Product Description

The war to end all wars ... High adventure and epic storytelling combine in the final novel in David Gemmell's bestselling Troy trilogy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #309 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-24
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 448 pages

Synopsis
Darkness falls on the Great Green, and the Ancient World is fiercely divided. On the killing fields outside the golden city of Troy, forces loyal to the Mykene King mass. Among them is Odysseus, fabled storyteller and reluctant ally to the Mykene, who knows that he must soon face his former friends in deadly combat. Within the city, the Trojan king waits. Ailing and bitter, his hope is pinned on two heroes: his favourite son Hektor, and the dread Helikaon who will wreak terrible vengeance for the death of his wife at Mykene hands. War has been declared. As enemies, who are also kinsmen, are filled with bloodlust, they know that many of them will die, and that some will become heroes: heroes who will live for ever in a story that will echo down the centuries.

From the Inside Flap
DARKNESS FALLS ON THE GREAT GREEN,
and the Ancient World is fiercely divided.

On the killing fields outside the golden city of Troy, forces loyal to the Mykene King Agamemnon mass.

Among them is Odysseus, fabled storyteller and reluctant ally to the Mykene. He knows that Agamemnon will stop at nothing to secure the treasure that lies within the city walls, and he must soon face his former friends in deadly combat.

Ailing and bitter, the Trojan king waits. His hope is pinned on two heroes: his favourite son, Hektor, the mightiest warrior of his age, and the dread Helikaon, who will wreak terrible vengeance for the death of his wife at Mykene hands.

War has been declared.

As enemies, who are also kinsmen, are filled with bloodlust, they know that some of them - men and women - will become heroes: heroes who will live for ever in a story that will echo down the centuries.

About the Author
Published in 1984, David A. Gemmell's first novel, Legend, has become a classic. His most recent Drenai and Rigante novels are available as Corgi paperbacks; all are Sunday Times bestsellers.
Now widely regarded as one of the finest writers of heroic fantasy, David Gemmell lived in East Sussex until his death in July 2006.

Customer Reviews

A fitting conclusion?
I realise that the last part in this absorbing triolgy had to be finsihed off by Stella Gemmell following David's untimely death. Although other reviewers suggest that this is seemless, I beg to dissagree. The final part of the triolgy is well crafted and brings a touch of refreshing, imagined "realism" to the tale of Troy's downfall. However, the storyline falls flat towards the end. Clearly, David Gemmell had a longer work in mind. Perhaps, even another book or series of books, charting the mythical rise of Rome (the "Seven Hills" of his story) in the manner of the Aeneid, just as the Trojan War triolgy is broadly based on the Iliad. We shall never know and that is a shame because that story is one which would have benefited from a re-telling by someone with David Gemmell's obvious talent.
That notwithstanding, there are a number of other loose ends such as the fate of Moses - yet another series of books which we shall never see. Oh well! Enjoy what we have.

A bold literary feat
Homer, Aeschylus, Virgil, and other literary giants wrote on the end of Troy. Kudos to David and Stella Gemmell for having risked comparison to them. The "alternate" history is fascinating and convincing: only little flaw, Agamemnon, if this were a graphic novel, should have "bad guy of the tale" tattooed on his forehead, or so it seems. And,well, Agamemnon's end as depicted by Aeschylus couldn't be surpassed, still his demise is admittedly much more spectacular. And one can't but admire the geo-historical precision of the tale, with Hittite, Egyptians, and others. I've loved Helikaon and Odysseus's portrayals. Alas, Gemmell is gone as the heroes he wrote about, but his magnificent novels shall remain.

Disappointment
I am a huge David Gemmell fan and thought the first two Troy books were excellent. Unfortunately with the third you can tell where his wife/ghost writer took over, as all of a sudden characters seem two dimensional and behave out of character. I finished the book, but it left me feeling quite disappointed in the end. I gave it 3 stars purely because I appreciate Stella Gemmell (? can't be bothered checking the name) tried to finish her husband's work, but in reality I think 2 stars is closer to the mark.