My father once told me, above all else…Live and die for Sparta.Honor. Loyalty. Duty. These were the things that mattered most.And then Axios came into my life, teaching me other lessons: humility, brotherhood… love.There were moments when the brutal training stripped me of my humanity, where it turned me into a mindless beast of flesh and muscle set to destroy everything in my way. But then … everything in my way. But then Axios stood in my way, ever vigilant, never failing to bring me back to myself.
Love had no place in Sparta, they said. It made you weak.
So why did I feel stronger with him by my side?
Eryx: A Spartan Tale is a 149k word historical gay fiction featuring a love story between Spartan warriors. Although told in an alternate point of view of the events in Axios, it includes extended scenes and more content. It can be read as a complete standalone.
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The story was dry and the dialogue was stilted. I kept reading hoping something interesting would happen. It was flat and boring all the way through. It did make me want to learn more about the history of Sparta.
This book is a true Greek Tragedy. The story revolves around Eryx and his best friend turned lover Axios. In ancient Greece, in Sparta, boys at the age of 7 are ripped from their families to begin their military training and dedicating their life in service to Sparta. Having to live in harsh conditions such as not having any clothes or shoes, only given enough food to not starve to death and having to train from sun up till sundown, only the strong survived and the weak are left for dead. While fighting grown men at the age of 7 in some sort of initiation, Axios is on the verge of death at the hands of one their teachers because by not fighting he omits defeat and that is taboo in the Spartan culture which could lead to your death. However, Eryx silently gives words of encouragement to Axios telling him to stand up and fight. From there, their friendship is born.
Over time, surviving through their cruel teaching methods such as beatings and being wiped from their teachers Eryx and Axios make other friends who become like brothers, and together they face each challenge. By the time Axios and Eryx are 21 and have finished military training and are able to serve Sparta and fight in wars, Eryx continued to look out for Axios and be a pillar of strength for Axios because Axios is not a fighter.
In the truest sense, Axios is more of a philosopher and lover. Always questioning the world around him and having vastly different views on Spartan society such as condemning the practice of slavery, better treatment of women, and free will. The ability for men and women to choose their own paths instead of having a preordained path chosen for them. Because men who deviate from the service of Sparta are relentlessly shamed, killed, or commit suicide because of the terrible treatment from others, and their whole family is looked on in disgrace. And more controversially, expressing his love for Eryx. Because love is seen as a weakness.
Exry is the complete opposite of Axios. While he cares deeply for Axios and tells him that, he hardly tells him that he loves him because Erxy has a difficult time letting his guard down and showing a different side of himself. He is the perfect Spartan warrior and everyone, young and old, and among his peers look on him with respect and as a leader. This is why in a few of the battles that they fight in Exry steps up and takes the lead because their commanding officers die in battle.
And through their long tumultuous journey together they live out their lives in service to Sparta. Axios never lives out his dream of becoming a merchant or sailing the seas or exploring and Eryx feels guilty about that Eryx is burden with trying to prove he is not like his father who did run away from war and committed suicide and is seen as a coward, which haunts Eryx. This is his driving force to become the best warrior he can be and why he holds Spartans’ values as his purpose in life. Even in the end when they fight for their lives against Thebes.
I apologize for the lengthy review. I typically don’t leave one but this just kinda came out. I didn’t plan on writing one wither but the story was just that good. And I really do enjoy greek tragedies and I feel like this qualifies as one because of the ending. AS much as I wish for a better outcome, (the one and only time) the story probably would not have the same feeling or be the same.
What an incredible story from Eryx’ POV. Yes, much of it is the same historical storyline as Axios … but because Eryx is such a strong character, the story has a different feel to it. Eryx and Axios have a love like no other. Eryx’ POV is heartbreaking because he is a born leader who the others look up to, and his view of life and training to be a fierce warrior is exponentially different than Axios’s. Even so, he treasures Axios in every way and realizes that he needs Axios’s dreamer-like outlook as much as his next breath. I just adore the two and think about them quite often. They’ve stolen my heart, along with Haden, Quill, Theon, and Felix.
A Spartan’s life is unbearable to anyone else, but they’ll do anything for their land. I wish life was different for them. The loyalty, love, and brotherhood built over the years among the boys to men could not have been any stronger. I just hate war and I hate when I think of what each of their lives could have been like if their way of life was different.
As far as Axios and Eryx, the impact of their true love will stay in my heart forever. Boxes of tissues are needed for this one, but it’s SO worth it. Five warrior stars for me ~ Jaclyn Osborn is a brilliant author; her books are a treasure
read this before reading axios, its precursor I think that actually made it better although axios was good as well therer’s a lot history that i’d never learned about which made the books particularly interesting there’s also lots of contemplating the virtues of violence, patriotism and loyalty that should have us doing our own contemplating on these issues I particularly appreciate the author’s skillful avoidance of lecturing us on the topics if there are other books focused on history in the background i’d like to read them
Wow! A brilliant tale in a fascinating world!
I loved how the beautiful story has been set in a brutal and mysterious historical background.
The writing style was a cherry on top, with brilliant narration. Totally recommend!
This is a sweeping epic spanning nearly 30 years, set in ancient Greece. I am not normally one for historicals, but I read Axios based on reviews by people I trust and loved it. This is the same story, but told from the perspective of Eryx. And although it is the same story, it is a wholly different story.
This book follows Axios and Eryx from the time they were young boys and first sent off to the Spartan version of boot camp until their last battle.
In the first book, we got the story from Axios’ perspective. He was a dreamer, a lover, never one for fighting and war. He did his duty to Sparta but he questioned it all of the time. He hated it.
Now we get to hear directly from Eryx. His mother died in childbirth, his father took his own life in shame for abandoning the army (really the poor man has serious PTSD). Eryx couldn’t wait to become a warrior. He knew he sole purpose in life was to fight for and possibly die for Sparta. And he looked forward to it.
Axios and Eryx really were like Yin and Yang. Two halves of a whole that balanced each other out. Whereas Eryx pushed Axios to be the warrior he needed to be, Axios taught Eryx that there were other things in life- friendship and love. Over the years they became inseparable, and filled out their circle with a few more boys they called their brothers.
As the book is very long and spans quite a long time, the first half is them growing and training. They begin discovering their feelings for each other when they reach their teenage years. It was so innocent and beautiful in the middle of this horrible training.
Once they reach the age to go to battle, they are still inseparable. Everyone knows that they are together and really no one discourages it. The battle scenes are brutal and horrific. This is not something for the weak hearted. Although you can skim over.
Get the tissues. A box of tissues. I convinced myself that I wouldn’t cry this time because I cried during Axios and I knew what would happen. HA! That was a big lie I told myself as I sobbed. More than once. Ok, a lot.
The entire love story is just beautiful. How they lived, trained, fought, was heart breaking. And as vicious as it was, in real life it was probably a lot worse.
If you read Axios, read this book. If you didn’t read Axios, read this then go back and read Axios. Or read Axios and then this. The order doesn’t matter and you don’t have to read both. But you’ll want to.
For the love of a raven
I wasn’t sure what to expect since I hadn’t read Axios but I needn’t have worried. After reading this I learned so much about Eryx and Axios and fell in love with them and this world. In fact I may go back and read Axios just so I can hear his perspective of everything. I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this book and found everything so fascinating. Although parts of this book were tough to read, I loved every page of it, especially the camaraderie and brotherhood that developed between all the guys.
I adore Axios and the beautiful ways he views the world. With Eryx, I adore his loyalty and his protectiveness. What I enjoyed the most about this book though is the bond these two have and how fiercely they defend it. “Never question where my heart lies, because it is forever yours. In this life and the next.” These words and these two stole my heart. Eryx and Axios make each other more. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for each other and they have a love for the ages. In fact, this is one of the best love stories I’ve read and I hope it never ends.
5 Glorious Stars! Amazing & Heartbreaking… I’m a bawling mess here. Deep breaths… I loved Axios & Eryx when I read Axios awhile ago & knew they would forever be in my heart & I’ll always love & miss them. When I heard Eryx was getting a book for his POV, OMG… I got so excited even knowing I was going to ugly cry way too much. It was great to read about each of their stories & we had a few surprises in Eryx, especially the end. I loved it heard & I’m still crying here, the book was beautiful & heart wrenching at the same time, you smile & you cry( lots), but happy tears towards the end. A Must Read!