Renault Reviews

I just got Renault 12TN Estate and I want to rebuild it ( in resto custom ), off course I need all information about Renault 12TN Estate.

disculpen el idioma pero tengo un renault 12 1982 ,en cd mexico necesito imagenes e informacion hacerca de este modelo gracias y saludos

sorry i dont speak english but i a entusiast of renault 12 car

clutch, motor, freno

The author is not of AmerIndian descent, but that is not a problem.

I highly recommend this book for people that are interested in AmerIndian spirituality and philosophy.

Reading this book as a heterosexual female, I can't say that I identified with any of the characters; but Mary Renault has written a remarkable book that explores the issue of love from various sides and gives us an in-depth view of a people coming to terms with their own sexuality and what it will mean for them in the world at large.

The time is 1940 and the place is England just after the retreat from Dunkirk; in the memorable words of Winston Churchill, it was their finest hour. At the center of the book is Laurie Odell, wounded in action, waking up in a military hospital to the fact that he will be crippled for life. The problem for Laurie is that he fears being emotionally crippled as well. Laurie is a graduate of a rigid British prep school where the head boy, Ralph Lanyon, was the object of his hero worship; Ralph is kicked out in a sensational scandal involving a hysterical accusation of homosexual activity with another boy in the school. Laurie is sexually attracted to Ralph and when Ralph is expelled, he realizes that the attraction was mutual, but that Ralph never approached him because he knew better than Laurie himself did that Laurie hadn't awakened to his own sexual orientation yet, and Ralph was not about to take that responsibility for him. While recuperating in the hospital, Laurie meets Andrew, a young conscientious objector who looks up to him as Laurie had looked up to Ralph. Andrew, however, is a total innocent, and his uncompromising religious views would make him look upon homosexual love as an abomination, even while he is attracted to Laurie. While on leave from the hospital, Laurie runs into Ralph, whom he hadn't seen since he was expelled from prep school seven years earlier, and learns that it was Ralph who piloted the navy boat that rescued him from Dunkirk. Ralph has been wounded as well, however, having had half his hand shot off, so the two of them are basically free and unfettered to start a relationship.

Ralph has grown hard and cynical after seven years of searching for love with increasingly superficial partners, and he has hit rock bottom with his current partner, whose sole attraction is his dazzling good looks. The attraction between Ralph and Laurie is immediate and compelling, and throws Laurie into a dilemma: he can hook up with Ralph and face up to the fact of his homosexuality which he has been hiding from everyone, including himself; or he can remain on a platonic basis with Andrew and remain sexually frustrated. At the core of his problem is trying to resolve how one can be gay and maintain his integrity at the same time. After meeting some of Ralph's associates, he isn't so sure. Laurie doesn't want to be dragged into the gay milieu, and Ralph sees Laurie as his means of escape from that milieu, and the bottom line for them both is, are they homosexual men, or are they men who happen to be homosexual.

Things get complicated when Laurie tells Ralph about Andrew (one of the things that attracts Ralph to Laurie is his fundamental honesty) and although he understands Laurie's dilemma, Ralph isn't about to let him off the hook; he tells Laurie that he has a choice: he can continue to help Andrew tell lies to himself about himself, or he can help Andrew face up to what he is. Laurie doesn't want that responsibility with Andrew any more than Ralph wanted it with him seven years earlier, and he temporizes until someone intervenes and Andrew has to face his own nature up close and personal. The resulting explosion shakes everyone up; Laurie finally realizes that being human ultimately means being true to oneself. What that means for Laurie is resolved at the end of the book.

There are several interesting secondary characters in the story, including Alec, one of Ralph's previous partners, decent, honest, but unable to commit more than superfically, and Sandy, Alec's current partner, insecure, demanding, jealous, but also capable of love, and Bunny, Ralph's latest, despicable, devious, and totally amoral. But the three main characters are the most compelling: Andrew, whose rigid, unbending morality finally makes him snap; Ralph, hard, jaded, yet with a core of innocence and trust that still makes him believe that love is not a myth; and Laurie himself, trying to resolve who he is and what he stands for as a man and as a human being. For all its being a World War II story, the problems and issues are timeless and make the book as fresh today as it was 60 years ago when it was first issued. Mary Renault has shown with "The Charioteer" that she is not only a great historical novelist, she is one of the best writers of the 20th century.

I first read this book because it was mentioned in Bruce Bawer's "A Place at the Table". I never expected that it would impact me so startlingly! I identified very closely with Laurie Odell, the main character, and his struggles with experiencing love as a gay man. All of the characters in the book are well-developed, even ones we don't meet very often. Renault manages to put together a wonderful, sometimes heart-wrenching story that doesn't restrict itself to people with gay experiences. ANYONE could read this book and feel total empathy with Laurie. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who has the least interest in reading a love story--it won't disappoint. I only wish that the story could have continued, perhaps in a sequel. Still, a very touching and satisfying tale.

I realize I've already written a review of The Charioteer but while perusing other customer reviews I came across a review which made me realize why I love this book so much. It is because ever since I finished the book for the first time back in 1986, I can't get Laurie and Ralph out of my head. They became so real to me upon that first reading that I have been compelled to return to the book again and again if only to spend a few more moments with some old friends. There are only a few other fictional characters I feel so close to, and none as much as these two.

I will come right out and say it: I am a dirty-minded brat. I love slash, and will read pretty much any book that focuses on a m/m relationship. So, I read "The Persian Boy," because it is the slasher's equivalent to fantasy's "The Lord of the Rings."

(By the way, if you haven't got a clue what I'm talking about, what with the slasher-talk and all, just skip this review.)

The horrible truth of the matter is that just as every fantasy fan will swear that LotR was what got them into fantasy, and that it changed their life, yadda yadda yadda, every slash fan out there will declare that "The Persian Boy" is lush, beautiful poetic, the definative work on a real-life m/m relationship...so on and so forth. And, like LotR, half of them are lying through their teeth.

Oh, yes. You know who you are. You think that LotR's only redeeming feature is that Orlando Bloom was in it. You utterly failed to see the grand mythic beauty in it. Instead, you saw the grand mythic boredom. Well, "The Persian Boy" is a lot like that. You pick it up thinking, "Yay! Boysmut!" and instead find an endless tale of Alexander the Great's military conquests and daily life in an army camp.

Oh, the book TOTALLY has its moments. Bagoas, our protagonist, is very smart and a little bitchy, which of course makes for a great narration. And if you are interested in the history behind Alexander, then this is a fine book for you. The writing is gorgeous, if a little purple for my personal taste. The author clearly knows her stuff, and, more importantly, knows how to tell a good story, so the book is most definately enjoyable on that level.

Basically, before you run out and buy this book, know why you want to read it, and, if you have any doubts, check it out in your local library first. I wish I had. I'm not sorry I read it, but it really wasn't to my usual taste.

I wandered around in a library one afternoon and randomly picked up a book off the shelve. It happened to be the "Persian Boy". I was captivated by the book until the last chapter at 4 in the morning. It was one of the most beautifully written book I have ever read, and possibly the most romantic. Alexander, Bagoas, Hephaiston...are portrayed so vividly and so real that I could not put the book down until the very end. I can't help but wonder if there is such love in this age. If not, how unfortunate! Mary Renault's other books are just as romantic: Last of the Wine, The Nature of Alexander, Fire from Heaven, Funeral Games, The Charioteer...are all my favorites. I am not sure there is a better historical-fiction writer.

Mary Renault initially captured my attention with Fire From Heaven, the first of the Alexander novels, and gave new life to this revered warrior and hero. But with The Persian Boy, as told through the eyes of Bagoas, a slave boy who becomes confidant, advisor, and lover to Alexander, she humanizes this historical figure even further, and gives him attributes that the history books neglect, those of a man. She probes his mind, as witnessed by the eyes of adoring Bagoas, who first reveres Alexander as his master, and then dotes upon him as lover. Bagoas remains faithful to Alexander through months of separation during the conquest of Greece, and stands by his side despite treacherous efforts to discredit and dethrone his King, through Alexander's 'relationship' with his boyhood companion Hephaistion, and his 'marriage of convenience' to Roxane.

This novel, while it appealed to me on a romantic level, also exemplifies the nature of love, be it between man and woman, or man and man, as a fevered, passionate longing for another, a sense of loyalty to them and to your relationship with them, during hard months of separation, and a desire to do anything to please and/or comfort them. However, the book also accurately recreates Alexander's journey of seige across Greece, and the hardships he and his followers endured. Readers would be hard pressed to find a more descriptive and honest look at Alexander the Great as a flesh and blood creature, and not just the conquering hero of many bloody battles which history books offer us.

This novel is set in Ancient Athens about 429-404 BC. But don't be put off if you don't know anything about ancient history. Mary Renault has the gift of making things clear without stopping to explain. 'Last of the Wine' is in the first person, and the narrator, Alexias, speaks as he would to a person of his time and culture. But he is never obscure to a person from the other side of the world and 2400 years later. Such writing, lucid, even limpid, but effortlessly achieving a very difficult task, is such as to make other writers despair. This book is not fantasy, but every fantasy and SF writer ought to read it, to see how well it can be done.

The subject of 'Last of the Wine' is the making of a man, by prosperity and adversity, triumph and disaster, love and hate. Alexias faces, in his Aegean microcosm, the whole breadth of human experience. And that is why 'Last of the Wine' is a novel for anyone who is interested in anything.

A previous reviewer claimed that this book is 'laced with descriptions of homosexual acts'. I can only say that this is a wild exaggeration. Alexias is bisexual, and his love for Lycis dominates his youth and the book. But the only sexual act mentioned is a single kiss. If that puts you off, so be it: but I think that you would be making a mistake not to read this wonderful book.

An English teacher recommended that I read Mary Renault's excellent book "The King Must Die," and because "The Bull From The Sea" had been checked out of the library when I finished its predecessor, I took another book by Renault. "The Last of the Wine" cemented my admiration for her work, but there's nothing I can say to praise Renault that hasn't already been said.

"The Last of the Wine" is set in Athens during the Peloponnesian War and is told by a young aristocrat named Alexias. Alexias, an unwanted child, begins his story with the plague that killed his mother and uncle, among others, as well as Pericles the statesman. The famous names appear as people who move in the same circles Alexias expects to move in as an adult; friends to his father Myron, associates, politicians, and--as this is Athens--wooers of Alexias as he becomes an adolescent.

But besides himself, Alexias's story concerns two other men: a stonemason turned philosopher named Sokrates, who helps Alexias out of his shy awkwardness, and Lysis, the man with whom Alexias falls in love. According to Athenian tradition, the older of a homosexual pair was supposed to teach the younger how to fight, to hunt, to behave in society, to be a man; Lysis does all this and also imparts to Alexias a desire to exceed his own limitations.

If this story was simply about the downfall of Sokrates, it would be tragic, for Sokrates' story is bound up with the fall of Athens and the rise of democracy after the Spartan victory and the tyranny of the Thirty who terrorized the city afterwards. But it is also about the relationship between Lysis, a man whose integrity survives one disappointment after another, and Alexias, who seems destined to lose every dream he has. The two of them overcome jealousy, loss on the battlefield, plague and starvation, and poverty; the one thing they cannot overcome is Lysis's determination to see things as they are, and Alexias's need to see things as he wants them to be.

The characters are richly drawn; Renault could make her people live through simple descriptions and dialogue, and the reader will feel as if they've lost friends when they finish the book. Alexias's point of view is set well ahead of the book's place in time; the narrative has a poignance, an air of regret, that makes the moments of happiness seem that much more precious. But there are wonderful scenes as well. Any scene with Phaidon, the courtesan who became a disciple of Sokrates, crackles with tension and energy. Agathon the playwright is shown as charming and flamboyant, and Sokrates is as homey and comfortable as a beloved uncle. As for villains, who needs the Spartans when we have Kritias, a notorious member of the Thirty, a man who attempts to molest Alexias in his boyhood and then later helps to ruin his family?

The title comes from the Athenian dinner custom of tossing the dregs of the wine cup into the serving bowl and reading the patterns of the droplets for an omen. The Peloponnesian War came through Athens' dreams of empire, and Sparta's rivalry with her sister city-state. Athens' loss in the war foreshadowed the downfall of its own prestige; never again did the city rise to the power it had held prior to the conflict, nor did it ever produce, in Classical times, men like those who made it great. "The Last of the Wine" is a tragic story, but it is also a farewell to greatness, the glory that was Athens.

Should we ever forsake friendship, love, devotion to duty, and excellence....

the spartans just might defeat us

sleep tight, and remember your courage

roberto

This book is fantastic, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction, or has studied ancient history or classics. Actually I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a stirring read, but if you belong to either of those groups I know you'd love it. I'm a post graduate classics student, and I love this book (the whole trilogy actually) because it brings Alexander's whole world to life in a way nothing else can. Fire from Heaven tells the story of the boy, adolescent, and young man who would go on to become Alexander the Great, ending just at the death of his father, when he becomes king and leaves that earlier life behind. Ms Renault captures perfectly the unique influences and stresses that shape him into the adult he becomes, and she succeeds in making him a human and sympathetic character. She does the same for most of the other characters too, creating a cast of real people, all with genuine feelings, inescapably trapped by who they are: Alexander's warring parents for example, united only in their love of him, but failing totally to understand that their mutual hatred, and the way they use their son against each other, is driving him mad. Or Alexander's friends - some genuine, some attracted only by the wealth and position thet the future king might provide. I read this book for the first time when I was 12, and I've reread it countless times in the decade since. It never fails to transport me to another place and another time - one that could be harsh and unkind, but is nonetheless so very alive that I would love to have seen it.

Fire from Heaven is the historical novel of Alexander the Great's life from his birth through the death of his father when Alexander was a young man. The focus of the book is on the development of the man's character and skills as a leader, displayed both in the context of his war experiences and his family.

One of the repeating themes in literature and biography is the difficulty that eldest sons have in succeeding in their fathers' eyes. Alexander the Great was a notable historical exception to the usual rule. His father was exceptionally able, and united the Greeks prior to his assassination. Alexander was a greater man, and this book explores the development of their relationship amid the backdrop of court intrigues and Hellenic politics. Plutarch's Lives is the primary source for Fire from Heaven, but Mary Renault has drawn from other post-Alexander sources to weave a compelling historical novel of what it might have been like back in Pella.

The Macedonians had a number of habits that some would be uncomfortable with today. These behaviors included killing as a rite of manhood, slavery, taking physical advantage of weaker people, plundering, polygamy, open bi-sexual relationships, raiding neighbors for pecuniary advantage, and sacrificing of animals to the gods. If any of these things distress you, this may not be the novel for you. These behaviors play a big role in the story.

Alexander's father and mother did not see eye-to-eye. Part of the reason was that his mother was probably overly politically ambitious. Another part of the reason was the his father rarely saw a beautiful young person he did not find attractive, and he was a man to act on his impulses. The book explores how Alexander developed his independence of character and action from both of his parents.

Much of the novel can only be guess-work, but the record is fairly clear that Alexander was able to command respect as a field commander by the time he was only 16. He also displayed a dislike for taking the easy way out, so his many principled stands make sense. The book also looks into his relations with his friends and colleagues, and leaves it open as to whether these were sexually chaste relations or not. The author's note leaves it up to you to decide what his preferences really were.

The book was most appealing to me before Alexander was butting heads with his father. One of the most revealing episodes though is one where Alexander saves his father's life, and his father pretends to be ignorant of the fact. Actually, their relations were probably harmed by this, because it made them into peers before they were ready to accept one another in that way.

If you are like me, you will find it intriguing that it could be difficult to be the son of a successful king, even if you are about to conquer the known world on your own. It was also interesting to read about what it might have been like to have had Aristotle as a tutor. The sections about Demosthenes also added to my appreciation of the role of an orator in Athens at the time.

If you are not fascinated by Alexander, you will probably grade this book down to about three stars. If you would like to understand Alexander a little better, you will find the insights here more accessible than Plutarch's and the novel to be very interesting. If you want to learn about military strategy, this book will be a one star effort for you.

After you finish reading the book, I suggest that you think about what kinds of experiences can help form the character of your children in positive ways. I also hope you will learn from the example here to let the relationship evolve easily as your children become ready for more responsibility.

Help your child create an inner spur to be the finest person of character your child can be!

I have just completed the only Pressfield novel I hadn't read;
"Tides of War" and I highly recommend it, as well as his "Last of the Amazons" and "Gates of Fire" as infinitely readable and fabulously imagined, with human characters of 'mythic' porportions.
As a long time reader of anything historical by Mary Renault, I
also give any of her 'classical age' novels the highest praise.
Her knowledge of the ancient Greek and Persian cultures are evident
in her treatment of Alexander the Great. By far, her most humane
tale to my mind is "The Persian Boy".

Mary Renault unquestionably presented an idealized version of Alexander the Great in the first two novels of her "Alexander trilogy," Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy (which are essential to read before attempting Funeral Games). Although her scholarly research was extensive and thorough, most classical historians acknowledge a much more complex and flawed Alexander than the worship-inspiring icon she presents. It is a measure of her skill as a writer, however, that she can inspire similar devotion to her interpretation of Alexander in us, the readers, and that we subsequently share the despair and disillusionment of Alexander's contemporaries upon his death and the disintegration of his empire in Funeral Games. As a result, Funeral Games is indeed a bleak and sometimes chilling read as we experience the intrigue, plotting, bungling and brutal power grabs by Alexander's former officers, friends, relatives and enemies. The entire narrative is permeated with a sense of bitter regret, a longing for a period of time now forever lost, as Renault's characters romanticize their recent past and take turns lamenting "If Alexander were here..." even as they dismantle his grand achievement. Bagoas, the fictionalized narrator of The Persian Boy, makes a welcome reappearance, though as a third-person, secondary character. Serving almost as Mary Renault's alter ego, he crystallizes the pain and heartbreak and hopelessness she wants us to feel at the prospect of a world without Alexander. Ultimately, however, he overcomes grief and recovers a life's mission in watching over the memory of his lost King - standing in contrast to the doomed and misguided elites of Funeral Games who destroy each other in their attempts to seize Alexander's legacy. A worthwhile read, but again, only if you've read the earlier two books first.

Someone described "Funeral Games" to me as "a ghost story", which is the best way I can think of to summarize this story. It is the most affecting, haunting tale I've ever read. Alexander the Great has died; from the moment of his death, the cohesive force that was the Macedonian army is no more, and his generals, wife, and enemies fight for prominence--as well as a young woman unmentioned in Renault's previous novels.

Once again, Renault brings us deep into that time, so deep we can almost see each character before us; her writing is clear, yet layered in its concise, descriptory power. There are no wasted words, anywhere. The dialogue is direct and to the point; this tale is a much faster "read" than "Fire From Heaven" or "The Persian Boy", but the adventures turn grim as the desire to take up Alexander's mantle overcomes nearly everyone he knew, favored, or despised. Although luxuriously buried in the tomb of his beloved Hephaistion, Alexander is an unquiet spirit all through the book. As Perdikkas, Philip Arrhidaios, Demetrius the One-Eyed, Ptolemy, Seleukos, and Kassandros vie for control of Macedonia and the remains of Alexander's empire--and of his legend--a granddaughter of Philip, Eurydike, steps forward to make her own claim for the throne. Too, Roxane and Olympias take their places, one as mother of the dead king, the other as mother to his only living son. Both women have blood on their hands; both women--in fact, nearly all the contestants--meet their end. The only one left standing by the end of the story is the only man who leaves what was Alexander's alone: his half-brother Ptolemy, who takes up the throne at Egypt and pays honor to Alexander there.

There is a brief mention of Bagoas, and his mourning is displayed with a gentle elegance, but neither of Alexander's wives are portrayed favorably. Renault seems to have had a dislike of women in general, particularly ambitious ones. Stateira, Alexander's Persian wife, is shown as a naive victim of Roxane's vindictive jealousy, and Roxane herself is so unpleasant that her fate evokes little besides a sense of justice done at last. Eurydike, the young challenger, is almost patronized by the author. Olympias, who was shown in "Fire From Heaven" as a smothering, damaging mother, is shown behaving in much the same way in "Funeral Games", but her reaction to Alexander's death--and her own--is moving.

Some battle scenes are alluded to; Renault does not linger on gore and violence, probably because she knew that do so would be excessive, as deaths occur in every chapter. This succession war is so bloody that it should come as no surprise that no one of Alexander's family or inner circle holds on to the Macedonian empire. The betrayals and murders are numerous. It is almost as if a curse claims each and every man (and woman) who attempts to follow Alexander to the throne. Perhaps so? It's hard not to wonder when the bodies start piling up, with the survivors being those who chose (for whatever reason) to stay out of the fight.

Finish the book, and the ghost remains with you for days. Mary Renault was a conjurer without peer.

I found this book in my school library first ("Persian Boy" and "Fire From Heaven" apparently not being there.) While Alexander is dead by chapter 1, and I've never read the books in which he is portrayed alive, I was amazed by Mary Renault's skill in preserving his spirit throughout the novel, so that in a sense Alexander really is a character, though he was already comatose from the start.

Also, the high stakes and level of the manipulation by the people reaching for the throne was so much more detailed and elaborate than can be matched in the fantasy genre I usually prefer. Fact is stranger than fiction.

It stood out to me that while virtually all the characters hated each other, they were all portrayed very well and I felt I understood their emotions, motivations, and their nuances. Thankfully, the author kept from the very tempting habit of villainizing one or another. The body count was high, but each character had a moving, highly-individiualized death without splurging into Fiction Plot Device Kill-offy Mode that many authors tend to march into. (You know, falling to your knees and screaming, "NOOOO! " or "YOU KILLED MY BROTHER! " and that sort of stuff.)

Overall, an excellent read, even for your non-obsessed casual reader.

Make no mistake, this author loved Alexander the Great. The author shows excellent historical knowledge of ancient greek civilization (as her many excellent historical novels will attest) and she presents interesting theories on why Alexander did what he did, from his perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Alexander the Great. This is the third book on Alexander written by Renault, the first being Fire from Heaven on his unknown early life, and the Persian Boy, which covers him up until his death from a eunuch's perspective.

Reading this biography one is confronted by something more than the facts. One is confronted by a presence. Other accounts of Alexander are fixated on the size of his deeds, the length of his march etc. Here we met the man. When I finished this book and placed it down I could still feel a certain warmth. Renault begins with THE NATURE OF ALEXANDER and one gets to see his life as just that- his own existence. She lets him speak. She makes possible an encounter. That is a very rare and wonderful thing.

The fact that my nephew, Alexander, bears his name should speak volumes as to the depth of this author's affect on my life. His mom, my sister, wanted to name him Paul after grampa and dad, but I insisted she needed to call him Alexander! She did name him Paul, but his middle name, Alexander, is the name he uses daily and is the name by which he is known by all. I came across Mary's books as a teenager, age 15/16, while I was living in a small town/village in upstate New York. I was always an eclectic reader and my genre's ranged from romance novels to Jane Goodall to fantasy/science fiction to historical/biographicals......(is that normal for a 15 year old?)Keep in mind this was all long before the internet, and I was far from any "bookstores". These were books I found in school and at local libraries. Anyways, I stumbled, somehow, most excellently and propitiously upon Ms. Renault's books about Alexander the Great. For days, weeks, months, I lived in another time and culture! I was exposed to homosexuality, I think, for the very first time with her books about Alexander. In fact, I was exposed to homosexuality long before I was ever exposed to the "race" or "color" issue. I began to "immerse" myself in culture and for a young girl living where she lived and growing up in a very protected/small town life and family, I soared up into the literary and moral stratosphere! Mary Renault feels like a wonderful, historically esoteric aunt to me! Enjoy her books!

In the follow up to The King Must Die, Renault continues the saga of Theseus, King of Athens. Having survived the bulls of Crete, Theseus returns to Athens without the prearranged signal to his father that he lives. Seeing the wrong color of sail upon Theseus' inbound ship, his father the king, assuming his son's demise, leaps to his death from the citadel. Theseus assumes the kingship and implements policies from which his father shrank. He consequently unites Attica and then sets sail to conquer Crete. Crete in hand, Theseus takes up with a royal pirate of Thessaly to loot and pillage along the Euxine. Returning with an Amazonian priestess he begets a son and thus sparks controversy and palace intrigue. To quell the dissent he weds Phaedra, daughter of Minos, expired king of Crete, his recent aquisition. She has plans of her own however that culminate in a startling and suspenseful finish to the tale.

Renault has done a masterful job telling this story as she did in her prior book of Theseus. The Bull from the Sea is an extraordinary piece of historical fiction that will engross the reader from start to finish. I highly recommend The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea as top notch, rainy day, favorite chair, fireside reading.

First, let me take a moment to explain what this book is . . . and what it is not. Many people like historical fiction. To me, that genre means creating a modern novel that is set in an earlier historical period. It may or not not include well-known historical characters. The Bull from the Sea is not, by this definition, historical fiction. In fact, if you like historial fiction a lot, you may not like this book.

Instead, I would describe what is done in this book as literary restoration. Ms. Renault has taken well-known stories about a famous Greek character and made them more accessible to the modern reader. By staying within what is known about the character, that limits an author's ability to create a modern novel. For example, if Theseus was idle for many years (as he was on occasion), Ms. Renault is stuck with that as part of her story. By contrast, a historical novelist could simply invent interesting things for such a flat period, and not have to worry about dealing with any story limits other than general credibility.

Mary Renault has done an outstanding job of fleshing out the life of Theseus from the time he returned from Crete after escaping from the Labyrinth and became King of Athens until his death. We especially learn a lot about what kind of thoughts drove him as he united the Greeks, established law and order, and reformed religion.

The ancient Greeks always seemed larger than life to me as a child. They were playing on a cosmic scale, with gods and goddesses lurking behind every bush. Often with little room to maneuver, they suffered from complications of the gods' preoccupations with their own quarrels. The fate of civilization always seemed to be in the balance.

Yet these people did not seem real, despite their appeal. The story telling style of epics and plays leaves much to be desired for helping the modern reader understand the figures as people. Ms. Renault has done a skillful job of working within the outlines of those ancient tales and creating an understandable modern story out of them. For the first time, Theseus came alive for me in this book.

There is a lot of interesting material to work with in this part of Theseus' life. He finds the love of his life (Hippolyta), marries another woman (Phaedra) to secure his alliance with Crete, and fathers two sons (Hipplytos and Akamas) who could potentially vie to succeed him. Anyone who has ever lived in a step-family will soon recognize the potential for complications.

Theseus also liked to rove, and was often off acting the pirate. These tales make good adventure stories.

He was a central religious figure, constantly balancing the older religion of the Earth Mother with the newer religion of the Sky Gods (like Apollo and Poseidon). There is also a split between women and men involved in this religious tension that makes for interesting reading.

Although the gods make no more than cameo appearances (usually through causing Theseus to hear the sound of the ocean or be sick, or by omens), nature is a major character. Earthquakes and storms play an important role as irresistible forces that provide boundaries for Greek life at the time.

If you are like me, the most valuable part of this book will be your increased understanding of leadership though considering Theseus' decisions and actions. Theseus has much talent for leadership, and is constantly striving to be a role model. He is as concerned about slaves as he is about barons, and his concern for public opinion rivals that of any modern politician in a democracy. Undoubtedly, there will eventually be a book on the management lessons of King Theseus.

After you finish reading this book, stop to reflect on how your example and actions can make a difference in creating more understanding, communication, and cooperation. Then, go set that example!

Enjoy a life of inspiring purpose!

Mary Renault's "The King Must Die" presented the mythological hero Theseus as a cocky young man who leads a revolt, frees his fellow Athenian slaves, and becomes a king. In "The Bull From The Sea," Theseus confronts the rest of his life and the strange destiny foretold to him on his homecoming from Crete.

Theseus's homecoming is marked by tragedy. His father Aigeus dies on seeing his ship come in with a black sail, thinking Theseus is lost. An old crone warns him, "Loose not the Bull from the Sea!" and, thanks to an encounter with a fearsome white bull imported from Crete, Theseus believes he's met the curse and dispelled any danger to himself or his reign. He attempts to settle down, eventually betrothing himself to young Phaedra, daughter of the dead king Minos of Crete.

Unfortunately for Phaedra, Theseus's friend Pirithous (a wonderful scoundrel) leads him off on an adventure to the Black Sea. There, Theseus encounters Amazons--notably, their young leader Hippolyta, with whom he falls in love. And his life takes a strange turn, for better and for worse.

Theseus continues to be cocky, but as the story goes along his tone changes; he becomes wearier, more cynical, with the passage of time and grief. Hippolyta is vividly portrayed, a grave young woman full of honor and bravery, who helps Theseus create a life in Athens that keeps his restlessness contained. When the Amazons come to reclaim their queen, Theseus and Hippolyta make a believable pair; the depiction of the battles are Homeric, thrilling and poetic. But when Theseus wins the war and loses Hippolyta, he loses a vital part of himself as well--the king is swiftly replaced by the adventurer.

All the elements of the myth are accounted for. Pirithous's wedding feast and the battle of the Centaurs is like a train-wreck; we see it coming and can't look away for all the pain. So is the end of Oedipus at Kolonos. This is the most beautiful chapter in the book, and it foreshadows Theseus's end without giving anything away. Oedipus, the man who tried to outrun a curse, is the adventurer who also found a kingdom and lost everything in the end; Theseus, still young and powerful, is too horrified by what he must do for Oedipus to read anything into his fate for himself. But the episode of Hippolytus and Phaedra is the grimmest of all, a tangle of misunderstandings and lies that drives Theseus to curse his own son. That he justifies it to himself at the moment makes his epiphany later a bitter experience.

The epilogue, if it can be called that, is Theseus's reclamation from that act, and his atonement. The final paragraphs, melancholy yet wistful, are a fitting end to this story of a man who longed to be a legend and became one, only to be tripped up by his pride in the end.