Historical, Contemporary, Literary, Agamemnon, King of Mycenae (Mythological character), Iphigenia (Mythological character), Greece, Turkey--Troy (Extinct city), Mythology, Greek, Turkey, Greeks, Fantasy fiction 

"As the harsh wind holds the Greek fleet trapped in the straits at Aulis, frustration and political impotence turn into a desire for the blood of a young and innocent woman - blood that will appease the gods and allow the troops to set sail. And when Iphigeneia, Agamemnon's beloved daughter, is brought to the coast under false pretenses, and when a knife is fashioned out of the finest and most precious of materials, it looks as if the ships will soon be on their way. But can a father really go to these lengths to secure political victory, and can a daughter willingly give up her life for the worldly ambitions of her father?" "Throwing off the heroic values we expect of them, Barry Unsworth's mythic characters embrace the political ethos of the twenty-first century and speak in words we recognize as our own. The blowhard Odysseus warns the men to not "marginalize" Agamemnon and to "strike while the bronze is hot." High-sounding principles clash with private motives, and dark comedy ensues."--Jacket. 

Genre/Form: Humorous fiction
Fantasy fiction
Fiction
Historical fiction
History
Named Person: Iphigenia, (Mythological character); Agamemnon, King of Mycenae (Mythological character); Agamemnon, King of Mycenae (Mythological character); Iphigenia, (Mythological character)
Material Type: Fiction, Internet resource
Document Type: Book, Internet Resource
All Authors / Contributors: Barry Unsworth
ISBN: 0385501145 9780385501149
OCLC Number: 49583075
Description: 338 pages : map ; 22 cm
Responsibility: Barry Unsworth.