The King Must Die

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The King Must Die by Mary Renault

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked this a lot. I've always enjoyed retellings of Greek and Roman myths, and this is a wonderful example of that genre.

The story follows Theseus from his childhood through his escape from Minos, and I think what I like most about the book is that although the characters certainly believe the supernatural is real, the reader knows that natural explanations exist for all the supernatural elements.

Sometimes I felt a little bogged down in the prose; more often, I thought a turn of phrase beautiful and arresting. Always, I anticipated how Renault would twist the bare bones of the myth into something that could actually have happened.

Highly recommended.



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