| The Telemachia is an exciting and moving novel of ancient Greece written by Michael Barnes Selvin |
Telemachus, son of the hero Odysseus and Penelope,
struggles to preserve his marriage and return to his
hereditary throne on Ithaca. He musters the slyness of his
father and the sagacity of his mother as he navigates the
treacherous waters of the War of the Families. Brewing
since before the war in Troy, this conflict pits the two
greatest clans in ancient Greece: the Pelopides and
Heraclides. It is the last gasp of a failing civilization. With
remarkable parallels to today, Telemachus fights for his life
and his family.
struggles to preserve his marriage and return to his
hereditary throne on Ithaca. He musters the slyness of his
father and the sagacity of his mother as he navigates the
treacherous waters of the War of the Families. Brewing
since before the war in Troy, this conflict pits the two
greatest clans in ancient Greece: the Pelopides and
Heraclides. It is the last gasp of a failing civilization. With
remarkable parallels to today, Telemachus fights for his life
and his family.
Why do we read the ancient Greeks? When you read the Greeks, you will come to
appreciate what the Greeks thought and felt, so exquisitely wrought, and realize how much
akin they are to our own modern sentiments and emotions. The Greeks, like Tiresias,
foresuffered all, and they were there some three thousand years before us. Their religion
served as the foundation for our religions. Their philosophy and learning led the way for our
own educational institutions. Their art and creative curiosity opened the doors to our own
creative energy, as evidenced over the millennia by the innumerable literary and artistic
references to the Greeks. Politicians and officials today owe their systems of public policy to
the Greeks. In no small measure, today we owe our concept of governing, our celebrations,
our epistemology, our ability to perceive, our religious thoughts, and, yes, our warfare to the
Greeks. Today, you will find more relevance in reading the Greeks than you will find in
your morning paper.
appreciate what the Greeks thought and felt, so exquisitely wrought, and realize how much
akin they are to our own modern sentiments and emotions. The Greeks, like Tiresias,
foresuffered all, and they were there some three thousand years before us. Their religion
served as the foundation for our religions. Their philosophy and learning led the way for our
own educational institutions. Their art and creative curiosity opened the doors to our own
creative energy, as evidenced over the millennia by the innumerable literary and artistic
references to the Greeks. Politicians and officials today owe their systems of public policy to
the Greeks. In no small measure, today we owe our concept of governing, our celebrations,
our epistemology, our ability to perceive, our religious thoughts, and, yes, our warfare to the
Greeks. Today, you will find more relevance in reading the Greeks than you will find in
your morning paper.
Comments by readers and editors:
“The Telemachia is clearly highly polished, and the story quite well developed and carefully
constructed.”
“The organization of The Telemachia is rich, complex and brilliant.”
“What an absorbing and compelling story.”
"This is indeed a startlingly epic tale, ripe with originality and rendered with a highly adept ear for
language...beautifully written and exhaustively researched...close to the history and age from which
the material was born..."
“Antimenes, the gods, the story of Telemachus, and the battle for the Peloponnese are artfully
interwoven.”
“I couldn’t put it down and read late into the night.”
“Very interesting indeed, and I'm more fascinated than ever by how you came into possession of all
this Greek knowledge. The details are most impressive!”
“I savored every page of this very original epic account of Telemachus.”
“The Telemachia is clearly highly polished, and the story quite well developed and carefully
constructed.”
“The organization of The Telemachia is rich, complex and brilliant.”
“What an absorbing and compelling story.”
"This is indeed a startlingly epic tale, ripe with originality and rendered with a highly adept ear for
language...beautifully written and exhaustively researched...close to the history and age from which
the material was born..."
“Antimenes, the gods, the story of Telemachus, and the battle for the Peloponnese are artfully
interwoven.”
“I couldn’t put it down and read late into the night.”
“Very interesting indeed, and I'm more fascinated than ever by how you came into possession of all
this Greek knowledge. The details are most impressive!”
“I savored every page of this very original epic account of Telemachus.”
| Map of the Peloponnese and routes taken in the War of the Families |
| The Telemachia |
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| 1200 BC: the Heraclides battle the Pelopides in a war more devastating than the Trojan War, more significant to the Known World than Alexander’s empire-building, and more crucial to Telemachus than the return of his father Odysseus ... |
| Winner of 2008 Independent Publisher book awards for Historical/Military Fiction |
| The Story of Telemachus, son of Odysseus |