The Hidden by Tobias Hill

The Hidden

Tobias Hill

Were the Spartans heroes or villains? Ancient tribal loyalties and rituals are echoed here in modern day Greece. Unresolved recent political troubles resurface amongst a group of young archaeologists digging the site of ancient Sparta, when a newcomer seeks to join their apparently charmed circle. This is a slow-burning fuse of a plot, about terrorism, ending in an explosion of horror.

Extract
- What do we think of Sparta then, now we've found their accomplishments? I bet Helen was proud of them. How many are there down there, do you reckon? You'd think they might have guessed they were doing something wrong after the first dozen-
- Don't be ridiculous. Medicines are poisonous, it's in their nature. To judge between the dose that heals and that which harms is incredibly hard. People misjudge that now. Look at the Victorians-
- Who cares about the Victorians? I didn't come here because I look up to the Victorians. What I'm saying, all this time, here we were, worshipping at the feet of Sparta, following in the footsteps of Sparta - that is what we were doing - digging for the glorious accomplishments of Sparta. And here they are, and they're horrors. Eh? So much for fucking Sparta!
Parallels
  • The Secret History by Donna Tartt
  • The Beach by Alex Garland
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Violence
Explicit sexual content