The King Must Die by Mary Renault, Hardcover, 9780349019802 | Buy online at The Nile
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The King Must Die

A Virago Modern Classic

Author: Mary Renault and Bettany Hughes   Series: Virago Modern Classics

Hardcover

The King Must Die retells the story of Theseus, bringing mythology vividly to life.

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28th July 2025
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Hardcover

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

The King Must Die retells the story of Theseus, bringing mythology vividly to life.

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Description

'Mary Renault's portraits of the ancient world are fierce, complex and eloquent, infused at every turn with her life-long passion for the Classics' Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe

The true parentage of Theseus, grandson of the King of Troizon, has always been shrouded in mystery. Rumours swirl that his father is Poseidon himself. But when he learns the truth - that he is the son and heir of Aegeus, King of Athens - Theseus sets out on a quest to claim his birthright.

But his journey is a perilous one, from encounters with bandits to marriage to the Queen of Eleusis, whose consort is sacrificed each year - and, finally, to the labyrinthine palace of King Minos on Crete. There Thesues must enlist the help of high priestess Ariadne in a darling plan to slay the Minotaur - and free his people.

Thrilling, immersive and gorgeously told, Mary Renault's classic novel is a unforgettable reimagining of the timeless Greek myth.

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'Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers' Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of Wolf Hall

'This brilliant retelling of the story of Theseus, the king of Athens, brings Greek mythology vividly to life and remains "one of the truly fine historical novels of modern times"' New York Times

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Critic Reviews

There's much to say about her interweaving of myth and history and, just as interestingly, there's much to wonder at in the way she fills in the large dark spaces where we know next to nothing about the times she describes . . . an important and wonderful writer . . . she set a course into serious-minded, psychologically intense historical fiction that today seems more important than ever -- Sam Jordison Guardian
Renault did for Ancient Greece what Hilary Mantel did for the Tudors -- Quentin Letts The Week

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About the Author

Mary Renault (1905-1983) was born in London and educated at St Hughs, Oxford. She trained as a nurse at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary, where she met her lifelong partner, Julie Mullard. Her first novel, Purposes of Love, was published in 1937. In 1948, after North Face won a MGM prize worth $150,000, she and Mullard emigrated to South Africa. There, Renault was able to write forthrightly about homosexual relationships for the first time - in her masterpiece, The Charioteer (1953), and then in her first historical novel, The Last of the Wine (1956). Renault's vivid novels set in the ancient world brought her worldwide fame. In 2010 Fire From Heaven was shortlisted for the Lost Booker of 1970.

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Product Details

Publisher
Little, Brown Book Group | Virago Press Ltd
Published
24th April 2025
Pages
416
ISBN
9780349019802

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Pre Order
$42.01
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Pre order release date
28th July 2025
Check delivery options