where books are an adventure'. And what an adventure this one is!