Product Description

Three lives will change the destiny of nations. Hellkaon, 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. In Lord of the Silver Bow, the first in an epic trilogy, David Gemmell combines vivid characterization with a wealth of historical detail in a compelling, unputdownable novel of love and hatred, ambition and rivalry, peace and war.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111363 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 449 pages

Review
David Gemmell is now widely acclaimed as Britain's king of heroic fantasy. He lives in East Sussex.

"From the Trade Paperback edition."

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

Superb
Having just read D.Eddings Malloeran, I was scratching my head for what to read when my father lent me this. It was my first David Gemmell book and what can I say but wow. You just cannot put this book down. The character development is second to none. You are drawn into their world of brutal fighting, murder and intrigue with a sense longing for the time of heroes. Even the main characters enemies are explored and their voices heard through the authors brilliant writings.

I found this such a fine detailed book but also extremely easy to read. Some fantasy novels have a habit of stretching things too far and too deep into their complexitites but Gemmell seems to strike the perfect balance. I loved this book so much that I bought the second in this series, Troy:Shield of Thunder, before I finshed it. Having just finished that in a record time for myself of 2 days(3 kids and full time job not withstanding) I feel myself yearning for more. In my opinion the second is even better than the first.That deserves a wowee!!

Sadly, David Gemmell passed away this year at the age of 57 before completing the final installment Troy:Fall of Kings. I feel totally selfish in my yearning for this book, which is to be completed by his wife. I did not know of this author before 3 weeks ago and yet I feel genuinely saddened at the loss of such a talent.

In a nutshell, these books have impressed me so much I will buy this one for myself and continue to buy David Gemmell until I have read all his books. I have yet to see a bad review of a single one. Get it, you won't be disapointed.

Top class as ever
Gemmell once more takes us on an epic adventure of history with his own twist. It has been said that this book is a bit slow and not as action packed as some of his Drenai series or Stones of Power book, but it is a multi part series about the same period of history, where as most of the other books were either stand alone or prequals to previous books, IE, the Druss the Legend series. This book deals with a period of time that has huge interest to me and, as always, I love the personal spin on the truth that David puts into his 'historical' books. This is a must for all Gemmell fans, and I cannot wait for the second book to come out! Buy it, you will not regret it!!!

Lord of the Silver Bow breathes new life into ancient myth
Famed more for his fantasy work, most notably his Drenai Series and his recent Rigante Quartet, David Gemmell surprised a number of people when he announced that he had ".....nursed a secret yen to write a novel about Troy." And that it was going to be the project that he would be working on for the next 3-4 years, culminating in a trilogy based on Homer's Epic.

When this information made its way to fans of his previous work, a great number of questions came flooding in from around the world, such as : How is he going to do this? Will he depart the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre in favour of Historical Fiction, and if he did would this novel have the classic trademarks of his other tales that have won him fans the world over? Other questions sprouted from that one acorn and left others wondering if he would have perhaps been better writing it under a pseudonym such as he did with White Knight, Black Swan and to keep writing the novels that the fans want. Or perhaps more worryingly, considering the recent plethora of films and novels connected to the ancient past, would this novel be something that would be better consigned to Pandora's box never to see the light of day?

All these questions and more needed answers but on a personal level, the Troy Trilogy is perhaps something that I've been hoping he would tackle since I read Lion of Macedon as well as Dark Prince, his previous excursions set in the time of Alexander and Phillip II of Macedon. Troy which has so oft been hinted at in previous novels (Ghost King, Last Sword of Power) has obviously held a fascination with him for a number of years and to be honest is something that to many people will have been crying out for an author like David to tackle. After all who was Homer but an ancient ancestor to the modern writer, making the time right, in a new millennium for the tale to have new life breathed into it.

But what does this novel have that will attract the public to part with their cash?
As usual with Gemmell's work the writing is crisp and whilst informative with some basic facts, required to give the reader an understanding into the worlds workings, it doesn't overload them, making them lose interest with the way the novel is expanding. The tale also moves at its own pace and as such the author isn't rushing into events that could well see the reader singled out and left wondering, "Why did that happen?" Or "What does it mean?" Allowing them to draw their own conclusions around the events surrounding the principle characters as well as giving them a greater understanding of how they ply their livelihoods. In fact, pace wise, it moves at the speed of the waves, sometimes quickly, whilst at other times at a more sedate pace, allowing each chapter to unfold to the reader as of they also a member of the expedition, sailing the "great green" side by side with the heroes of ancient history, giving them the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of ancestors thousands of years in the past.

This tale, I feel marks a change in his writing and as such will win him more fans the world over, not only does it keep the loyal followers of David's writing happy with the way in which he bridges the genres but it also offers something a little different in respect to the hero. Although a hero to all, Helikaon (The Golden One) show's a darker side to his personality, something that we've only ever seen in the reverse, a bad guy going good. Through this novel the reader is allowed a glimpse into the darker side of humanity, to see the reverse and as such its refreshing that a writer is prepared to do something that will perhaps shock a great many but also allows the human, emotional side to show through the characters loss. For me that particular scene in the novel more than justifies the cost and as such, with the way the novel finishes makes sure that a great many others will clamour to follow the latest antihero on his next voyage.

It is for this reason he has become perhaps one of the most popular British writers in the world today. Each character has had an incredible amount of time put into their development, allowing the reader to see the full three dimensional emotional character rather than a plain two dimensions, that make the obvious difference between a farcical cartoon stereotype and the heroes to which we are presented by Gemmell. In my opinion, it is this that everyone clamours for and as such will continue Gemmell's reign at the top of the Fantasy tree for many years to come. I await the chance to sail the "great green" again with Helikaon in Shield of Thunder.