"Set in Syracuse, Sicily, during the Peloponnesian War but told in contemporary Irish dialect, Glorious Exploits follows Lampo and Gelon, best friends since childhood. Thrilled to have survived the Athenians' recent invasion and as shocked by the Syracusan victory as everyone else, these unemployed potters are in a mood to celebrate. Of course, they hate the Athenians. Still, that doesn't mean you can't love the theatre of their great playwright Euripides,...

Chariton's Callirhoe, subtitled "Love Story in Syracuse," is the oldest extant novel. It is a fast-paced historical romance with ageless charm. Chariton narrates the adventures of a strikingly beautiful young bride named Callirhoe, beginning with her abduction by pirates - adventures that take her as far as the court of the Persian king Artaxerxes and involve shipwrecks, several ardent suitors, an embarrassing pregnancy, the hazards of war, and a...