-
Access Our
Best Book Club
Books of 2025!
A Novel
by Mark Prins
A contemporary reimagining of the Daphne and Apollo myth, The Latinist is a page-turning exploration of power, ambition, and the intertwining of love and obsession.
Tessa Templeton has thrived at Oxford University under the tutelage and praise of esteemed classics professor Christopher Eccles. And now, his support is the one thing she can rely on: her job search has yielded nothing, and her devotion to her work has just cost her her boyfriend, Ben. Yet shortly before her thesis defense, Tessa learns that Chris has sabotaged her career―and realizes their relationship is not at all what she believed.
Driven by what he mistakes as love for Tessa, Chris has ensured that no other institution will offer her a position, keeping her at Oxford with him. His tactics grow more invasive as he determines to prove he has her best interests at heart. Meanwhile, Tessa scrambles to undo the damage―and in the process makes a startling discovery about an obscure second-century Latin poet that could launch her into academic stardom, finally freeing her from Chris's influence.
A contemporary reimagining of the Daphne and Apollo myth, The Latinist is a page-turning exploration of power, ambition, and the intertwining of love and obsession.
"Prins puts a contemporary spin on the Apollo and Daphne myth in his laudable debut...[his] riveting tale of love, power, and possession matches deep characterization with an intriguing plot involving ancient texts, necropolises, and archaeological sites. Fans of academic thrillers will dig this." - Publishers Weekly
"Events come to a satisfying climax...but then the author tacks on a bizarre, gothic denouement that nothing in the development of his two main characters has prepared for. The novel's subdued but pronounced feminist undertones suddenly morph into distasteful and implausible revenge porn that leaves a nasty aftertaste as the plot is hastily wrapped up. Ninety percent of a smart, twisty thriller, but the finale just doesn't work." - Kirkus Reviews
"Mark Prins weaves together an extremely contemporary plot―an American academic caught up in the machinations of her advisor at Oxford―with a much older plot―the discovery of a second-century Roman poet. The two thrillingly intertwine and the result is a wonderfully suspenseful novel. The Latinist is a brilliant debut." - Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field
"With its ambitious young scholar, an ancient tomb, and a scheming advisor, The Latinist is a twisty and memorable new addition to the campus-novel genre. Mark Prins propels you through his tale of breakthroughs and retribution while delivering a sharp commentary on power dynamics in academia. A cunning and insightful read―I couldn't put it down." - Maria Hummel, author of Still Lives and Lesson in Red
"Within the first few pages of this book, I knew I was in the hands of a masterful storyteller. The Latinist is imaginative, propulsive, and wildly intelligent. What a joy to encounter a thrilling and singular new voice in fiction." - Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest and Good Company
"A novel about love and scholarship, ego and obsession, coercion and consent―a brilliant, marvelously infuriating puzzle of a book that combines the globe-trotting exploits of The Da Vinci Code with the smarts and literary gifts of A. S. Byatt. A terrific debut!" - Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement
"Darkly disturbing and luminously told.… Every twist is delicious and every turn breathtaking as Mark Prins's devilish debut revels in a scholarly world of cunning, ruthlessness, and dangerous obsession. Funny, erudite, and utterly absorbing, this is a merciless tale to be relished like a guilty pleasure." - Christopher J. Yates, author of Black Chalk and Grist Mill Road
"Brainy and deftly plotted, The Latinist enchants with its deft inversions of power, its witty poetic inventions, and its passion for languages old and new. A lovely debut." - Andrea Barrett, author of Archangel and The Air We Breathe
"The Latinist is a whip-smart tale of obsession that teeters on the knife-edge of suspense and literary fiction; Mark Prins is a worthy successor to Patricia Highsmith, Donna Tartt, and Ian McEwan." - Alexandra Andrews, author of Who Is Maud Dixon?
This information about The Latinist was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Mark Prins is a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a recipient of fellowships from the Truman Capote Literary Trust, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the Sun Valley Writers' Conference. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
.gif)
Harvard is the storehouse of knowledge because the freshmen bring so much in and the graduates take so little out.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
