Genre: M/M+ Fantasy Romance
Length: Novel
Theseus, in legend, was a great hero of Ancient Greece, who did many fantastic things, including killing the Minotaur and other beasts, ridding the roads of bandits, hanging out with cool-guy Heracles, getting lots of babes, and becoming king. He was also a total prick, and he killed his own son. However, in this delightful retelling of his tale, Griffin glosses over some of the more unsavory aspects of Theseus and Ancient Greek mythos, and presents us with a fun fable, and a wild romp! Be prepared to read this all in one sitting, because it’s hard to put down… though I would recommend reading it with one hand. *wink*
One of the things I loved about this mythological retelling–besides it being Greek mythos, which is my favorite–is how Griffin gave me a wonderful taste of the ancient world, and flashed bits and pieces of mythos that were familiar, but he also took Theseus’s story in an entirely new direction, so there were still plenty of surprises. He made Theseus his own. Not to pull out the obvious example, but Rick Riordan does something similar with Percy Jackson’s voice in the way he explains the Ancient Greek heroes and gods. Not to say that The Lusty Adventures of Theseus is anything like Percy Jackson in content, but the approach, the bending the mythos to the author’s will to create a certain theme and feel (in Riordan’s case, making it kid-friendly), was similar. Griffin’s story is quite a bit more *clears throat* adult-rated. And also gay. Gay gay gay. Yay!
I’m often wary of Greek legends retold, because they can be a bit… macabre. For example, Achilles in the Iliad and what happened to him–damn. That was pretty bad. And then look at what happened to Heracles. Shit. That was really bad. And things get worse from there. Most of the Ancient Greek heroes’ lives never ended well (possibly because they were assholes), and even Perseus, said to be the happiest of the great heroes and to have lived a long and healthy life, still died in battle, and his sons killed each other for material possessions.
However, rest assured, this tale ends happily. Again, a bit of creative license on Griffin’s part. And it was much appreciated.
Read this story for the mythos, read it for the fun, or read it for the sexy time—whatever reason you read it, you’ll love it.
Lusty Adventures of Theseus on Dreamspinner’s Website: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/AuthorArcade/arthur-griffin
B. A. Brock is a reviewer for DSP and QSF. He enjoys reading, writing, running, family and food, and fills his life with bent bunk. He especially loves to discuss LGBTQ+ literature. His website is http://www.babrockbooks.com. You can find him on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/BABrockBooks.
Dreamspinner Press–Where Dreams Come True… International publishers of quality gay romantic fiction since 2007. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
DSP Publications–Off the Beaten Path. Worth the Journey. http://www.dsppublications.com
Harmony Ink Press–LGBTQ+ Young Adult Fiction. http://www.harmonyinkpress.com