I’ve enjoyed most of the books by William Golding I’ve read, despite one being a text for my ‘A’ level English Lit GCE.
This one, however was tough to enjoy. It was difficult to engage with most of the characters, and the need for a personal familiarity with the times portrayed rather diminished the enjoyment that might have been had. I know something of all three scenarios, but insufficient detail of ancient Egypt (The Scorpion God) and the specific period of the Roman Empire (Envoy Extraordinary) meant I felt partially lost throughout both these stories. It was easier to imagine the prehistorical world of early humanity in Clonk Clonk, and that made this story the most accessible for me. I could readily empathise with the malformed hunter as he attempted to persuade his tribe he was worthy of their respect.
A somewhat disappointing read, but mercifully short and therefore not too much time was needed to finish what became a determined ploughing through a text resembling more a maze than a story.
[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]
Stuart Aken 
I’ve read a lot of Golding’s writing but not this one. Thanks for the review, Stuart.
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It was rather too ‘clever’ and academic for my tastes, Lynette. And, judging by other reviews on Goodreads, I wasn’t alone in this. Everything else of his I’ve read with enjoyment, however.
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And the author won a Nobel Prize? Amazing. The only work of Golding that I am familiar with is Lord of the Flies. I’ve tried to read books by the Nobel winners and almost all of them are confusing and/or obtuse. Maybe that’s what they judge on – the more uninterpretable the writing, the more the judges think it’s profound work.
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I can see where you’re coming from, Noelle. I’ve sometimes wondered whether some of those who form the panels suffer a little from ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ syndrome. But Golding’s other works are definitely of an inspiring and engaging nature, and on that basis, I’d say he was a worthy winner.
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