But she can only keep this ruse for so long and this sense of urgency is what prompts Telemachos to finally act and he listens to the counsel of a wise old man who tells him to go in search of his father: if he is still alive, great. She promises to marry one of them once she has finished weaving a shroud for her father-in-law but she has come up with a stratagem to keep them at bay: she weaves during the day and un-weaves part of the work during the night.

Odysseus has been away for more than 15 years and the Trojan War has ended 5 years ago and his neighbours are clamouring for his mother, Penelopeia, to remarry. The veil has been lifted and now Telemachos realises the sore state his father’s kingdom is in: the defence walls are crumbling down and there is economic and political unrest after all a kingdom without a King is not a kingdom at all. Reality strikes when he realises he outgrew his tunic and his sandals and although he still hasn’t grown a beard and his father’s subjects do not show any respect for his position, he is nevertheless becoming a man. This carefree life is about to come to an end when new visitors arrive and Telemachos, as the King’s son, is to greet them. His life, up to the moment when the story starts, has been that of a careless youth who spends time with his best mates, eating and sleeping to his heart’s content. King of Ithaka is a reimagining of the Odyssey from the point of view of Telemachos, who tells his own tale as a young man in the small kingdom of Ithaka. After these first few books, Homer concentrates on Odysseus’ journey home until father and son are reunited in a glorious (and gory) ending when they execute the wannabe usurpers of Odysseus’ throne (and suitors of Penelope – his wife and Telemachos’ mother ). In Greek Mythology, Telemachos is the son of the great Hero Odysseus and a central character in Homer’s poem The Odyssey – its first four books focus on Telamachos’ journey to find news of his missing father, who had been away for about 20 years. Why did I read this book: I recently read and loved Dark of the Moon by this author and as soon as I was done with it, I went and bought King of Ithaka looking for more awesomeness. With only a mysterious prophecy to guide him, Telemachos sets off over sea and desert in search of the father he has never known.

But now the people are demanding a new king, unless Telemachos can find Odysseus and bring him home.

Telemachos has a comfortable life on his small island of Ithaka, where his mother Penelopeia keeps the peace even though the land has been without its king, his father Odysseus, since the Trojan War began many years ago. Genre: Fantasy / Historical / Greek Mythology / Young Adult

Penelope's Daughter by Laurel Corona