“You made a mistake,” Attolia agreed. “You trusted your gods. That was your mistake." [p. 267]
Another reread: my review from 2010 is here. I remembered the shockingly violent act at the beginning of the novel, and the state of affairs at the end, but not much in between. And, unable to acquire any of the following novels -- well, back then I thought it was a trilogy! -- the characters faded away.
Eugenides is taken captive by the Queen of Attolia, more beautiful but less kind than his own Queen (Eddis, who's also his cousin). She exacts a brutal penalty for his trespasses, and sends him home. Tensions between the three countries of the peninsula (Sounis, Attolia, and Eddis) are high, and soon there is war. The Queen of Attolia is becoming increasingly vexed by her Medean ambassador, Nahuseresh. When Eugenides, tasked to 'steal peace', encounters her again, she weighs her options and proves amenable to the solution he suggests.
This is a carefully-crafted and emotionally devastating novel. The viewpoint is third person omniscient, with the focus on Gen and Attolia, though other viewpoints occur throughout the book. But the author doesn't tell us everything that's going on, every thought or plan or nightmare. As with The Thief, I found myself rereading to see how the emotional denouement was signalled: the seeds of the revelation that keeps Attolia's glaziers in business. It is beautifully done.
I also very much appreciate the two Queens, who have power and agency, and I note that the pantheon of gods is ruled by the Great Goddess Hephestia. And Eugenides, despite his imposed disability, is still competent and witty, though more vulnerable (and thus seeming younger) than in The Thief.
I must have been so frustrated back in 2010 when I couldn't read more of Eugenides' story. Luckily, that is no longer the case.
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