Excerpt from Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Many volunteer, but when it comes to it, most fumble and pause and complain about headaches and thirst, or just collapse on the ground so that we only get a line at a time. Two if we're lucky. One bluffer starts doing a scene where Medea is being wooed by Achilles, which even I know is a load of bollix. Medea was way before Achilles. She was with Jason.

"But swift-footed Achilles it can never be! O Hellas, my father will never allow it. Achilles, what can—"

Gelon raises his club, and the bluffer slinks away. Another takes his place. This one at least mentions Jason, but it's a bit Gelon already knows. Still, he gets a few olives for his troubles.

The day goes on in this way. The sun gets fatter, yolkier and its heat less fierce. Pinks and reds bleed into the blue. I leave Gelon to it and take a stroll around the pits. Officially I'm scouting for actors. Gelon's taken a bold step and offered to return with a bag of grain if he can get five Athenians to do a scene from Medea. But he wants them to properly act it out. Like, perform it. He'll be lucky if he finds one. These poor bastards are just waiting to die. I imagine the worst spots of Hades are something similar. Hairy skeletons with a hint of skin. Apart from the hair, the only bit of variety to be found is in the eyes. Glassy gems made brighter by dying. Massive browns and blues peer out at me. I haven't found a leading man yet, but I'm looking.

Excerpted from Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. Copyright © 2024 by Ferdia Lennon. Excerpted by permission of Henry Holt and Company. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.