Product Description

Three lives will change the destiny of nations. Helikaon, the young prince of Dardania, haunted by a scarred and traumatic childhood. The priestess Andromache, whose fiery spirit and fierce independence threatens the might of kings. And the legendary warrior Argurios, cloaked in loneliness and driven only by thoughts of revenge. In Troy, they find a city torn apart by destructive rivalries - a maelstrom of jealousy, deceit and murderous treachery. And beyond its fabled walls blood-hungry enemies eye its riches and plot its downfall. It is a time of bravery and betrayal; a time of bloodshed and fear. A time for heroes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1059 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 449 pages

Review
Final volume in the authors' historical fantasy (Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow, 2005, etc.) very loosely based on The Iliad. The narrative was completed by Stella following the death of her husband in 2006.Agamemnon of Mykene and his allies seek the destruction of Troy and its king, Priam, for the latter's supposedly vast hoard of treasure, not revenge for the abduction of the fabled Helen - here she is plain, plump and peripheral. Odysseus, a wanderer and fabulist, has strong ties to Troy's main ally, fierce mariner Helikaon (aka Aeneas) of Dardania, and sides with Agamemnon only because of a now-regretted oath. Warrior Achilles despises cold, treacherous, ambitious Agamemnon. Priam's in his dotage, and turns over the defense of Troy to his sons. However, before the battle for Troy can reach its climax, Helikaon must take Andromache, Prince Hektor's wife, to the island of Thera to return some bones and fulfill a vow. Andromache - just one of the many strong female characters - loves Helikaon as well as her husband, and complications ensue. Helikaon's warship is the most powerful on the seas - and he's armed with Greek fire! Other anachronisms abound: the Mykene fight in Macedonian phalanxes; the characters merrily chomp on corn bread. There's plenty of revisionism, too: Achilles kills Paris, not the other way around, and never sulks in his tent, while his single combat with Hektor ends not at all as Homer would have us believe. Finally, the Trojan Horse, still a brilliant deception inspired by Odysseus, owes nothing to a hollow statue on wheels.A rousing conclusion for fans of the previous volumes - but not one for the purists. (Kirkus Reviews)

Birmingham Independent
A powerful, page-turning series encompassing the Trojan war ... packed with high adventure, vivid characters and fascinating historical detail.

From the Publisher
Compelling, unputdownable novel of love and hatred, ambition and rivalry, peace and war by Sunday Times bestselling David Gemmell.

Customer Reviews

An Epic from Start to Finish
I was first introduced to the work of David Gemmell at age 14, when I loaned a copy of Lion of Macedon from my Uncle. I couldn't put it down, and borrowed Dark Prince straight after. They were classics, and I knew it.

I saw this on the shelf of my local waterstones, and after nine months of reading mostly Star Trek and Doctor Who books, I was looking for something a bit different. This was it. It is a gripping read, which never fails to disappoint.

The story itself centres around 'The Golden One' Helikaon, prince of Dardania, and his voyages and escapades sailing his ship, the Xanthos, across the murky waters of 'The Great Green' (Mediteranean Sea). It follows the exploits of him and his friend Zidantas and the crew of his ship.

On her maiden voyage the Xanthos picks up two Mykene Warriors, one who is called Argurios, and is one of the main characters in the book.There is some animosity between Helikaon and Argurios to start with, although this is metered with an amount of Respect and Mutual Appreciation, which leads to often surprising situations and scenarios.

As well as his friendship with Argurios, the story centres around the love of Helikaon for Andromache, a priestess of Thera, who is openly bi-sexual, and apparently very attractive in a non-descript sort of way. Either way there is some Poltical conspiracy in their relationship as Princess Andromache has been given to King Priam of Troy to marry his Son, Hektor, the greek mythos.

What a great read it is! I simply couldn't put it down, although it is true that characters like Hektor and Odysseus only play a supporting role in this re-telling of the Greek Legend, their pressence is felt throughout the story, as are the consequences of Battle, Piracy and Betrayal.

I recommend this to anybody, especially Lord of the Rings Fans!

"Fantastic" what more can one say
I have just finished reading `Troy fall of kings` the third book in this trilogy & what an uptake on the Troy legend,all three books are absolutely brilliant. I would like to think that some day maybe Peter Jackson or another with his vision & imagination would make some David Gemmell heroic fantasy novels into films & give them the true accolade they deserve. The best heroic fantasy novel books I have ever read.

Superb swashbuckling adventure with a Greek setting
Although this is set in ancient Greece it could really be set in Drenai or any other of Gemmell's worlds as it reads very similar to those, which is no bad thing as no one does heroic fantasy better than Gemmell.

This book is full of action, violence and war-mongering, along with some very well written characters. Gemmell's heros are never whiter than white, they always have their own flaws, which makes them very believable. Another awesome book from Gemmell.