Etruscans
Beloved of the Gods

Etruscans is what I’d call a historical fantasy novel - based in (a surprisingly great deal of) fact but told through fantasy. It centers on the life of one Horatrim, a boy born to an Etruscan mother and an otherworldly father, who goes on to become a very important figure in ancient history. Along......more

I was going to say “This is a retelling of the story of Horatius at the bridge,” but that would actually not be true at all. This is a story whose hero is (sort of, but not really) a heroic Roman called Horatius Cocles and the antagonist is (sort of, but not really) an Etruscan named Lars Porsena, a......more

Now don't get me wrong, the story is great. Reading at face value I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good characters, good "coming of age" story, great incorporation of the mythical elements. A very enjoyable book, a fun Saturday read. My only nit picks are a historian's pedantism. I read Morgan Llewelyn's Red......more

I did not love this. The pacing was all over the place. Each scene was so slow and dragged for way too long, but then the next scene would skip ahead through a bunch of time. It would switch to random new character's pov, which really didn't feel necessary. I felt like I was thrown into the middle o......more

Good read, lots of fun. Very creative.......more