Hardcover, 432 pages
English language
Published Oct. 29, 2020 by Michael Joseph.
The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against the city of Troy, to which they will lay siege for ten whole years. It is a terrible war with casualties on all sides as well as strained relations between allies, whose consequences become tragedies.
In Troy you will find heroism and hatred, love and loss, revenge and regret, desire and despair. It is these human passions, written bloodily in the sands of a distant shore, that still speak to us today.
I especially liked the first part of the book which is about the things that happened before Troy itself happened. The war itself is so barbaric in every sense that it makes me wonder why it survived all these centuries.
It makes me want to read and appreciate The Iliad, which is a great achievement.
Not as strong as the previous two. Mythos and Heroes, with their wide variety of stories, suited the relaxed light informative tone of Fry's writing, whereas with Troy there was a noticeable lack of the passion and fire the material definitely deserves.
Still a great time though.
