Ithaca by Claire North

I would like to thank Nazia from Orbit for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for fair and honest review

Publisher – Orbit

Published – Out Now

Price – £16.99 hardback £8.99 Kindle eBook

This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca's shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women - and their goddesses - that will change the course of the world.

Seventeen years ago, king Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them have returned, and the women have been left behind to run the kingdom.

Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. Whilst he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that husband is dead, and suitors are starting to knock at her door . . .

But no one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne - not yet. Between Penelope's many suitors, a cold war of dubious alliances and hidden knives reigns, as everyone waits for the balance of power to tip one way or another. If Penelope chooses one from amongst them, it will plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning and her spy network of maids can she maintain the delicate balance of power needed for the kingdom to survive.

On Ithaca, everyone watches everyone else, and there is no corner of the palace where intrigue does not reign . . .

Stories always have gaps. You can’t see everything happening in the world that a tale takes place in all at once. We also learn as we get older that the storytellers have their favourites; have their idea on who is worthy of a tale and who is not. What some stories praise we may also learn as we age are actually no longer things that we should even respect. When as a child I was told the stories of Greek gods and in particular the siege of Troy and Odysseus many years trying to get home it was all one glorious adventure with monsters, magic, and heroes. As I got older, I heard the unexpurgated versions and realised what really happens when the Greeks won to the women and children of Troy and that made me pause. How many more hidden stories are there? In Claire North’s spellbinding new fantasy novel Ithaca, we get the tale of Penelope, wife of Odysseus who has waited many years for her husband’s return. But this tale as related to us by none other than by Hera Queen of the Gods allows us to find out what happened on that island kingdom while her husband is lost at sea.

Troy is destroyed, Helen has been retrieved/captured and sits by her true husband Menelaus and is his property; while many of the surviving Greeks of the Trojan War are home after ten years away a further seven have passed and Odysseus the wily hero is still not back in Ithaca. Neither dead or alive poses a problem for this noticing a potential throne to be filled. Ambitious men gather around Penelope asking for marriage; she holds them off by daily feasts; a vigil for her husband’s return and also the constant weaving of a shroud for her father-in-law who is still very much not dead or even dying and her young son Telemachus on the cusp of being a man struggles to be seen as serious and grows increasingly angry that he is ignored. Hera the Goddess sees all and while raisers begin to attack Ithaca and promote the case for Penelope choosing a new husband there is further danger from overseas when it is found out that Clytemnestra has killed her husband Agamemnon and appears to be in the area pursued by her avenging children.

This is a skilful epic tale starting a new series focused on Penelope a character we tend to know very little about in the wider public myths bar she waited a long time for her husband. North raises the point that as all able-bodied men went to Troy (most have died) then who exactly kept Ithaca afloat financially and in control. The subtle answer is that Penelope has learned the art of governing in seceret while she waits in plain sight of everyone. She cannot be seen to rule absolute (women in power?!?) but she can strike balances and keep all the would-be suitors feuding so no one can strike out on their own. This uneasy balance though can’t last much longer and as the tale starts with a devastating attack we soon see Penelope a woman who is Queen and yet always seen lesser than any man has to try and come up with different strategies. This is a tale of an island’s survival, the role of women and Queens and mothers and their sons. On top of this North layers a tale of warring kingdoms, gods, and magic to really create different kind of epic.

At the heart is Penelope and seen from Hera’s eyes we realise that we have someone smart, constrained and still learning the nature and price of power. She has created her own key friendships and her maids are invisible to male eyes by nature of their gender rather than spells. Hence a lot is seen and understood that many doubt a woman like Penelope can understand and oh dear are they all wrong. The Raider’s attack is a sign someone is seeing an opportunity to force Penelope’s hand, and she has to try and both find a way to protect her island which has no army and discover who is pulling the strings. North makes us very sympathetic of Penelope and we admire what she plans to put together so we are very much from the start on her side and those who enjoy stories of intrigue and royal court drama will find much to enjoy here.

Alongside this is the arrival of Clytemnestra into the story. Penelope’s cousin who once taunted her and while her husband was away, she actually did take the throne, ruled well, took her own lover and then upon Agamemnon’s return suffered at his cruel and possessive hands that led to his death at her hands. While Penelope is subtle, often veiled in public and adopts a modest tone it is a contrast with Clytemnestra’s open imperiousness and rarely veiled scorn. She has dared to do what women cannot do and accepts there will be consequences but does not intend to go down easily. These two women find as well as shared family history many other things in common and yet very different ways of doing things. To add to this story is their relationship with their children. Telemachus is far too aware of being in his legend father’s shadow that he now wishes to be seen to be listening to his mother and for him he wants to make his own bigger story even if he is an untrained warrior. For Clytemnestra its her almost not human children. Her beloved son Orestes is suffused with grief and knows it is his solemn duty to kill his mother to prove he is worthy of the throne. Elektra his sister stands painted in ashes, angry, focused and will accept nothing less than Clytemnestra’s death and is prepared to make Penelope obey her.

What comes apparent from this the true heart of this first volume is that children are shaped by society’s role for them. Both Queens cannot be seen as in control and if one dares do that then they become almost a monster in the eyes of men. North makes us see exactly the brutal cruel monster Agamemnon was – this is a tale where women are really possessions to be taken for power or pleasure at will. Our two Queens cannot escape it would appear. The next generation though has accepted these roles and cannot see their mothers as equal parents but something to be appreciated but never really valued. Can either get through to their offspring or is this a true Greek tragedy. The finale for this tale is emotional; a reminder everyone is being shaped by a culture many centuries old and no one can escape Fates. For Penelope learning the true hard cost of power is a steep learning curve in this tale. The last quarter of the novel is absolutely beautiful yet heartrending as the pieces on the board move to their final encounter.

Of course, surrounding us in this story are the Greek Gods and for this as so often with North’s work a unique character voice and style is adopted, here telling the story as our Greek Chorus is Hera and North makes her a wonderful narrator (I must try this on audio). Being a god means she really can be everywhere at once and so we get a mischievous. Imperial and as the story develop she becomes a more sad and frustrated point of view. We are reminded that Hera was the goddess of women before being downplayed as merely wife of the uncaring Zeus. We also see this immense immortal being too also knows the limitations of working within a male dominated Olympus. North’s voice here is poetical and fast moving suiting an epic storytelling and I loved the unusual descriptions mixed with more earthy or salty observations about humans. For Hera only Penelope and Clytemnestra are her favourites and while we meet other Gods on Ithaca, we know that she is the only one wanting the best for her two humans and yet also knows that the world and wider Gods are against them. It’s a truly remarkable approach and one that is a pleasure to read along with. She is still a strange immortal goddess, but she appears a little more understandable as the tale grows.

Ithaca, I feel is the start of something special in epic fantasy with a mix of personal but powerful small scale human battles and epic empire-spanning intrigue. After its haunting ending we know further struggles await Penelope and new story strands all begin. This is an intelligent, fast moving and truly epic tale with fittingly for the time and place it talks about one filled with unusual characters and mighty deeds but this time the ones that our own legends are silent about but reading this you can guess why. Truly special and well worth your time to explore. Go get it!