An Arrow's Flight

A great accomplishment. Merlis breaks very fresh literary ground with this imaginative tale of contemporary hustler/stripper/heir Pyrrhus being led by an oracle (and a eunuch) to claim his birthright as the son of Achilles and conquerer of The Trojans in the Trojan War. AN ARROW'S FLIGHT is a brilliant (and tres gay) retelling of THE ODYSSEY as well as an on-target commentary on current gay identity and politics. The narrative presents a crazy and brilliant mix of then and now, classic and disposable, enduring and fleeting, myth and mansex, humor and tragedy, and much more...and amazingly it all makes sense! With this novel Merlis surpasses even the highest hopes I had after his wonderful debut novel AMERICAN STUDIES. I think this one is destined to be a classic gay novel in the years to come. Bravo!

"How did he do that!?" That's the thought that kept popping up in my head as I read this wonderful wonderful book. The anachronisms are brilliantly funny & clever; Merlis is a pure genius & has written a perfect piece of literature. I highly recommend anyone to read this novel; particularly if you enjoy Greek mythology as I do... Merlis succeeds in humanizing these bigger-than-life characters... A definite must-read!

I was interested in this book as I studied Classical Studies in university and I enjoy gay fiction. This seemed a fascinating combination for a book. I was more impressed than I expected to be. It was a nice spin on the many books that look at the period at the beginning of the AIDS crisis in that the reader does not immediately see the connection. The initial talk of gods and demigods and, god forbid, hemidemigods, sets one up for a different sort of story. One does not suspect that the story of the Fall of Troy can be used to show the meaning of being gay in such a contemporary way but that is the thrill of this novel. Pyrrhus and Philoctetes were superb choices to guide the reader through this novel but the joy also came from the minor characters who pop up fully formed throughout the novel, such as Admetus and Leucon. Too many gay novels contain a hero that is a beautiful and sexual god, in a metaphorical sense, that it is nice to see a novel where the hero (almost) is a god in a literal sense but somehow writtin all the more real for all of that.

It's rare that I've missed a book so much on finishing it. A great concept ... updating Homer while keeping some of the mystery of the time. Wonderfully, humanely, relishingly gay. No pretension whatsoever in this for me ... just a lovely guy writing beautifully and cleanly, daring his imagination to break the bounds. Well done to St Martin's for publishing it so well ... it's a handsome book. If you're in any doubt at all about this book but feel tempted to give it a go ... then please do. The best book I have read in a long time ... his American Studies is deligthful too, somewhat akin to this in its relationship between an old and young man with illness part of the game, though this takes the whole thing deeper. One of our very best writers, I reckon.

I haven't been this impressed with a work of fiction in quite some time. Mark Merlis sets himself up to fail, with his idea of semi-updating the Trojan war, and then succeeds so wondrously. He catches the reader quickly with opening chapters that are funny, engaging, swift-moving (any man or woman who was ever young and confused will identify, but gay men in particular will laugh out loud) then deftly begins weaving in deeper themes. In some ways, his subject is the same as Homer's (or Shakespeare's, or just about any great writer's): what does it mean to be a man? His answer is slowly and beautifully revealed to the reader, as it is to his protagonist. The surprising ending (always the toughest part of a novel, especially for one this original) is so well done I turned the last pages in amazement. And heartbreak. Ignore this book at your peril. You won't make a better purchase this year.