'Roderick Beaton's book has played a mojor role in stimulating research, largely because it not only offers new solutions to the purely philological problems, but also treats the texts as literary artefacts, legitimate precursors of the modern novel.' - David Holton, Times Literary Supplement

'It is a notable scholarly achievement: it presents complex philological issues with admirable clarity and reveals the sophistication of medieval Greek fiction. Thanks to Roderick Beaton, these texts can no longer be dismissed as abstruse, impenetrable and tedious curiositites, but as highly relevant to modern Greek culture, and in particular to the development of the modern genre of the novel.' - The Anglo-Hellenic Review.