Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow

[drosdelnoch]

What type of stuff do you like Kailana? We could perhaps suggest an order. Incidently book three, Troy : Fall of Kings, is out in September.

 

[Kailana]

What type of stuff do you like Kailana? We could perhaps suggest an order. Incidently book three, Troy : Fall of Kings, is out in September.

Yes, I knew that Troy: Fall of Kings was out in September. I was going to read book 2 this month, but I picked up Legend instead.

As to what I like... I am really not all that picky. I'll try anything once, so to speak. I had always wanted to read Gemmell, but Troy is of particular interest to me, so I decided it was as good a place to start as any. And, I liked it, so it was worth it.

 

[Parmenion]

every thing he does is good some are better than others. Lion of macedon is a fav of mine but so is Legend.

Troy is the best series though

 

[Brian G Turner]

Just started reading this. Found the flashbacks at the opening a little clumsy, but then it settles into classic Gemmell.

Interestingly enough, there are lots of different POV characters - normally Gemmell focuses on one main, with a couple of supporting roles - yet we've had at least 7 different ones within the first few chapters, and only just come around to one of them having a second POV scene.

While Helikaon is clearly a main character, the ship Xanthus is actually the main feature so far.

Very interesting for all sorts of reasons - not least that this is an example, in my mind, of Gemmell writing epic fantasy as opposed to heroic fantasy.

 

[Brian G Turner]

One thing in particular I really enjoyed about this was how King Agamemnon of the Mykene was demonised - but just when you presume that this meant that King Priam of Troy must be good and wise, you discover that he is utterly capricious. Few of the characters have a real moral high ground - even Helikaon, not least with his burning of the Mykene ship. All of which makes for an enjoyable relative morality.

One big surprise, for me, is what happens to Diomedes. I am still expecting to discover that Odysseus may have been nearby.

 

[Boaz]

Spoiler Alert! I will probably mention characters, plots, and various surprises. Read at your own risk.

Overall, the story itself is not as progressive as I might have liked. The characters are pretty much "cut and paste" jobs from his earlier works are aren't as multi-layered as I've come to enjoy in other author's works. The finale of the novel is easily the most enjoyable segment and does advance the story along, however this makes the novel feel like a extended prologue for what will be the more 'meaty' 2nd & 3rd novels.

Verdict: an enjoyable, if somewhat cliched romp.

Exactly! I feel like I can point out every single flaw, every cliche, and every simplistic character. And yet... it's a fun read.

The only other Gemmell book I've read is Legend. I figured Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow would really show his development from his first book to his final opus. And yet, I don't feel that the styles or methodology of Troy differed from Legend.... except for... Helikaon.

One thing in particular I really enjoyed about this was how King Agamemnon of the Mykene was demonised - but just when you presume that this meant that King Priam of Troy must be good and wise, you discover that he is utterly capricious. Few of the characters have a real moral high ground - even Helikaon, not least with his burning of the Mykene ship. All of which makes for an enjoyable relative morality.

Helikaon is not a straight forward hero. He's a darker character than who I expected. Yes, he murders hundreds of people, but he still does not feel as dark as Jaime Lannister, as the Bloody Nine, or as Conan. He's still warm and fuzzy... and I expect him to find whatever redemption he needs in the finale.

I've never read The Iliad, but I have read a lot of Greek mythology, The Odyssey, parts of The Oristeia, The Aeneid, Dan Simmon's Ilium, and am familiar with the stories of Troilus and Cressida, Leda and the Swan, and Laocoon. Therefore, I expected to easily comprehend the characters and situation, but I was surprised to find Gemmell bring in the destruction of Thera, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the exploration of the Atlantic, and the Battle of Kadesh. The global geo-political connections are interesting, but I expected a bit of a distinction or clash between Ionian, Doric, and Aeolian people languages. (Maybe there is and Gemmell has just not used that terminology. Mykene = Ionians, Sparta = Dorians, Thrakia = Aeolians.).

Interestingly, many of Odysseus' stories about his post war travels are already known before the war.

Most interestingly... SPOILER ALERT... is the inclusion of Moses in the conflict. Okay,

My feeling is that Gemmell's books are like a favorite pair of jeans... not flashy, a bit worn, and people mock you for wearing them, but they just put you in the right mood.