The Wolf-Girl, the Greeks, and the Gods

A Tale of the Persian Wars

By: Tom Holland

Narrated by: Victoria Fox

The magic of mythology meets the grit of history in a blazing blockbuster retelling of the Persian Wars from award-winning author Tom Holland.

I come to tell you a story. A story unlike any that has been told before.

The Trojan War is ancient history. The gods of Olympus are silent and have not appeared to mortals for generations. In the city-state of Sparta, young Gorgo’s mother gives a warning with her dying breath: the Persians are coming. The princess Gorgo, weaned on her nurse’s stories of gods and shapeshifters, never forgets her mother’s last words. When at last the drums of war begin to sound, she is swept up in a dangerous game of politics, treachery, and vengeance. With the blood of Herakles and Zeus himself running through her veins and the awakening of a dormant supernatural power, Gorgo, now queen of Sparta, must help lead her city-state against a mighty empire. Unraveling like prophecy, Tom Holland’s dramatic reimagining of one of history’s most formidable wars will echo through the mind of the reader long after they have reached the final words.

Perfect Marriage of History and Fantasy

As you likely know, Tom Holland is a noted hard-core historian. But here he makes a fascinating departure. He sticks to the facts we know about these events and marries them to the mythology of the people who lived them. History plays out as it did yet the gods are real.

Much the way Stephen Fry has done, Holland makes fascinating the ancient myths that may well have bored hapless students silly not very long ago. The difference is, this all happened even though not in quite the way it's told here.

Outstanding performance by Victoria Fox.

A Rare Weak Point For Tom Holland

Unoriginal, unhistorical, and boring! A tired retelling of Frank Miller's version of the story of the Hot Gates, with a gendered restructuring of Hellenic culture that just doesn't fly. I kept waiting for it to feel like it wasn't the introduction....and then it was over. 1/10 c'mon Tom!