Themistocles Lesson #1.2 Meet the Parents!

Ancient authors could not agree on where Themistocles' mother was from. Some say the wilds of Thrace. Others the cosmopolitan Halicarnassus. Still others say the western lands of Acarnania. Yet all agree she was a foreigner.

Euterpe of Halicarnassus



If Themistocles' mother was from Halicarnassus, she would have been raised in a very cultured and sophisticated city. The harbor town is located in modern day Bodrum, a charming and magical place that casts a spell on any who enter it. There, Euterpe would been caught up in the swirling tides of East and West. Oriental spices and fragrent herbs would be added to lamb and olives. The quays of the harbor would have been full crawfish and eel, a variety of fish, and even exotic sea creatures. She would have been exposed to a variety of cultures and classes. There were Persian soldiers and Phonecian sailors along the water's edge, Lydian merchants calling out their wares in the streets, and Cappadocian serving women swaying through the alleyways with water jugs and richly dyed robes for the mistresses. Euterpe would have struck Neocles as a rare gem, beautiful and irrisistable. He might have met her while on a trip to the city, or perhaps saw her gliding through the streets of Athens and vowed then and there to make her his bride.

Abrotonon of Thrace



The people of Thrace were exotic and dangerous to the Ancient Greeks. They were known for their startling red hair, fox-skinned caps and knee-high boots. They were also known to be excellent archers, able to shoot arrows from the back of a horse. Perhaps Abrotonon learned to do these things at her father's side. Or maybe she learned to weave the thick Thracian cloaks that granted protection against the icy winters. Did Neocles meet this exotic beauty while on campaign around the Black Sea? Was he enraptured by her firey hair and equally fiery temper? Or was she was servant in his household, sweet and innocent and with nobody to depend upon but him? In either case, she must have been very special.


??? of Acarnania



Acarnania is located in the mysterious wilds of Western Greece. Due to its strategic location and proximity to Italy, the cities of Acarnania were constantly entangled in wars. It is possible that this mysterious girl was a refugee, her family fleeing to Athens in the hopes of starting a new life, away from the constant battles. Neocles may have seen the fragile beauty in the countryside one day and offered her love and security, as well as a place to call home.

No matter where she was from, Themistocles' mother would have stood out. She probably spoke with a thick accent and was unfamiliar with the customs of Attica. She would have had to rely on her husband to teach her about local festivals (there were dozens) the beliefs and customs of his people and the land's history and politics.

In my story Themistocles knows very little about his mother. She dies in child birth and his father refuses to talk about her.

Themistocles Lesson #1.1 Meet the Parents!

Neocles

Very little is known about Themistocles' father. We do know that his name was actually Neocles, because archaeologists have unearthed dozens of ostrica bearing his name. He was probably born sometime around 550 BCE. Plutarch states that his family was part of the Leontis tribe, but that may have been after Cleisthenes' social reforms, which took place around 508 BCE. Neocles may also have been connected to the Lycomidae, because his son would later rebuild a temple of theirs after the Persians burned it down in 480 BCE.

Neocles and his parents probably belonged to the Attican middle class, known as the zeugitai. They were rich enough to participate in battles as foot soldiers(hoplite), but not enough to be part of the knights(hippeis). Growing up, Neocles was aware that he would have little say in the Athenian assembly. Only the pentacosiomedimni (nobles) and hippeis were allowed to hold the highest offices of the land. Instead he was expected to live out his days tilling the dry, stubborn soil on his tiny farm in the deme of Phrearrioi, far south of Athens. Sometimes he would march in the phalanx against Attica's pushy neighbors Megara and Thebes. He might have even had a say in local politics. But that was all.

As part of the middle class, Neocles was expected to marry a woman in his social bracket. It would be a deal between himself and his future father-in-law, a formal arrangement with little if nothing to do with love. It is romantic to think that Neocles balked at social convention and married a foreigner from either Caria or Thrace while on campaign or in the city. But it is also possible that Themistocles' mother may have been a servant in Neocles' household. Most Greeks had at least two or three slaves, and almost all were from outside of Greece.

Whether father and son were close is not clear. Some ancient authors claim that Neocles disinherited his unruly son at a young age. Others write that Themistocles named a son after his father, suggesting a strong bond. In either case, if Neocles was alive at the time of Salamis, he was most likely very proud of his son.

In my story Neocles is a handsome but somewhat dour character. He is stubborn but not ambitious. He has no love for intrigue and politics and would rather stay on his farm than make the long journey to Athens to have his voice heard on the Pynx. Dark-haired with olive skin, he is slight of build and small in stature. He loves his son but has a hard time connecting with him; Themistocles' outgoing personality baffles him.

New Site!

One of the things I learned at the conference this weekend is that it's important to have an engaging blog to keep people interested in you and your work. I've mostly used this blog as a way to sort out my thoughts and feelings about being a writer. That's going to change.

I'm shy about sharing my novel online for fear of losing rights to it. So instead I may start writing super short pieces about Ancient Greece exclusively for this blog. I'm also going to do more blogs about Themistocles himself. I'll answer questions like who is he, who are the people in his life and why he's so important.

I'm also thinking of starting a site dedicated to short stories based on historical fiction. There's virtually nothing out there for it and I think it would be a neat idea. I've brought this up before but never really knew enough people to get that started. As my network expands, I think it might be possible!

Obviously I've got a lot of plans. My blog is just the first step. Look for more exciting stuff in the future!

I Love Themistocles.

I wrote a love note to Themistocles. I wanted to share it with the world. So I pitched my book to five different agents. Only two seemed mildly interested. Nobody wants to read historical fiction from a male perspective.

I'm crushed. I was told more than once the pitch was good and the story sounded interesting, but agents are there to sell books. What's hot right now is vampires and romance and over-the-top thrillers.

I don't want to write about vampires. I don't want to write romance. I don't want to write an over-the-top thriller. I want to write about Themistocles. Without Themistocles we would have no democracy. Without Themistocles Western civilization would not exist.

Here is my pitch. I hope my readers enjoy it.

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, Themistocles must lie, cheat, steal, bribe and bully his way to the top of Athen's fiercly competitive and fatal political game.
Based on the real-life naval commander who led the Greeks to victory over the Persian empire 2,500 years ago, I, Themistocles recounts the life of this extraordinary man through his own words.

Cheers to you, hero of Salamis. I love you and will fight to make your story heard.

San Francisco Writer's Conference: Day 1

I am so tired I can barely stay awake.

It's strange. I've been sitting in a room all day taking notes on how to be a better writer, not running a marathon, yet I still feel completely drained. And there's two more days to go!

Day 1 has proven to be a mostly positive experience. I'm suprised how friendly and open everyone is. Not just the writers, but the authors and agents too. And I certainly got some great tips out of the seminars. Granted, some were better than others, but I suppose that's to be expected. If I have any real complaints, it's that the food is bad and the conference seems a bit disorganized. Other than that though, I'm having a blast!

Tommorow I will be meeting with a free-lance editor for a 5 minute Q&A session and will hopefully get some feedback on the start of my novel. Wish me luck!

SF Writer's Conference....Start!

Tommorow is my very first writing conference...and it's right here in San Francisco! I'm excited, but also nervous. Especially about the whole "Speed Dating an Editor" thing on Sunday. I feel like its an amazing opportunity and I should bring my A game. But I've never done this before and don't want them to snub my book. I've GOT to be prepared!

At any rate, I'll update you on a day-by-day basis and let you know how things are going. Wish me luck!

And now...for something completely different!

While editing my novel in the hopes of having at least part of it presentable for next week's writing conference, I've taken time out to play Dragon Age: Origins.

Like Scott Oden I love fantasy and RPG stuff and so of course I had to get my hands on a copy of this game. I got a console version of the game, which means there's MASSIVE loading time everytime I enter or exit an area, but other than that...well, read on!

Despite the sometimes eye-rolling similarities to Lord of the Rings, I'm actually enjoying this game. I chose a female humanoid as my protagonist since humans are the most well-rounded race, and made her a warrior since I tend to bulldoze my way through battles. Yuna's a good girl, polite to most but wary and suspicious of others, and since I've turned her into a tank she can cleave through enemies fairly easily in order to get to the next plot point faster. I haven't had much social interaction with side characters as of yet, but I am looking forward to seeing how my party members react to my decisions on the field.

So far the action is good, the acting is solid and the battles are well-spaced. I admit I'm overwhelmed by the depth of the features list and the amount of sidequests, but in an RPG that's a good thing. What's not a good thing is the constant tearing and flickering in the PS3 version. It strikes me as sloppy and it's distracting; at one point a character briefly disappeared right in the middle of a speech! I'm not usually one to be turned off by a few bugs and glitches, but this can be downright annoying at times. Still, as long as the story and action moves apace I'm willing to overlook it.

Sorry to geek out on all of you. Don't worry, I'll Greek out again soon (see what I did there???)

Ten movies about Ancient Greece

Since I already did a list of ten video games based on Ancient Greece a few weeks ago, I thought it would be fun to follow up with a list of movies as well. Enjoy!

1) The Giant of Marathon (1960)



Starring Steeve Reeves, The Giant of Marathon is supposed to be based on the famous messenger Pheidippides/Philippides, who ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians. I say supposed to, because there is NOTHING realistic about this movie. It mostly revolves around Pheidippides' love life; the Persian invasion is an after-thought. This movie is so bad it will make you want to face palm yourself. If you want a good laugh though, I recommend checking out the MST3000 commentary track for the movie on Hulu.


1) The 300 Spartans (1962)



Before Zack Snyder's 300 there was The 300 Spartans (AKA Lion of Sparta), starring Richard Egan, David Farrar and Ralph Richardson. I have to admit that I own the movie but rarely watch it since it's so dated and the script is cheesy at best. I will say that it IS far more accurate than 300, but that's not saying a whole lot. Still, it has its moments and is a good one to rent.

7) The Trojan Women (1971)



If you're familiar with the play then you know that The Trojan Women isn't exactly an upbeat story. The movie stars Katharine Hepburn and Vanessa Redgrave among others, and while it's pretty slow it also has its moments where you're engrossed in the acting. I especially like the back and forth between Vanessa and Katherine--there's a lot of tension and emotion. Another good one to rent.


2) Clash of the Titans (1981)




This is still my favorite movie about Ancient Greece. It's got everything: dated claymation, Sir Laurence Olivier as Zeus, Maggie Smith as Thetis, and the sexy Harry Hamlin as Perseus. There's adventure and love and comedy in this movie. I admit the scenes with Medusa near the end scared me as a little girl, but for the most part this is something you can watch and enjoy with the whole family. So don't just rent it---OWN it!


10) Disney's Hercules (1997)



I LOVE this movie. It's so cute and uplifting! I love how Hercules starts off as an akward teenager in the beginning and turns into a true hero by the end. Of course the movie is made brilliant by the acting of James Woods as the smarmy Hades, Danny DeVito as the hard-nosed Satyr, Susan Egan as the cocky Megara, Paul Shaffer as the hip Hermes, and Bobcat Goldthwait as the dull-witted Pain. Not everything is accurate in terms of Greek Mythology (Hera is a loving mother to Hercules!?) but there's enough references to his 12 labors and a warm happy ending (also not exactly accurate) to make up for any faults.

9) Alexander (2004)




Ugh. This movie is NOT good. The acting is bad, the script is lame and parts of it are confusing at best. Still, I DID enjoy the climactic battle between Greece and Persia, (and Raz Degan is HOT as King Darius, am I right?) I admit there aren't enough movies about Ancient Greece so I should be happy with anything that comes out about it, but here's to hoping a better version of Alexander will be released in the future.

4) Troy (2004)




I'm not going to lie: Brad Pitt is about the LAST person I'd imagine to play the legendary hero Achilles. I wince a bit whenever he's on screen. Luckily there's a huge cast of great actors to make up for that. First and foremost is Peter O'Tool as Priam. He pretty much out-acts EVERYONE in this movie. You can feel Priam's denial as the Greeks are outside his walls. You can feel his pain as he is forced to watch his son's body be dragged behind the chariot of Achilles. You sympathize when he goes to beg for his son's body. And then there's Brian Cox as the ambitious and ever-scheming Agamemnon, and Brendan Gleeson as the jilted Menelaus. And of course the talented Eric Bana is always pleasing to the eye. This movie isn't exactly accurate in terms of story, but I was impressed with the research they did for the sets and costumes.

3) 300 (2006)



This silly, over-the-top and highly entertaining movie is based on a silly, over-the-top and highly entertaining comic book by Frank Miller. 300 is named of course for the 300 Spartans who famously defended the pass at Thermopylae against the Persian invaders. I enjoy this movie not for its authenticity (there's virtually NONE) but for its special effects and silly one liners (THIS. IS. SPARTAAAAA!) If you're looking for a movie that will educate you on the battle of Thermopylae look elsewhere. If you want to be endlessly entertained however, this is the movie for you.


8) Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010)


I actually listened to part of this as an audio book and I like the fusion of Greek Mythology and a gritty 21st century setting. I also like the main character Percy Jackson, who has a big heart and an old soul. I never read or watched anything Harry Potter, but I get the feeling I'll end up seeing this movie for both the interesting plot (Percy is the son of Poseidon charged with getting back Zeus' stolen lightning) and the awsome special effects.



5) Clash of the Titans (2010)



Is it me, or is Sam Worthington and his crew cut out of place in this movie? And where is Bobo? I'm not sure how I feel about the special effects in this (they look very expensive though) but I'll guess I'll have to see this to find out. Will it be as good as its 1981 predecessor? I'm going to say no, but here's to hoping...

Athens, Attica and the Megarid.

Guess what, Gentle Readers? It's time for another (short) book report!

Athens, Attica and the Megarid: an Archaeological Guide is the result of intensive research on the part of Hans Rupprect Goette, who leaves no stone unturned (literally) in his detailed account of the Attican countryside.

The work is divided into seven sections: Athens and Piraeus, Sounion and the Mesogeia, Marathon and north-east Attica, the areas around the Thriasian plain, the Megarid, the islands of the Saronic Gulf, and finally the Appendices which include information on things like architecture, geography, flora and fauna. The divisions are wonderfully comprehensible, and Goette includes maps and sketches every few pages to give the reader an idea of the area he is covering.

To say the least this book is VERY detailed. It's over 350 pages of small print that's packed with information on every ancient shrine, palace, farmstead, cave, temple, fort, boundry stone, statue, monument, quarry, theatre, cemetery and wall ever built in Attica. There are fabulous details on rarely visited places like the forts at Eleutherai and Oinoe and the harbors at Lavrion and Porto Raphti. The author also takes the time to acknowledge the little things that are huge in importance: a boundry stone that seperated a coastal tritty from an inland one, an ancient quarrry road, a goatpen with architecutral furnishings for milking animals, a gaurd post in a small mountain pass. It's clear from reading this guide that Goette took on a Herculean task, but luckily for readers he manages to succeed and succeed very well.

Athens, Attica and the Megarid is not cheap. The book is $108 on Amazon. Yet such is the price for extensive research. If you are interested in the ruins of Attica, then this book is for you.

Spartacus: Blood & Sand & Bleh

I poked my head out of my archeological dig on Anceient Greece long enough to watch a free episode of the new Spartacus series. Wish I hadn't.

This series has no redeeming qualities. Where Rome was over-the-top and gritty (with a solid cast of actors), this is just AWFUL. The script is terrible, the acting is flinch-inducing, the costumes are ridiculous and the green-screen is annoying. The latter worked in 300 because the movie was based on the comic book, which in and off itself is very stylized. This...this is just stupid.

I guess it's unfair of me to expect anything glamorous from the makers of Xena: Warrior Princess, but seriously...

Another Awesome Writing Contest!!

Once again the talented Jason Evans is having short fiction contest, and there's still time to enter! Go here for all the details, or just to read the fantastic stories. Below is my entry (notice I snuck in a couple of references to Ancient Greece). Enjoy!



The Crow and the Raven

"A crow. How funny."

"I don’t think that was a crow."

"Do you know the story of the White Crow, Phoenix?" Robin's black eyes were small and beady and full of anger.

"There are white crows?"

"A snow-white crow was left by the god Apollo to watch over his love, Coronis. But she cheated on him. Betrayed him. He could never forgive her. Never! So you know what he did? He turned the crow black."

"What did the crow have to do with it?"

"Did you know that a flock of crows is called a murder?" She laughed hoarsely, then reached into her purse. Out came a .44. Where had she gotten that?

"Crows are the spirits of revenge," she hissed at me as she pointed the gun at my forehead. It shook in her hand, the metal softly pulsing in the sun's dying rays. I did the obligatory reach for the sky, and tried to keep my voice reasonable. Calm.

"Robin, it wasn't a crow. Really."

"It doesn't matter, does it? You'll just come back. That's what the Phoenix does, right? It rises from the ashes.”

"You’re not threatening to burn me, you're threatening to shoot me."

"It doesn’t matter. When you come back, we can start again."

An explosion followed, so violent it knocked me on my back. My sight started to fade.

It wasn't a crow, was my last thought. It was a raven.

Is Thucydides a Spin Doctor?

I stumbled upon this article on Thucydides while searching for archeological news on Ancient Greece and thought it might be of interest to my readers:

Was Ancient Historian One Of The First Spin Doctors?

Normally it's Herodotus who takes a brutal beating for spinning tales and composing stories (Thucydides himself once lead the charge), but Yale professor Dr. Donald Kagan dares to suggest that the pragmatic historian may have done some spinning of his own. His book Thucydides: The Reinvention of History tries to prove this point.

I haven't read the book (though I plan to), but it made me think: is history really always written by the winners? Is there any such thing as an un-biased historian? Can history really be re-invented? Or is it simply erased, glossed over by those who don't want the truth to come out?

Paul Cartledge strikes again (a short book review).

I love Paul Cartledge.

He's a brilliant professor of Greek history and has written several articles and books on the subject (Sparta especially). I often refer to these works when I'm working on my novel. So of course I was excited to learn that he has a new book out.

Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities is somewhat of a beginner's guide to Ancient Greece, but still more advanced than say, Ancient Greece for Dummies. It's a good place to start for those with more than a fleeting interest in the subject.


In his latest work, Paul Cartledge attempts to condense the entire history of Ancient Greece into a few hundred pages; a herculean task if there ever was one. He starts from the beginning--literally--by introducing readers to the island culture of Cnossos around 3000 BCE, and ends with the rise and fall of Byzantion. His choice of cities may appear somewhat arbitrary at first (Massalia?), but as he explains in his introduction he actually picked each city carefully. Many of the smaller islands or lesser-known polis were home to many famous philosophers and powerful Greeks, as well locations for many historic battles.

It's a short book and will not be the most detailed thing you've ever read on Ancient Greece, but it is useful for those who want to brush up on their ancient history. Here's a list of cities covered in the book:

1) Cnossos
2) Mycenae
3) Argos
4) Miletus
5) Massalia
6) Sparta
7) Athens
8) Syracuse
9) Thebes
10) Alexandria
11) Byzantion

Happy New Year!

Well, tomorrow is 2010, and just in case I don't get around to it...Happy New Year! Hopefully everyone will be responsible tonight and be careful on the road (or better yet don’t get on one if you can help it). I plan to stay at home, drink champagne, play video games, fiddle around on Facebook, and of course work on my novel. Which brings me to my New Year's resolutions:

1) Finish my Themistocles novel by February. Although I technically wrote "The End" months back, there's still a LOT of editing, adding and subtracting that needs to be done. I need to have something I can proudly show to an editor at the San Francisco Writer's Conference. Which means...

2) Write everyday. Don't just scribble notes, daydream or re-read Herodotus. I have to actually make progress in my novel.

3) Appreciate my health. I hate being or feeling sick and I felt bleh a lot at the end of this year. No more. I will take better care of myself and feel good about myself.

4) Maintain a healthy weight. This year I hit my goal weight and want to maintain it. That means sticking to diet soda (which I am convinced is key to weight loss) and eating roasted veggies instead of fries, etc. I actually prefer blackened green beans to thick fries now, and encourage anyone who doesn't like vegetables to try them well roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Delicious! To think I used to HATE brussel sprouts!

5) Be more social. I tend to be somewhat of a lone wolf and am looking to change that. I have a lot of friends and should appreciate them more. So it's time to party (responsibly, of course).

There you are. My five goals for 2010. Any resolutions of your own? Share below!

Vacation Vows

Today was the start of my Christmas vacation, which means I have lots of free time to play video games, flip through fashion magazines, eat tons of junkfood like Oreos and candy, watch TV and play even more video games (I finally bought myself a Wii.) But most importantly, it's time to really buckle down and thread the pieces of my novel together.

It's not easy, of course. I'm still stuck in the same place I was weeks ago, and I'm still having trouble with the pacing. There is some good news though: I've managed to re-arrange a couple of chapters so that the story flows better, and I'm happy with the chapter on ships. Hopefully I'll find my Muse and really make some progress in the coming weeks!

10 games about Ancient Greece

Ever since I was little I've loved Greek mythology. And I've also always loved video games. So it's no surprise that some of my earliest memories include playing titles like The Battle of Olympus and Kid Icarus. It's also no surprise that I am fanatical about the God of War series and played Rise of the Argonauts despite several people warning me not to.

Since I've been thinking about it a lot lately, I thought I would write up a list of video games that involve Ancient Hellas (Greece) in some way or another for my readers. Enjoy!

1) Kid Icarus (NES, 1987)

Almost 25 years before Kratos, there was Kid Icarus. This FRUSTRATING platformer stars a boy who must rescue the Goddess of Light from the evil Medusa. Although most of my memories involve BLOOD THIRSTY RAGE and a lot of cursing for a 9 year old, this game seems to have inspired a cult following among gamers. And there are some unmistakable references to Greek mythology. Obviously the title character is one of them and Medusa the other, but there are weapons and items that will remind you of Greece, even as you are falling off of things and cursing the whole way down...

2) Legendary Wings/Wings of Ares (NES, 1988)

This hilariously awful game is a shooter that takes place in the future but is infused with Greek mythology. It starts off like 1942 but quickly turns into Contra (that's not as cool as it sounds, btw). It's pretty laughable, but I have to admit the idea of a future involving Icarus wings and the slaying of dragons is an interesting concept. I didn't get very far in the game, and I don't think it accurately reflects Greece OR mythology, but if you really bend your brain you can kind of see some references.

3) The Battle of Olympus (NES, 1989)

Despite the odd slime, medieval knight (???) and its suspicious similarity to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, BoO is a pretty good game for what it is. It follows the story of Orpheus, who is attempting to rescue his beloved Eurydice from Hades after she is bitten by a poisonous snake. Along the way he receives the help of the gods who give him useful items likes sandals that allow him to walk on ceilings and an ocarina that summons a dolphin. Orpheus also battles everything from a large Hyrda to Gorgons. The constant backtracking in this game is a nightmare, and the music and backgrounds are bland at best, but the game still has some merits. Maybe we'll see this one on Wii VC?

4) Altered Beast (Genesis, 1989)

This game barely touches on Greek mythology, but it does so just enough to qualify it for this list. As a Centurion (which is actually a rank in the Roman army) you are called upon by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from an evil sorcerer named Neff. And that's about as Greek as it gets. You see, for whatever reason the game features gothic crosses, a Nosferatu-like boss and a variety of weird enemies not found in any mythology I know of. Still, there is the occasional ruin of a Doric column and the main character wears a tunic, so there you go. Also, the underlying concept of a man who can turn into different creatures does sort of remind players of stories from mythology, like how Zeus turned into different animals while in pursuit of various women. The gameplay is messy at times and the music is silly, but no matter how many people say they don't like it everyone loves "Wise from your gwave." If you have [i]Sega Genesis Collection [/i] it's a good way to play the Altered Beast without having to actually pay too much for it.

5)Zeus: Master of Olympus (PC, 2000)

This ten year-old game got an impressive 9.1 from IGN which makes me want to find a copy so I can try it out. Here's a description right from the review: "[In the game] you need to build vineyards and wineries, olive orchards and presses, colleges and podiums, theatres and drama schools. You'll need to set up farms and fisheries to feed people, allocate pasture land to provide fleece, mine bronze, silver and marble to produce armor, coins and temples." It actually sounds really fun, and is apparently a very in-depth game with good sandbox elements. Good times.

6) God of War (PS2, 2005)

It's no secret I LOVE this game...in fact I love the whole series! It's not just because of Kratos, the Spartan who once served the God of War Ares and is now on a path of destruction that will eventually lead to another Clash of the Titans. It's because the game offers fantastic action, interesting puzzles, amazing music, awesome graphics and a solid storyline. The mythological references in God of War are actually fairly accurate for the most part(although one could nitpick about the historical aspects of the game) and the developers manage to come up with some clever ideas based on these ancient stories. If you haven't played GoW I or II, I suggest getting the new PS3 compilation in HD. It's worth it.

7) Rise of the Argonauts(PS3, 2008)

WOW, this game is awful. Period. No redeeming value what-so-ever. It's so unfinished and terrible it baffles me. The only reason I'm including it in this list is to warn people to stay away from it. I mean, I wish I could say it's accurate in terms of mythology or history---or ANYTHING, but it has too many issues. Scary issues. Like clunky gameplay, half-assed graphics and cringe-inducing voice acting. My advice? Skip it. Yes, it's about Jason and the Argonauts and that SOUNDS cool, but when I say this game is terrible, I mean it. How the developers thought this would rival God of War is beyond me. Jason deserved better; hopefully some game studio someday will due him justice.

8) Heroes of Hellas (PC, 2008)

This puzzle game is a PC download where you must help Zeus get back his stolen scepter by solving levels full of sparkling elements that need to be eliminated from a honeycombed game board. Along the way you will have help from famous heroes, earn trophies, collect wallpaper and learn about the more famous stories from Greek mythology (a pretty cool feature). Gameplay revolves around linking different tiles and jewels together to make a chain with three or more links. You can link as many elements as you want so long as they make a cohesive, unbroken chain. Heroes of Hellas is pretty addictive and if you're not willing to scoop out $9.99 for it you can at least play the demo for free and see how far you get in an hour's time.

9) 300: March to Glory (PSP, 2008)

This game got a 5.7 from IGN and I think I know why: it turns the story of the heroic 300 Spartan warriors and their stand at Thermopylae into a mess. The imposing Spartan phalanx turns into a conga line and the gameplay seems clunky, cheap and pointless. To be fair I haven't played it, but I can only imagine that Greg Miller is telling the truth when he says it's a mediocre action title. Still, if you enjoyed the movie and don't mind stealth attacks that don't really work and a game with visual flair that only appears outside of gameplay...enjoy?

10) Hero of Sparta (iPhone, 2009)

A 9/10 for an iPhone game? It happened with Hero of Sparta. Sure, it looks like a little-known title called God of War, but considering that there are no Gow games available on the iPhone (at least for now) it's forgivable. Although I have to wonder: would the Spartans really accept a king named Argos!?

Other games with Ancient Greek references in them:

Athena (NES, 1987)
Ancient Wars: Sparta (PC)
Invictus: Shadow of Olympus
Hero of Hellas 2: Olympia
Zeus -- Official Expansion: Poseidon (PC, 2001)
Glory of Heracles/Hercules no Eikou (DS, 2010)
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Nintendo 64, 2000)
Hades Challenge (PC, 1998)
Rome: Total War -- Alexander (PC, 2006)
Gates of Troy (PC, 2004)

...and there's plenty more.

Winter is coming.

...Or so the Starks are always telling us.* And it's true: even in California the temperature has dropped enough so that I am sitting in front of a warm, cozy fire as I type this. Winter is a good time to write, because the days are dark and I spend so much more time inside. This year is proving to be a bit stressful, however. I have a little over two months to make my Themistocles novel presentable to an agent/editor, and although that sounds like a lot of time, anybody who writes knows that it's getting down to the wire.

Technically I have a finished story. A story that is held together with string, paper clips, glue and scotch tape. It's just BARELY there. And over the past few months I've been struggling to make just the first THIRD decent. It's proven to be somewhat of a nightmare. The beginning of Themistocles' life coincides with a crucial period in the development of Athens. The problem is trying to shoehorn Themistocles into the picture without it seeming forced. There's also the problem of pacing. I don't want the story to drag nor do I want it to feel rushed. It's a precarious balancing act that has me writing, deleting, writing deleting and writing again. To say that I sometimes feel way over my head is an understatement.

At any rate, hopefully I'll be able to tame this monster idea before February, when the writer's conference in San Francisco takes place. Meanwhile I'm also tinkering with a shorter, more current story idea (taken from short pieces I've been writing for Jason Evans' writing contests), so if all else fails I have that (though I WON'T give up on Themistocles!!!)

I hope my readers are having luck with their work! :)

*George RR Martin

Ancient Athens on 5 Drachmas a Day

As much as I love big, thick history books bursting with facts and details, it's always good to return to the basics. Which is why I enjoy Phillip Matyszak's "Ancient Athens on 5 Drachmas a Day".

Divided into IX sections, the book teaches history through the guise of a travel log. You'll read about the best way to get to Athens(thus learning about ancient roadways and destinations), where to stay (which discusses dwellings and lifestyles), what to do (a good way of introducing readers to ancient entertainment like the symposium), who to meet (which features men like Pericles and Thucydides) and what to buy (which covers everything from the local monetary system to what items can be found in the Agora). There are even maps of the city, pictures of famous people and sightseeing recommendations.

I really enjoy Matyszak approach. Instead of weighing you down with a myriad of facts all at once, he takes his cue from modern travel books and presents information in bite-size pieces. He also includes amusing stories to make sure the reader is engaged. The book is a bit stiff in price (it's nearly $20) but the upside is that it's easy to navigate and provides a few fun gems that can be mined from its pages. Here are a few fun facts right from the source:

1) The word economy comes from the word oikos nomos or "the organization of the household"

2)The famous Academy was originally a hero shrine

3) In prehistoric times the Piraeus was an island


If you are looking for a fun way to be introduced to or get re-acquainted with Ancient Athens, I highly recommend this book.

SF Writer's Conference

FYI, I'll be attending the San Francisco Writers Conference February 12 - 14, 2010. I would love to meet and greet some of my favorite writers/bloggers. Anyone else going? If you want to go, sign up here: SFWC.

Memorable quotes from around the office.

In order to work where I do (IGN), you must be somewhat crazy. Whether you say crazy things, participate in crazy hijinks, or play crazy games, non compos mentis is a requirement here. Which might explain why I have nearly 10 sticky notes worth of memorable (see off-color) quotes from IGN and Rotten Tomatoes co-workers stuck to my computer. I thought some of these were quite poignant, actually, as well as amusing. I also thought that some of my blog readers would appreciate these. Here are my top 5 so far:

5) "A friend is just a stranger you haven't fought yet."
4)"Whatever didn't kill me...didn't finish the job."
3) "You can't blame the devil when dumb people die."
2) "There is no narrative arc in stripping."
1) "Dude! Who just teabagged me!?"

Honorable mentions include "hope bothers me", and "D-bags have s*** for brains."