List Books Toward An Arrow's Flight
| Original Title: | An Arrow's Flight |
| ISBN: | 0312242883 (ISBN13: 9780312242886) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Fiction (1998) |
Mark Merlis
Paperback | Pages: 384 pages Rating: 3.94 | 796 Users | 73 Reviews
Interpretation In Favor Of Books An Arrow's Flight
The award-winning An Arrow's Flight tells the story of the Trojan War and Pyrrhus, the son of the fallen Achilles, now working as a go-go boy and hustler in the big city. Magically blending ancient headlines and modern myth, Merlis creates a fabulous new world where legendary heroes declare their endowments in personal ads and any panhandler may be a divinity in disguise. Comical, moving, startling in its audacity and range, An Arrow's Flight is a profound meditation on gay identity, straight power, and human liberation.
Present Of Books An Arrow's Flight
| Title | : | An Arrow's Flight |
| Author | : | Mark Merlis |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
| Published | : | September 24th 1999 by Stonewall Inn Editions (first published August 1st 1998) |
| Categories | : | LGBT. Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Gay. Fantasy. Mythology |
Rating Of Books An Arrow's Flight
Ratings: 3.94 From 796 Users | 73 ReviewsColumn Of Books An Arrow's Flight
I loved this book, but I'm not really sure who I'd recommend it to. Having some kind of knowledge or passion for Greek mythology seems requisite going in - I can't imagine getting much enjoyment out of this if you aren't familiar with the original stories that Merlis is adapting and expounding on and subverting - but this is not your run of the mill Homeric retelling.You start the novel with Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, and you think you're going to Troy. That's how the story goes, anyway -This book. This book. What can I tell you about the story of this book? I'll tell you this: I started it, and immediately within the first few pages, felt annoyed by it. It wasn't quite what I expected. It tells a story of a young man during the Trojan War, except the characters all seem to have been transported to New York during the late 1970s/very early 1980s. For some reason, I just didn't get it. While I waited for my next book to be ready for pickup at the San Francisco Public Library, I
Perhaps this book gets better in the second half, but I haven't the patience or the desire to find out. Although Merlis focuses on sex less than other LGBT authors, I found the modern setting too difficult and tiresome to reconcile with the Trojan myth. I suspect that An Arrow's Flight is more entertaining for (gay) fanboys of Greek myth. If that's the case, so be it.
Merlis is a brilliant author, and this deft work dazzles and entertains while adding a modern spin to classic tales. This book is a same sex marriage of Greek mythology and contemporary themes. If you are fond of go go dancers who are demigods you will love this book. Plus it completely ties into the Iliad if you need to read that for school extra credit!!
I thought the concept was great, and I thought it made some valid and relevant points, even more than a decade after it was written. But it was dull and a letdown.AFTERTHOUGHT (3/31/11):I've been giving this book more thought. I'm not sure I'm ready to change my initial rating. Critically speaking, I thought the author executed the concept well. The way he layered a Greek motif over modern life was excellent. I think the thing that disappointed me so much in this novel was the expectation of
Merlis did well developing characters and blending the Trojan war with a modern urban world. Though his decision to use a contemporary attitude toward sexuality was very distracting for me, I can understand why he did so, and his use of metaphor was well-woven. His narrative attitude was enhanced by moments of direct address to the reader by the narrator, which provided perspective on the events and characters, and an awareness that made the book more enjoyable.
I am not well-read in Greek mythology: I was always bored by the huge number of nearly indiguishable characters, the unbelievable events, and the patchwork nature of it all. As such, I can't review this book relative to the actual Trojan War and the events with are retold with alternate gay characters in Merlis's book. However, Merlis does manage to add the missing homoerotic content to the myth and tells a fun, sexy, and literate story - for the first half of the book.Unfortuntely, he abandons
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