When the world's largest empire threatens to invade his city-state, it is up to Themistocles to unite the factious people of Athens and save its fledgling democracy. To do so he will have to lie, cheat, steal, bribe and bully his way to the top of Athen's fiercly competative and fatal political game. Based on the real-life naval commander who led the Greeks to victory over the Persians 2,500 years ago, I, Themistocles recounts the life of this extraordinary man through his own words.
Prologue
They say poison makes for a good death.
Oh, not the kind that leaves you clawing at your throat like hemlock, or the kind that leaves you with that...Sardonic smile. No. A good poison should be something quick and painless. That is why Bull's Blood is perfect.
Why poison? To escape the trap my enemies have set for me. To go to a place where they cannot follow. It is my last act of defiance against them, one more clever ruse to ensure my place in the pantheon of heroes. And what better way to do so than to die a hero's death? After all, poison is what took the lives of Heracles, Achilles, and Odysseus.
Yet it would be a shame for me to leave this world without recording the events of my life. Doesn't a hero deserve to have his tale sung to eager ears? I cannot rely on the goodwill of my enemies to do so, of course. It is up to me to tell the tale. And so before I cross the river Styx, here it is, the story of Themistocles, as remembered by the hero himself.
12 comments:
Cool opening....I dig it:)
That's very good, Meghan!
I'm sorry to say, you might need to turn on moderation. The spammers have targeted you.
And a third comment because it seems to be my day for them...Meghan, if you'd care to email me using the address on my blog, then I'll know your address and be able to email you. Which would be nice because I suspect you're somewhere close to San Francisco.
I like the voice.
Is the novel in first person POV? It's striking me that first person POV would be a challenge in this case. We usually want our heros to be aloof and strong. A tough as nails dude would need to come across that way in the writing voice. With humanity thrown in, of course. But leaders get to be leaders for a reason.
@ Gary:
So what you're saying is delete your spams. Got it! ;)
@ Jason:
Yes it is 1st person but I'm inspired by I, Elizabeth and Henrry VIII and Themistocles is trying to plead his case (he's just hilariously arrogant about it!)
Good opening, Meghan! Love the voice ;)
I like this. I don't think there's a problem with the hero telling his own story - if you feel he gets too arrogant about it, you could always let another character put the opposing side, maybe in debates.
From everything that's known about the historical Themistocles, he was realistically aware of his own genius and not at all shy about letting people know. I wouldn't worry about the arrogance (unless an editor tells you otherwise).
LOL.
Actually, Themistocles was quite aware of his own genius and none too shy about promoting it. It's part of the reason why he was kicked out of Athens. :p
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