5 comments about Iliad.

1. Having become immersed in Greek History over the past few months, reading Herodotus and then Thucidydes, I realized that I really needed to read Homer to have a better understanding of Greek thought. It was not something I looked forward to, however. Generally, long poems leave me very cold and are very difficult to enjoy. (I was an English major and an inveterate reader, so difficulty doesn't phase me, just obscurity!)
   
   Lombardo achieves what I would have thought impossible. Producing a translation of Homer, that while straightforward, still soars to poetic heights. The deeper you read into the work, the better it gets. With no footnotes to bog you down, and very few unfamiliar words at all for anyone with a basic knowledge of Greek history, Lombardo's Iliad reads like a modern thriller. You simply cannot put it down.
   
   Lombardo performed his version live for many years before publishing this translation, and I have to feel that reading his version may be as close as one can come to what Homer's original listeners felt. I feel like a new world has been opened to me, and filled with light so that I can understand it.
   
   The great thing is that this is a work that will bear re-reading. I already have copies of some of the older translations, which now that I am familiar with the story, will no doubt feel less obscure and reveal their own rewards. It should be a great experience to re-read a great work, but see it from different translators' points of view.
   
   Now I'm on to Lombardo's Odyssey and Aeneid.



2. Those critics who consider Lombardo's translation anti-Classical (or even "low-brow" and "simplistic") would do well to read Lombardo's own explanation:
   ------
   [Taken from an interview in 2002 between Mr. Lombardo and Michael Leddy]
   
   Leddy: Your Iliad and Odyssey have met with great praise from classicists. But they're also `controversial' -- a characterization that seems to come only from Greekless readers. What expectations are such readers bringing to Homer?
   
   Lombardo: That because it's a classical work, it should sound like Elizabethan English, or at least have some element of archaic diction -- I think those are the expectations. I suspect that these expectations come, ultimately, from the King James Version of the Bible, and from Shakespeare. If Milton were read more, I would blame Milton.
   
   I don't know of any classicist who has said anything negative about my translations. [...] I think you're right, that it's Greekless readers who see them as controversial. Their only basis for comparison is other translations, which except for Fitzgerald and maybe T.E. Shaw, do have some of that archaic quality. So they think that must be the way Homer is. But for Homer's audience, there's no doubt that the poetry was an immediate, direct, vital experience, or it wouldn't have survived, much less had the reputation that it had.
   ------
   
   As has been frequently repeated in these reviews, literature does not exist to be archaic, boring, and alien. Instead, great literature has power because of its relevance and impact on the reader. In this regard Lombardo has succeeded.
   
   Again, in Lombardo's own words:
   "One could argue that Homer's poetic dialect is artificial, and that therefore we should use an artificial dialect in translating. But Homer goes the other way around: he takes a poetic dialect and makes it into natural speech. In my translations I take natural speech and make it into poetry. The processes mirror each other."



3. The Lombardo translation of the Iliad has made this awesome epic much more accessible to me with its use of colloquial modern English, though he doesn't overdo it. Earlier translations have put me to sleep, Lombardo keeps me awake and turning pages. Occasionally he goes a bit overboard with colloquialisms - his use of the word "bitch" I found somewhat jarring yet forgivable. Lombardo claims his translation is poetry, with which I would take mild exception. His translation, true enough, is typeset in verse fashion, but there is no sense of traditional verse to it. Hence I find it reads more like prose than poetry, but I don't fault it for that. I understand Lombardo has given public recitations of his translation. Perhaps if I heard him declaiming it aloud I would revise my opinion. In fact, knowing he has done so has expanded my appreciation of his translation: it is meant to be recited, not just silently read. Useful are his appendices, which catalog the principal and many minor actors in the epic with brief life-stories, and which offer a guide to pronouncing the names (I was amazed at how many names I have heard mispronounced!). There is also an appendix of major speeches. All in all this is a great book. I am reading it side by side with the Chapman translation and each one complements the other.



4. What a treat!
   
   First of all, when the Iliad is inflicted on kids in school, this is the translation that should be used. It is hands down the most accessible translation I have ever seen. Nice introduction, too.
   
   But more to the point, do not buy this book at all in hard copy form. Instead, search Amazon & you will find a marvelous reading on cd by Stanley Lombardo. On the cd, each "book" of the Iliad is prefaced with a brief summary of what you are about to hear. And then, with a minimalist bit of drums & fiddle, Lombardo delivers one of the best readings of anything I have heard. When your kid has to read the Iliad for class, let him download the cd onto his iPod or other mp3 player. Tell him to listen while he walks the dog.
   
   I confess that I bought both the cd & the book. And after listening to it, I bought Lombardo's cd & book of the Odyssey. I am just a few books into the Odyssey, and I am already annoyed that Lombardo does not seem to have a reading of his translation of the Aeneid. (Get on with it, will you, Stan?)
   
   Check out Jacket Magazine number 21 on the internet for an interview by Michael Leddy of Lombardo concerning his translations. And for a real treat, look for Wired For Books on the internet. They have some mp3 files of Lombardo reading the Iliad in Greek. Even if you don't know Greek, listening can give you a sense of the rhythm and fluidity of the original.



5. "Sprung out of bitterness, the philosophy of the Iliad excludes resentment." Thus Rachel Bespaloff, stating the seemingly impossible. Years ago I read the Iliad in Fitzgerald's fine translation, but every page had the heavy cadence of a "classic." Now I'm reading Fagles' and Lombardo's translations back to back, and am surprised how much I'm enjoying the poem. I don't dispute those who judge Fagles the superior translator, but for me the Lombardo version is far more stirring.
   
   Consider the opening lines. Fagles translates:
   
   Rage--Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus' son Achilles,
   murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
   hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,
   great fighters' souls, but made their bodies carrion,
   feasts for the dogs and birds,
   and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end.
   
   Lombardo captures the rage and waste in way Fagles does not:
   
   Rage:
   Sing, Goddess, Achilles' rage,
   Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks
   Incalculable pain, pitched countless souls
   Of heroes into Hades' dark,
   And left their bodies to rot as feasts
   For dogs and birds, as Zeus' will was done.
   
   This is bitterness on the edge of blasphemy. It sounds like the war we're reading about every morning, where soldiers' bodies are blown to shreds and the bloody will of God is invoked by each side. Lombardo also brings an unexpected poetry to the brutality of the poem, reminding me of the best of Logue's ongoing masterpiece. For example, in Book 6, Hector returns to Troy for a rushed moment and is met by the wives of men dying on the plain.
   
   He told them all,
   Each woman in turn, to pray to the gods.
   Sorrow clung to their heads like mist.
   
   Again, more bitterness -- the gods regard the heroes as little more than chess pieces to be sacrificed in the course of their game. The final line evokes not only grief but the blind futility of faith. (Fagles translates the line, inertly, as "Hard sorrows were hanging over many.")
   
   Whether this is your first go at the Iliad or if you're ready to re-read it, I recommend Lombardo's performance version, with its "heroes more godlike than the gods, and more human than men." (Bespaloff again -- from her essay "On the Iliad." NYRB recently republished it, along with Simone Weil's magnificent "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force" under the title "War and the Iliad," a slim volume which page for page beats any commentary on the Iliad I've ever read.)

5 comments about The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War (Step-Into-Reading, Step 5).

1. This is about King Spartas and his wife, Helena. Helena runs off with a Trojan man and she falls in love with him. This angers the king so he gathers an army of Greek troops too to go retrieve his wife. The Greeks made a plan to get into the city of troy and take Helena from the Trojans. They built a huge wooden horse and they set it outside the shores of troy. Once it was inside the city, the Greek troops that were hiding inside came out and attacked the city of Troy. They ended up winning the battle and getting the girl back.
   I think this book did a really good job at describing the events that took place in the battle to get Helena back. I think it is a good book for children to read cause it can tell them about the story while keeping their attention. I think a lot of books that are about mythology do not good a good job in that aspect but this one did. I think the author was trying to write a book about the Trojan wars that would really grab a child's attention and this one does.



2. Although it is written in a more no-nonsense, simplistic,and factual style than many other books on the topic, my kids (ages 6-12) were enthralled. They talked about it constantly for many days after.



3. This book was good enough, or at least better than nothing, but considering the excitement of the topic it could have been written in a MUCH more engaging manner. The sentences are short and choppy and the whole narrative is just a bit blah. It didn't even mention that Helen was "the face that launched a thousand ships." How can you tell the story of the Trojan war without mentioning that?
   
   Overall, though, it was a good way to tell the story to my first grader. I'll still keep my eyes open for a more exciting version.



4. I read several 'Trojan War' books while trying to decide which to use for my 7-year-olds. I liked this one the best. It had nice illustrations and the story flowed fairly well. The author cut out A LOT, but I felt it appropriate for this age group. No blood and guts here!
   
   This is not the definitive story of the Iliad. But it works as a gentle introduction for 1st through 3rd graders. Even my 3-year-old listened in. I found them re-enacting the story for days afterward and it was a constant topic at dinner.
   
   The next time around (5th grade) I'll use Rosemary Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus. I think they're fantastic retellings of the story, just a bit much for my little ones right now.



5. This is a very competent introduction to The Iliad and The Aeneid for children (the story really conflates elements of the two epics, e.g., there is no Trojan Horse in the Iliad). The book presents a plausible political back drop for the conflict (that does not appear in either epic but makes sense), as well as Helen's betrothal to Paris, as the catalysts for the conflict. There are battle scenes. The construction of the horse, Sinon's deception, and the ultimate fall of Troy are well dramatized in language easily undertood by children. There are maps to orient the reader to the locations of Greece, Asia Minor, and the Aegean and Black Seas. No, it's not eloquent but it's written in language easily understood by my seven year old boy and even enthralling to my near four year old boy (in combination with the pictures). That's quite an achievement given the relative complexity of the story that's told, I'd say. My boys love it, and nearly have it memorized. They are already enthralled by a seminal element of Western literature and for that I am in debt to this little book.

5 comments about Lord of the Silver Bow (Troy Trilogy, Book 1).

1. Gemmell delves into some far more overtly historical fiction here. No sorcery, magic weapons, or anything of that nature to be seen, just the odd bit of dreamed prophey by queens and priestesses.
   
   This is more a novel of the necessities of pragmatic leadership, and pathos than heroic adventure, as he tells the story of mostly Aeneas and Andromache.



2. I would not describe this book as a page turner, but it was still a good read. Before you pick up this book you should be aware that this is far from the story of Troy we are used to. If you are looking for something new in the retelling of this classic story, then this is the book for you. I have yet to read the second book in the series, so we will see if some other characters get introduced, but this book was missing many main characters. Menelaus is non existent, Helen has all of a paragraph, and Paris shows up maybe 2-3 times in the story. Hector also is absent almost the entire novel. I don't want to give specifics on how this story is different from other Troy retellings, but just know it strays from the classic story. I think the story will be more enjoyable if you know that upfront and just enjoy the story that is being told by lesser known characters.



3. This first book in the Troy trilogy was great, I gave it to everyone I could think of, and they all loved it. I have to say I can't wait to read the second book, although a part of me hates to read it knowing its the last of his writing.
   I just found out he passed away last year, and I am so distraught. He was a writer extraordinaire. I have read and own everything he wrote. Including some books from England that I paid a pretty hefty price for because they weren't available here.
   
   I will have to tell my son, who loves Gemmell, we will both mourn his loss and also mourn all the books he surely would of written had he lived on.
   
   If you are a new fan, dive right in. Some of his earlier stuff is great also. If you have been a fan for awhile, know that we will all miss him.
   
   You will be missed Mr. Gemmell.......



4. This is part one of the Troy trilogy so if you are planning to read the other 2 books this is a great read, but only if you are a fan of this author.



5. A friend of mine (and fellow Ken Follet fan) suggested I read Gemmell's Troy trilogy about a year and a half ago. I finally got around to getting this book from the library and once I started it I could not put it down!
   
   Gemmell' style is witty, fast paced and intelligent. His characters jump of the page and you really get a great feel as to what their motiviations, wants and feelings are. This goes from the most high born characters to the most peasantly characters.
   
   Sometimes battle scenes can be hard to follow and cumbersome, but Gemmell makes them a joy to read and quite fast paced. The moments between the action are what really make this book shine though. The character interaction, etc.
   
   This book was VERY addictive and I can't wait to get my hands on the second part of this trilogy.
   
   I highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction of any time period!

5 comments about Age of Bronze Volume 1: A Thousand Ships.

1. Eric Shanower does a fabulous job of bringing the Mycenaean world and the story of the Trojan War to life. Shanower has a different perspective on many of the characters than I might choose, but still I find his protagonists credible and compelling. With a combination of strong characterization and historically accurate settings and costumes, this is simply one of the best reimaginings of the myth I've encountered.
   
   Highly recommended for fans of graphic novels and aficionados of the ancient world alike -- as well as for those who just love a gripping story!



2. I just ripped through A Thousand Ships and the second book in the series, Sacrifice, in two days and I'm bowled over. What a tour de force these books are. Shanower seamlessly incorporates all the myths entwined in the Trojan War. An incredible feat by itself, it's even more impressive because he achieves this without bogging down what is, after all, a ripping good story.
   
   In the course of the book, Shanower offers some interesting insights on some of the more puzzling and disturbing events (Iphigenia's sacrifice comes to mind). I also was impressed by how he developed the characters. For instance, he convincingly portrays Odysseus changing from a clever Trojan War draft-dodger to a gung-ho warrior by the end of the second book.
   
   I can't wait for Shanower's next book in the series. Until then, I'm pressing these books on everyone I know. They're THAT good. Bravo!



3. This book reprints the first nine issues of the Age of Bronze comic books. It's a beautifully drawn, well written comic book about the Trojan War. The only problem I have with the comic, and it'a a minor problem, is that there are so many characters, it's hard to keep track of who's who. Highly recommended to fans of graphic literature.



4. A Thousand Ships is the first in a series of comics which retell the story of the Trojan war in comic book form. It begins with Paris, the lost prince of Troy who has been raised by farmers as a farmer, making his first ever journey to the capital. He tells his girlfriend it's a short trip, but even before he leaves the oracles are speaking and don't seem to agree. Meanwhile, Achillies is just leaving boyhood and, when confronted with the choice of short life and fame in war versus a long life that won't be remembered, he is very much for the short glorious life. His mother has other plans and struggles to save him from himself.
   
   The plot is extremely intricate. It all comes from mythology, and there's a lot there to pull from. Doing the Illiad in seven comics makes sense. One book would only have allowed for the outline of the story. By breaking it into more books, the story is more complete and here the Illiad has been adapted well to the medium.
   
   Graphically the book is well drawn. I'm guessing that the big challenge here was to keep faces consistent so that all the characters can be told apart. There are many, many characters and they are recognizable from frame to frame, if that helps to tell you the level of detail. The storytelling and how layouts play into that is good too. Layouts help to blend in and reveal characters's backstories (and everyone has a back story in mythology) and to communicate oracles and messages from the various gods.
   
   This is a good read as a comic book. Being a modern take on the Illiad, which concievably someone might someday make you read, is an added bonus. Libraries should definitely stock this series. For individuals and families this is a good buy for a comic book, and a pretty good read. You should already know this, but if you don't then here goes, many of the classics have a lot of sex and violence. So, don't buy this for your four year old if you don't want them to see naked people and drawings of smeared entrails.



5. Fast-paced intro to the Trojan War
   
   Author/artist Eric Shanower will be the first to tell you (in the afterword to this marvelous "comic book") that the story of the fall of Troy has had many tellings, not all of which can be harmonized. In his sources, the age and lieage of a character can vary. And authors over the millennia have not always been careful to kep their own accounts consistent with the rest, as when 12th century minstrels created a romance between an entirely new character (Cressida) to complement a peripheral character (Troilus) known from more ancient texts. More recently, the work of archaeologists has taught us much about life in the Age of Bronze, from which can be reconstructed the preoccupations, dress and habits of people who lived thousands of years ago.
   
   From this mélange of sources, Shanower has crafted an epic tale in graphic novel format of the leadup to the Trojan War that is endlessly fascinating and impossible to put down. His tale begins with the youthful Paris, the restless firebrand who dreams (in spite his state as a cowherd) of martial glory. Soon, we are introduced into the word of Trojan and Achaean warrior-kings, and to their world in which economic advantage, solemn oaths and ever-to-be-propitiated gods and goddesses all meet in complex and interlocking ways. As the tale ends, Agamemnon, high-king of the Achaeans, has assembled his armada of a thousand ships and is headed to Troy to avenge the breach of hospitality opened by Paris, now a Trojan prince, when he abducted the beautiful Helen, wife of Agamemnon's brother Menelaus.
   
   Shanower gives us a plausible Bronze Age world that may well be the closest we can get to the original. The warrior "kings" are all young or youngish men -- strong, virile and hale of heart and mind. The deities they beseech are notably absent from sight -- other than in visions and dreams; their activity is assumed (and their presence feared) when events occur in concert with prayerful pleadings. But these young men have more than war on their minds, and there is plenty of sexual energy pulsing through the tale. Women play important roles as wives, mothers and seers. The erotic element is kept mostly to a PG-13 level, but there is enough kissing and fondling of the female upper anatomy to heat all but the coolest of hearts. Amusingly, Shanower keeps to the North American aversion to showing aureoles and genitalia. This aversion grows to almost ludicrous proportion as he strives manfully to hide his characters' naughty bits -- even when in full gallop -- with wisps of conveniently-draped hair.
   
   Shanowers' black and white artwork is bold, strong and consistent. He gives his main characters identifiable features -- dark hair or light, full or balding, etc. -- that stay short of caricature. His storytelling is quickpaced and usually easy to follow. The worst I can say is that his story moves so quickly and is so engaging that the reader skips too quickly over his wonderful art.
   
   All told, A Thousands Ships is fabulous on its own merits, and a valuable as an introduction to the Homeric masterpieces -- the Iliad and the Odyssey. Highly recommended for the age 13-and-up set.

5 comments about Ilium.

1. Ilium may be D. Simmons' most ambitious work yet.
   
   His usual literary flourishes abound (Shakepeare, Proust, Homer, various and assorted references to/from other Classics classics).
   
   The sheer grandiosity of the project is impressive. The SF themes and ideas as usual are compelling (if a little bit familiar). The vision of the destiny of humanity (and its progeny) is intense, though a little grim. The detailed storytelling is up to usual (extremely high) standards.
   
   The rating is reflective of Simmons' usual quality product, with minor reservations, mostly based on personal preferences.
   
   I found "The (Planck) Space Between" (with apologies to DMB) hard-SF ideas a little bit recycled. I find the literary stylings a bit pretentious (and, yes, I've read my share of Shakespeare - and Proust), though particularly enjoyed the Classics twist. And I always feel that the author's horror work bleeds over a little too much into his SF (I am not a horror fan).
   
   All in all, it was a great, if slightly dense, read. Deserving of the Hugo nomination (though probably not the award, which seems about right).



2. A scholar from the 20th century is brought back to life by Greek Gods to watch the ongoing battle of Troy. A group of robots is sent to Mars to monitor suspicious activities. A few friends are enjoying an idle life on Earth, in the distance future.
   
   Mister Simmons has a lot of ideas. I suppose you could draft several good movie scripts, or even a good TV show, just by adapting a couple chapters. And he seems to have a true fondness for classic authors, so he's throwing also some chunks of Shakespeare, Proust and, of course, Homer. Mister Harold Bloom, the scholar who wrote so much about the "influence" as a key element in literature, would have a field day observing Mister Simmons's rewritings of Homer's Iliad.
   
   The books is not as much choral as built on parallel lines. So you may have the feeling, from time to time, to have three novels in your hands and not one. Fortunately, the story, at one point, gets some momentum and heads for a big finale, that is, a tremendous cliffhanger. Next stop: "Olympos", the second part of this tale.
   
   Overall, it was a good reading. The book is a page-turner. Mister Simmons is not very crafted when it comes to words, but he has a great eye for scenes, twists, hooks and cliffhangers. The personal dramas could have been more elaborated. But I'm off to "Olympos" now - so, he got me asking for more. That's a rare gift.



3. The concept of this book was what drew me in, being overly fond of both the Iliad and science fiction. And now, both -- combined! Huzzah! The thing is that I couldn't stand any of the characters. More to the point, I couldn't stand the one and only character, since everyone introduced had the same voice. Imagine, if you will, watching a movie. The 1st character on the screen is one that you do not in any way like. Now imagine that each following character, when they open their mouths, has exactly the same voice -- the same manner of speaking, the same inflections -- as the 1st character, differing in only superficial ways. Not only that, but the voice belongs to a bad actor reading from a bad script. Now, I don't expect brilliance from a mass market pocket book, but I couldn't slog through more than 75 pages of this book with its obnoxiously incomprehensible techno jargon even with a much reduced goal of being mindlessly entertained.



4. No more Trojans, please.
   
   
   I am sure I am all Trojan-analogued out with all the various pieces I have read over the last couple of years, and while I really like Simmons and some of his books and stories are among my all-time favorites, I have picked this one up twice and tried to read it, no joy.
   
   (Book is actually 0-4 in this house, as the spousal unit has done the same thing).
   
   Just one of those things, I suppose, so on to his next book, as this one is too tedious and uninteresting to be finishable.
   
   
   1.5 out of 5



5. I'd like to say that Dan Simmons is one of the best pure writers in science fiction, but that would pigeonhole him into a genre. In fact, he's also written his share of mysteries, horror stories and even a couple non-genre works. The last book I read by him, The Terror, can be described as a supernatural historical novel. Completely different from The Terror (and written a few years earlier) is Ilium, the first part of a science fiction epic that concludes with Olympos. Though different than The Terror in subject matter, it is equal in quality, which is to say it is really good.
   
   Ilium takes place a couple thousand years in the future, at a time when most of humanity has disappeared from the Earth. A higher race known as post-humans had taken over, but now they seem absent. On Earth, only a few hundred thousand people remain, living an Eden-like existence. That is to say, they have all their needs attended to by mechanical servants, are free from harm and even death (until they reach age 100), and they are around as ignorant as five year old children. One older woman, Savi, has existed outside the system and has been able to say alive for fourteen hundred years; now she has recruited a few others to go on a mysterious mission, shaking them out of their blissful stupidity.
   
   Meanwhile, on the moons of Jupiter, several sentient robots known as moravecs are gathered together to go on a secret mission to Mars, where large amounts of quantum activity is causing alarm. The moravecs include Shakespeare-loving Mahnmut and his friend, Orphu the Proust fan. They will be the only two to survive an attack when they reach the terraformed Mars; though they will continue the mission, they are not really sure what it is, only that they need to get to Mount Olympos to activate a mysterious device.
   
   It is around Mount Olympos that the third and central storyline takes place, the reenactment of the Iliad. Thomas Hockenberry is a resurrected 20th century Iliad expert whose job is to monitor the events and see how much they correspond to Homer's epic. That means dealing with heroes like Hector, Achilles and Odysseus as well as Greek gods. Hockenberry is coerced by Aphrodite into a secret job, but eventually he will get his own ideas, threatening to derail the legendary history that only he is really aware of.
   
   As just described, this is a complex story, filled with literary references. You don't need to have read Shakespeare, Proust or Homer to understand the story, but at least a familiarity with Greek mythology is helpful. And at 700+ pages, Ilium is an epic in its own right, even if only the first half of a longer saga. Though long and complex, it is also a real page-turner, well worth five stars, though the concluding volume will actually dictate the true quality of this tale. Simmons again demonstrates why he's one of the best writers around.

5 comments about The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy.

1. Ho hum--I will never get my 5th grader to read this tome--however moving the story line and imagery. It is too thick to easily add to a history block of Ancient Civilizations around the world. The language is too dated. The narrations dwarfs the action. The standard, for good youth literature today, requires writers to SHOW the meaning and NOT TELL IT.
   Thankfully, author Geraldine McCaughrean wrote a wonderfully telling of GILGAMESH, so I turned around and ordered her retelling of Homer's THE ILLIAD and THE ODYSSEY which is titled, ODYSSEUS.
   
   Does anyone want my copy of Padric's version. The cover art is great.



2. I read this book to my 7 year old, homeschooled daughter. Her children's choir is singing the story of Odysseus and this book brought the songs to life for her. She never wanted me to put it down. The language is sophisticated but she could follow the story and was entranced by it.



3. Although the language in this book is rather challenging, we still found it accessible and enjoyable. These classic stories can get too "watered-down" in the easier versions, which takes away the richness and depth that has made them classics in the first place. My 12 year old homeschooled son looked at these and Rosemary Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy and Wanderings of Odysseus and ultimately chose this one, but the Sutcliff books are a good alternative if the advanced language proves to be too much of a barrier. She has several good classic retellings. Either way, these stories should be a part of every child's education--they're wonderful!



4. This beautifully written book by the famous Irish poet should be read by, or to, every child to give them an introduction to the most important work (Not including Religion) ever composed.The story here told has inspired people of all civilisations for nearly 3,000 years. No person should be allowed reach adulthood without having experienced some aspects of Greek classical civilisation and these action-packed tales of heroism, humanity, weakness, tragedy and joy are a great starting-point. A sampling of the stories of the Iliad, Odyssey and of other Greek myths and heroes can be the start of a lifetime of fascination.



5. Our mom just finished reading The Children's Homer to us. It was interesting. The story is about people and adventures. We liked the part when someone sings a song about Odysseus building the horse. It's the children's homer and we think you should learn more about the journey of Odysseus. You will also learn about Achilles and some of the battles of Troy. We like that Odysseus was most wanting to get home to his family.
   Ages 10, 8, and 7.

5 comments about Troy: Fall of Kings (Troy).

1. This chapter of the Troy trilogy is definetly the most action packed of the series. It's also filled with the most tragedy and triumph.
   
   The battle for Troy is in full force in this book. Loyalties tested, battles fought, lives lost. Every single page in this book reads quicker than the rest.
   
   I caught a blurb of a review before picking this book up. The word 'addictive' was mentioned several times. Addictive is an understatement. Truly fantastic from beginning to end.
   
   I was saddened to learn that Gemmel had died before the completion of the book and that his wife finished it for him. We've lost a truly great author with Gemmel's passing.
   
   I will definetly be reading all of his past works in the near future. This is a great final chapter to a wonderful trilogy that any fan of the genre will be happy to have read.
   
   Highly recommended!



2. Great ending to a great trilogy, the only shame is that David Gemmell has passed away and we have lost a great writer and story teller.



3. This book was great, and im surprised the trasition from David's already written chapters to Stella's was so seamless. I noticed like one word that David seemed like he wouldn't use, and the story went along nicely through out the book. im glad that the ending wasn't anything like I expected it to be. very origional. Hope everyone else feels the same way. I'd also recommend another great book on Troy and Sparta and that is K. G. Glaub's bestseller - Circe's Song!
   
   Another good read: Circe's Song



4. The last book of the Troy series. The Gemmells vividly and successfully recreate the loyalties and betrayals, the loves and hates, the endurance, the ambition, the cruelty and the courage of men and women of the Troy myth. A very interesting new version of the Trojan wars, an excellent read!



5. A parallel plane of existence; one amongst maybe thousands other planes:
   the story of Troy unfolds. some characters end up following the same historical line we know about in Homer's Iliad. other characters, surprise us with the drastically different choices they make and the paths they choose.
   by the choices those people make, the story of Troy and its progress meanders through a myriad of new possibilities and probabilities, with surprises at the ready.
   in the midst of it all, our beloved storyteller decides to throw in another chain of events happening simultaneously with the Trojan saga: the Exodus.
   slowly, the dormant destinies of some characters begin to glow faintly, then as the story progresses, the glow becomes a blazing sun. Helikaon and Gershom: Aeneas and Moses. the first would go on to be the ancestor of the Roman people (some british kings would also trace their ancestry to him), and the second would lead the jewish people out of egypt and into Canaan. both succeed many times in obliterating the actual story and gaining the reader's unwavering attention (and hours of sleep) with their actions. such is their power.
   In the Iliad, we are pawns upon the chessboard of the gods, subjects to not so godly whims and decisions.
   In Gemmell's story, the gods are just hollow names, entities who are endlessly evoked, revered, and called for, but ever silent. the divine is stripped away and the men and women in the story take their fate in both hands, in a grim stand against the inexorable unknown.
   guided by faith, aspirations, ambition, or sheer will, a handful of humans would eventually achieve godlike states, their names and memories outliving the gods they might have worshipped. others would dive down into the labirynth of their fears and weaknesses and be forgotten.
   here, Hektor, Achilles, Andromaque, Odysseus and Aeneas are all gods. how each hero ends up will surprise and uplift you. there's a majesty and power in such humans that's quasi extinct today. such power can be found again, if we choose to really know and acknowledge ourselves for what we are and what we can and cannot achieve. but that requires a lot of will, and indeed 'the age of heroes has passed'.
   Dipping in and out of magic and reality, Gemmell is IMO, The ultimate weaver of fantasy storytelling. his stories and retellings contain all the ingredients in perfectly balanced doses, and introduced at the perfectly right time. can you still be wondering about the result?
   unchangeably, every tale will linger in the mind and heart. the wondrous characters, flawed as they are, will always be a delicate fragrance floating in the corridors of the soul.

5 comments about The Iliad of Homer.

1. What the Iliad REALLY is
   
   By Chris Miller
   
   It is rather unfortunate that very few people today really know what the Iliad is. Upon being asked, most readers would say that the Iliad is about the Trojan War, or about Achilles or about Hector and so on; some might say it is about war or the frailty of human existence. But the plethora of answers indicates that they have not hit upon the one thing that ties all of them together. The Iliad is about speechmaking. It was written at a time when speechmaking meant life and death to the peoples of Greece. Under the oligarchic systems in place in Athens, Sparta, Corinth and other major cities in Archaic Greece, one's skill in speaking in front of the courts, councils, foreign officials, high-ranking dignitaries, armies and even in the market place could spell the differences between death, war, confiscation, banishment, fines, payments, safety, survival and peace. This book filled a demand for a handbook of speechmaking, the speeches of the Ancient heroes of the great united Greek forces who defeated a seemingly undefeatable Asian foe. The tale being set very far back in time, and glorifying all the Greek cities, removed any political or nationalistic barriers to its reception anywhere in Greece. It could therefore display the orator's art to the full, pulling no punches (sometimes literally so!) because it ran no risk of offending anyone. About 50% of the Iliad is speeches, and the other 50% narrative but written in dramatic, emotive, rhetorical fashion. This is not to say that Homer intentionally created a textbook for speechmaking, but rather that his audience craved an epic full of brilliant speeches, since their lives were so involved with this art. The kind of exquisite rhetoric Homer provided his audience befitted the oratory they thought their glorious ancestors possessed, and it in due form became the model for their own speeches and remained so through the democratic period, through the Hellenistic kingdoms, through the Roman empire and even into the Middle Ages. It was the central text for study in Greek schools, and the raw material for speechwriting exercises there. Senators and Emperors read and reread it, even memorizing it. In our own day we seem to have forgotten the Iliad's purpose and have viewed it as a rousing tale of war and adventure; but to do so misses the point. It was not read as a pleasant novel for petty diversion but instead as a study in public speaking. It can safely be said that this text enshrined the democratic tendencies of the Archaic Greeks in the everyday life of the ancient Greek and Roman world, and set the stage for the dialectical development of thought, culture and even science. The Iliad established the debate as a socially acceptable and even necessary thing for arriving at correct ideas. The debate remains the hallmark of Western developments in all areas. This is really what the Iliad is all about and is why it is the central piece of our Western civilization.



2. The Lattimore translation is, as I was told my my humanities teacher, the closest translation to the Greek to date. This is good in that it keeps true to the intended poetry of the work. This is bad if you are a non-English major college student :P
   
   In this translation, not meant to be easily understood by today's English speakers, there are many sentences that end in the subject of the sentence, which can be confusing. If you don't pay very close attention, you will get lost. There are many similies and metaphors that can be confusing unless followed closely.... it sounds something like, "Then Hektor of the wide arms spoke unto Melos of the flowing hair. Then they two took their swift spears and their shining swords upon those whom the Goddess of the White arms had chosen.... not a direct quote, mind you but the book sounds like this throughout.
   
   I would call this a difficult read. I would suggest it for the English majors, those who are poetry minded, or those who want a better understanding, better translation after having read another, more understandable translation.
   
   Enjoy.



3. The translation of "The Iliad" I'd bring to the moon. But who says I have to pick one? What I like about Lattimore is, I sometimes feel Homer's face popping through the pages. Lattimore's translation says, "This is important." And I think his scheme, the line-by-line thing, is overall for the best. You have to go to it; I try to avoid overly slangy translations; and I was never one to mind "thee" and "thou." But hey, as Shakespeare said, you have to piece out its imperfections in your mind. I mean, is there one best performance of Bach's "St. Matthew Passion"? No: that's why I own 4 different CD's of it. Fitzgerald is good; he hits burts of poetic heights that others don't. Other than that, I think A. T. Murray is just as good (i.e., straightforward). Give Pope a shot. Once you get "used to it," it's a poetic marvel. I read Butler's translation a while ago, and that's a good, solid prose translation, like the aforementioned Murray's. Fagles I couldn't get a grip on, but if he's your cup of tea, why not? Wherever you roam, I'd snatch up a used copy of Lattimore from good ol' Amazon and keep at your bedside, just like Alexander of old.



4. 
   Though it was a challenging read (how challenging will depend on the translation), Homer's epic poem Iliad is a classic tale about the war between the ancient Greeks (Achaeans) and the Trojans, and the involvement of the gods in the war. Although I am generally not fond of ancient mythology, this particular epic seemed to be an exception; the Iliad cannot be dismissed as just another story telling the tale of a war from a mythological point of view. The heroes and gods of the epic have relatively simple personalities, yet many of them, even the gods, suffer from various imperfections, illustrating the theme that no one is perfect. The plot is relatively straightforward, yet the manner in which is it told, with an abundance of sensory details and figurative language provides the "you are there" feeling better than any modern novel. The culture and traditions of the Greeks and Trojans are something unfamiliar to those previously unacquainted with Greek mythology, but learning more about the background of a piece of work is another interesting part of reading it. In short, even if you are not interested in ancient mythology, the epic poem Iliad will draw you into the scene of battles between the Trojans and Greeks through an abundant use of details and keep you thinking about the themes of the epic.



5. I used the W. H. D. Rouse translation.
   
   One of our first war novels: the Achains and their allies send a great multitude of ships laden with armored warriors carrying bows, spears, and swords; divisions of horse drawn chariots rumble there way into the ranks of the Trojans and their allies laying siege to Troy. The Trojans counter-attack with a push all the way to the ships. And as we read, these gains and losses continue throughout the story. There is a short truce to mourn the dead and recoup, then the battle rages on only in our minds.
   
   It flows like a song. Lucid, with wonderful imagery and symbolism's. Homer, with Rouses' help, bring out the details of battle and personalize each warrior: we learn he has a wife, a family, and a life elsewhere, after he has been cut in two and stripped of his armor. Men are slaughtered with an indifference, as if they were mere cattle. I found it hard to follow the extensive list of characters. I believe some of the realism was lost to modernization. I also found the knowledge Homer had of the human anatomy surprising. The footnotes were helpful. Better than Odyssey.
   
   It is interesting to note: the gods control man, and man controls the gods. The two interact with each other; the gods send down their wrath and protections upon their favored nation. The gods are no different than the humans they try to control, except for their immortality. Hades is where all mortals go unto death. The parallels to the Bible are evident, with connotations of God. It can be hard to grasp.......a story that is 2,700 years old.
   
   Wish you well
   Scott

5 comments about Black Ships Before Troy.

1. I have read several versions of The Iliad and after checking this book out from the library, decided this was the one I wanted in my permanent library. The illustrations (in the hardback version) are really beautiful and emotive and the story itself has maintained the integrity of the original with the fluency of language even young children can understand. Highly recommended.



2. I read "Black Ships Before Troy" and "The Wanderings of Odysseus" to my then 8-year-old son, who was enthralled by both. Rosemary Sutcliff's prose is rich and lyrical, and the illustrations in our copies (by Alan Lee) were beautiful.



3. Hello,
   
   We love this book....The artwork is fantastic and the kids really love it when it is time for me to read to them.....They beg me to keep going when we start....I stop every once in a while to reword some of what I have read so they are completely understanding what I am reading....For the most part they get it......Then they illustrate pictures for me and write some written words to go with what they have just heard....Completly enthralled....



4. Black Ships Before Troy is a marvelous retelling of the story of the Trojan War. The book goes beyond The Iliad to include the stories leading up to the war and what happens after the Iliad closes with the burial of Hector. Rosemary Sutcliff has managed to capture the feel of the Homeric epics in her retelling of Troy, and Alan Lee's illustrations beautifully illuminate the text. The illustrations include scenes depicting Menelaus and Paris fighting and the battle between Ajax and Hector (when Hector has been knocked down by a huge stone) but also smaller embellishments, such as the stylized lion head that appears at the end of a chapter.
   
   I have a Classical Studies degree and have read the ancient epics from the time I was a teenager; the interest that my initial discovery of the Trojan War instilled in me was recalled when I picked up a copy of this book. The dust cover says that the book is for all ages; I think adults whose only contact with the story of Troy is the film with Brad Pitt would find this book highly interesting and learn much about the story of the war that films cannot portray. Black Ships Before Troy was created with a beautiful feel for the story and I hope that the children who read this book would be inspired to someday read the Iliad and Odyssey. This is the kind of book that one wants to keep and recommend to others.



5. I'm reading this to my daughter, who loves the story. Some of the writing is a little complex for a first grader to understand, but this version has a beauty to the poetry of the writing that the DK version, though straightforward and more easily understood, does not.
   
   Highly recommended.

5 comments about The Iliad (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition).

1. After my dismal failure at reading Chapman's Elizabethan era translation of the Iliad, I was wary of tackling Homer's epic a second time -- "stick with the philosophy, avoid the poetry," I told myself. Then I heard about Robert Fagles' edition of the work and about how it masterfully made use of more modern English while not sacrificing the spirit of the poetry. Giving up Chapman in favor of something easier made me feel like I was reading "The Iliad For Dummies", but my feelings of inferiority vanished after reading the first couple of pages. More modern or not, this edition still makes use of dynamic language. There is nothing easy about it: this contemporary Iliad is as much a thinking person's book as the versions before it. Anyway, to get back on track, the big advantage to Robert Fagles' translation is that it sounds more like the English language people in the modern age grew up hearing, learning, and speaking, albeit with a very 'ancient world' style.
   
   As for the story: The Iliad itself is a story most people have heard summarized (at least in part) at some point or another. The time in which it takes place is only a small period near the end of the Greco-Trojan conflict, and yet, it is generally considered the tale of the war instead of a tale of the war. It chronicles the wrath of Achilles at Agamemnon (sometimes called Atrides) for being treated dishonorably, Achilles' corresponding decision to quit fighting the Trojans, and the consequences this choice has on the successes and failures of the Greeks and Trojans, in particular the heroes of the two peoples, over the next couple of days. Eventually, Patroclus, Achilles' best friend, is slain. Achilles' new enemy becomes Hector, eldest prince of Troy. He returns to the fight, is victorious, and the poem closes with the funeral of Hector, grimly implying that the Fall of Troy is not far off (the end of the city is not shown in the Iliad). This summary has left out the many nuances of plot and character which make this one of the greatest stories ever told, but it has described the basic shape of the plot. I'll leave it to the reader to determine the themes.
   
   Putting aside the accessibility of this translation to the contemporary reader and the appeal of the plot and characters in the story, there are historical and philosophical advantages to reading the Iliad; the Iliad was (roughly) the equivalent of the Bible in the hearts of Ancient Greeks, so reading it will give you a good idea of the psychology of that people, and Plato, one of the greatest of Western philosophers, frequently quotes the Iliad in his dialogues for some demonstration or another (it is worth noting: he is not always positive in his assessments of this poem).
   
   So, on the whole, the Iliad is a poem worth reading, both for being an enjoyable story and for the understanding it helps you gain concerning other matters, and this is a good version for the modern reader. Reason enough to buy Robert Fagles' translation of the Iliad (especially for such a reasonable price).
   
   Note: The introductory essay by Bernard Knox is the best I've ever read for any book and probably deserves a review itself.



2. The Iliad. Who am I to write a review judging a piece of literature that has been around for almost 3000 years? I'm really glad I read it, carefully, though if you're not a student taking a class in which this piece was assigned, you must be a really special person to attempt such a challenge.
   
   It is not easy reading, and unless you want to settle for reading the Cliff's Notes or some other synopsis, you have to slog though the tough sections. Keep in mind that the Iliad (and the Odyssey) were performance pieces. They are highly crafted poems in their original ancient Greek language, so your experience reading the translated text is definitely missing something! And therein lies the challenge for the translator.
   
   The 70-page introduction by Bernard Knox helps a lot. I also read the Cliff's Notes (which I preferred to Spark Notes) section just prior to and sometimes just after I read each of the 24 individual books of the Iliad. This strategy helped point out important and famous sections, as well as keep the story line going when I started to get lost.
   
   As mentioned above, I don't believe there is any "easy", "vernacular" translation. The story "demands" heightened language, though Fagle's translation is probably as good as it gets. Not to be mistaken, there are several sections that read very well and are captivating (the last 150-200 pages), though there are also sections where it gets difficult to follow the action due to the huge numbers of characters, different ways Homer refers to the same person, references to 3000 year old aspects of Greek culture, and the just plain importance of reading every line carefully because frequently just one line will be important for understanding the rest of the chapter!
   
   ***Not to be mistaken, I am very happy that I read this 500-plus-page piece of literature in a way that young students just can't do, but it required a commitment. Anything less is probably a total waste of time. Also, without getting into the storyline itself, it was a lot of fun reading such an extensive piece about a culture almost 3000 years ago, at the dawn of Ancient Greece! For this reason alone, I'm glad I read the text itself instead of a summary.
   
   Also, after spending so much time getting up to speed on the Iliad, learning all the Greek gods and legends and Homer's manner of writing and the culture back then, etc, you'll probably want to read the Odyssey (which I read just prior to the Ilad). I suggest Fagle's translation there, too, as well as the intro by Knox, though Stanley Lombardo has also recently done translations of the Odyssey and the Iliad which seem interesting and accessible and well-done, too.
   
   Enjoy, find out why the Iliad (and the Odyssey) are very special texts!!



3. love this lots of death, war, chaos, references of death, jealousy love it I can't describe this in words but if any inspiring rappers wanna quote death poems read this one of my favotrite lines is when achilles tells lycaon to die better men then him have died and will continue to do so. a pity achilles and hector was enemies both knew they had to die hector knew troy had to fall and the scene between him and andromache was touching. paris was a coward really loved how hector talked him into figfhting a duel with menelaus who I tghink should have let helen stay with paris. the trojan war was so big even the gods got involved loved how diomedes was so crazed in battle that he attacked ares, and aprhodite also dug the way apollo warned him about fighting immortals love it even thoyugh all the fighters had help from the gods but ajax the greater never had help from the gods this was explained laterr on. I love this book it ended with hector's funeral but don't worry the story was continued.



4. This is a very entertaining version of a work which is apt to task the patience of some readers or listeners. The "Iliad" was orally conceived as a kind of ritual recital of a well-known story, and it contains long passages of enumeration, such as the famous (or infamous) catalogue of ships, telling the names of all the heroes embarked for Ilium (Troy), but, alas, containing little of the drama found in the rest of the poem which today's reader is looking for. So, what do you do? Skip those parts and summarize them elsewhere, which is exactly what this production wisely does. You don't want to put to sleep anyone who's listening in his car on the drive home. It's just not good business. Derek Jacobi is an excellent, companionable reader with a great voice for presenting Robert Fagles' award winning new translation with its swift narration and sharp eye for the details which make this story of heartbreaking greatness come fully alive for our drivetime friend as well as for any reader of the print version. The booklet by Bernard Knox is particularly fine, providing the background of the poem and its new translation. This is a book for men. Let's face it; not many ladies would like it, but the poem inhabits a world which exists both in the mind of the great poet (who composed it about a hundred years after it was supposed to have happened) and in the mind of any boy or man (or woman) who likes a great and timeless tale of "feats of brawl" and of the friendship and admiration between friends and between enemies.



5. I used the W. H. D. Rouse translation.
   
   One of our first war novels: the Achains and their allies send a great multitude of ships laden with armored warriors carrying bows, spears, and swords; divisions of horse drawn chariots rumble there way into the ranks of the Trojans and their allies laying siege to Troy. The Trojans counter-attack with a push all the way to the ships. And as we read, these gains and losses continue throughout the story. There is a short truce to mourn the dead and recoup, then the battle rages on only in our minds.
   
   It flows like a song. Lucid, with wonderful imagery and symbolism's. Homer, with Rouses' help, bring out the details of battle and personalize each warrior: we learn he has a wife, a family, and a life elsewhere, after he has been cut in two and stripped of his armor. Men are slaughtered with an indifference, as if they were mere cattle. I found it hard to follow the extensive list of characters. I believe some of the realism was lost to modernization. I also found the knowledge Homer had of the human anatomy surprising. The footnotes were helpful. Better than Odyssey.
   
   It is interesting to note: the gods control man, and man controls the gods. The two interact with each other; the gods send down their wrath and protections upon their favored nation. The gods are no different than the humans they try to control, except for their immortality. Hades is where all mortals go unto death. The parallels to the Bible are evident, with connotations of God. It can be hard to grasp.......a story that is 2,700 years old.
   
   Wish you well
   Scott