What a delight! Funny, witty, unique, brutal; paying tribute to story and history and the history of how we tell stories! Would definitely recommend.

Time is 412 BC, place Syracuse. The Athenians just invaded Syracuse and lost. There were some Athenians captured. They are left in quarry to starve and die. Two friends who are unemployed potters, go to quarry to feed the prisoners for reciting poetry. This snowballs into rehearsing for play. The friends run around the town making this happen.

Graft Irish brogue onto ancient Syracusan and Athenian combatants, set the story in the aftermath of the Athenian defeat at Syracuse with its famously weird resolution to the problem the Syracusans had with what to do with the POWs, and make a buddy comedy out of it.

Of COURSE I asked for this book!

The titanic tragedies unfolding in today’s world are nothing new. The sheer number of us alive on Earth compared to three thousand...heck, three hundred...years ago means there are higher head counts in the disasters, but not greater or even equal proportions of the population. The scale of Athens’s humiliation, and her losses, in the failed imperial project that included her attempt at conquering Syracuse, rivals the British losses in World War I. An entire generation gone. The scale of democracy’s failings, and this imperial expansionist war was directly down to a democratic vote in Athens, has always been epic. After all, no government is one tiny bit better than its people force it to be.

So Gelon and Lampo get the historically accurate job of dealing with the horribly immiserated prisoners chucked down into the quarry to die. The solution has not changed. We get to see it all from the viewpoints of the two men who more or less came up with the solution, though. Gelon is sort of a sad soul, a man who is aware of and burdened by awareness of, the pointlessness of existence. Does any of this really matter, on can hear Gelon wondering inside himself. He finds no joy in the deaths the Athenians are doomed to, especially since it means he...and the world, of course...won’t get to hear the latest Euripides hit The Trojan Women. Because of course Gelon is all about the tragedian Euripides.

Lampo...get it?...finds light gleaming in all darknesses, Lampo thinks the Athenians must be good for something...and entertaining the Syracusans with the latest and greatest plays from cultural hub Athens is just the ticket. The men overhear the Athenians lightening ther last hours with dialogue from the current Athenian version of the West End/Broadway season, and hey presto a solution to the awful moral conundrum of just letting human beings die in misery comes. Lampo is the instigator of the full cast revival of the play, and convinces the angry Syracusans...even the guy with the club who’s taking revenge for his lost sons by killing every Athenian he possibly can...to set aside their hatred and listen to this brand-new play from the cultural capital of the world.

Setting aside the utter weirdness of this story’s factual reality...we know it really happened...this could have been a retelling of the events that went heavy on Message, bearing down hard on whichever piece caught Author Ferdia’s fancy. Instead he lets the reader select the message they want from the many on offer. Start with an Irish voice telling, in English, a tale of a violently failed colonial enterprise. I trust I do not need to go too far on that one to bring it into focus for you. Move to the unemployed potters, those craftworkers whose job it is to take dirt and turn it into useful and often beautiful things for people to benefit from, who see the utility and the necessity for using these aggressors for some kind of benefit to those they harmed. A tale, then, of restitution, never a bad thing to bring into the modern world. But then look again: the actors are there, able and ready to do their jobs, but unnoticed until summoned into being as actors by capitalist producers, who in case this parallel to the modern world slid past you, make no effort whatever to compensate the creator of the play they are producing. And the actors making the play are, it should not go unremarked on, living below the poverty level and thus are ready to do anything to stay alive.

And, should all that be more than you want to deal with in your present mood, this short novel can simply and pleasurably entertain you with its surreal blend of fact, fiction, and Aristophanes-level multilayered comedy.

Laugh along. Think deeply. Enjoy the music. You pick, you are the one who makes this read...all Author Ferdia did was find the story for you. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Ferdia Lennon writes a really unique story, it had everything that I was hoping for from this type of book. The characters were everything that I was hoping for and enjoyed in the genre. It was engaging and I was hooked from the first page. I enjoyed the way Ferdia Lennon wrote this and can't wait for more in this universe.

What a hoot! I can't imagine how this was pitched first to an agent and then to a publisher because it's an unlikely one to say the least. Know that you'll be reading in modern Irish vernacular (it helps to know the slang) and that it's set in ancient days. There's a play, there's actors. there's war, there's affection, there's so much going on that you might feel overwhelmed a bit but at root this is just a darn good read. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. This should have broader appeal than the blurb (which might intimidate some readers) would suggest.

"Glorious Exploits" is about two friends, Gelon and Lampo who gather Athenian prisoners to put on a play in the local quarry. It is an old tale told in a contemporary voice, which was jarring at first but the sooner you accept it the sooner you'll love this story!

I would recommend this book to ages 18 and up to readers who enjoy fun books with a little more literary spice.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this story for us readers.

I'm not sure how the author made a novel about the Peloponnesian War, written in contemporary Irish prose, be thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and hilarious--but he does it! This might be my favorite book of 2024.

In Syracuse, Athenians are held prisoner after their disastrous attempt to invade Syracuse. Two unemployed Syracusans decide to put on plays by Euripides ("Medea" and "The Trojan Women") in the prison camp, with the Athenians in the starring roles. Their scheme is both ridiculous and endearing, and they grow closer to their Athenian prisoner "friends"-- who are also former mortal enemies. There is interesting reflection on and interpretation of Euripides' "Medea" and "Trojan Women," superb tragedies that mirror the themes of "Glorious Exploits." The main characters, two average guys, are also relatable and quite funny, and so the heavier aspects of the book are lightened. I grew to love them and their ridiculous plan to put on a showcase of Euripides in a prison camp.

I LOVED this book and can't believe it's a debut! Thank you for the ARC, and I look forward to more from this author.

This... this was something. It took me a minute to get into the vibe of it, but I think that was more a me thing because I really enjoyed the vibes from this. This book was funny but also sort of had its deeper moments?! I finished this almost a week ago and I still keep thinking about it. I can't wait to read more from this author.

This novel follows two Spartans, Gelon and Lampo, on their journey in Sicily to direct a Euripidian play with captive Athenians as their actors. (yes it sounds wild when you put it straight but the story is quite convincing in it’s world building!)

I got through one third of this book. It was playfully written and super unique but was not working for me. I don’t love crude humor and the Irish toned prose style didn’t work for me. I didn’t connect with the male main characters.

I think this WOULD work for someone who loves stories about the Peloponnesian War and won’t mind the unconventional, direct tone. It is fast paced and imaginative in how it seeks to connect to the reader on a human level.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Hold and Co. for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unemployed potters Lampo and Gelon want to put on a play by Euripides. The only problem is they want their actors to be the imprisoned Athenian soldiers being held in the quarry in Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War.

This book was such a delight! It is funny and smart and absurd and heartbreaking, and I appreciated its exploration of themes such as war, art, humanity, and morality. It was fun to be in the head of Lampo, who is truly Just Some Guy, as he fumbles his way through being a director. Lennon’s prose is easy to read and the mix of comedy and horrors of war are blended so well (which I admit is a strange sentiment but… trust me). All in all, it’s a banger.

This one was so clever, and a great debut from Ferdia Lennon!! One of the most distinguished aspects of this book is the Irish dialect; it felt so authentic and fresh and unlike anything else I've read. I can't wait to see what else Ferdia Lennon has in store. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt for this title!

I thought that I was a little bit burned out on all things Ancient Greece which I have seen everywhere in the last few years. However, the googly eyes on the cover made me suspect that this one would be a little bit different.
I absolutely loved this book! It asks the readers to think about some heavy issues like the cost of war and the meaning of our existence, but it is also about the value of art and friendship. It is infused with dark humor, that absolutely cracked me up.
I can't wait to buy my own copy!

What a book -- I am completely floored!

The book opens with two best friends Lampo and Gelon, unemployed potters in Syracuse, Sicily, during the Peloponnesian War. It is two years after the Syracusans defeated the invading forces from Athens, and thousands of surviving Athenians are being held as prisoners of war in an old rat-infested quarry, emaciated with hunger. It's in this setting that Gelon has an idea: as big fans of the Athenian playwright Euripides, they can use the captives as actors to put on a play -- and Gelon and Lampo will be the directors.

This was part Waiting for Godot, part Greek tragedy, with a little Waiting for Guffman thrown in for good measure. It was funny at times, devastating at others. Though set in the 400s BC, it had a modern Irish tone that worked better than I'd expected, and added to the absurdism.

The book prompts the reader to consider a number of questions about life and meaning and existence, exploring morality in the aftermath of war and tragedy. It's about friendship, art, and love, as well as loss, grief, and human atrocity. It doesn't ultimately give the reader any answers, but poses big questions.

The quality of the writing was also striking. Mixed in with the absurdism and darkness were passages that took my breath away, when the narrator would have a moment of insight or clarity about the world around him. The setting was immersive and I could see myself getting jostled in the Syracusan market, or on the salty beach, or in the quarry with rats scurrying over my feet.

And of course, the characters themselves will truly stay with me. Not just Gelon and Lampo, but Lyra the slave, Paches the Athenian actor, the collector from the tin isles, and even the tavern owner and fishermen and traders in the market -- everyone was unique, memorable, and contributed in their own way to the discussion of morality in the aftermath of war.

5 stars 🌟

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry & Holt Company for this ARC to read and review.

nothing about GLORIOUS EXPLOITS should, objectively, work. it’s one of the weirder books I’ve had the pleasure of reading recently. its component parts are creative, bizarre, and difficult to execute: the dissonance of the ancient Greek setting with the modern Irish dialect of the writing, the main character who objectively kind of sucks but somehow wins the reader over anyway, the absolutely wild basic premise of the plot. but the end result, somehow, DOES work; it’s funny and heartbreaking and wildly unique, and I am so utterly glad that I read it.

this book is about two unemployed ancient Greek potters, Gelon and Lampo, who decide to put on a play (actually, two plays) by Euripides, using as their actors the Athenian POWs held captive in the quarry near their town. Gelon is a tragedy enthusiast; Lampo, our narrator, is mostly just along for the ride. it’s also about friendship, the horrors of war, how to become a better person, the magic of performance, and tragedy as a narrative structure. in equal parts it is funny, horrifying, sorrowful, thoughtful, and suspenseful; every single bizarre aspect of it is tied together by a deep sense of empathy and an admiration for the sublime in theater. its writing somehow balances contemporary Irish style with “deeply influenced by the way ancient Greek sounds when you translate it into English.” I picked it up, and didn’t want to put it back down.

If you’re looking for a book set in/about ancient Greece which isn’t grounded in mythology, if you’re interested in a literary fiction opus about war and humanity and theater, if you’re willing to have your heart broken a little bit: pick up GLORIOUS EXPLOITS, because it’s absolutely worth your time. I will be thinking about it all year. 4.5 stars, rounded up for sheer originality and making me cry on multiple occasions; out 3/26/24. my enormous thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt Books for the ARC!

The setting: Sicily during the Peloponnesian War. "The Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who ... invade[d] their city... the prisoners of war [have been herded] into a rock quarry." "Lampo and Gelon, two unemployed potters with a soft spot for poetry and drink, head down into the quarry" where they decided to use the prisoners to present a play by Euripedes. The blurb says: "Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving..."

Really?! I was sorely disappointed and bored. Did not connect with any of the characters.

Is it a coincidence or ploy that one of the sympathetic characters is a Libyan horse driver [Ferdia's father is Libyan; his mother is Irish] and some of the dialog reflects his Irish upbringing--nonetheless, din't capture me.

I had to look up a few words--mostly relating to Greek/Roman era: chiton, tireme, but also stocious.

Ok--about war and literature and friendship. Original. But not nearly enough. 2.5 but rounding up because at least the prose was not nails on the chalkboard. Just didnt do it for me though many others may like. I don't get the overwhelming praise. Perhaps it was my mood. And the end--feh.

Thank you Henry Holt & Co. for my free ARC of Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon — available Mar 26!

Read this if you:
🏛️ love Greek mythology, Ancient Greece, or Euripides plays
😐 don't require your histfic to adhere rigidly to historical accuracies
❤️‍🩹 enjoy heartfelt books cut with a little absurdity and humor

Lampo and his best friend Gelon have a mad idea one day — to host a full production of two Euripides plays, featuring the Athenian prisoners that are slowly starving to death in the pit. Yes, you read that correctly. After all, who knows if Syracusans will ever be able to see such a thing again, since the Athenians are clearly losing the war and will soon be eradicated. Only, things get complicated as the play progresses, and Lampo will be forced to make choices he never could have foreseen at the start. Will he lose everything?

This is SUCH a unique little read, and I loved every second of it. Lampo as a character is kind of a pain in the ass, which I think every other character in this book would agree with. But his intentions (eventually) are good, and I was certainly rooting for him in the end. My heart broke more than once during the course of this story, but these weighty moments are mixed with such absurdity and comedy that I didn't feel completely chewed up by the end of the book. Don't let the silly start fool you, because there is a ton of heart and humanity in this story. I highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received this from Netgalley.com.

As much as I like complicated stories, this one was just not for me. I had a difficult time grasping the characters and their speech patterns. Lots of cursing that didn't make sense in context.

2☆

Glorious Exploits is just kind of a weird book, which really shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the cover has a refined looking Greek man…with googly eyes. Lampos and his friend Gelon are poor potters with little interesting to speak of in their lives until Gelon gets the mad crazy idea that they should wander down into a quarry where Athenian prisoners are being kept and convince them to put on Euripides’ Medea. Lampos is the easygoing schlub with a limp that goes along with his longtime, melancholy friend Gelon’s plan because why not? What else does he have to do? But being around the prisoners every day humanizes them, something that will eventually become a problem for Lampos and Gelon when others who suffered mightily at the hands of the Athenians don’t see them the same way. Satirical in nature to many of the more dignified retellings, the story manages to encapsulate in its own way the complications of the Ancient Greek wars and both the immortality and invisibility of the people that were a part of it. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If I told you this book was set at the end of the Peloponnesian war, with thousands of Atheneans imprisoned in a Syracusan quarry to die, and that it is a joyful, hilarious, uplifting story, will you believe me?

The Athenians are walking skeletons, shackled, left to the elements, hated for murdering and sacking Sciliy. One man with a club descends into the quarry to avenge his loss, murdering indiscreetly. It is all too gruesome sounding.

Enter two Syracusan men, unemployed potters. Lampo tells their story in an Irish lilt, of how Gelon’s mad love of the Greek plays, specifically those by Euripides, led them to a wild dream: they would find Atheneans who remembered lines from Medea, feed them, and put on the play in the quarry. When Gelon learns of a new play by Euripides, The Trojan Women, he is determined to present that play as well. For Gelon is aware that with the fall of Athens, the plays may be lost to time.

The pair find backing, obtain sets and costumes, bring the prisoner actors to health, all to experience the marvel of story. With twists of fate, they met both success and horror, and endeavor the heroic.

In the end, the novel left me deeply affected. It is a homage to the power of story to alter individual lives and connect even enemies.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

This is such a strange story. It absolutely shouldn’t work, and yet here I am at the end of it crying.
The opening of the book makes you think this is a comedy. Two out of work potters decide to put on Medea with the Athenian prisoners of war in the quarry where they are languishing. And one of the unemployed potters also becomes obsessed with the slave serving girl at their favorite tavern. So slapstick right? No. There is pathos and tragedy and bonding of peoples with the universality of art. Lampo was honestly hard for me to like; he’s the narrator, but he sticks his foot in his mouth so much you just want to slap him. But by the end, wow was I cheering him on and crying.
This book has some brutal bits in it. But there’s hope and love too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.