The Hidden (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Hill's prose is unusual, striking and memorable - like poetry, some passages merit rereading. They convey with power and strong visual imagery- the feel and appearance of the landscapes of Greece. I also learned quite a few new words - did you know that "laniary" means canine and "ophidian" indicates "snake" - an apt description for one of the characters? Far from being dull, the inclusion of the anti-hero Ben's "notes for a thesis" are interesting and informative - reminding me of the Spartans' harsh, pragmatic approach to life, and evoking parallels with modern issues of fundamentalism, eugenics and the fanaticism of idealistic groups and cults. The experience of taking part in a dig is described well, again with some interesting insights, such as the fine line between the excitement of a valuable find, and the avaricious desire to possess and profit from it. Some of the dialogue is quite effective in capturing the personalities of the key characters, and their relationships.

On the downside, I agree with those who find the plot a little lacking. Certain critical events seem to happen abruptly, without the potential build up which increase both the tension and their plausibility. Ben seems to make sudden leaps of understanding on evidence which escaped me until then - although I quite enjoy being made "to work" as a reader, and not having everything spelt out too baldly. The final climax is not as shocking as other reviewers have led me to expect. The lack of inverted commas and "he said, she said" etc makes some of the dialogue hard to follow. Even after rereading some passages several times, I was unable to deduce who said what - and some observations seem very obscure. This is at times an unhelpful distraction.

Also, the characters are not developed very fully. and often seem two dimensional or unconvincing. I do not really care what happens to any of them. Some plot lines are left dangling as loose ends, in particular the time Ben spends working in an Athens restaurant, where the tensions built up between his work mates and the proprietor's son do not lead to any dramatic climax.

Overall the quality of the writing is excellent in parts, the story gripped me to the end, but more care over the portrayal of characters and the development of the plot would have made this the outstanding novel, which it falls short of being.

Ben Mercer, a young archaeologist fleeing his estranged family in Oxford, finds his way to Athens and thence to Sparta, Athens' nemesis in the 5th Century BC. Confused and lonely, he insinuates himself into a team digging the site of ancient Sparta, an austere and introverted society whose warrior elite practised a form of eugenics by exposing unwanted children and for three centuries managed to keep subdued huge numbers of local people through terror.

Ben desperately wants to feel he belongs somewhere, to be part of the multi-national group of archaeologists, but is the dig all that it seems? As he gradually melts their hostility towards him, and begins a relationship with one of the women on the dig, one is led to wonder whether there is something behind their apparent willingness to admit him to their number. Worryingly, ritual appears to be as important to the modern-day team as to the ancients...

My first encounter with Tobias Hill was his novel `Underground', a smart thriller with a strong sense of place. In his latest novel, Hill similarly ratchets up the tension as the reader tries to work out what is really going on. Aspects of the story, and particularly its dark tones and exploration of the tribal instinct, are reminiscent of Donna Tartt's `The Secret History'. But this is better.

For Tobias Hill is also a poet and what really sets this book apart are his beautiful descriptions of the mountainous landscapes and Greek winter, and the undercutting of any tourist's-eye view of Greece by reference to its troubled and unresolved recent political history. And if characterisation, admittedly of some pretty unpleasant people, sometimes loses out, the romantic moments are entirely convincing and the ending packs a satisfying punch.

One of those books for which the idea, the intellect, the quality of writing and the reviews are all more positive than the actual experience of reading it. The middle section drags, while the central character's 'big decision' doesn't appear until page 400 of a 470 page novel. Wants to be a thriller and a meditation (like 'The Magus') - but by the final page, it's fallen between two stools. Hill is a writer of considerable merit, but this isn't his best work.