"An Incredible Fantasy Encompassing Ancient Mythology"
When Ares, God of War, fails to instill warrior instincts
in his daughter Thera, he devises a new plan. He will make
her the catalyst for a long awaited war, pitting human's
against the centaurs he despises. Pittheus, King of Trozen would be all to happy to oblige.
He wishes to see the centaurs annihilated. The centaur camp is divided. They are currently without a
king. Those who espouse peace follow Chiron, those who
crave war follow Rodas. It is Rodas who willingly becomes the second pawn in Ares'
war game. Ares, has betrothed Thera to Pittheus, but first
he will insure that Thera carries a centaur child within
her womb. Rodas had eagerly agreed to sire the child. Knowing that Thera is unlikely to be a willing participant,
Ares devises to accomplish the deed without the act,
sending a beam of light toward the pair. But there is another who wishes to end hostility between
humans and the centaurs. Kyros, younger brother of
Pittheus, prefers to continue his father's legacy of
peace. Kyros has his own history with Ares, and happening
upon the scene, he does the only thing he can think of to
prevent the harm that is about to be done.
He throws himself into the beam. He has no idea that he
will soon become a father, a role he had never dared to
hope for. Thera is overjoyed, for she has been told that, as part of
her punishment, her immortality had been stripped from her.
Bearing a centaur child would have meant her death, but
with Kyros as the father she now has hope. She is not
unhappy to be a human; she had not been particularly happy
as a goddess. She had not fit into either of her parents'
worlds. Ares already despises Kyros but realizes that all is not
lost, for Pittheus hates Kyros nearly as much as he hates
the centaurs. Knowing his bride carries Kyros' child should
be enough to start a war. Being the type of man he is, Ares knows that Kyros will
take his daughter under his wing. This plays right into
his scheme. At first Kyros tells himself he is only
watching over his child, but he isn't able to deny his
feelings for long, hopeless though they may be. Thera has
found Kyros easy to love, but Kyros has a secret, one that
would surely tear them apart, perhaps even end Thera's
life. One thing he knows for sure, his brother will never
possess her, no matter what the cost. This story was a pleasant change of pace. Ms. Rose has
penned an incredible fantasy encompassing ancient
mythology, but which doesn't bog the reader down in
historical detail and language. Kyros' Secret is a tale of
the kind of love that overcomes prejudice. The hero is
unique but entirely believable. I look forward to Ms.
Rose's next effort and hope it is a sequel! Copyright © 2000
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted December 17, 2001
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