The King Must Die

INTRODUCED BY BETTANY HUGHES I know I thought of many things: of death, and fate, and what the gods want of man . . . The true parentage of Theseus, grandson of the King of Troizon, has always been shrouded in mystery. Rumours swirl that his father is Poseidon himself. But when he learns the truth - that he is the son and heir of Aegeus, King of Athens - Theseus sets out on a quest to claim his birthright. But his journey is a perilous one, from encounters with bandits to marriage to the Queen of Eleusis, whose consort is sacrificed each year, and, finally, to the labyrinthine palace of King Minos on Crete. There Theseus must enlist the help of high priestess Ariadne in a darling plan to slay the Minotaur - and free his people. ‘Fierce, complex and eloquent‘ MADELINE MILLER ‘All my sense of the ancient world - its values, its style, the scent of its wars and passions - comes from Mary Renault‘ EMMA DONAGHUE ‘This brilliant retelling of the story of Theseus, the king of Athens, brings Greek mythology vividly to life‘ New York Times