Over the Wine-Dark Sea

I just read this book and found it very enjoyable. A good read on the bus. There are, however, a couple of irritating points that I just have to get of my chest. By the end of the book, I was thinking that if I had to read the phrase "he tossed his head" one more time, I was going to scream! According to the author, this is definitely not the same as nodding one's head and everyone in the book seems to do it all the time. I also found the frequent insertion of unexplained Greek nouns somewhat annoying. As other reviewers have noted, there is no glossary and the context does not always help much. I also found the author's constant focus on the little arguments between the two main characters somewhat tiring. And frankly, the book needs more sex and violence! "Turtletaub" spent so much time writing about peafowl and their chicks that my eyes began to glaze over. Turtledove is nice writer, not a great one, but his books would make great movies and, in spite of my comments, I will probably read the other books in this series because they are pleasant diversions and I am interested in the ancient world

During the first third of this book, I kept checking to make sure it was written by the same author that wrote the sophisticated and dramatic "Justinian", a book that I loved. The two cousins, Sostratos and Menedemos, who are sent on a trading journey across the Aegean Sea seem very immature, continually arguing about insignificant matters, when it seems more realistic that they'd be concerned about guiding their ship and managing their crew. I was amazed that so much of the story focused on trading their cargo of peacocks, which the cousins continually argued and worried about as the peacocks ran around deck and bit the crew.What I particularly noticed during the first third of the book was the author's unsophisticated writing style in his method of conveying the historical setting. In most historical fiction, you absorb the history through the action, but the two cousins were constantly discussing the ancient writers, describing the different ships, clothing and places, supposedly instructing one another, but it was obvious that their dialogue was meant to instruct the reader. It was an unskillful and unsubtle writing technique.In spite of these annoyances, the story was entertaining enough to keep me reading as they confronted pirates, got into messes with merchants' wives in places they traded, skirmished with a sword-brandishing mercenary, and had other amusing adventures. There were no intensely violent scenarios, and they always escaped, mostly unscathed, so the mood of the book is pretty lighthearted. In spite of the immature bickering of the cousins, I enjoyed their adventures and was able to form a mental image of the the culture and sights of this early Greek period.

This is a very clever book that gives the reader a look at another time, over two thousand years ago. While not as good as the author's previous historical novel, "Justanian," "Wine Dark Sea" is a excellent read. You won't find it in most book stores so order it here, you won't be disapointed! ...

This is a masterly evocation of the ancient world -- with interesting characters who are sympathetic and understandable, but _not_ like modern people stuffed into chitons.The scholarship is solid but not obtrusive, the action is exciting, and the settings are well-drawn. I'm particularly impressed by the way the language -- while natural, smoothly written English -- _feels_ like ancient Greek.When you've read this book, you'll want to read it again for the bits you missed; and you'll know down in your bones that it's a long, dangerous way from Rhodes to Italy.

Ever wonder, "Why the fuss about Iliad, Odyssee and all that stuff?"Harry Turtledove, using his Turtletraub pen name, makes a couple of Greeks come alive. Alexander is dead, Rome is still a minor-league bunch of barbarians, and the wine-dark sea is still waiting for Jack Aubrey, Steven Maturin and the U.S. Sixth Fleet.One cousin quotes Homer, but loves the most off-color bits of Aristophanes. The second would like to write like Thucydides or maybe Socrates, but can never see what the crew of armed oarsman will think or do - until after his cousin has effortlessly made them do it his way.WARNING - you may find yourself reaching for books you always heard about, but never thought you'd want to read.