Autolycus the Thief Review

 Autolycus the Thief by Michail Sidiropoulus is a series of loosely connected adventures about a young Greek man as he journeys through life. The book is organized into chapters ranging from about 10 to 20 pages.

The book follows Autolycus, who begins the book as an orphaned child. It then follows a few common tropes as he discovers that he has divine parentage. However, that is one of the few tropes that the book relies on. Autolycus does not go on to save the world or make that much of a difference outside of his own local sphere of influence. In this way, I find it to be somewhat comparable to the protagonist of a Charles Dickens novel, in that the story is more about Autolycus’ acquisition of wealth and prosperity. I found this rather enjoyable, as I find the common trend of being a chosen one or the only one able to defeat a copy-and-paste tyrannical villain to be rather played out.

The book does have a few flaws in its grammar, word choice, or flow. While these mistakes may impede the reader's investment in the novel, I would argue that they are actually strengths. It may be apparent to the astute reader that the author’s first language is not English. This is made more apparent by Greek words or phrases that the author sprinkles in. I feel that these glances into the language of another culture lend credence and authenticity to this Greek work of fiction.

Other than these supposed flaws, I feel that the book flows fairly well. As I said earlier, the book follows an adventure-to-adventure format, rather than a large, sprawling narrative. This may be a strength or a weakness for the reader, depending on preference. On the one hand, I feel that the mini-adventures make the book easy to pick up, as the reader doesn’t need to recall past information too much to continue enjoying the story. On the other hand, the lack of consistent pressure or stakes may make the book too easy to put down. 

Rather unusual for what I would consider a fantasy, the book follows a first-person format. This allows for a more direct view into the protagonist’s perspective, who is rather no-nonsense and tactical. The narrator’s pragmatic view of the world allows for rather fast-paced reading, and the reader need not worry about long, expository scenes.

On a final note, if this were a movie, I would assign it a PG-13 rating. The book contains some violence, but none that I would consider graphic, and it also contains some very suggestive, intimate scenes between opposite sexes, but again, none of it is explicit.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a fancy for Greek mythology; anyone seeking a break from long, epic narratives about a chosen hero; and anyone who wants to read about the adventurous growth of a demigod who seeks his own way.

Length: 211 pages

Perspective: 1st person

Tense: past

Kindle Unlimited: Yes

https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Greek-Mythology-Autolycus-thief-ebook/dp/B0F22M8Q7T