Seven Against Thebes - by Stephen Dando-Collins (Paperback)

About the Book

"In the thirteenth century BC, a quarter of a century before the Trojan War, seven Greek warrior heroes went against the Greek city of Thebes to restore one of their number to the throne of his father, the famous King Oedipus. Several children of those seven heroes would later take part in the siege of Troy. This adventure was equal in the minds of Greeks and Romans with the siege of Troy as told in Homer's epic The Iliad, an event which it predated by a generation. And while the story contains mythical elements, there are no factual, historical, or archaeological reasons to suggest that the military campaign did not take place much as described. Initially sung in verse and later committed to written form via histories, ancient poems, and plays, Seven Against Thebes is a historical narrative concerning one of the greatest military adventures of all time"--

Book Synopsis

An exploration of myth, legend, and origin stories passed from generation to generation.

In the thirteenth century BC, a quarter of a century before the Trojan War, seven Greek warrior heroes went against the Greek city of Thebes to restore one of their number to the throne of his father, the famous King Oedipus. Several children of those seven heroes would later take part in the siege of Troy.

This adventure was equal in the minds of Greeks and Romans with the siege of Troy as told in Homer's epic The Iliad, an event which it predated by a generation. And while the story contains mythical elements, there are no factual, historical, or archaeological reasons to suggest that the military campaign did not take place much as described.

Initially sung in verse and later committed to written form via histories, ancient poems, and plays, Seven Against Thebes is a historical narrative concerning one of the greatest military adventures of all time.

Review Quotes

"With impressive and thorough attention to detail, Stephen Dando-Collins's Seven Against Thebes brings the ancient world into fierce action. He shows the all too human emotions, motives, and clashes of these Bronze Age men, who may--or may not--have lived more than three millennia ago, in a thrilling and astonishingly relatable way. By puzzling through the different variations of the myth, corroborating them with geographies, biographies, poems, artwork, archaeological evidence,
histories, and more, he manages to expertly stitch together the remains to
bring to life the incredibly important and foundational ancient myth of
Thebes." --Anya Leonard, founder and director of Classical Wisdom, author of Sappho: The Lost Poetess

"Why only (and this) Seven fighting against the great ancient city of Thebes? Read all about it in Stephen Dando-Collins's latest mythographic extravaganza, squarely based as it is on the complex multiplicity of enthralling ancient written sources." --Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture emeritus at Cambridge University and author of Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece

"Yet another scorching and enthralling epic from the pen of Stephen
Dando-Collins, the modern age's foremost dramatizer of ancient Greek and Roman history. Enough turmoil, blood, and tears for six books!" --Robin Hawdon, British playwright and author of Almost Famous and The Land, the Land

"Before The Magnificent Seven rode into film history, there was Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes, the classical template it drew on, even if the film's director didn't acknowledge it. In this dramatisation of the ancient Greek tale, Stephen Dando-Collins starts with Oedipus, his eye-piercing moment of truth when he gives up the throne of Thebes to his two sons, and the aftermath: a hotbed of inter-family infamy that led to the formation of the original Seven, their quest being to overthrow the imposter King of Thebes. It's an epic tale, and Dando-Collins, in his 46th book, recreates it with a thriller-like mix of drama, melodrama, and theatrical dialogue. Whether it's true or not, and he's much concerned with this, suggesting that the Sphinx may actually have been a female highway robber, it's a ripping ancient blockbuster." --Sydney Morning Herald