Book Review: Nobody's Prize

Sequel to Nobody's Princess (see link)

Although it covers a significantly shorter time span than its prequel, Esther Friesner's second novel about Helen of Troy's early life is even more jam-packed with adventure, mystery and outright good storytelling than Nobody's Princess. Continuing to immerse the reader in the authentic world of the Late Bronze Age, Nobody's Prize considerably broadens young Helen's horizons, both physically and metaphorically.

She's fourteen years old and everyone expects her to marry, but Helen has already shattered all convention by receiving armed combat training, participating in the Calydonian Boar Hunt and now, disguised as a boy, has snuck aboard the famed ship the Argo to sail across the world on search of the legendary Golden Fleece.

Keeping one's identity secret aboard a crowded ship is no easy task, and soon everybody recognizes Helen for what she is (although relatively few know who she is). As if this were not enough, the young Spartan Princess narrowly avoids death before escaping the eastern kingdom of Colchis. On her way home Helen is taken prisoner by King Theseus of Athens and will be forced to marry him unless she can come up with a plan to escape and return to Sparta.

While giving fresh faces to already famous mythological characters- the legendary poet Orpheus, the mighty yet tragic hero Heracles (Hercules) and the disturbed yet dangerous enchantress Medea- Nobody's Prize contains a fine balance of action, drama and all the storytelling talent expected of an experienced tale weaver.

Book Review: Nobody's Princess

If you ask most people about Helen of Troy, chances are the name will strike a chord. Well-known as "the face that launched a thousand ships", this Greek heroine is given a fresh look and modern makeover in Esther Friesner's 2007 teen fiction novel.

But first, a little historical background. Most scholars agree that the legendary Trojan War would have taken place around the 13th century B.C.E., a time when Greek culture as it is popularly imagined had not yet taken shape. During this time (the Late Bronze Age), the dominant cultural force in Greece was the Mycenaeans, who bore little resemblance to what would become Classical Greek civilization. It is in this world that Helen of Troy would have lived, and from which Friesner draws heavily on archeological and artistic detail to craft the setting of her story.

In this first of two volumes, Friesner focuses on Helen as a young child and budding adolescent, growing up in the ancient kingdom of Sparta. Lacking any interest in women's domestic tasks and possessing indomitable willpower along with her legendary beauty, Helen secretly trains in armed combat and is determined not to have her decisions controlled by anyone else. On her journeys, she meets many already beloved historical and mythological characters, including the huntress Atalanta, the hero- or anti-hero in this version- Theseus and the legendary priestess of the Oracle at Delphi.

Filled with accurate Late Bronze Age details (including food, clothes, weapons and art), this unorthodox but engaging version of Helen's story paints a whole new picture of perhaps the most coveted woman in world history.