Book Blurb:
The ancient city of Sparta had no walls. Their hoplite soldiers were supposed to be the only defense they needed. But once in a while, as we know from ancient sources, one of those soldiers turned and ran, becoming a “trembler.” Such a man was a disgrace and faced punishment from the city, even from his own family. Young Archippos, son of one of the Three Hundred who died at Thermopylae, escapes his uncle’s wrath but then has to carve out a new life for himself with the help of a clever helot girl, Anyte. And yet he cannot entirely renounce his heritage, even if it takes him back to Sparta and danger.
Known for his acclaimed series of Roman mysteries, Cases from the Notebooks of Pliny the Younger, in this gritty novel Albert Bell turns his attention to the story of a young Spartan soldier who does the unthinkable—he turns and runs in a battle. He becomes a Trembler, a disgrace to his family and city, no longer sure of his own identity or his place in the world. In his escape from Sparta and from an uncle determined to make him pay with his life for his cowardice, he encounters a helot girl, Anyte, who helps him come to a fuller understanding of himself.
Albert Bell’s compelling characters illuminate history and give us access to ancient Sparta. … Readers will recognize issues of today—power, class, social barriers—in Archippos the Trembler and perhaps recall Faulkner: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
~Jane E Griffioen, author of London Street: a Memoir
Albert Bell once again propels his readers into the historical past, where love, honor and duty have very different definitions. With robust characters and a fast-paced plot, Bell artfully educates and entertains at the same time. … Archippos’ heroic journey will keep readers voraciously reading up until the last page.
~Lisa McAllister, author of Mother’s Little Helper
Bell weaves a story from a dark historical period. … his characters run the entire gamut, from ruthless to tender, conniving to compassionate. It’s impossible to not become attached to them as they lead us through harrowing adventures … This book has it all, and when you finally close it, you’ll realize you’ve received an impressive history lesson while being thoroughly entertained.
~Sheila Solomon Shotwell, author of Gone Before Spring, No Doubt In My Mind, and The Plaid Scarf.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/l2734C
Author Bio:
I was born in South Carolina but for over thirty years have lived in Michigan, on what my extended family refers to as "the wrong side of the Ohio." My wife is a psychologist and we have four adult children and a grandson. I began writing in high school and sold my first magazine article in 1972. My first novel, Daughter of Lazarus, was published in 1988. Since the late 1990s I've had eight books published. The second novel in my series about Pliny the Younger, The Blood of Caesar, was named one of the 5 Best Mysteries of 2008 by Library Journal. The Secret of the Lonely Grave won the Evelyn Thurman Young Readers' Award in 2008. Mysteries are my favorite type of reading (and writing), but I also enjoy baseball and college basketball, and anything that has to do with ancient Rome.
Editorial Review:
“My uncle spat in my face. “Your father fell at Thermopylae and made his name immortal.” He stopped pacing and stood directly in front of me. His right arm, crippled by an enemy’s sword-thrust about the time I was born, was tied to a belt around his waist, to keep it from hanging completely useless by his side. Behind me I could hear the muttered assents of eight other men in our tribe*, the tribunal that would decide my fate. I did not know who they were. I had been required to keep my face toward the back wall as they entered the dimly lit room. “Only the twin gods know how many barbarians* your father killed!” my uncle roared, thrusting his face into mine. His spittle ran down my nose and onto my lips. I knew better than to wipe it off. For sixteen years the story of my father’s heroism and his death in the front lines against the Persians in their baggy pants had been recited in my family, the way pasty-faced Athenians sing of glorious Achilles in a battle from Homer. I had dreamed of dying the same way my father did. How else would a Spartan want to die?”
Ancient Sparta…didn’t they have a lot of wars, or something? Was that…in Greece? Or maybe…? These types of vague wonderings will be a thing of the past (the ancient past!) after you’ve read “Archippos the Trembler”. Albert A Bell Jr will give you a thorough grounding in need-to-know history in his Author’s Note, and then you will be swept up in the story of Archippos and Antye and their perilous struggle to survive in a time where honor and the name of Sparta is everything. Archippos’s battlefield decisions bring shame on him and his family, and he is cast away from all he has known. Antye is a helot [slave] who must leave with him, and so commences a risky journey as they must conceal and reveal their origins in the game of chance that passes for life in such times.
Archippos’s mother, Myrtale, defies social conventions to save his life, sparking a narrative that is packed full of vivid dialogue and atmosphere. The rigidity of the Spartan way has become mythical, and Bell in part confirms and in part explores the limits of a rigid social structure when faced with the imperfection of human nature. Archippos is flawed, and the storyline contains its fair share of arbitrary death and destruction. All of this is in context, though, and Bell has included several references to ancient terms and customs. Although the Author’s Note makes the point that there are information gaps in modern knowledge of the ways of Ancient Spartans, Bell has convincingly portrayed the importance of caste, of regional rivalries, of culture and of family. This reviewer found herself comparing modern life to that depicted in the book, and the differences are stark. Some readers may find the frank references to sexual matters relatively confronting, and there are brief on-the-page references to interactions that take place under duress and/or are non-consensual.
“Just as impressive as the walls were the Athenians and their conversations. Even though my uncle tried to keep me away from them, I sneaked back to the agora to listen to them. I didn’t understand all of what they said, but I must have grasped enough to begin to erode a small channel in the bedrock of my Spartan confidence. I began hearing a small voice asking questions. If I was told to sleep on rocks and go without food and I was sore and hungry, something in me asked Why? My uncle would only say, “Because Sparta tells you to.” The only way I could stop myself from hearing the voice was to throw myself even more whole-heartedly into my training. My uncle never praised me directly, but he was obviously proud when he told me what other senior men had said about my devotion and courage.”
It would be easy to assume that a novel about Ancient Sparta would be all about men, and war. And this one is, that’s true, but on reflection it is the women of Sparta who carry the story – Myrtale acts decisively to save her son’s life and protect a secret of her own, Antye, in many ways a stronger person that Archippos, insists on caring for a motherless baby and takes charge when danger threatens. Then there is Selene, whose role is ambiguous, at least through the first-person view of Archippos (allowing the reader a wry smile or two). Archippos is fortunate to be surrounded by such strong women when he is facing sinister threats from those who should also love and protect him.
The devastation grew worse all around us as we proceeded north. Even in open country the downed trees and upheaval of the ground gave evidence of how hard the earth had shaken. Animals freed from their pens or barns wandered across our path before bolting away. We could have amassed a fair-sized herd if we’d been able. Our goat bleated. I wondered if she was warning them to run before they too were recaptured, a message only other four-footed creatures could understand. In a few places the course of the Eurotas, which we were following, had been altered by rocks that had been tossed into it. “I wonder if there will be anything left of Sparta,” I said.
“Archippos the Trembler” by Albert A Bell Jr gives the reader a fascinating and thought-provoking glimpse into Ancient Sparta, its battles, its social structure and its people. Archippos is a flawed but intriguing main character with several contradictions, and Anyte is a strong and forceful foil. The inclusion of ancient customs and language adds to the atmosphere of the story, and makes this reviewer want to find out more about this elusive civilization.
*****
“Archippos the Trembler” receives 4 stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
Comments