Review: Agamemnon Must Die by Hock G Tjoa ***** 5 stars *** I received a free copy of this book for a fair and honest non-reciprocal review. I am a passionate of the Greek mythology as well as of the Greek tragedy and that is why I was very excited to have a chance to read and review Mr. Tjoa’s book. I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. The author presents the myth of the Atreus House and moreover, to help the reader who is not initiated in the Greek Mythology, he offers a list of characters, context and backstory. I am sure, though, that for a person that didn’t have any contact with the Greek mythology and history, this book might seem too much. The premise of the book is established when the author present Agamemnon, king of Mycene, offers his daughter, Iphigenia, as a sacrifice to the Gods, so that the Gods would favor his trip to Troy to bring his brother’s wife back. This sacrifice will lead to deceptions, betrayals and murders. Father kills his daughter with his own hand, and wife plots to kill the husband and son to kill the mother, as the Apollo instigates. As in every Greek myth, the human world is interlaced with the Gods’ world, Gods having a huge saying in people’s actions and in the outcome of those actions, sometimes led by their own rivalries. Humans have to pay the price in the end and this Greek tragedy comes to attest that. In my personal opinion, this is a very well researched book, written in such a way that the modern people would understand what motivated the ancient world. The writer did his homework and he is very knowledgeable in Greek mythology and history. The story is presented through lyrical prose and poetry to keep in line, probably, with the tragedies written at that time. the plot is clear and all motivations are shown and are used to create well-developed characters. For me, this is an excellent book and that is why I choose to give it 5 stars. However, I understand that it might not be an easy read for everyone. Expect a lot of facts, motivations, parallel plots.
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