A masterpiece of imaginative storytelling from World Fantasy award-winning author Claire North, Ithaca is the first in a bold new trilogy that spins the untold story Penelope, famed wife of Odysseus, and the other abandoned women of the isle of Ithaca, as they fight for the survival of their kingdom under the watchful eyes of the gods of Olympus.
"The greatest power we women can own, is that we take in secret . . ."
Seventeen years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them have returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom.
Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.
No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne—not yet. But everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, and Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning, wit, and her spy network of maids, can she maintain the tenuous peace needed for the kingdom to survive.
But all of that is about to change. Because on Ithaca, everyone watches, including the gods. And there is no corner of the land where intrigue does not reign.
"The greatest power we women can own, is that we take in secret . . ."
Seventeen years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them have returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom.
Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.
No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne—not yet. But everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, and Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning, wit, and her spy network of maids, can she maintain the tenuous peace needed for the kingdom to survive.
But all of that is about to change. Because on Ithaca, everyone watches, including the gods. And there is no corner of the land where intrigue does not reign.
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Reader Reviews
Praise
"A fantastical nightmare so skillfully sketched that it felt like truth. And when it was done, I simply didn't want to leave... Compelling [and] beautiful."—NPR Books on Notes from the Burning Age
"North is an exciting voice in contemporary fantasy."—San Francisco Chronicle on The End of the Day
"True love, life, and death, what's worth dying-or killing-for: It's all here in this gripping, bloody, and haunting novel."—Kirkus on The Pursuit of William Abbey
"Consistently thoughtful fiction like this needs to be championed. I'll admit it, I'm a little in awe of the author. Her work is sublime.... Claire North deserves your undivided attention."—The Eloquent Page on 84K
"North has established a reputation for tense, dense, science fiction/fantasy-inflected thrillers that defy facile explanations... Well-paced, brilliant and balanced."—New York Times on The Sudden Appearance of Hope
"North is an original and even dazzling writer."—Kirkus on 84K
"Claire North is a true original, a master of ingenious plotting and feats of imagination."—Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls, on The Sudden Appearance of Hope
"North is [a] consistently intriguing writer."—Locus on The End of the Day
