*Oh my goodness! So much is going on in this novel and all of it is good.

First, suspense. The book starts off right away with a murder. It is very Alex Rider-esque because it isn’t until a bit later that you figure out how this murder fits into the story. However, by beginning that way, the author sucks you into the story and already gives you a reason to want to keep reading. Then as you read through the story and Archimedes gets himself farther and farther into the murder-mystery at the center of the story, the suspense builds and at a certain point I just could not stop reading.

Second, history. There is so much history in this book! First, it is taking place in 2nd century BC Egypt when the Ptolemy family is ruling thus a tumultuous time because Greeks and Egyptians are both trying to live peacefully together. The Romans are also becoming part of the mix. Our characters are from all three nations. Second, part of the story is about Alexander the Great and has us look back at his reign. Although the book begins with an historical background index and maps, I found myself on Wikipedia many times throughout the reading because I wanted to know more about the fascinating things that were being shared with me.

Third, science. Archimedes is known for being a leading scientist in classical antiquity and this book shares with us some of the principles, inventions and theories he had. I was worried at first that the science aspect was going to seem forced, but I found that it fit perfectly within the story and just added to it. Also, the author made sure that all of the items discussed are actually findings of Archimedes thus are historically accurate as well.

Fourth, mythology. I love mythology. And this book has the best of both worlds as it discusses Greek and Egyptian mythology.

And there are other reasons as well: Action, Mystery, and Culture. See, as I promised- a lot of stuff going on and all good. This book is very much worth a read and will find some readers in fans of Rick Riordan.

****4 out of *****5 stars on Goodreads

Those books tend to be “choice” books for students to read on their own. The main question is: Should schools still teach classic Greek and Egyptian mythology when the trend is for classrooms to utilize every precious minute to teach needed reading and writing skills or read more non-fiction.

Mythology generally falls to the social studies teachers who introduce it in Ancient Civilization classes. Classic mythology is still relevant and should be taught as an element of a civilization—religion—just as government, education, trade, and social class is. Treating it differently, such as fantasy or fairy tales, does mythology and the students a great disservice. I don’t think any social studies teacher would dare call the stories of Judaism or Christianity fantasy or even mythology. Greek and Egyptian “mythology” was that civilization’s religion: The people fervently believed that the gods were atop Mount Olympus or that praying and offering sacrifice to Isis was the right thing to do.

Teachers should certainly encourage students to choose books they love to read, whether it is fantasy, mystery, or non-fiction. But pure classic mythology should be taught as it was believed and not perpetuate any misinformation from a fantasy/mythology book that changes the original story to make it a better fit in today’s society. Maybe there is a debut book coming out that has Jesus tweeting his parables.

Do teachers have time to let students read fantasy or science fiction?

That is what makes Athena’s Son a great choice for schools: It has an exciting plot that will keep students’ attention and it is historically and scientifically accurate.

Regarding the first reason, I believe too many books for middle grade readers have the child protagonist rely on magic to solve the conflict. In Athena’s Son, Archimedes uses his brain, which is exactly who he was in the ancient world: an ingenious scientist and inventor.

The second reason it is a great choice for classrooms is all the curriculum connections teachers can make. The book does a great job of introducing and explaining physics, anatomy, constellations, Greek culture, Egyptian culture, and Alexander the Great.

With the renewed emphasis school districts are putting on the sciences, Athena’s Son engages students and opens them up to the fantastic world of ancient civilizations without relying on fantasy.

Athena kept the boy in a basket to conceal his identity and brought him to her temple, the Parthenon, where she told her priestesses – Aglauros, Herse and Pandrosos, the daughters of the first Athenian king Cecrops , not to open the basket. Being a Greek myth, they disobey the goddess, open the basket and are shocked to find a baby inside. A crow witnessed that the sisters ignored Athena and flew off to tell her. Athena, enraged at their disobedience, either threw or scared the sisters off the Acropolis. Either way, the sisters meet a horrible death.

The happier side of the story is that with the guidance of Athena, Erichthonius becomes king of Athens. He becomes a great king and teaches the people how to tame wild horses, how to use a plow to cultivate the earth, and teaches them silver-smithing.  At that time silver is more valuable than gold. Remember, it is the discovery of a silver mine that allows Athens to become the dominant city-state in Greece and help the Greeks defeat the Persians during the Persian Wars.

A Greek vase painting shows Gaia handing Erichthonius to Athena

When I first started to plan Athena’s Son, I was excited about the plot line and the characters. They were inspiring enough. Little did I know how many times I would want to “change history” to add some additional friction or excitement to the story.

I made things more difficult for myself by setting as a goal a book that was a hybrid textbook/historical fiction story. I wanted a story and characters that would engage students but at the same time keep them reading.  As a writer, I am strongly influenced by Dickens and his strong character development and twist endings. But he wrote fiction; I was creating a historical fiction story.

One of the traps historical fiction writers run into is putting too much history in our books to let people know that we know a lot. It’s as if we are saying, “See this detail? That proves I’m an expert!” My first draft of the story contained many of those elements. After reading it over I realized there was too much textbook and not enough story. So I rewrote it, adding several chapters, removing quite a bit, and creating a whole new Chapter 1 to hook readers.

My students are always asking when will I write the sequel. The main sticking point is a feisty character in the book, Berenike, who was the real-life daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy. Factually, she would not run around Egypt solving mysteries with Archimedes. However, this is one of those times when I will have to use my historical fiction license to give her the freedom to entertain more readers.

This one? He said it was the best & didn’t take it back. A minute later, when he couldn’t find anyone who’d let him spoil the ending, he offered to write a paper about it. Let me say it again: my 11yo boy wanted to write a paper because of reading this book.

Now THAT is a good book!

I think the kid has convinced me to read it myself.

The best part of talking with the group was their questions. They tended to get deeper into the characters than my students did. That was especially true with Berenike, daughter to Pharaoh Ptolemy. In the first draft, Berenike did not have as big a part. After a manuscript critique from a young lady, she said she really liked Berenike’s attitude, but wanted her to be a bigger part of the story. So I expanded on Berenike’s assassination theory of Alexander the Great to play a larger role in the plot. It also changed the ending drastically.

One of my favorite questions was who did I pattern Berenike after. Because there is very little history written about her, I had to make much of it up. However, I did use a fusion of Cleopatra and a bold young lady I knew growing up as models for Berenike.

While my original targeted audience was not adult women, I have found some of the strongest support from that group. I believe I have also learned more about the depth of character that women hope to find if they start reading a book.

#historical #fiction #bookclub #Athena #Archimedes #mythology #education