The Three Spartans

Written by James McCann

Crwth Press

978-1-7753515-4-2

160 pp.

Ages 8-12

October 2019

"This is our war!" I yelled, pumping my fish in the air. "It's our turn to take back our freedom! No more are we the weak children alone in the water park, fearing the Immortals. Today, we are warriors. Today, we are Spartans!" (pg. 64)

The Spartans may have fought the Athenians and the Persians in ancient Greece but their legacy is valiantly upheld by Art and Lea as they come together in Birch Bay to challenge rich kid and bully Zeke for the freedom to enjoy the local water park and private beach.

Summers for Art and his parents have meant visiting the family cabin at Birch Bay and, for Art, enjoying the friendship of local and year-rounder Lea. The kids have their routines of exchanging books at the bookshop, eating at the Fish Shack and playing video games. This summer, they're playing Zero A.D., a game which Art's dad helped develop about ancient Greece. The two kids, lovers of ancient history, are all into the game and Lea even shares with other kids how to get onto the game's server. After Art is humiliated at the local water park when a video of him throwing up at another water slide is revealed and Zeke makes sure to share it with everyone, Art finds solace in playing Zero A.D. That is until Zeke too gets onto the game, building an army of Persians, and threatening Art and Lea's dominance. 

When they challenge Zeke to a game of environmentally-friendly paintball with the local tree house as the target for Art and Lea to defend against Zeke, the kids hope to win back access to the water park and a private beach without Zeke impeding who is allowed in. Wearing colourful helmets adorned with crests of feathers, just like the Spartans, Art and Lea are joined by another local, George, and other kids tired of being bullied by Zeke. Unfortunately Zeke has likewise added to his army mostly with kids who want to stay on his good side. With so many players, many of whom are unknown to Art and Lea, it's hard to tell who to trust and how to stay safe.

The Three Spartans is about taking on a challenge to defeat an enemy but, by basing the story on the ancient history of the Spartans and blending it with a video game and paintball, BC author James McCann has translated it into a contemporary conflict with which middle-graders will be familiar. They know bullies and being embarrassed and being afraid of colossal water slides and gossip and viral videos and gaming. They get jealous when friends spend time with other friends and when some kids think they can do whatever they want. They know how to do things under the radar of their parents but also know when to enlist the help of an adult. And they know about making mistakes. Told in their voices, The Three Spartans will speak to them about being kids and managing bullies and life's challenges, sometimes with a trashcan lid as a shield and a feathered paintball helmet.

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A book trailer for The Three Spartans was posted by publisher Crwth Press at https://youtu.be/6UcyTzuMGfY

Uploaded by Crwth Press to YouTube on October 17, 2019.

Cursed by the Sea God: Odyssey of a Slave, Book II

 

Written by Patrick Bowman
Ronsdale Press
978-1-55380-186-3
204 pp.
Post Hypnotic Press (audiobook)
978-1-927401-63-7
Ages 10+
March, 2013

Trojan teen Alexi from Patrick Bowman's first book in his Odyssey of a Slave series, Torn from Troy (reviewed here on December 8, 2011), continues to serve the Greek commander Lopex (Odysseus) aboard the Greek ship, Pelagios. After the Greeks took Troy and escaped the Cyclops, their wish is to head home to Ithaca after years away.  Cursed by the Sea God follows them in their homeward travels, making stops to replenish supplies, to broker trades, and to make repairs as needed.  But, courtesy of Patrick Bowman's imaginative plotting and complex understanding of Greek mythology, their journey is neither direct nor easy, inviting the reader to accompany the motley crew from one adventure through some peril to another exploit.  There is little respite for the reader or Alexi as the Pelagios sails for Ithaca.

This instalment begins with the crew arriving on the island of Aeolia whose king keeps his people in order with threats of "polishings".  Sadly, the king has not been advised about the fatal nature of "polishing" by the winds.  To thank them for their candor, the king provides Lopex with a securely tied bag containing some energetic entity that would help them on their voyage.  For three days, Lopex holds tight to the neck of that bag, never sleeping.  But when the ships are only a day and a half away from home, Lopex falls asleep.  Though Alexi tries to rouse him and secure the bag closed himself, the Greek brute Ury grabs it and releases the wind within, allowing hurricane forces to push the ship almost back to the very island from which they'd come.  Lopex, seeing Alexi struggling to shut the bag that Ury had opened, accuses the boy of this traitorous act and deems him Ury's slave now, without the protection he'd enjoyed earlier.

Now with a still greater distance to travel home, the crews of Lopex's ships resume their journey, stopping at an island of ship-wreckers who serve a cannibalistic queen and then one inhabited by a sorceress, Circe, who both tricks and aids the Greeks.  Without revealing too much more (though a reading of Homer's Odyssey should provide more details), the crew of the Pelagios must delve into the hidden realm of Hades, home of the dead; attempt to resist the haunting songs of sirens;  avoid a six-headed monster; and endure starvation on the island of Helios.

Their travels are encumbered by so many obstacles that it's hard to believe that there would be opportunity for Alexi to continue to be victimized by Ury but, as one of Lopex's secondary leaders, the Greek bully finds the means to humiliate Alexi and plot his murder, believing Alexi knows something about the killing of Ury's brother at Troy.  But, Cursed by the Sea God is as much about trust and friendship as the voyages, with Alexi often wondering about others' motivations and needs.

Many middle-grade readers are currently enamoured with a series involving a boy named Percy who learns he is a demigod, but I believe that Patrick Bowman's Odyssey of a Slave series far surpasses it in the authenticity of dialogue and embedded perspective of the characters.  Never does the text seem contrived or hollow, nor do the characters demonstrate the traits of anything but victors, slaves, warriors, and strangers with whom Alexi has encounters.  Using time-slips to bridge across time periods demands that readers suspend disbelief but setting the story in an ancient civilization, as Patrick Bowman does in Cursed by the Sea God, as well as in Torn from Troy, and writing so evocatively and with complexity, there is no need for this suspension of disbelief.  I began to consider the possibility that there really were sea monsters, witches, and animated beef parts in Ancient Greece and that their gods and mythology were all based in reality.  That's an astounding accomplishment for a writer.  Moreover, without leaving readers hanging tortuously in anticipation of the next volume, Patrick Bowman agreeably encourages his readers to return to learn more of Alexi's story.  After the drama and the relentless adventures in Cursed by the Sea God, it may be difficult to wait for Book III, but wait I will, determined to know how Alexi's story gets resolved.

Canadian Fiction in Ancient Civilizations

Young Canadian readers may choose from a plethora of fiction in which travel from the present to an earlier historical time period fantastically occurs. However, there are far fewer fiction titles in which the entire story is set in that time period, especially when we focus on ancient times. Depending on discussions by economists, archaeologists, historians, etc., the end of ancient times will vary, but for the purposes of this blog, we'll use the early Middle Ages as its end point (although apparently that doesn't jive with Ancient Chinese history.)

Also, there are many books of nonfiction that may be based in ancient times (e.g., Good Times Travel Agency series, Linda Bailey and Bill Slavin, Kids Can Press) or retell myths or legends (e.g., Island of the Minotaur: Greek Myths of Ancient Crete, Sheldon Oberman, Tradewind Books, 2003) or even fictionalized accounts of historical persons (e.g., Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Kristiana Gregory, Scholastic, 1999) but I have focused here on novels with new story lines set in ancient times. (Sadly this prologue is longer than the list.)

Torn from Troy: Odyssey of a Slave
Written by Patrick Bowman
Ronsdale Press
978-1-55380-110-8
199 pp.
Ages 10+
2011
See this blog on December 8, 2011 CanLit LittleCanadians review

Shen and the Treasure Fleet
Written by Ray Conlogue
Annick Press
978-1-55451-103-7
320 pp.
Ages 11-15
2007
When the city of Nanjing is under siege, Shen's mother is imprisoned and his father, an Imperial Bodyguard, is presumed dead. Shen and his sister Chang flee with a travelling acrobat troupe, that gains passage on the new emperor's armada, the Treasure Fleet, led by the powerful Zheng He and then the notorious government official, Yang Rong, who has the power to free their mother.

The Roman Conspiracy
Written by Jack Mitchell
Tundra Books
978-0-88776-713-5
164 pp.
Ages 10-13
2005
In the first century B.C., young Aulus Lucius Spurinna must formally be recognized as the head of the household with the sudden death of his uncle and incursions by bands of retired soldiers onto the estate's holdings. Aulus immediately sets off for Rome to inform the family's Protector (who happens to be the Consul Cicero) of the bandits' threats and of his uncle's death/murder. In Rome, Aulus meets Cicero and his enterprising daughter, Tullia, who manages to get him thoroughly involved in their attempt to foil the Roman conspiracy i.e., a plot to take over the government. Soon Aulus finds himself involved in burgling the house of a senator, reporting on traitorous speeches, and even taking command of a troop of Roman cavalry!

Ancient Ocean Blues
Written by Jack Mitchell
Tundra Books
978-0-88776-832-3
187 pp.
Ages 10-13
2008
Not content to create the stereotypical characters of Ancient Rome, Jack Mitchell seamlessly melds historical politicos and literati with the story of Marcus, a young man recently sent to Rome for an education. Because of his cousin, Gaius, Marcus is soon sailing to Athens on a mission to thwart Cicero's political machinations which could foil the rise of young Julius Caesar. Marcus seeks Spurinna (from The Roman Conspiracy) as does Paula, his romance-loving, Spurinna-crushing betrothed who stowed away in Marcus' trunk of scrolls. But this is no lame ship voyage: there are pirates, bribes, a poet, a shipwreck, a rescue, battles, romance, and much humour.

Rise of the Golden Cobra
Written by Henry T. Aubin
Annick Press
978-1-55451-059-7
255 pp.
Ages 11-15
2007
Nebi, a 14-year-old Egyptian scribe, learns of a traitorous plot involving the Assyrians and Count Nimlot to take over Egypt. Nebi travels south to warn King Piankhi, a principled and compassionate man, chosen by the god Amon to rule the African kingdom of Kush. King Piankhi is guided by maat, the ethical principle of ancient Egyptian religion denoting a life committed to justice, order, and truth. He goes to war to protect his people from the harsh rule of the Assyrians, but Nebi finds himself dealing with the King's hot-headed young nephew, Sheb, who wants to win the war and exact revenge.

Germania
Written by John Wilson
Key Porter Books
978-1-55470-112-4
279 pp.
Ages 11+
2008
As Vesuvius erupts, old Lucius records his biography from his time as a young Roman soldier, battling the barbarians in Germany and Illyria, through the revolts of the barbarians against the Romans.

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n.b. As stories set in Viking times may or may not belong here, I will prep a list of those titles separately. (Update: I posted one here on January 15, 2013.) But, if any reader discovers a Canadian title (excluding nonfiction and time-travel) set in an ancient time that I have not included here, please leave a comment to help me address any omissions.

Torn from Troy: Odyssey of a Slave

Written by Patrick Bowman
Ronsdale Press
978-1-55380-110-8
199 pp.
Ages 10+
2011

Reading (and undoubtedly writing) a novel for children that is set in ancient times can be challenging, with its new vocabulary and cultural references, but the experience of immersing yourself in a completely foreign time-period is without equal.  Learning about ancient civilizations using non-fiction texts is valuable but incomparable to living the life through a character.  How many adults enjoy the experience of Canadian Pauline Gedge's Ancient Egypt  in The King's Man Trilogy (Penguin Canada), 8th century China in Guy Gavriel Kay's book Under Heaven (Penguin, 2010) or Ancient Rome in the Marcus Didius Falco series (Lindsey Davis)?  Our young readers have a rare opportunity to do the same here, with Patrick Bowman's Torn from Troy: Odyssey of a Slave (Ronsdale Press, 2011), a selection nominated for this year's Red Maple Fiction Award.

In Torn from Troy: Odyssey of a Slave, fifteen-year-old Alexi lives with his older sister, Melantha, in Troy when, after ten years of fighting, the Greeks capture the city using deceit and an infamous wooden structure.  By sacrificing herself in attacking and killing a Greek soldier, Melantha helps Alexi escape, although he is captured the next day.

Taken as just another slave with other Trojans, Alexi's ability to speak Greek (his grandmother was Greek) wins him favour with the Greek commander, Lopex (a.k.a. Odysseus, son of Laertes).  On board their ship, the Pelagios, Alexi's attention and cleverness continue to impress Lopex, but his tongue makes an enemy of him to Ury, a brute who Alexi learns is the brother of the Greek soldier killed by Melantha. After skirmishes with the Cicones (allies of Troy), Alexi is recognized as a healer, just as his father, Aristides of Herakleon, was and declared hagios (set apart as sacred) by Lopex.

Alexi's responsibilities continue to put him in tenuous situations: stupefied by the ophion and ministrations of Apollonia and the beautiful women of her town; fabricating stories (about miasms sent from Poseidon) to appease the Greeks threatening revolt; and surviving the attack by a legendary one-eyed creature.  Luckily, Alexi's good sense and cunning win him allies amongst the slaves and Greeks alike, save for Ury who continues to tyrannize the boy.

Alexi's exploits and ordeals command the reader's attention and support, but it's his sense of justice and loyalty that will endear him to the reader.  I found Bowman's writing captivating, although I might recommend that a glossary of Greek terminology be included to explain terms whose meanings could not discerned.  Regardless, the mystery which Alexi ultimately feels he must uncover (you'll need to read the book for this) will ensure my reading of his subsequent adventure, The Sea God's Curse (Ronsdale Press, fall 2012).