Etruscans

( 2 )

Overview

Bestselling historical novelist Morgan Lylwelyn teams up with Irish fantasy writer Michael Scott to write an epic fantasy based on the mythology of ancient Rome.

As the Romans expand their rule from their newly founded capital city, the civilization of their elegant forerunners, the Etruscans, is waning. Into this era of flux and change strides a young figure destined to become one of the classical world's greatest mythic heroes.

When Vesi, a ...

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Etruscans: Beloved of the Gods

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Overview

Bestselling historical novelist Morgan Lylwelyn teams up with Irish fantasy writer Michael Scott to write an epic fantasy based on the mythology of ancient Rome.

As the Romans expand their rule from their newly founded capital city, the civilization of their elegant forerunners, the Etruscans, is waning. Into this era of flux and change strides a young figure destined to become one of the classical world's greatest mythic heroes.

When Vesi, a young Etruscan noblewoman, is raped by a supernatural being who was once human, a child is conceived. Outcast from Etruria, Vesi bears a son she calls Horatrim: a child who is dangerous both to the Etruscans and to his own father, he is gifted with arcane knowledge and supernaternatural abilities, but has a human heart. Separated from his mother, he travels to Rome and is adopted by a businessman who changes his name to Horatius—a name that will ring down the ages. More than glory awaits the young man, however: his demon sire is pursuing Horatrim to kill him.

This is fantasy of the highest order. Into a bold and colorful weave of action and adventure, Lylwelyn and Scott skillfully incorporate the classical themes underlying imaginative fiction.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
“Gracefully told.”

—Library Journal

 

“[A] sturdy historical fantasy novel. . . . Horatius grows persuasively as a character as well as in age . . . and the final sequence in the underworld is well up to Llywelyn’s usual vivid standard.”

—Publishers Weekly

 

“The fast-paced plot, the large cast of characters, and the colorful settings certainly will appeal to readers of romantic fantasy. Many bodices are ripped, bloody intrigues are revealed, and the conclusion leaves room for a sequel.”

—VOYA

“Gripping historical fantasy.”

—Science Fiction Chronicle

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
In this sturdy historical fantasy novel, Llywelyn, best known as a fictional chronicler of Irish history (1916, etc.), and U.K. anthologist Scott turn their attention to the legendary Roman hero Horatius (he of the last stand at the bridge). The book's premise is that gods and humans are mutually dependent on one another and shaped by one another's ambitions and feuds. A demon who's the incarnation of the builder of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one Bur-Sin, is fleeing the wrath of the serpent-goddess Pythia. In his flight, he impregnates Vasi, an Etruscan maiden. Etruscan law obliges Vasi and her mother to flee, but they have enough help, both natural and otherwise, to make their escape and safely deliver Vasi's son, Horatrim, who is then given abundant gifts by the gods and ancestral spirits. Unfortunately, the existence of the son will allow Pythia to follow Bur-Sin's trail and wreak her vengeance, so as the boy grows to manhood, the demon desperately pursues him. Eventually, one Horatius Cocles has to travel into the underworld with the shade of an Etruscan ruler and rescue his mother and a prostitute named Justine from the demon, who is now incarnated in the Etruscan prince Lars Porsena of Clusium. The authors' portrayal of an obscure time and place is convincing if uninspired. Horatius grows persuasively as a character as well as in age, however, and the final sequence in the underworld is well up to Llywelyn's usual vivid standard. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
VOYA
Vesi, a young Etruscan, is raped and impregnated by a demon named Bur-Sin. She gives birth to a son, Horatrim, who is gifted by the spirits of his great Etruscan ancestors. Because Vesi's people have condemned her and her unborn child to death, she raises Horatrim in isolation. Bur-Sin also is relentless in his attempt to kill the child who could threaten his own existence. When a Roman legion encounters the little family, they rape Vesi and leave her immobilized with shock. During the raid, the child Horatrim grows to adult size, although in many ways he remains a child inside. Leading his mother toward Rome, Horatrim defeats a monster that is threatening a Roman senator. In gratitude, the senator becomes their protector. Vesi's prophecies, uttered by a goddess who inhabits the shell of her body, impress the Roman king, while Horatrim, renamed Horatius, reveals an instinctive genius for architecture. This talent, it turns out, is from his demon father, in life the architect of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Bur-Sin kidnaps Vesi, leading her into the netherworld and hoping to lure Horatius to his doom. Horatius, however, rescues Vesi, and they return to the world of the living. As the novel ends, Bur-Sin returns to Earth as Lars Porsena, in history an Etruscan king who led an army against Rome and was held at bay by Horatius. Although the outcome of this convoluted hodge-podge of fantasy and history is never in doubt, the fast-paced plot, the large cast of characters, and the colorful settings certainly will appeal to readers of romantic fantasy. Many bodices are ripped, bloody intrigues are revealed, and the conclusion leaves room for a sequel. VOYA CODES: 3Q 2P S A/YA (Readablewithout serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2000, Tor, Ages 16 to Adult, 320p, $24.95. Reviewer: Rayna Patton
Library Journal
The son of an Etruscan noblewoman and a renegade demon, Horatius grows up exiled from his people and makes his way to Rome as the young empire casts its ambitious net over the neighboring lands. Gifted with supernatural power, Horatius must use his magic to evade death at the hands of his demon father. Historical writer Llywelyn (Lion of Ireland) and noted fantasist Scott evoke a vivid sense of time and place as she tells a story of a young man's struggle to balance his human and demonic nature while achieving a sense of his own unique identity. This gracefully told historical fantasy belongs in most libraries. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\
Science Fiction Chronicle
An interesting and often gripping historical fantasy.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780312875510
  • Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
  • Publication date: 4/30/2013
  • Edition description: First Edition
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 352
  • Sales rank: 290228
  • Product dimensions: 6.10 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Since 1980 Morgan Llywelyn has created an entire body of work chronicling the Celts and Ireland, from the earliest times to the present day. her critically acclaimed novels, both of history and of mythology, have been translated into many languages. She is an Irish citizen and lives in Dublin.

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Table of Contents

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 2 )
Rating Distribution

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  • Posted Sat Oct 25 00:00:00 EDT 2008

    more from this reviewer

    great collaboration

    Etruscans is a great result of the collaboration between Llywelyn and Scott. Vesi is raped by a demon. When her child Horatrim is born, he attains manhood in only 6 years! When Vesi is kidnapped and eventually possessed, Horatrim has to cross the river Styx and venture into the depths of the Netherworld to find her. But Horatrim's demon father is hunting for Horatrim. A demon's spawn is too dangerous to the demon to be allowed to live. This novel takes the reader from the Earthworld to the Otherworld to the Netherworld. We encounter humans, demons and gods. We see spirits beneficial, benign and also malicious. The authors do a fantastic job of making the environments tangible. Whether it's the streets and palaces of Rome or the plains of the Netherworld, I was able to clearly visualize the environs. Etruscans is a fantasy not soon forgotten!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed Mar 24 00:00:00 EDT 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

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