Product Description

The war of Troy is looming, and all the kings of the Great Green are gathering, friends and enemies, each with their own dark plans of conquest and plunder. Into this maelstrom of treachery and deceit come three travellers; Piria, a runaway priestess nursing a terrible secret, Kalliades, a warrior with a legendary sword, and Banokles who will carve his own legend in the battles to come. "Shield of Thunder" takes the reader back into the glories and tragedies of Bronze Age Greece, reuniting the characters from Lord of the Silver Bow; the dread Helikaon and his great love, the fiery Andromache, the mighty Hektor and the fabled storyteller, Odysseus.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5409 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 449 pages

From the Back Cover
‘History and legend combine in the epic re-creation of the Troy myth’Conn Iggulden War is looming, and all the kings of the Great Green are gathering, each with their own dark plans of conquest and plunder.

Into this maelstrom of treachery come three travellers: Piria, a runaway priestess nursing a terrible secret; Kalliades, a warrior with high ideals and a legendary sword; and his close friend Banokles, who will carve his own legend in the battles to come. Together they journey to the fabled city of Troy, where a darkness is falling that will eclipse the triumphs and personal tragedies of ordinary mortals for centuries to come.

The Sunday Times bestseller

About the Author
David A. Gemmell's first novel, Legend, was first published in 1984 and went on to become a classic. His most recent Drenai and Rigante novels are available as Corgi paperbacks; all are Sunday Times bestsellers. Widely regarded as the finest writer of heroic fantasy, David Gemmell lived in Sussex until his tragic death in July 2006.

Customer Reviews

Heartbreakingly brilliant
In the 1970's I read all of Tolkien, in the early 1980's I read all of Moorcock, then work, marriage and children, recently I have read all of Scarrow, Iggulden, Pressfied and Manfredi; you know where this leads, to the very last of David Gemmell's novels, the trojan war trilogy. Hence the heartbreak! The first book, 'The Lord of The Silver Bow' is exquisite in the way it establishes the main characters, breathes into them soul, and paints an utterly believable picture of the nature of civilisation at that time. The book seperates the many strands that make up the eventual story told by virtuous Greek historians.

This second book of the trilogy, although temporalily abandoning characters you wish to hear more of, slowly weaves the strands of the story back together. Introducing new characters and slowly re-introducing those already known. In so doing one is constantly fighting the inevitability of the known outcome, yet willing it not to be thus.

Unlike other Gemmell novels, there is less fantasy, and more a speculation on the nature of ancient Greek society and religion (mythology) and how that influenced poeples lives; how and why the Trojan war might have come about; how legends are formed.

You will, as I did, be crying out for the final, yet inevitable, outcome, sadly this for me coincided with the news of David's passing. Heartbreaking. Then in the best of stories, hope emerges and there is the prospect of the concluding part of the trilogy, plus for me, the rest of David's back catolugue (I have just devoured Dark Moon - excellent).

This was a wonderful book
As I knew it would be... It was sad to read knowing that this is the very last book Mr. Gemmell will every complete. As usual he delivered a book with wonderful characters, vivid battles and ordinary flawed people who become heroes. Even though a third book is in the works (I have heard that he finished most of it, and that his wife is completing it based off of his outlines) the book finishes well and does not leave you hanging. I will miss David Gemmell's writing. Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, go and read it.

Nobody Did it Better

I can only echo the sentiments of other reviewers and send my sincere condolences to the family and friends of David Gemmell. He was without doubt the best writer of fantasy on the planet and will be sadly missed by all his fans and book readers throughout the world. His writing style seemed effortless. Fluid and fluent I would describe it. His books never had a `lull' in them. The reader was drawn effortlessly along and before you knew it you had come to the sad part, the end of the book. To think that there will be no more David Gemmell books after this one is a sobering thought. R.I.P.

The book itself is secondary to the sad loss of David, but readers deserve some insight into it, though I am sure it will be bought by all of David's fans. It would be easy for me to say that it is the best book he has ever written, but that would short change many of the other wonderful books that David conjured up in that fertile mind.

This novel is a follow up to Lord of the Silver Bow and is set at a time when the war of Troy is looming and all of the Kings are congregating each with their own plans for conquest. Shield of Thunder returns the reader back to the time of Ancient Greece, an age of warriors and heroes, a time of myths and legends. Into this age come three travellers, Piria, a runaway priestess, Kalliades, a great warrior with a powerful sword and Banokles who will make his own legends in the times ahead.