Description
Book SynopsisMyth meets history in a blockbuster retelling of the Persian Wars from multi-award-winning author of Rubicon and Persian Fire Tom Holland, lavishly illustrated by Jason Cockcroft.
The Persians are coming Hearing these words, Gorgo of Sparta is plunged into a dangerous world of vengeful gods and invincible heroes. For a mighty empire threatens Athens, Sparta and all who stand in its path... Calling on the ancient power to transform into a wolf and the blood of Zeus that runs through her veins, Gorgo must lead her nation in one of history''s greatest wars. Multi-award-winning author Tom Holland and acclaimed illustrator Jason Cockcroft boldly weave myth and history in this dramatic tale of Greeks and Gods.
Gripping and powerful, this extraordinary illustrated novel will be treasured by readers young and old. Ideal for fans of Percy Jackson, Neil Gaiman and Kevin Crossley-Holland, and the mythical retellings of Madeline Miller, Pat Barker and S
Trade Review
This is the first book for children by the historian and podcaster Tom Holland and, boy, he doesn’t muck about. Straight away, we are thrown into the wild and violent world of myth… Jason Cockcroft’s cinematic illustrations of warriors creeping through forests and Greeks and Persians in battle elevate it into something special. * Children’s books of the year 2023, The Sunday Times *
"A glorious mixture – of history, fiction and thrilling legend, with pictures to swim the Hellespont for." * Sebastian Faulks *
What a fabulous achievement! Not since Mary Renault has this kind of history come so alive and with such juice, energy and excitement. I just know that my twelve-year-old self would have fallen on this like a … like a wolf on a lamb. Breathtaking adventure on every page, and just the kind of detail, colour and vitality that young readers adore. As does this old reader, I have to confess. * Stephen Fry *
The Wolf-Girl, the Greeks and the Gods is a wonder, as beautiful to look at as it is entrancing to read. Jason Cockcroft's illustrations are jaw-dropping, and Tom Holland's prose took me back to my own childhood introductions to these extraordinary mythological worlds in Roger Lancelyn Green's Tales of the Greek Heroes and Leon Garfield's and Charles Keeping's The God Beneath the Sea. * Frank Cottrell-Boyce *
A glorious white-knuckle ride through classical history […] Through her account, Holland retells the key events of the wars, including the battle of Thermopylae, and the Greek victories at Salamis and Plataea; but young readers will be equally gripped by the domestic vignettes, and glimpses into Spartan culture […] Holland’s great skill is in how he interweaves myth and history, such that the lines become ever more blurred. The combination of his lyrical writing and Jason Cockcroft’s plain, haunting illustrations make this a book that any child is likely to remember well into their later years. -- Emily Bearn * Daily Telegraph *
