The novellas take place in ancient Greece during the Persian Wars (500 to 449 B.C.). Because most schools no longer require a course in ancient Greek history, the historical setting of Children of the Fox may be very unfamiliar. Fortunately the afterword to the tales includes an explanation of the different governing systems of the Greek citystates of Athens and Sparta and the intense rivalry between them. Athens is threatened by an invasion of the army of the Great King of Persia and must rely on help from Sparta and the other Greek cities to throw off the invasion. But because of their rivalries, the Greek generals cannot agree to fight as a united army or navy, and so Themistokles, the Athenian general, treacherously sends a message to the enemy Persians to trick them into attacking the Greek armies before quarrels split them apart. The stories revolve around Themistokles's...