After captivating readers with his formidable Mythos and Heroes, Fry turns his attention to another great narrative from Ancient Greece, exploring the timeless human passions that beat at the heart of this iconic old story of heroism, love, despair and revenge.
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 . . .
The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against that great city, to which they will lay siege for ten whole and very bloody years.
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 naturally, nature takes its course.
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, the Trojan slave Briseis, and will not fight . . .
The stage is set for the oldest and greatest story ever told, where monstrous passions meet the highest ideals and the lowest cunning. 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.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781405944465
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 323 g
Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 26 mm
An amiable meander through the historic sources . . . Fry's light and graceful tone helps to ease the unfamiliar reader through the complicated genealogies - The Times
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
Fry's lively writing certainly conveys his lifelong passion for Greek myths . . . It's a rollicking good read - Independent
Perfect for the 21st Century. Ebullient, funny, Fry retells the Greek myths with elegance - The Times
Lively, humorous and intimate, this retelling has real charm - Guardian
A wondrous new immersion in ancient stories we only thought we knew. Brilliant, funny, erudite, inventive, surprising and enthralling - Richard North Patterson
Tragedy and passion abound as Fry retells the epic siege of Troy - Metro
Stephen Fry takes the reader into the heart of a story both mythical and grounded in history - Northern Life Magazine
This pacy, witty retelling is beautifully illustrated, with an epilogue explaining the myths and historical reality of Troy - Daily Mail
Astonishing . . . an excellent read - The Oldie
Curl up on your sofa as Stephen brings to life the legendary . . . passionate and powerful story of Troy - The List
Fry is a genial guide to Greek mythology - Daily Telegraph
Fry's knowledge of the world - ancient and modern - bursts through at the seams . . . The reader will find themselves on a fun romp through the world's greatest story - Daily Telegraph
Full of heroism, desire and drama - Eastern Daily Press
Fry really brings the tale to life, adding his own wry humour to the mix . . . Well worth a read - The Hunsbury Handbook
A story thousands of years old, only Fry could rewrite this so captivating as ever - School House
Fry takes us from the founding myth of Troy, through its most famous inhabitants and the infamous war, to the razing of the city by the vengeful and victorious Achaeans - Times
Imagine immersing yourself amongst the ruins of an ancient city. Jagged rocks split open, the sun beaming down upon the cracked tiles. Images of a mighty battle greet your eyes. Now, imagine it in a book. Except we... More
I've read several translations of Homer's Iliad but have always missed a lot of the before and after bits as Homer's poem is rather focussed on Achilles' sulks and the main battle. I saw this... More
Slowly slowly I am absorbing a new understanding of the Greek Myths through Stephen Fry’s books - and others - and finding them vibrant and relevant. The humanity and insight they contain comes through in this... More
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