Nobody's Prize » (Reprint)

Nebula Award winner Esther Friesner is the author of 31 novels and over 150 short stories, including the story "Thunderbolt" in Random House's Young Warriors anthology, which lead to the creation of Nobody's Princess. She is also the editor of seven popular anthologies. Educated at Vassar College and Yale University, where she taught for a number of years, Friesner is also a poet and a playwright. She is married, is the mother of two, harbors cats, and lives in Connecticut.


From the Hardcover edition.

In this rousing sequel to Nobody’s Princess, young Helen of Sparta is not about to be left behind when her older brothers head off to join the quest for the Golden Fleece. Accompanied by her friend Milo, and disguised as a boy herself, Helen sets out to join the crew of heroes aboard the massive ship known as The Argo.

Helen quickly faces all sorts of danger. There are battles to be fought, as well as an encounter with a terrifying murderous princess. With her beauty blossoming, Helen’s journey takes her beyond the mythology of the Golden Fleece to Athens, where her very future as Queen of Sparta is threatened.

KLIATT

AGERANGE: Ages 12 to 18.

The princess is Helen. It s the Bronze Age, and Helen is having another adventure before she has to settle down and get married. She decides to disguise herself as a boy and get on the Argo and sail with Jason (of the Golden Fleece quest). With her is the devoted servant/friend Milo, who tries to save her from whatever peril she faces. Milo cares about Helen a great deal. Helen s brothers are also on the Argo, sailing with Jason, but they don t know for some time that Helen is on board too. As the narcissistic Jason sails on, trying to increase his heroic standing, several unfortunate romances ensue. For instance, Hercules (yes, that Hercules) sees Helen s boy self and gets a crush on her/him. At the end of this series of adventures, reunited with her family as Helen s twin sister Clytemnestra is now a queen, married to Agamemnon, Helen looks at herself in a mirror and realizes she is growing up, and that she is a woman too. The man lurking in the scene, presenting the mirror, is Prince Menelaus. If you know your Homer, you ll know where Helen s fate lies. Friesner has a Ph.D. from Yale University, and she clearly is gifted at weaving myth, history, and adventure into an exciting YA novel. Reviewer: Claire Rosser
March 2008 (Vol. 42, No.2)