The Golden Bit

A series of new original myths set in ancient Greece, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller's "Circe" and "The Song of Achilles":

For centuries the epics of Greek mythology have enthralled the world's imagination. From the conquering Romans to Nathaniel Hawthorne-Sinbad the Sailor to Ulysses-tales of Zeus, Apollo, Heracles, and Achilles have been performed, adapted, expanded, and retold a thousand times over. Chiron's Songs continues that tradition, offering new original stories set amongst the familiar monsters, magics, and wine-dark seas of ancient Greece:

Euaemon is the richest king in Thessaly. His stables are the envy of Hellas, a hundred horses acquired from across the Aegean. But his favorite treasure is his daughter, Doriea-spirited, devoted, considered by the palace midwives to be a beauty with few equals. Every week another prince appears before Euaemon's gate, eager for the opportunity to woo her favor and be named the king's son-in-law.

When a monstrous, man-eating stallion starts attacking the Thessalians' farms and outskirts, Euaemon is determined to capture it, convinced it will make the top trophy in his collection. The question is, how? He is no Agamemnon, no legion of soldiers he can dispatch at a whim; certainly too old to risk himself. Until one of his advisors offers an elegant solution: why not enlist some of these brave young suitors, so desperate to win Euaemon's approval? The proposed reward-Doriea's hand in marriage.

The race begins, thirty princes jockeying to be the first to catch the monster and claim Euaemon's prize. But there are others in the king's household who would compete if they could; less nobly-born, perhaps, but just as resolute and gallant-at-heart. All they need is a little nudge from a god.

Nathaniel J. Baker is an American author and attorney. He holds a law degree from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Classics from Trinity College, where he graduated at the top of his department.