Armed with a stolen bronze dagger and little else, twelve
year old Hylas must find a way to defend himself against
the Crow, warriors of the House of Koronos, as they seek to
kill him and his little sister Issi simply because they're
the last of the Outsiders. Hylas leads them away from his
sister in order to protect her, but soon he finds himself
far from home and far from Issi with little hope of getting
back to her. With the Crows following, Hylas must form
unusual alliances in order to survive and learn why the
Crows are so afraid of him.
GODS AND WARRIORS by Michelle Paver is set during the
Bronze Age, nearly three and a half thousand years ago, in
what is now Greece. As little is known about these earliest
inhabitants, their beliefs, their customs, and their way of
life, I found this book to be a good blend of fiction and
fact and with the helpful Author's Note at the end, Ms.
Paver explains what she used for inspiration and
information. The world is beautifully drawn, creative, and
it feels authentic. This isn't so much a work of historical
children's literature as it is children's fantasy, but
don't be fooled by the children's or YA labeling, this is
an amazingly good story no matter your age. This book is
appealing to boys and girls and children and adults.
There's a little something for everyone from eating fish
eyeballs, to fighting off sharks and swimming with
dolphins, to crawling over human statues and running from
the Angry Ones, vengeful spirits. This all combines to make
a fascinating story, set in a fascinating world. The
worldview is very different than ours and Ms. Paver
cleverly builds it without sacrificing the pace of the
story. GODS AND WARRIORS is a fast paced story but there's
little humor in
it. It's not dreary by any means, but there's a constant
worry and fear that hangs over the characters. That's in
keeping with the plot, but it's something to keep in mind
if your reader prefers light-hearted and funny stories.
As GODS AND WARRIORS is the first book in this new series,
don't expect
all the questions to be answered. There is definitely a
cliff-hanger of an ending, leaving me very curious to how
this series will unfold. If you're a fan of the Percy
Jackson series, which both my daughter and I are, Michelle
Paver is an author you should check out. GODS AND WARRIORS
shines a light upon the land of the Aegean Sea before the
Greeks, before Zeus and Olympus, and during the time of
Atlantis. Endlessly fascinating from the first to the last
page, this is a good beginning to a promising series.
In the turbulent world of the Mediterranean Bronze Age,
Hylas, a lowly twelve-year-old goatherd, thief, and
outsider, journeys from the Greek mountains to Crete and
Egypt, making allies with animals, battling tyranny, and
withstanding the elemental powers of the gods of land and
sea.
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