Rating: 
Summary: Really good...
Review: I am really interested in ancient mythology, so when my Latin teacher suggested that I read this book, I jumped at the chance. I love the way that she gives Theseus a new light. She doesn't just show him as the hero, but she makes him seem like a real person. I have yet to read anything else by her, but I am definitely going to continue.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my all time favorite books!
Review: I first read this book about 30 years ago and I have reread it several times since then. I generally don't reread books, so for me to do so as many times as I have with this one says a lot for the book. Before I read this, I was mildly familiar with the Theseus legend. After reading this book, I became extremely interested in the legend, particularly in the true-life palace at Knossos. The book gives some excellent background in the religions of the old matriarchal societies in which, each year, the king was sacrificed to the earth mother to ensure good crops for the next year. The theories on the bull dance which are based upon the findings at the palace of Knossos are excellently done. And the connection with Theseus belief that he is descended from the god Poseidon and so many things coinciding either with earthquake or something to do with the ocean prove that Mary Renault never left out any parts of her story when considering events that would take place. The research done for this book is great, and if you're like me it will lead you to do further research on your own. I recommend that you purchase this book and also its sequel The Bull from the Sea. You won't be going wrong!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Novels of the 20th Century
Review: I first read this book when I was a teenager and I have re-read it many times over the past 30+ years. (Last year I had to buy a new copy because the pages in my old paperback were starting to tear.) Every time I read The King Must Die I feel as if I have stepped back in time to Minoan Crete and Mycenean Greece. Ms Renault's use of language is masterful and her characterization of Theseus is completely believable. One of the aspects of this novel I have always found most interesting is the struggle between the patriarchal and matriarchal societies and their religions. Personally, I enjoyed this book more than its sequel, The Bull from the Sea, but that is just my personal opinion.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read, absorbing and full of suspence.
Review: I had to read this book for my summer reading before entering my new school, and I found that it was one of the best books I have ever had to read for any school. The characters are well developed, and they have the true characteristics of real people. When characters don't develope, I find myself unsatisfied and dissapointed. I was drawn into the book, and the details fascinated me. I was, however, confused at times as to what was being explained. When Theseus finds Ariandne in the cart after the festival at Naxos, I don't understand quite what happened. But I have been distracted recently, so I might not have been paying attention. I am going to go back and re-read the whole book again, to make sure I can grasp all the details, and just to reunite myself with the characters. This book has motivated me to study Greek history and mythology. I recommend this book to those who enjoy ancient history, and who are interseted in Greek mythology.
Rating:
Summary: This is the book to take on your Grecian Trip
Review: I just got back from Greece and having this book with me made all the difference. What a fabulous trip it was! And having this book to help stimulate my imagination really helped me look at the ruins and see what once was.
Rating:
Summary: read this book
Review: i just read this again i think for the first time since high school (about 35 years ago) and it is a splendid book. her writing is intense and lyric and it would be the unusual student who would grasp the depth of her characterization of theseus. for anyone who enjoys historical fiction and who hasn't heard of or read renault, he/she is in for a special treat.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I picked up _The King Must Die_ out of a 25 cent bin at a garage sale; my copy had a cheesy mass-market paperback cover and I figured it would do for light summer reading. I was wrong about the light reading - the book is anything but frivolous - but I did get terrible sunburn the weekend that I read it becuase I couldn't put it down for long enough to get out of my lawn chair and put some sunscreen on.
I knew a little from class about the legend of Theseus; REnault takes it to a whole new level than what I learned in lit though. The plot is quick, the characters well-developed, and Renault's prose is wonderful to read. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I read this book because it was required reading for my class. The story was interesting and descriptive, but often confusing. I would recommend this book to those interested ancient Greek legends, with a large vocabulary, and to those no younger than high school age. Although this was an interesting tale, I think it was a little to advanced for those in early high school.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book :)
Review: I read this book for my Themes In Literature class (a fancy title for a mythology class), and I must say that out of all the books I've ever had to read for school, it is one of my favorites (along with The Giver). I tend more towards Science Fiction and Fantasy books, so I really enjoyed being handed this book. Greek and Roman history intrigues me. This rendition of the Theseus myth brought the story more to life for me and caught my fascination.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I know
Review: I remember very well when I first saw this book. I was 5 years old and ill, lying in my parent's bedroom. The cover intrigued me. Six years later I actually started to read it and I have read it over and over after that, while it never becomes boring and more surprises are noticeable every time. It is simply my favourite book. The style may be slow and formal (at least in my Dutch translation it is), but the whole book would be ruined if it were not. It is exactly the style that makes it so impressive and lifts it up from a simple adventure story to a great work of literacy.The style is very different than Mary Renault's other books, which might irritate people who have read other books by her, but this is not surprising, considering the book plays some 1000 years earlier than her other books. The very few and controversial facts about Theseus' life have been wonderfully melted together in an extremely ingenious way. Mary Renault has clearly made a tremendous effort doing research, drawing conclusions, some of which have been proven right in the years since it has been written. Concluding, if you are interested in Minoan Greece, this book cannot be missed. If you are not, you might become after reading this book.
|
