A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' Times I still doubt that I will remember much of it. It's just too much information. But it is nevertheless a very readable and enjoyable book, thanks to Fry's wry humor, capable guidance and charming narrative voice. Troy, the jewel of the Aegean Sea. Ruled by Priam, defended by Hector, but ultimately doomed by Paris. In this book, Stephen Fry once again proves his talent in not only knowing every detail of the source material but of also cunningly choosing what is interesting and important and what would be too repetitive or killing the reader with boredom (anyone having read The Iliad will know what I mean). And witness the epic climax - the wooden horse, delivered to the city of Troy in a masterclass of deception by the Greeks . . .

When she fell, a hole opened in the human world that may never be filled, save in memory. Poets must sing the story over and over again, passing it from generation to generation, lest in losing Troy we lose a part of ourselves.” I'll be honest. I've often loved to read the Illiad itself and have enjoyed a great number of side stories by other greats (like Shakespeare) or retellings by modern novelists, but however good these are, few come truly close to the grandeur of the original. And the original, (or at least the English translation I'm always reading,) has a very annoying (to me) feature of lists, lists, lists, lists and more lists. Do I get tired of names after names after names? Sadly, yes, I do. Genesis (book, not group) also gives me a headache. :) Stephen Fry is a masterful storyteller, and while these stories are not new to anyone, Stephen Fry makes these stories accessible to anybody and everybody who is yet to read the classics themselves. Added to the stories are Stephen Fry’s witty take on the characters and events as well as contemporary references and trivia interspersed throughout the narrative. The featured classical artwork inspired by these stories is stunning. I also enjoyed the segment on Myth vs. Reality towards the end of the book. The discussion about the research into the historical elements of the myths and disputes revolving around the same was very well presented.Aside from what I have stated as opinion, I am not sure I have any unique insights to offer. I will place below several additional quotations that attempt to show the fullness of this magnificent creation. From the founding of the city of Troy to the story of the apple of discord, Helen's very unusual conception, Odysseus' schemes, Achilles' tantrums and finally, the majestic trap of the horse: not a detail is missing from this epic story of passion and blood, and Fry's trademark erudite wit paints a bright and lively picture of each chapter. Fry is a master storyteller. His prose is lovely. Having not yet read his first two books MYTHOS and HEROES, it didn’t matter whether #3 TROY was where I started. I have MYTHOS waiting for me on Audible and can’t wait to listen to Stephen Fry as the narrator. What did we see last night?” he asked. “It wasn’t warfare. It was madness. Deception, savagery, dishonor, and disgrace. What have the mortals become?” Forget him. What is treasure? Or Briseis, or honor, or anything? Next to the life of the one I loved best and dearest? My beloved, my only Patroclus.”

Fry's narrative is based primarily on the story as related in Homer's The Iliad (c.800BCE), although he also draws on other relevant ancient texts including Aeschylus's The Orestia (c.458BCE), Euripides's Iphigenia at Aulis (c.420BCE), and Virgil's The Aeneid (c.19BCE) together with more modern works such as Chaucer's (c.1380-90) and Shakespeare's (1601) interpretations of the story of Troilus and Cressida. Whether, and to what extent the legend is based on historical events remains a matter for fascinating conjecture between historians, classicists, archaeologists and linguists. For context, the battles upon which the stories are based are believed to have occurred at some point between 1280BCE and 1160BCE, up to 3,300 years ago, during the Bronze age. The point really is that with myth we can sift and sort details of personality, archaeology, and origins as we would with real lives and histories, yet simultaneously accept and embrace supernatural and symbolic elements of fiction and magic.” 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. Troy is probably the best written of Stephen Fry's Mythos books, from a storytelling and characterisation perspective at any rate. I've always found those particular areas to be the weakest links in the series and improvements were definitely needed. That's especially true here, with the fall of Troy being such a well known story and more importantly, a very human-centric one. It also can't help but be compared to the original epic saga, Homer's Iliad. We achieve immortality not through ambrosia and ichor but through history and reputation. Through statues and epic song.”

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Nevertheless, it was again a struggle to keep all the characters and their relationships straight. For someone relatively new to the material these are challenging books. But Fry knows that, and does a good job of both directing your attention to where it is best used and also never giving you the feeling of being stupid, just because you can't remember all of the names and stories. Where he feels it is necessary he gives you a short reminder, so I never really felt lost. Drama - "You’re a big fellow, Ajax, and very strong, but our most valuable asset? I don’t think so.” Odysseus’s smiling modesty was more than Ajax could bear. He stormed from the meeting, leaving behind a stunned and sorrowful silence. “Dear me,” said Odysseus. “What a pity. I’ve always liked Ajax, you know. My deputy Eurylochus will stop by to transfer the armor to my ship. I’ll see you all for supper later on?” Ajax, meanwhile, stamped off to his tent, convinced that he had been deliberately snubbed and insulted."

Curl up on your sofa as Stephen brings to life the legendary . . . passionate and powerful story of Troy The List Of course, there are much more detailed and complex analyses of the work. There are probably dozens if not a hundred different translations and fanboys *scholars* who can tell you things like how much wood was used to make the horse. The only thing I found myself missing was more of the tragic relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, which might be because I love The Song of Achilles. Fry did mention that it might have been romantic, but I did feel that it was a bit down-played, which doesn't really make sense since the author himself is gay. The problem with this was not only that I didn't get the pining that I personally wanted, but when Patroclus died and Achilles went mad with grief, it didn't quite connect the same way that it would've if we'd really gotten to know just how much these two loved each other. Troy is a myth in which we seek the truth about ourselves, which Stephen Fry brings breathtakingly to life for our modern age.An inimitable retelling of the siege of Troy . . . Fry's narrative, artfully humorous and rich in detail, breathes life and contemporary relevance into these ancient tales' OBSERVER It is Zeus, the king of the gods, who triggers war when he asks the Trojan prince Paris to judge the fairest goddess of them all. Aphrodite bribes Paris with the heart of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of the Greeks, and nature takes its course.

After reading Fry's wonderful book of Greek mythology ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), it was just a matter of time before I got myself a copy of his version of the siege of Troy - and I knew I would love it. Not only because it is easily one of my favorite stories, but because I knew that he loved the subject with such passion and enthusiasm that he would make this classic fresh, entertaining and vivid. Obviously, you can tell from the rating that I was not disappointed. I particularly enjoyed Troy for it's unexpected humour! Calchas' predictions (or rather, Agamemnon's reactions to his predictions) were particularly giggle inducing! Agamemnon dubbed Calchas "The Prophet of Evil," and with good reason too. It is a terrible, brutal war with casualties on all sides. The Greeks cannot defeat the Trojans - since Achilles, the Greek’s boldest warrior, is consumed with jealousy over an ally’s choice of lover and will not fight … A wondrous new immersion in ancient stories we only thought we knew. Brilliant, funny, erudite, inventive, surprising and enthralling Richard North Patterson We achieve immortality not through ambrosia and ichor but through history and reputation. Through statues and epic song."The rise and fall of Troy told by Stephen Fry, in his unparalleled wit and verve. He's really some charming guy. Many thanks to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Stephen Fry for the ARC of TROY in exchange for an honest review. My other point of hesitation is the 2 hours-like part in "Ilium" which is basically a summary, more than a retelling, of that quintessential paradigm of Western (and, arguably, world) literature that is the "Iliad", but I guess that's inevitable: do you set out to write a story of the Trojan cycle only to skip completely such an important part of the Trojan War "because Homer did it best", or do you accept the inevitable and follow Homer sometimes line by line? Fry chooses the latter and I honestly can't blame him, I would find it a difficult choice regardless. Where I think he shines, though, much like he did in his two previous books, is when he patches together (rhapsode-like :D ) all the other previous and following threads of narrative that are *not* part of the "Iliad": this is a praiseworthy achievement because even as a scholar myself it's sometimes hard to piece together a consistent narrative of all the events narrated in this book, and every now and then it's just pleasing to just listen to a good narrator who did the hard work for you! It is a myth in which we seek the truth about ourselves and which Stephen Fry brings breathtakingly to life. Troy. The most marvellous kingdom in all the world. The Jewel of the Aegean. Glittering Ilion, the city that rose and fell not once but twice . . .'