Review Summaries

• Readers respond well to the story's momentum and the vivid details of ancient Crete. Some, however, feel a distance from its older narrative style.

Reviews

• exciting adventure story

  Inas, a teenage girl, lives at Knossos on the island of Crete, which is ruled by King Minos, with her father Daidalos who is chief engineer and inventor for the king, her old nurse Teeta, their slave Mufu, and other servants. Her mother, now dead, had been a Greek slave. They also have a country home where Glos the shepherd tends their animals. Inas is attracted to young Kadmos, son of Meropes who is the admiral of Minos’s vast fleet, and her best friend is Princess Ariadne, the only daughter of the king. She loves adventure, diving for sponges with the fishermen in the Aegean Sea, vaulting the bulls with the athletes, and soaring with the wings secretly invented by her father, yet is also at home among royalty when visiting her friend, the princess. However, there are enemies, such as Kres, Minos’s goldsmith who thinks that Daidalos’s attempts to fly are black magic. Then there is Theseus, the hulking Greek captive with whom Ariadne is infatuated. As a result of a plot, Daidalos and Inas are forced to flee on a ship. They are headed for Zafire on the western end of the island, but a storm blows them all the way to Kamikos on the island of Sicelia ruled by Kokalos. Have they really escaped the danger? Can they ever find a way to return home? And if they do, what will happen to them? Erick Berry was the pen name of Allena Champlin (Mrs. Herbert) Best (1892-1974), and The Winged Girl of Knossos was a 1934 Newbery Honor book. It is a retelling of the Greek myths of Daedalus and Theseus. Besides being an exciting adventure story with themes of love and friendship, it is also filled with lots of rich, fascinating detail about the ancient Minoan world, a lost period of Greek history. Those who believe that it is wrong to study pagan myths will want to avoid this book as it has numerous references to Cretan gods and goddesses. I personally am convinced that one can learn about such tales from a purely historical standpoint without giving any credence to heathen deities. And there are possible real-life explanations to the myths of Icarus’s wings and Theseus with the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. A couple of reviewers complained that the plot is a little too complex. Of course, this book was written back in a day when young people were expected actually to read and think, rather than just to watch television or play video games. In the original myth, Daedalus had a foolish son named Icarus, but Berry gives him a wise and courageous, though fun-loving, daughter. Another reviewer wrote, “I much prefer Berry’s version, which has aged absurdly well and has no business being out of print.” This very creative tale, from someone who clearly did her homework, given the list of references in the back of the book, has wonderful period-inspired illustrations drawn by the author herself.

• Flying with Uncertain Wings

  The myths of Theseus and Icarus are synonymous with Greek Antiquity: The tyrannical King Minos, in an effort to prevent the knowledge of his palace's Labyrinth from spreading to the public, has legendary craftsman Daedelus and his son Icarus sequestered in a palace tower. Daedalus creates a means of escape, wings made of bird feathers and wax. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high because the heat from the sun would melt the wax, nor too low, because the sea foam would soak the feathers. Unfortunately, Icarus did not heed his father's warnings and flew too high, quickly falling into the sea and drowning. Crete is a powerful city-state and demands tribute from their distant neighbor Athens: seven young men and seven young women to be given to the Minotaur annually as a sacrifice. Theseus, son of Athenian king Aegeus is one of the young men sent to Crete. When he arrives, Minos' daughter, Ariadne, falls in love with him and gives him a ball of yarn that he can tie near the entrance of the Labyrinth so he can find his way back out. She also gives him a sword, which he uses to kill the Minotaur. He flees with Ariadne but abandons her on the island of Naxos en route to Athens. In the rush to get home to see his father, Theseus forgets to change the color of his sails. This was supposed to signal to his father that he was returning home safely. Aegeus commits suicide by jumping over a cliff into the sea, despairing over his son's "death". And Theseus is then made King of Athens. History is usually written by the victors, and mythology is no exception. We have only ever been exposed to Hellenized versions of the story. Allena Champlain (under the pen name of Erick Berry) sought to change that with The Winged Girl of Knossos. Published a full 25 years before Mary Renault's The King Must Die, Winged Girl takes a historical perspective on what could have inspired the myths. Our protagonist is Inas (pronounced ee-nahs) in lieu of Icarus; a spirited young woman and daughter of the inventor Daidalos. She is very much a "modern" woman of the times; Inas dives underwater for sponges, dances, and leaps over bulls, flirts with a young sailor named Kadmos, and is a trusted friend to Princess Ariadne. She seems to have an enviable life, but her father jaded and uninterested in life at the royal court focuses more on his inventions, some of which could be misconstrued as black magic. Inas's world turns upside down when the Minoan traders arrive with a ship filled with the Athenian youths. Among them is Theseus, the self-appointed leader who seeks to free himself and the others from bondage. Ariadne becomes infatuated with him, and since Inas speaks Greek fluently (as it was her mother's language) she is asked to help Theseus in dangerous ways, which will lead the entire kingdom into chaos and destruction. Inas is a fascinating character. She is an adventurous and strong female lead. While she does enjoy wearing fancy clothes and jewelry she is not obsessed with an excess of preening and posturing. Inas is just as comfortable with sailors and bull dancers as she is with princesses and handmaidens. Much like her father Inas is rather pragmatic; when Ariadne gushes over how handsome she finds Theseus, Inas just thinks the princess just needs to meet more men that aren't at the royal court. Even within her own love life, she does have a great fondness for Kadmos but does not allow his own assumptions and preconceptions about what is proper for women to do to deter her own aspirations and goals. Unlike Renault, who has been criticized for her misogyny, most of Champlain's female characters are three-dimensional and interesting. I would suggest that this novel be read by students in the sixth grade and up. I also loved the solutions to more fantastical elements of the myths Champlain has. Instead of having Daidalos construct elaborate wings, he and Inas make bird-shaped hang gliders. Inas scoffs off at the idea of the "Minotaur" that the Greek youths were told. As that would be physically impossible. "Facing the Minotaur" could just be a euphemism for going into slavery. And speaking of which, one of the most jarring scenes in the novel is the Greek slave auction and the author's overall treatment of slaves. This novel would have been a great tool to showcase how slavery was treated in antiquity and how it differs from chattel slavery that began in the 16th century C.E. My biggest complaint with the novel is the lack of Theseus and Ariadne. I wanted a better understanding of their characters. Was Theseus too haughty and stubborn, Ariadne too lovelorn and foolhardy? Overall Champlain's writing is crisp and has stood the test of time. I definitely recommend this novel for anyone interested in mythology or Bronze Age Mediterranean culture.

• Interesting concept but plot is a little too complex. Maybe audience of young readers would have preferred a shorter book.

  Attractive and adventurous young female's adventures in Ancient Crete. Interesting idea and background historical facts. However, plot was somewhat too complex. A very different treatment of the legend of Theseus and Ariane.

• Five Stars

  I have loved this story since I was a child;still do

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