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THE FIRE OF ARES

Name: THE FIRE OF ARES
Author: Michael Ford
ISBN: 978-0-8027-9744-5

SPARTAN QUEST, BOOK 1

by Michael Ford ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2008

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This first in a series explores ancient Sparta and the tensions between the ruling Spartans and their slaves, the Helots. Young Lysander lives as a slave with a secret: He possesses a mythical jewel that his ailing mother insists he must never lose. Ford weaves an exciting if somewhat implausible story around the theft of the jewel and Lysander’s rise into freedom and inclusion in the Spartan system of barracks-style education. If the plot raises an eyebrow, it doesn’t prevent Ford from illustrating daily life in Sparta quite effectively, making its history palatable to young readers. As Lysander struggles with the demands of his tutors, he feels conflicting loyalties to both the Spartans and Helots. Ford includes plenty of thrilling fights and footraces as he propels his story toward a sequel. Blood and sweat enhance the book’s appeal. A useful introduction to ancient history for its target audience. (Historical fiction. YA)

Pub Date: March 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-8027-9744-5

Page Count: 250

Publisher: Walker

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

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FORGOTTEN CITY
by Michael Ford

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THE POISONED HOUSE
by Michael Ford

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BIRTH OF A WARRIOR
by Michael Ford

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THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE

by Rodman Philbrick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2000

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In this riveting futuristic novel, Spaz, a teenage boy with epilepsy, makes a dangerous journey in the company of an old man and a young boy. The old man, Ryter, one of the few people remaining who can read and write, has dedicated his life to recording stories. Ryter feels a kinship with Spaz, who unlike his contemporaries has a strong memory; because of his epilepsy, Spaz cannot use the mind probes that deliver entertainment straight to the brain and rot it in the process. Nearly everyone around him uses probes to escape their life of ruin and poverty, the result of an earthquake that devastated the world decades earlier. Only the “proovs,” genetically improved people, have grass, trees, and blue skies in their aptly named Eden, inaccessible to the “normals” in the Urb. When Spaz sets out to reach his dying younger sister, he and his companions must cross three treacherous zones ruled by powerful bosses. Moving from one peril to the next, they survive only with help from a proov woman. Enriched by Ryter’s allusions to nearly lost literature and full of intriguing, invented slang, the skillful writing paints two pictures of what the world could look like in the future—the burned-out Urb and the pristine Eden—then shows the limits and strengths of each. Philbrick, author of Freak the Mighty (1993) has again created a compelling set of characters that engage the reader with their courage and kindness in a painful world that offers hope, if no happy endings. (Fiction. 10-14)