Thomas Burnett Swann (1928–1976)

Day of the Minotaur was Thomas Burnett Swann's first published novel, later classed as the third of a trilogy as he wrote his way backwards through its two prequels The Forest of Forever and Cry Silver Bells. I have read them in narrative sequence, so this book completes the series for me. The archaeological documentary conceit that Swann imposes in his preface by "T.I. Montasque, Ph.D., Sc.D., L.L.D., Florida Midland University" is a clumsy fit for the narrative voice of the Minotaur show more Eunostos, and he abandoned it in the further volumes.

The fantasy antiquity of this book closely matches the one in the contemporaneous Swann novella "The Murex" (republished in The Dolphin and the Deep), with bee-like Thriae rather than the Myrmidon ant people of the novella. Both involve feral girls as the "Bears of Artemis." But of course Day of the Minotaur foregrounds the Minotaur with his friends the Centaurs, the Dryads, the Panisci, and the industrious arthropod Telchines. As is the case in many of Swann's stories, this one recounts a twilight of the prehuman peoples. While its climax is a victory for the Cretan Beasts over invading Achaeans, its conclusion is the victors' emigration to the makarōn nēsoi, or the Isles of the Blessed. Erotic motivations--often cross-species--are conspicuous, although there is not really any sexually explicit narrative. The style is limpid and and heartfelt, often swelling with wholesome sentiment.

I'm getting to the point where I have nearly read up all of the Swann I have on hand. Green Phoenix is still waiting for me, along with at least ten books I haven't managed to collect. But I've built a lot of affection for his work, and I won't rule out re-readings in the future. show less

The 1968 Ace paperback collection The Dolphin and the Deep contains three short historical fantasies by Thomas Burnett Swann: "The Dolphin and the Deep" (1963), "The Manor of Roses" (1966), and "The Murex" (1964). The first and last of these are placed in the Mediterranean world of antiquity, and "The Manor of Roses" is unusual among the Swann fiction that I have read, in that it is set in medieval England. All of them involve sentient non-human people who develop relationships with humans, show more sometimes amorous in nature.

I have previously read four of Swann's novels, and I had extolled his uniquely studious and perversely innocent imagination to my Other Reader. She spotted this one for me in a used book shop, so we enjoyed it together as bedtime reading in small doses over an extended period, although it is very short. If I had read it in my ordinary way, it wouldn't have taken more than a few days to finish. She appreciated its strangeness, and it was definitely in line with the other books of his I read.

"The Manor of Roses" was nominated for a Hugo award. Any of these stories would be an effective introduction of Swann's style and preoccupations for readers new to him. He died young, but he was pretty prolific. It seems that few of his books are in print today, and I think he is overdue for rediscovery among 21st-century readers of fantasy. show less

I don't know how I managed to miss the work of Thomas Burnett Swann for all these decades. Cry Silver Bells is the first novel of his I've read, and I liked it very much. It is set in ancient Crete, with the matter-of-fact inclusion of various Beasts (Swann's capital) of ancient myth and fable, such as Harpies, Centaurs, Tritons, and Sphinxes. The title character is a Minotaur. Narration duties alternate between a young Egyptian exile (of Achaean descent) and a Dryad, but the book as a whole show more is really the Dryad's story, with the human narrator just supplying a more familiar viewpoint and priming the reader to sympathize with the Dryad Zoe.

George Barr provided the cover art and a small handful of interior illustrations for the DAW paperback, and they are all quite nice. I don't think it was just Barr's art, though, that made me think this book would make a wonderful animated feature, although not a Disnified juvenile one by any means. Swann is frank about the erotic motives and activities of his ancient characters. There is a significant plot twist, but enough foreshadowing that an attentive reader will be prepared for a less-than-happy ending.

Cry Silver Bells is a short book, with some interpolated poetry (sung by various characters). The prose style is direct and lucid. I wouldn't call the book especially edifying, but it was a pleasure to read. I will certainly read more by this author, who died of cancer in his late 40s when I was under ten years old. Although Cry Silver Bells is part of a trilogy (the first of the three in narrative chronology, the last in publication order), I have already acquired a copy of Swann's standalone novel Moondust. show less

Thomas Burnett Swann's Minotaur trilogy was written and published in the reverse of its narrative chronology. By chance, I have been reading these in the narrative sequence, starting with Cry Silver Bells. But The Forest of Forever is second no matter which way you count. The book is divided into two parts, each of which is effectively a novella, titled "Eunostos" and "Aeacus," the names of two principal characters. Eunostos is a minotaur, the last of his kind in the Land of Beasts. Aeacus show more is a human Cretan prince. The whole is narrated by the 360-year-old dryad Zoe, who also is the speaker in Cry Silver Bells.

"Eunostos" is largely an adventure story, centering on dryad peril, in which the minotaur plays the hero. "Aeacus" is a slower tale of affections and disappointments, circulating through a few linked households in the Land of Beasts, and reaching its climax at the royal court in Knossos. The book is typical of Swann, set in his fantasized antiquity with intelligent non-humans and a relaxed sense of happy carnality.

As with several other Swann books, this one is illustrated with line art from George Barr. The drawings are attractive and apt, but in my 1971 Ace pocket paperback edition, there has been no care to align them with the text passages that they represent, or even to sequence them according to the narrative. show less