The Persian Boy

[deralte]

I'm really sick of this book and have given up on it and gone back to reading Miles. Why you ask? Well, I really wanted to enjoy it. It's historical fiction and historical fiction set in a time period I'm not as knowledgeable about (this is important since I start historically nitpicking if I know too much about the time period) so I figured it would be fine historically, and it was to the extent of my knowledge. But God, is it boring! At first it was okay, I was learning about a new culture and endured the Persian sections with good grace, waiting for us to get to Alexander and the action. Except you get to Alexander but not the action. Instead, Bagoas falls in love and plots to keep Alexander happy and is jealous of his attentions *yawn* If I'd wanted to read about that crap, I'd have bought a romance novel. As it was, I put up with it for a lot longer than I would have if the narrator were female and I regret doing so. The excessive hero worship, the lack of action, Bagoas' childishness all just made the book horribly tedious. When you find yourself wishing that Alexander would die already (yet knowing his Indian campaigns are yet to come) just to end the boredom, it's time to stop reading.

The only good things I have to say of the book are that it's well written, and that it does a very good job of portraying cultural clash in the ancient world.

Comments

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Dunno... I really liked the book and remember reading it in a day or two without straying to other things in between, which I very often do even if I enjoy something. It's also the only Alexander novel (of sorts) that stuck in my mind as an individual story.

I absolutely agree that it's slow and very... undramatic, considering the subject matter. But then the subject matter (ok, from the history of the early ancient Macedons to the Diadochi wars) was one of my major areas of study at uni, and happened to fascinate me, so I also read most novels I could get my hands on about the Alexander thing. I guess it's just a matter of action getting really old after a while, and the 'Persian Boy' (which I discovered very late, strangely enough) was the perfect antidote to battle weariness :). My reaction was pretty much was, 'oh, we're at this point, thank god I don't have to read the baggle scene (again)'.

Then again, I also occasionally read romances, though before you pointed it out, I didn't even realise that it resembled romance plot, although now it's kinda obvious.

I think what I enjoyed about the book is that as you say, it does the culture clash extremely well, and really writes against audience expectation when they see 'Alexander' on the blurb :).

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Also, can't type! 'battle scene', obviously ;).

[deralte.livejournal.com]

See, I don't even read fictional novels that don't have at least some action in their plot. I prefer one with lots of fighting or chase scenes or blood. IF the book had been from the pov of one of Alexander's squires with the squire following him to battle, I'd probably have made it through the book, but as it is, I just wanted to smack Bagoas for being so romantic and weepy. If someone had described the book to me as the cheesy romance plot it is (young, mistreated, concubine serves the reserved Darius, but then is 'rescued' into the service of Alexander who s/he falls in love with, and who loves him/her in turn), I'd never have read it, so I guess I feel kinda cheated.