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A fun romp through the world's greatest story. Fry's knowledge of the world - ancient and modern - bursts through' Daily Telegraph Troy is a story that I believe we all know, and it is probably because of that that I did not love this. But, despite reading countless retellings of this tale, I still enjoyed this version, and I believe that is testament unto itself. With a story that has been told a thousandfold, it can be very hard to portray they story from an interesting perspective. Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker achieved this brilliantly. But I believe that Stephen Fry’s attempt to stay as close to the accepted ‘mythology’ meant he could not really explore in that direction, which meant bird of this story felt like regurgitations of the same story we have heard of many times.
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 and will not fight . . . It is a terrible, brutal war with casualties on all sides as well as strained relations between allies. The Greek’s most fearsome warrior, Achilles, argues with King Agamemnon, his commander, over another woman, the Trojan slave Briseis. The consequences lead to terrible tragedies. 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 …’
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My other point of hesitation is the 2 hours-like part in "Ilium" which is basically a summary, more than a retelling, of that quintessential paradigm of Western (and, arguably, world) literature that is the "Iliad", but I guess that's inevitable: do you set out to write a story of the Trojan cycle only to skip completely such an important part of the Trojan War "because Homer did it best", or do you accept the inevitable and follow Homer sometimes line by line? Fry chooses the latter and I honestly can't blame him, I would find it a difficult choice regardless. Where I think he shines, though, much like he did in his two previous books, is when he patches together (rhapsode-like :D ) all the other previous and following threads of narrative that are *not* part of the "Iliad": this is a praiseworthy achievement because even as a scholar myself it's sometimes hard to piece together a consistent narrative of all the events narrated in this book, and every now and then it's just pleasing to just listen to a good narrator who did the hard work for you!
A thunderbolt might blast an enemy to atoms, but love’s dart can bring down whole kingdoms and dynasties.” The audio is my go-to when Stephen Fry is concerned. His narrative delivery is simply perfect. And yes, I’m eagerly waiting for his version of The Odyssey. *tapping foot impatiently* When Helen, the beautiful Greek queen, is kidnapped by the Trojan prince Paris, the most legendary war of all time begins.
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Troy is a myth in which we seek the truth about ourselves, which Stephen Fry brings breathtakingly to life for our modern age. This is now October and the limb that I am going out on might might no longer be as fragile when I say: THIS COULD BE THE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ IN 2022 (and I have read more than 150). I’ll give you more of the reasons at the end of this review. And witness the epic climax - the wooden horse, delivered to the city of Troy in a masterclass of deception by the Greeks . . . Like I've said before, I had not been very well-read (still ain't) nor particularly interested in Greek mythology. But with Mythos Stephen Fry did pique my interest. It is Zeus, the king of the gods, who triggers the 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.
Feel the fury of the battleground as the Trojans stand resolutely against Greek might for an entire decade. After reading Fry's wonderful book of Greek mythology ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), it was just a matter of time before I got myself a copy of his version of the siege of Troy - and I knew I would love it. Not only because it is easily one of my favorite stories, but because I knew that he loved the subject with such passion and enthusiasm that he would make this classic fresh, entertaining and vivid. Obviously, you can tell from the rating that I was not disappointed. We achieve immortality not through ambrosia and ichor but through history and reputation. Through statues and epic song." Stephen Fry’s TROY is a retelling of the 10 year epic battle of the Trojan War. Achilles, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Menelaus, Helen of Sparta, Hector of Troy, and Paris are portrayed in all their glory as the heroes or villains that they are. Told in an easily understood prose, TROY is intense and humorous. Fry’s footnotes are witty and not to be missed! I loved the parts the Gods played in their favorites’ lives to help them when they could or to cause mayhem for others. It was very hard to put this book down. Unforgettable… 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' OBSERVERI wasn’t too sure what to expect going into this- whether it would be another Iliad retelling or more. In this Stephen Fry takes the reader through important family lines of the Iliad, the abduction of Helen of Sparta, the events encountered in the Iliad, as well as Troy’s downfall. After reading and absolutely adoring both Mythos and Heroes, I was like a child at Christmas when I saw this at the bookstore where I work. My excitement only rose when I saw that it was about the Illiad and Troy. And of course, no surprise there, Stephen Fry's newest installment to his Great Mythology series was brilliant. The only thing I found myself missing was more of the tragic relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, which might be because I love The Song of Achilles. Fry did mention that it might have been romantic, but I did feel that it was a bit down-played, which doesn't really make sense since the author himself is gay. The problem with this was not only that I didn't get the pining that I personally wanted, but when Patroclus died and Achilles went mad with grief, it didn't quite connect the same way that it would've if we'd really gotten to know just how much these two loved each other. Greek mythology - few things are as epic as the stories of Herakles’ deeds, Odysseus’ wits, or Achilles’ prowess. And here, we get one of THE most famous tales: the rise and fall of Troy. A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' Times
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