Now We Try It My Way reviewed A True Story by Lucian of Samosata
Interesting commentary on Lucians society
3 stars
While the story itself is interesting and entertaining, the pacing and similar aspects might not speak to most readers today, but people familiar with classic greek stories will feel at home. More interesting to me was its role as one of the first science fiction books, although this is obviously a modern perspective. The beginning of the book features a section in which Lucian explains his intentions and inspiration, dragging famous greek poets and historians and their obviously fantastic stories about supposedly "true" events, which is extremely funny and features sections such as:
"Therefore, as I myself, thanks to my vanity, was eager to hand something down to posterity, that I might not be the only one excluded from the privileges of poetic licence, and as I had nothing true to tell, not having had any adventures of significance, I took to lying. But my lying is far more honest …
While the story itself is interesting and entertaining, the pacing and similar aspects might not speak to most readers today, but people familiar with classic greek stories will feel at home. More interesting to me was its role as one of the first science fiction books, although this is obviously a modern perspective. The beginning of the book features a section in which Lucian explains his intentions and inspiration, dragging famous greek poets and historians and their obviously fantastic stories about supposedly "true" events, which is extremely funny and features sections such as:
"Therefore, as I myself, thanks to my vanity, was eager to hand something down to posterity, that I might not be the only one excluded from the privileges of poetic licence, and as I had nothing true to tell, not having had any adventures of significance, I took to lying. But my lying is far more honest than theirs, for though I tell the truth in nothing else, I shall at least be truthful in saying that I am a liar."
All in all, an interesting book, although you probably get his point in the first few pages if you arent that interested in the story and his style of story telling.