nothing about GLORIOUS EXPLOITS should, objectively, work. it’s one of the weirder books I’ve had the pleasure of reading recently. its component parts are creative, bizarre, and difficult to execute: the dissonance of the ancient Greek setting with the modern Irish dialect of the writing, the main character who objectively kind of sucks but somehow wins the reader over anyway, the absolutely wild basic premise of the plot. but the end result, somehow, DOES work; it’s funny and heartbreaking and wildly unique, and I am so utterly glad that I read it.

this book is about two unemployed ancient Greek potters, Gelon and Lampo, who decide to put on a play (actually, two plays) by Euripides, using as their actors the Athenian POWs held captive in the quarry near their town. Gelon is a tragedy enthusiast; Lampo, our narrator, is mostly just along for the ride. it’s also about friendship, the horrors of war, how to become a better person, the magic of performance, and tragedy as a narrative structure. in equal parts it is funny, horrifying, sorrowful, thoughtful, and suspenseful; every single bizarre aspect of it is tied together by a deep sense of empathy and an admiration for the sublime in theater. its writing somehow balances contemporary Irish style with “deeply influenced by the way ancient Greek sounds when you translate it into English.” I picked it up, and didn’t want to put it back down.

If you’re looking for a book set in/about ancient Greece which isn’t grounded in mythology, if you’re interested in a literary fiction opus about war and humanity and theater, if you’re willing to have your heart broken a little bit: pick up GLORIOUS EXPLOITS, because it’s absolutely worth your time. I will be thinking about it all year. 4.5 stars, rounded up for sheer originality and making me cry on multiple occasions; out 3/26/24. my enormous thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt Books for the ARC!

The setting: Sicily during the Peloponnesian War. "The Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who ... invade[d] their city... the prisoners of war [have been herded] into a rock quarry." "Lampo and Gelon, two unemployed potters with a soft spot for poetry and drink, head down into the quarry" where they decided to use the prisoners to present a play by Euripedes. The blurb says: "Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving..."

Really?! I was sorely disappointed and bored. Did not connect with any of the characters.

Is it a coincidence or ploy that one of the sympathetic characters is a Libyan horse driver [Ferdia's father is Libyan; his mother is Irish] and some of the dialog reflects his Irish upbringing--nonetheless, din't capture me.

I had to look up a few words--mostly relating to Greek/Roman era: chiton, tireme, but also stocious.

Ok--about war and literature and friendship. Original. But not nearly enough. 2.5 but rounding up because at least the prose was not nails on the chalkboard. Just didnt do it for me though many others may like. I don't get the overwhelming praise. Perhaps it was my mood. And the end--feh.

Thank you Henry Holt & Co. for my free ARC of Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon — available Mar 26!

Read this if you:
🏛️ love Greek mythology, Ancient Greece, or Euripides plays
😐 don't require your histfic to adhere rigidly to historical accuracies
❤️‍🩹 enjoy heartfelt books cut with a little absurdity and humor

Lampo and his best friend Gelon have a mad idea one day — to host a full production of two Euripides plays, featuring the Athenian prisoners that are slowly starving to death in the pit. Yes, you read that correctly. After all, who knows if Syracusans will ever be able to see such a thing again, since the Athenians are clearly losing the war and will soon be eradicated. Only, things get complicated as the play progresses, and Lampo will be forced to make choices he never could have foreseen at the start. Will he lose everything?

This is SUCH a unique little read, and I loved every second of it. Lampo as a character is kind of a pain in the ass, which I think every other character in this book would agree with. But his intentions (eventually) are good, and I was certainly rooting for him in the end. My heart broke more than once during the course of this story, but these weighty moments are mixed with such absurdity and comedy that I didn't feel completely chewed up by the end of the book. Don't let the silly start fool you, because there is a ton of heart and humanity in this story. I highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this from Netgalley.com.

As much as I like complicated stories, this one was just not for me. I had a difficult time grasping the characters and their speech patterns. Lots of cursing that didn't make sense in context.

2☆

Glorious Exploits is just kind of a weird book, which really shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the cover has a refined looking Greek man…with googly eyes. Lampos and his friend Gelon are poor potters with little interesting to speak of in their lives until Gelon gets the mad crazy idea that they should wander down into a quarry where Athenian prisoners are being kept and convince them to put on Euripides’ Medea. Lampos is the easygoing schlub with a limp that goes along with his longtime, melancholy friend Gelon’s plan because why not? What else does he have to do? But being around the prisoners every day humanizes them, something that will eventually become a problem for Lampos and Gelon when others who suffered mightily at the hands of the Athenians don’t see them the same way. Satirical in nature to many of the more dignified retellings, the story manages to encapsulate in its own way the complications of the Ancient Greek wars and both the immortality and invisibility of the people that were a part of it. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If I told you this book was set at the end of the Peloponnesian war, with thousands of Atheneans imprisoned in a Syracusan quarry to die, and that it is a joyful, hilarious, uplifting story, will you believe me?

The Athenians are walking skeletons, shackled, left to the elements, hated for murdering and sacking Sciliy. One man with a club descends into the quarry to avenge his loss, murdering indiscreetly. It is all too gruesome sounding.

Enter two Syracusan men, unemployed potters. Lampo tells their story in an Irish lilt, of how Gelon’s mad love of the Greek plays, specifically those by Euripides, led them to a wild dream: they would find Atheneans who remembered lines from Medea, feed them, and put on the play in the quarry. When Gelon learns of a new play by Euripides, The Trojan Women, he is determined to present that play as well. For Gelon is aware that with the fall of Athens, the plays may be lost to time.

The pair find backing, obtain sets and costumes, bring the prisoner actors to health, all to experience the marvel of story. With twists of fate, they met both success and horror, and endeavor the heroic.

In the end, the novel left me deeply affected. It is a homage to the power of story to alter individual lives and connect even enemies.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

This is such a strange story. It absolutely shouldn’t work, and yet here I am at the end of it crying.
The opening of the book makes you think this is a comedy. Two out of work potters decide to put on Medea with the Athenian prisoners of war in the quarry where they are languishing. And one of the unemployed potters also becomes obsessed with the slave serving girl at their favorite tavern. So slapstick right? No. There is pathos and tragedy and bonding of peoples with the universality of art. Lampo was honestly hard for me to like; he’s the narrator, but he sticks his foot in his mouth so much you just want to slap him. But by the end, wow was I cheering him on and crying.
This book has some brutal bits in it. But there’s hope and love too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

This book is delightful and original. It's written beautifully with a narration in a contemporary Irish vernacular that brings an element of humor and makes the story feel modern and relatable. It's dark, deeply funny, with glimpses of hope scattered throughout. It's also very readable, I burned through it in two days because the story really immersed me and I wanted to see what happened next. I thought it was well paced and had a satisfying ending.

The novel features two friends, Lampo and Gelon who are unemployed potters during the Peloponnesian war. Syracuse defeated invading Athenians and imprisoned them in a quarry. The two friends like to go to the quarry and mess with them to pass the time. Gelon often has them recite from his favorite playwrite, Euripedes and gets the idea to stage a play with the Athenian prisoners as actors, the closest he ever gets to seeing his hero's work staged in Athens. We see the process as they bring it to life, securing an eccentric patron, getting to know the 'actors', collecting a group of children to assist, securing different elements they need, and promoting the play. Along the way we really get to know the characters and root for them even when they don't necessarily deserve it.

I did not know anything about the Peloponnesian war or Euripides going into this, but I appreciated the glimpse into this place and time which felt well researched but accessible. This accessability is also helped by the MCs not being war heroes or gods like a lot of ancient/historic greek retellings.

I've been recommending it to everyone I can and I really hope it gets the attention it deserves, I think a lot of people would enjoy it.

I adored this book. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think.

Even though this story is set in Ancient Greece, it’s very relatable. The quiet desperation of everyone during tough times and the unifying passion of live theatre. The characters are all so interesting, and I was fascinated by Lampo’s story. He was an interesting narrator, too - seemingly indifferent but deeply caring.

Overall looking forward to reading more by Ferdia Lennon!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Henry Holt and Company for an advance copy of this novel set in the ancient world dealing with war, loss, art, friendship, love, the classics all told by a promising new Irish writer with a very rare gift.

There is a consolation in the classics that help in times of trouble, that help us deal with the events that humans are forced to deal with, both expected and out of our hands. To read of people living 100 to even 2,000 years earlier dealing with sadness, war, loss, reassures us that life does go on, that their solutions could be something that one can use in their own life. And of course the familiar does help, especially in writing that in many ways seems immortal. So the idea of staging a play in the aftermath of war, even a play written by an enemy playwright performed by prisoners of war makes sense. This might be the last times these words are heard. This could be the last actions of the prisoners. And the producers, who are fighting their own forms of trauma. Glorious Exploits is the debut novel by Irish writer Ferdia Lennon dealing with war, its aftereffects, anger, sadness, loss, friendship and burgeoning love.

The Peloponnesian War is raging and on the Island of Sicily, where an invasion by Athens has just been halted. Faced with a lot of prisoners the people of Syracuse have come up with an idea, place the prisoners in the rock quarry outside of town, and let them die out of sight. Two men Lampo and Gelon, unemployed potters, and both dealing with issues, have decided to help feed the prisoners, but only if they can recite the words of the dramatist Euripides. From these simple lines an idea occurs to Gelon, who is enraptured with the words, worlds that take away the pain of his dead son, and his missing wife. Gelon decides to stage both Medea and the Trojan woman, using the prisoners. Slowly things start to come together as both men act as producers. Orphans are brought in as stagehands. A merchant is brought in as producer, paying for masks and outfits. As the play becomes a thing, Gelon begins to lose himself in the production, Lampo begins to find love with a young servant slave. As opening night approaches, both men begin to realise that maybe war has less problems and repercussions than staging a play.

I had no idea what this book was about, but by page ten or so, I knew I was in for the long haul. What a different kind of novel, and one that really does not read like a debut. Lennon has a very good way of writing, slowly doling out information about the characters that give them life. Even the villains have a certain gravitas, which is rare. As the story unfolds, one gets an idea what Lennon is going for, but not how he is going to get there. And that is part of the fun. Being an Irish novel, there is a lot of humor, and a lot of violence, both necessary, and not gratuitous. The narrative is told clearly, and Lennon never loses the plot, telling a very straight story, that really grows. War, loss, survivor guilt, even atrocities are some of the themes included here. A book that seems so slight, but has a very large emotional punch.

Recommended for people who want novels that are different. Fans of the book Country by Michael Hughes, which is a retelling of the Iliad during the Troubles, will enjoy this book. A very strong debut, and I await more stories from Ferdia Lennon.

Utterly wonky and weird in such a way that ur shouldn’t fit togerher but ur does. It’s like holding up two mismatched puzzle pieces and fitting them together to form an image. Thanks for the arc

This is a smashing debut. I haven’t read many novels dealing with Greek history but I loved the plunge into the past. The two main protagonists, Gelon and Lampo, are a perfectly balanced balanced duo who decide that fulfillment lies in turning enemies into worthy actors. It is a stark juxtaposition to their lives and the chaos in their city, as war ravaged around them. As the story unfolds, the differences between the pair become all too obvious and threaten to upend their friendship. But Ferdia does not give them, or us, the audience, the easy way out. War is never easy, and the cost of war is always great. Their world becomes destroyed, and with it almost everything they love. What makes this novel, and the protagonists, so powerful is the strength they dig deep for, and the sacrifice they make to provide a glimpse of humanity. The author pulls at all our emotions and has us wholly invested in the journey on Gelon, Lampo, and the people whose lives they touch. This isn’t truly a happy tale, but as with real life, the ending isn’t what makes life worthwhile-it’s the little moments of hope and beauty that pierce through the dark that see us through. So it is with this novel. In the darkest and most brutal times in humanity, selflessness and love win the day. 4.5 stars.

"Glorius Exploits" by Ferdia Lennon is a unique and fresh take on a historical event. I don't want to repeat what others have said about the story and the description of the story. I want to focus on why you must read this book.

First, the language of the book is contemporary Irish/English. You can hear the Irish coming off the page. It reminded me of my days on MSN chat client and hearing everyone's accent peeking through their particular way of typing. If you love listening to the Irish or even the Scottish, you will love to read this.

Second, the story takes a tragedy and makes it funny. I know some people may see this in poor taste, but Lennon managed to complete this with a wicked sense of humor. You should read this book if you appreciate this kind of humor.

Lastly, you will experience a full range of emotions. I love books that make you feel what they are writing about. So many books fail to make you experience these wide ranges of emotions. It isn't just a comedy, though it was more of a comedy than anything else. It reminded me of an Irish-Pythonesque movie if it had played out in one way. In another way, it would be an excellent wartime docudrama.

If you want to read a well-rounded emotional book with tons of Irish humor set in a classical war setting, then this is the book for you. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot! I found the characters to be funny and endearing. One of the most creative and unique books I’ve ever read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was intrigued by the premise of this book for multiple reasons and I was not disappointed. I can honestly say it wasn’t like anything I’ve read before. The historical setting along with the main plot of a playing being mounted under less than ideal circumstances made for such an enthralling read I was really sucked in!

Wow. I loved this so much - it was hilarious and entertaining until it ripped my heart out! Lampo and Gelon are out of work potters during the Peloponnesian war that decide to use Athenian prisoners to put on two plays by Euripides. This story is full of friendship, love, war, art, and history. Lampo is an incredible narrator, his voice made the book. I requested Glorious Exploits from NetGalley because I've enjoyed reading some of the Greek retellings published over the past few years, but this far exceeded my expectations. It's such an original and really accessible with the more contemporary vernacular and relatable characters, I think everyone needs to read this one; it's definitely on my top 10 reads of 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the ARC.

I enjoyed the cheeky narrator and especially his modern Irish dialect, but above all was a fan of the thematic focus on storytelling as a mechanism for making sense of a dark, difficult world. The content of the story itself was a little too heavy for me, but I nonetheless enjoyed this surpassingly blend of history & dark humor.

Well I enjoyed that way more than I thought I would! Love the casual, colloquial writing set in a time and place we think of as stodgy and high-brow (the Greece of Euripides). Love the exploration of the passion and purpose of theatre. Love the subtle undercurrent of Greek mythology including the mystical qualities of the producer. Love the subtle indications that the author is very much Irish, and now wondering what “tells” might others see in American authors that I’m blind to (“Grand so.”) Overall a quick fun read with some bittersweet moments of heartbreak that I’m really glad I read.

This novel (historical fiction) has humor and also intensity, which I found interesting. There were some poignant moments, as well. The books was a bit different than I thought it would be. I thought it tone would be more serious, but as I wrote above, it was much more than that.

I read a lot of Greek books in High School and College so it was something I wanted to read. Im glad I did.

4 stars for a good book.

Thank you for allowing me to read this in advance.

Not my cup of tea. At first, I thought this was a lighthearted funny story in the vein of "A Knight's Tale." The two main characters are trying to put on a play with the captured soldier/slaves. About halfway through I just couldn't find the humor anymore and it became too dark. Well written and others may love it.