Hades' Daughter: Book One of the Troy Game

by Sara Douglass

Book Overview

The Troy Game, Book I Hades' Daughter Ancient Greece is a place where mortals are the playthings of the gods--but at the core of each mortal city-state is a Labyrinth, where the mortals can shape the heavens to their own design. When Theseus comes away from the Labyrinth with the prize of freedom and his beloved Ariadne, the Mistress of the Labyrinth, his future seems assured. But she bears him only a daughter--and when he casts her aside for this,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765344424
• ISBN13: 9780765344427
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 672 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent (albeit tragic) series

Hades Daughter seemed to start out very slow for me, but it picked up fairly quickly and kept my attention till the end (as did the 2nd book in the series). This story really affected me...it is both disturbing and tragic. In some places I would feel angry or disgusted at how a character was acting, other places I would be incredibly sad. There really aren't any happy endings in the 1st or 2nd book, and the way it's going I can't imagine that there will be in the other books. Even so...I found it extremely interesting and totally engrossing.

The Fury of a Woman Scorned

Hades' Daughter is the first novel in the Troy Game series. Millennia ago, during the late Bronze Age, the king of Athens was forced to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete every nine years. There they were left in the dark maze of the Labyrinth to become victims of Asterion, the Minotaur son of the Minoan king. One year, the Athenian king sent Theseus, his own son, to Crete among the sacrificial levy. Theseus gained the love of the Minoan king's daughter, Ariadne, slayed Asterion and escaped with the other captives, Ariadne, and her younger sister Phaedra.Now Ariadne was pregnant with a daughter by Theseus and he had become infatuated with Phaedra. So Theseus abandoned Ariadne and his unborn daughter on the island of Naxos, saying that it would be too dangerous for her to sail on and that he would return from Athens after the child was born to take them to his home. When Ariadne objected, Theseus claimed that he was only doing the will of the gods and sailed off with his his paramour to Athens. In her anger, Ariadne plotted vengeance against the entire Aegean world, gods as well as men, and used her powers as Mistress of the Labyrinth to initiate the destruction of all the labyrinths except one. Since these labyrinths had been used to magically trap all manner of evil influences to protect their cities, corruption and destruction soon began to spread throughout the Aegean.After launching her curse, Ariadne sailed away from Naxos to the far distant island of Albion. In the following years, disaster after catastrophe destroyed cities and crops and lives throughout the Aegean as the labyrinths failed. Finally, the Aegean world was wracked by the ten year Trojan War, spreading Trojan refugees throughout the known world.In this novel, 98 years after the fall of Troy, the Trojan Kingman Brutus, son of Silvius and heir of Aeneas, is visited by the seeming of the goddess Artemis and told that he is destined to build Troia Nova on the island of Albion. First, however, he must complete a task to prove his worthiness.Cornelia is a fifteen year old dreamer who has decided on a certain youth as her future husband. When this youth is slain by Brutus and then Brutus takes her in marriage by force of arms, Cornelia screams her hatred and starts to plot against the Trojans. When that plot and other efforts to oppose Brutus fail disastrously, Cornelia blames herself for the lost lives and her spirit is broken. In this story, the Trojans sail to Llangarlia on Albion as victims of a great scheme by the great-great-granddaughter of Ariadne to reconstruct the Game (or labyrinth) of Troy upon the Veiled Hills above the banks of the River Llan. She is the only surviving Mistress of the labyrinth and Brutus is the only surviving Kingman. Together the two can rebuild the Trojan Game and Brutus will sacrifice almost anything to gain that power. Strangely, however, he can't quite sacrifice Cornelia.This story is rich in ancient Greek and British al

can't wait for the next one!

This book does start off a little slow, but stick with it! This is the first Sara Douglass book I've read, and it will not be the last. Great action, memorable characters, and a plot that just keeps twisting! I read in a previous review that this book is some sort of testament to the abused woman scenario. I assure you that this is not true. The character of Cornelia can give as well as she gets. The constant power struggle between characters is a great sub-plot. If you want a nice soft affirmation of life type book, I would recommend something from the Oprah list. If you want an action-packed read then try this one!

Hades' Daughter

I have never read Sara Douglass, but this was the BEST book that I have read in a long time. After reading Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan, it was a awesome to finally read an epic that showed how REAL people act. The storyline flowed, and I enjoyed the mixed perspectives. Cornelia's point of view really added to the story. I finished the book two days ago, and I cannot stop thinking about it. Douglass's writing style really allowed me to connect with Cornelia, and the mistakes and misunderstandings that occur are true to life. I have never read a book that explains the ways of men and women as well as this book does. I really feel for Cornelia and Brutus, and I wish that other readers would give this book a chance. There are violent scenes, but the emotions of the characters and the era in which the story is set make them believable. I look forward to reading her other series, and I hope the next book in this series comes out soon. Thank you.

Great blend of mythology and fantasy

I loved this book for its wonderful storytelling and use of Greek mythology. The book begins with a retelling of the myth of the death of the Minotaur in Crete, and the betrayal of Ariadne by Theseus. Hell hath no fury as that of a scorned woman, and this book takes that to extremes. You see how hatred twists and warps a woman's soul, and those of her progeny.Yet there are two sides to every story, and this book tells both. The struggle between good and evil isn't as clearcut here, as each side believes they are doing what is best for the country. (sound familiar to today?)I really enjoyed this book, although my favorite of this author is still "Starman".