Book Review: Autolycus the thief, by Michail Sidiropoulos

A lesser known bronze-age character as a basis for mythical story – of course I jumped on the chance to read it.

What to Expect

An embellished telling of the life of the grandfather of Odysseus, told from his own point of view. The story starts with him as a child being dispossessed and growing up in the wilds. It follows his early adventures on the background of Greek gods and other mythical heroes.

What I liked

I love the subject matter, taking a lesser known character and building a fuller story around the fragments of myth that survived about him. The world he lives in feels very much that they ancient Greeks would have thought their world to be, with gods and monsters walking and interacting.

The pace is fluid and keeps progressing, and Autolycus is a good balance of annoying-yet-understandable as a real person to engage the reader. The book strikes a good balance of heroic swagger, Greek mythology, and action in a world that feels true to the subject matter.

What to be aware of

This is Sidiropoulos first full novel, and the writing isn’t always even. It’s more an account of an adventurous life than a more modern character arc. In a strange way that fits the world of bronze age tales, but in some parts the writing could have been tighter and the action crisper.

Felix’s and Jack’s Reviews

Felix very much lives in a similar world, or at least close enough to be familiar with the legends (his Roman-esque world being centuries later). He found Autolycus’ adventures very entertaining, pointing once again that demi-gods make for better characters due to their humanity rather than divinity. Autolycus certainly satisfied him in that respect, with the all-to-human yearning for familial belonging being the unifying thread of the novel.

Jack is of course familiar with the classics, but seeing as Autolycus is outside of the usual coverage of studies Jack found it highly interesting. He did have raise questions about what he felt were anachronisms in the story and does prefer some of the pathos of the better known work, but did deem it enjoyable overall.

Summary

An entertaining adventure tale based on a lesser know Greek mythological character, and I’ll certainly be looking for future installments by Sidiropoulos in that world.

Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck are those Felix and Jack fellows? Glad you asked! Felix is the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome, and Jack is the police detective running the Unusual Crimes Squad, dealing in occult crimes in modern-day Australia.

Come meet Felix and Jack on the free short stories and novels!