Two Truths and a Lie about Ralph Hardy
1) I’m a twin. My brother’s name is David and he’s a producer/director for the North Carolina PBS station where he has won a number of regional Emmy awards. We’re even working on a book together, although our efforts have been somewhat sporadic lately.
2) I prefer cats to dogs. Some people are just cat people, right? We always had cats as I was growing up, and there’s just something about their antics that I can’t resist. In fact, I wrote a novel about a girl with a lot of big cats called “The Cheetah Diaries.” I love nothing more than watching cat videos on YouTube. Our current cat, Calypso, is fourteen years old.
3) I’m a pole vaulter. I started vaulting a year ago and now I’m hooked on the sport. I always wanted to pole vault in high school but our school didn’t have the equipment. Fast forward several decades and I’m jumping with Pole Vault Carolina, although technically I’m NOT vaulting because I’m recovering from shoulder surgery. But I hope to be back at it in a few months.
Answer (Highlight to reveal): The lie is #2.
Two Truths and a Lie about Argos
1) Argos is the first example of a pure-bred Alopekis, a small, fox-like, ancient breed of dogs from Greece who are noted for yappy barks, affection for anyone who pets them, and an affinity with cats. (lie)
2) Argos speaks a common tongue with all the animals on Ithaka, which allows him to seek help in his search for Odysseus.
3) Perhaps the greatest challenge Argos must face is the advancing pack of mountain wolves heading east toward his master Odysseus’s land. Since most of the brave men have left with Odysseus to fight in the Trojan War, he must fight them alone with only the help of a crow and a hedgehog.
Answer (Highlight to reveal): The lie is #1.
Two Lies and One Truth about Telemachos
1) Growing up without his father, Odysseus, there is no one to teach Telemachos how to hunt, but Argos teaches him how to follow the trail of a stag, to stay downwind of his prey, and to imitate the sound of a buck rubbing his bark against a tree. Yet on the biggest hunt of his life, Telemachos helps a huge stag escape from his rival hunters. He later learns that the stag he saved was a goddess in animal form. The goddess rewarded him by ensuring that every arrow he shot would find its target.
2) When Odysseus finally returns to Ithaka, Telemachos recognizes him immediately and runs to him, embracing his long-lost father. Their reunion terrifies the suitors who have been seeking the hand of Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, and they leave the estate and give up their claims. (lie)
3) Telemachos goes to school at Plato’s academy in Athens and spends his days discussing philosophy, how to live a virtuous life, and studying geometry. (lie)
Answer (Highlight to reveal): The truth is #1.
*****
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published May 31st 2016 by HarperCollins
Summary:
Fans of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series will love this reimagining of Homer’s The Odyssey told from the point of view of Odysseus’s loyal dog, Argos.
Now available in paperback, this rousing story of devotion and determination is an original take on one of the most beloved myths of all time.
For twenty years, the great hero Odysseus struggles to return to home on Ithaka. He defeats monsters. He outsmarts the Cyclops. He battles the gods. He does whatever it takes to reunite with his family.
And what of that family—his devoted wife, Penelope; his young son, Telemachos; his dog, Argos? For those twenty years, they wait, unsure whether they will ever see Odysseus again. But Argos has found a way to track his master.
Any animal who sets foot or wing on Ithaka brings him news of Odysseus’s epic voyage. These tales bring hope that one day his master will return. Meanwhile, Argos the loyal dog watches over his master’s family and protects them from the dangers that surround a throne without its king.
Ralph Hardy graduated from the University of North Carolina and received an MFA from Columbia College, Chicago. He now lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife and two children. He is also the author of
Lefty and
The Cheetah Diaries.
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win
- One (1) winner will receive a finished copy of Argos
- US only
Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
Leave a Reply