Sara Douglass

One hundred Years after Theseus dooms the Labyrinth by casting aside the wife who bore him a daughter, Brutus, the warrior-king of the fallen city of Troy, receives a vision that tells him he can rebuild the kingdom. Reprint.

Book One of The Troy Game

Hades' Daughter

Alexandra Mellas

Original Language: English
Publisher: Voyager Books
Country: Australia
Publication Date: December 2002
ISBN: 0732271649
Page Count: 596


Hade's Daughter is the first of Sara Douglass' (Sara Warneke) Troy Games Quartet. Narrated by the adolescent Dorian Princess Cornelia, Hades Daughter is a fantastic historical adventure in an alternate universe. Set in the Ancient World, a hundred years after the fall of the legendary city of Troy, Hade's Daughter is about the greatest Game ever played. At the heart of all the great cities of history lies the Labyrinth; the Labyrinth protects cities from harm until the great Greek warrior Theseus shuns Ariadne and brings doom down upon all civilisations. 

Hade's Daughter plays on the legend of the Great Labyrinth in Crete, built for King Minos at Knossos. King Minos angered the Gods when he claimed a fine bull for himself, after offering it to the Sea God Poseidon. In retaliation the Gods made Minos' wife fall in love with the bull and she bore it a child; the Minotaur, half man. half bull. Minos had Daedalus build a great Labyrinth for the Minotaur. 
Each year (or nine depending on the source) seven youths and seven maidens were sacrificed from Athens into the Labyrinth. By the third cycle, Theseus, son of King Aegeus of Athens, volunteered as a sacrifice. 
On his arrival in Crete Theseus met Ariadne, daughter of Minos, and she fell in love. Ariadne gave Theseus the key to defeating the Labyrinth ( a golden ball of string) and he defeated the Minotaur. 
Unfortunately for Theseus, some accounts say the Gods forced him to abandon Ariadne on an island instead of taking her back to Athens with him, and this is where Hade's Daughter begins. (More on the legend...)

The scorned Ariadne is not just a Princess of Crete, she is the powerful Mistress of the Labyrinth and in her anger she brings destruction to the Ancient World. The cities of Athens, Troy and many other ancient civilisations fall as destruction follows in the footsteps of Theseus. One hundred years after the curse of Ariadne, the Game is dead and only one Kingsman (the male partner of the Mistress) is left.

Douglass writes a convincing account of the fall of glorious cities, allowing her readers to picture events as she portrays. Hade's Daughter is obviously well researched; the small details from language, to clothing and behaviour show a deep understanding of the Ancient Worlds she recreates through her words. From the Greek city of Mesopotamia to the Llangaria (early England) Douglass' attention to detail makes the narrative more plausible. Brutus of Troy is believed to be the original founder of England (see more here) and her portrayal of events follows the correct time-line while offering an alternate view point.

The characters are diverse. Brutus is an important legendary/historical figure, along with his fellow Corineas (founder of Cornwall), Ariadne and Theseus are well known mythical characters; by using real figures, Douglass had created an alternate history for us to appreciate. The dark magic of the Labyrinth is something worthy of both our awe and our fear. 

Woven through the narrative is a secondary story. Written in short bursts, are the follow up stories of the main cast. From Asterion, the Minotaur, to Genivessa, the Darkwitch, to Cornelia, the innocent, a familiar cast appear in the unfamiliar and (somewhat) modern setting of war torn London. By introducing the future storyline in Hades Daughter, Douglass is foreshadowing the events of the following three novels, but never gives anything important away.

If you are looking for a fun and intriguing historical novel then Hade's Daughter, and the rest of the Troy Games quartet are a wonderful addition to your library. A lengthy and detailed novel, it has loveable and emotional characters that will keep you on your toes.

Hades' Daughter Book One of The Troy Game

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