book data
246 ratings, 4.11 average rating, 21 reviews
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published
July 10th 2001
(first published 1962)
by Vintage
binding
Paperback, 352 pages
setting
Unknown
isbn
0375726802
(isbn13: 9780375726804)
description
The Bull from the Sea reconstructs the legend of Theseus, the valiant youth who slew the Minotaur, became king, and brought prosperity to Attic...more
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| The Rory Gilmore ...: Any Devotees of Historical Fiction (And should I convert!?) | 62 | 540 | 11/27/2008 05:17PM |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 307)
Read in January, 2001
Mary Renault’s The Bull from the Sea, published in 1962, is a modern retelling of the legend of the Greek hero Theseus. Renault was deeply influenced by Sir James Frazer’s The Golden Bough and by Frazer’s theories of all religions being based on an original fertility cult that involved a sacrifice of a king. These days Frazer’s work is regarded with much greater scepticism, but it has to be aid that it was the inspiration for some superb and enthralling historical fiction...more
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Read in September, 2005
The sequel to The King Must Die, this book picks up almost exactly where the last book ends. It covers the rest of the legend of Theseus, combining the original legend with Renault's blend of imagination and historical research.
This is probably the weakest of Renault's books that I've read. The pacing of the book - cramming most of the life of one of Greece's most famous legendary heroes into less than 250 pages - means that Renault was always going to need a strong and clearly define...more
This is probably the weakest of Renault's books that I've read. The pacing of the book - cramming most of the life of one of Greece's most famous legendary heroes into less than 250 pages - means that Renault was always going to need a strong and clearly define...more
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This is a sequel to the King Must Die. It starts from Theseus’ arrival in Athens where he learns of his father’s suicide as a result if his failure to sail with white sails. The author follows the same formula used in her earlier book, that of following the storyline set out in the myth but with plausible real life explanations for the mythical aspects.
As a book, this is weaker than the first book primarily because it lacks a strong central storyline, being little more than a collection...more
As a book, this is weaker than the first book primarily because it lacks a strong central storyline, being little more than a collection...more
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Read in March, 2004
The sequel to The King Must Die, but equally effective as a stand alone book, this novel continues Mary Renault's telling of the life of the Greek mythological hero Theseus, this time in his maturity, after returning from Crete and ascending to the throne of Athens. As with The King Must Die, some of the historical research is a bit out of date, as a result of the time in which Renault wrote, but her research is solidly based on what existed at the time, and I didn't find that aspe...more
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I love Renault and her style of historical fiction. It is wonderful to learn about mythology and how it is intertwined with history. She definitely is one of my favorite authors because of her story-telling abilities, which is a very important quality to me. My grandfather read this book and it means a lot to me.
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Read in January, 1978
I read and loved many of Renault's Greek and Persian historical novels when I was in high school. I periodically reread them, and often recommend them to friends. This was among my favorites.
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Read in July, 2008
This book took my breath away: earthquakes sent by the gods, humans consenting to their own sacrifice, sword hilts inlaid with gold and ivory, ritual, war, fate, and sex, all described in bright, rich prose and held together by intense emotion abd incredible character development. Renault does a splendid job of portraying the early grecian/pelopenesian people as strong and beautiful; men who loved their wine and women but would die before dishonor to themselves or their gods. I've always loved ...more
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Read in January, 2003
if you like history coming to life, read all the mary renault series
she makes greek classics leap from the page
she makes greek classics leap from the page
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Read in December, 2008
recommended to Naomi by:
Kay Brewster
I engulfed this book in a couple of sittings and resented how quickly the pages ran out. Mary Renault brings legend to life in this beautifully written, spare but never-the-less epic novel.
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Read in January, 1976
recommended to erik by:
Janny Willisrecommends it for: readers of The King Must Die
While a good read, The Bull from the Sea ('62) is not quite as exciting as the story of Theseus' youth in The King Must Die ('58). Like its predecessor, it rationalizes ancient Greek myths, many of which were far more interlinked than most moderns recognize. Thus, this novel covers both legends of the Amazons as well as the story of Hippolytus and Phaedra (handled, famously, by Euripides).
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Read in January, 1983
recommended to Maureen by:
Kate Rising Sunrecommends it for: everyone
I read The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea at a time when I was bedridden, with no TV and no radio. That may partially account for why I enjoyed this book and its predecessor so much. I enjoy historical fiction, particularly the re-telling of myths and legends, at any time, and Renault really does know how to let a story rip.
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Read in August, 2004
This was recommended by an art history professor and so I picked it up. I liked it, I think the author does well in weaving a fictional story with history. I didn't know it was a follow up, though. Oops. I'll have to pick up the first one. :-)
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I suspect this didn't grip me as strongly as The King Must Die because the latter part of the Theseus legend was not as familiar to me as the first. Still, this is a great retelling of the myth by a master storyteller.
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The continuation of the story of Theseus from THE KING MUST DIE. While one does not have to read THE KING MUST DIE first, i would highly recommend that you do just so one can get the full narrative.
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Read in September, 2007
This was great! I've read a novel based on Thesus before and it was interesting to see the similarities and differences in how it was handled. Very well written
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Mary Renault re-created the ancient world through years of painstaking research and a fabulous imagination. She belongs in a category of her own.
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sequel to king must die, but not as good. kinda weird. gets a bit too authentic with weird greek rituals.
but a good book nonetheless.
but a good book nonetheless.
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Mary Renault is great. She mixes fiction with history beautifully! I loved this book.
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A re-imagining of the Theseus myth. Good on culture but not much else.
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historical-fiction (on 14 people's shelves)
fiction (on 11 people's shelves)
mythology (on 3 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 2 people's shelves)
literature (on 2 people's shelves)
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