Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me by me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed the other books Stephen Fry’s in Great Mythology series, so I had high expectations for this one. Troy definitely lived up to them.

On the goodreads app it says this book is a lot longer than the 200 pages that downloaded to the netgalley app and unfortunately I was unable to download to my kindle which is a shame.

Thank you for the arc.

Just as good as the rest of this "Series" - or companion books on the myths, sagas and history Fry has going.

Its beautifully made up, even to just flip through and read a snippet here or there, just as its a fantastic read from start to finish.

For everyone that has interested in history, wants to learn something or just wants an informative read?
this book is great!

My review is available on my blog (link attached).

Hmmm, where should I start this review?

I really like and admire Stephen Fry, his dry humor and his wonderful acting abilities. The audiobooks narrated by him are among the best I ever listened to. His love for Greek mythology is widely known, and he certainly has a respectable amount of knowledge about it. Moreover, he has the uncanny ability to make it accessible and relatable to a modern, not classically educated reader.

And herein lies the problem ;). I gradually discover (yeah, I can be a slow learner ;)) that I do not like retellings of the mythologies I love. Nope. Just nope. I catch myself questioning the author’s decisions about including or omitting stuff, about structuring the narrative, and so on. Worse, I disagree with interpretation ;). So really, I don’t know why I’m even doing this to myself! But when I noticed Fry’s Troy on NG, I just had to check it out to see if it would be a good book for younger readers – and for me 😉

I assure you, the answer to the first question is yes. While the mythological history (or prehistory) of Troy and Trojan war is extremely convoluted, sometimes contradictory, and completely out of whack time-wise, Fry spends a lot of time to patiently unravel the Gordian knots and ultimately succeeds in presenting us with a streamlined version of the mythical conflict. It’s no small task, and while Fry is not entirely successful, his attempt is laudable. If you want readers without earlier exposure to Greek mythos to read Greek mythology, you can certainly do worse than Fry – though I’d suggest starting with something a bit easier than the Trojan War, like Mythos, or Heroes.

As to the answer to the second question – it is less unequivocal. It was an okay read, don’t get me wrong. But the main value I see in this book for someone like me, who’s been marinating in the Greek mythology for the vast majority of their life, professional too, is that it once again proves that there’s nothing better than the original. Oh, the myths are a dime a dozen, written down in different times by different groups of authors, with different aims and within varied context, again often ending up as contradictory as possible – but Homer’s Iliad (and Odyssey, but we’re not getting into THIS discussion here) is one.

This is the moment when I drag my hands through my hair and roll my eyes and start my lengthy rant on what was missing from Fry’s version. I’ll spare you the details 😉

The only thing I feel needs emphasis is the lack of a soldier/military perspective on what was, after all, a freaking ten-year extremely bloody conflict that ended in genocide. Oh, I know this is something that seems like a completely niche critique, but let me assure you – the fact that it seems niche stems from our culture’s repression of the real cost of war. We want heroes and parades, tales of noble deeds and patriotic duty, and we don’t want to hear what war really is. The end result is that we then start wars we are unable to end, for wrong reasons, with wrong aims, and we do not learn. Homer’s Iliad is one of the few so powerful lessons on the futility, rabidity, cruelty and chaotic nature of war, and I wanted Fry’s retelling to reflect some of this. There are sparks of this attitude, for example in Fry’s analysis of Achilles:

“We recognize that if we had ever encountered the real demon demigod Achilles, we would have feared and dreaded him, hated his temper, despised his pride, and been repelled by his savagery. But we know too that we could not have helped loving him.” (p.190)

This is however a case of too little, too late – especially considering that Troy came over a quarter of century (27 years exactly) after the publication of Jonathan Shay’s Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character, and two decades after the UK sent their troops to Afghanistan and became embroiled in the War on Terror.

Of course, there’s also the problem of the narrative being abruptly cut; as you can imagine, another work, about Odyssey this time, is already being written. Still, there is much to love about Fry’s Troy. While the source material occasionally got the better of him and the narrative flounders in various side arcs and explanations, all in all it’s a solid, faithful retelling of the conflict that shaped the culture of ancient Greece. There’s also a nice Appendix with a short introduction to intricacies of the relationship between myth and reality – definitely worth a read.

I highly recommend this book to all who are not well versed in Greek mythology and want to learn more. It’s accessible, well written, and clearly a work of love.

I have received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.

One of my favorite reads in the past few years has been his first book, Mythos. So, as you can guess, this book was high on my TBR-and let me tell you-it absolutely did not disappoint.

Greek mythology can be intimidating-and Stephen Fry has a way to retell these stories with such ease, humor, and makes them readable. You understand who everyone is, and can follow the epic tale throughout.

I truly love that it is all the good stuff-gets right to the story-his prose is beautiful-the humor is dry and sarcastic which I enjoy.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves Greek mythology or wants to try out an epic story that is readable and understandable.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Stephen Fry for the ARC of TROY in exchange for an honest review.

This book recounts the story of Troy, which like so many tales of Ancient Greece sounds almost like any other type of history until one of the characters falls in love with a sea creature or enrages a god.
At first the narrative is a little bogged down with the genealogy and I found it mildly annoying that the footnotes kept referring to his previous books (a bit like pop-up ads) although the page references would be useful if these books are in your possession.
At times the quantity of information made my head spin especially as many of the characters’ ancestral stories were told in flashback making reference to other characters or their ancestors. I became confused as to which tales were part of the backstory and which were advancing the story of Troy.
After about 10% the story picks up and we can ‘hear’ Stephen Fry’s voice through the written word.

The story of Helen and Troy is not unfamiliar. We studied The Aeneid at school and as a child I loved Greek Myths devouring books on the subject at the library. Stephen Fry provides a lively retelling.

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it especially to fans of Stephen Fry but it did make me realise that I am not quite as enthralled by Greek Myths as I used to be.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like the title suggests, Troy is a retelling of the Trojan War but it is also much more than that.

Stephen Fry manages to give us a detailed, and yet easy to follow, account of all the events that led to the Trojan war, as well as the side stories of all its major players.
Not only that, but he manages to do so in a humorous and witty way, in an easy voice often punctuated with wry humor.

A fun read that I highly recommend to every mythology lover!

Always interesting and entertaining! I love how Stephen Fry writes. Though reading this was colored by the movie, and really so many characters to keep track of, it’s still interesting read.

Though it makes me wish I read Heroes.

Thank you Chronicle Books and NetGalley for this arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it so much!! This was really amazing and so well written, Fry's way of narrating and retelling the story of the Iliad or the rise and fall of the famous city of Troy was brilliant just brilliant, a masterpiece. I would recommend this book to anyone either lovers of Greek myths or not. This was such an enjoyable book that I would love to re-read.

I don't know why I started with this book knowing that I own his other books that I've not read yet but I've loved the story of Troy since I discovered it and I had a period of time where I would read and watch anything related to the Greek mythology with all its great heroes, odd creatures and gods. Troy's story was the one that still fascinates me, it's the one that depictes the real nature of men in its greatest and worst moments. The story of Troy has no end for the thirst for power, greed, revenge, war, hate, love, betrayal, loyalty and so on is still present to these days, men at that period of time are the same as today's men, it's only the ages that changed.

The story of Paris, Helen, Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus will never get old. It's true that Fry's version is less boring than the one told by Homer but at the end it is still the same story with the same events and end. I cried more easily with Fry's version and laughed a lot more. I tell you if you have been scared all these years of the Homer's version just read this book and you won't miss anything from the original one but be sure that you will really have such a good time while reading this one.

Troy's story inspired so many artists and here you might find some great examples with the pictures added to this book. It's a pure culture knowledge journey so why won't you try it?!

What a fun retelling of The Iliad. Stephen Fry doesn’t disappoint. I enjoyed so much. The Iliad is a favorite of mine. I love the extra information we’re given about the characters and the asides about the names, so similar. I liked the conversational tone and it was a nice change from the verse of The Iliad.

This book was a fun read. I’ve always loved Greek and Roman mythology, and I’ve been intrigued by the story of Troy ever since I saw the movie with Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom way back when. I’ve never read The Iliad in its entirety, but I plan to get around to it someday. I also love history – it was actually my major in college. Troy was a great choice for me because it was a unique combination of history, mythology, storytelling, and wit that only Stephen Fry can concoct.

Troy tells the story of the rise and fall of the city of Troy from its earliest beginnings until the day Odysseus and the Greeks enter the city in the belly of the Trojan horse. While I knew the story, Fry’s rendition provided more background I didn’t know, such as how Priam came to be king and Paris’s secret upbringing. Characters such as Achilles, Hector, Helen, and even the gods are brought to life in a new way. Fry has an interesting way of using modern phrasing that helps make the topic more approachable and humorous, which turned what could be a dry subject into an entertaining story. It was a little jarring to read the modernized wording at first, but if Fry’s intent was to make the story of Troy appeal to a wider audience than just history nerds, I think he accomplishes that goal. In addition, while there were often a lot of names I couldn’t remember or keep track of, Fry lets you know which characters you don’t need to remember to follow along with the main story.

While you don’t need to read Mythos or Heroes first, the first two books in Fry’s three-part series that ends with Troy, I wish I had read them beforehand. I actually own them both but haven’t gotten around to reading them. There are a number of references to the other books in Troy, and Fry includes in his footnotes where those references can be found in the other books. I think reading the other books first would have helped me keep track of the characters I wasn’t familiar with and better appreciate the earlier chapters of the book.

Overall, I give Troy 4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC! All opinions expressed are my own.

Stephen Fry is wonderful! I adore all of his books in this set. I have Heroes, Mythos and also bought Troy. They are gorgeous books that all deal with Greek mythological stories. I love the structure and appearance of these books and Troy is completely worthy of the high praise of the other two. These are books that you can read cover to cover or choose sections and read those individually. I have been a lifelong fan of this genre but have reignited my love for it with the publication of many recent books set in this genre. Troy is a fantastic tale of the Trojan War with all that accompanies war.
Highly recommend for those mythology lovers. Troy is fantastic, as are all of these books.
#Troy #NetGalley #ChronicleBooks

I have read different versions of the story of Troy. I have been confused by different versions of the story of Troy.
None have been as easy to follow and well explained as Stephen Fry's. It's a marvel of well-organized data and carefully plotted characters and relations that simplify the incredibly complex work and the cast of characters of Homer into an easy to follow and understand narrative that lays out the folly and savagery of the war of Troy.
Don't let the nigh unpronounceable names and copious use of footnotes keep you from reading this. The story itself is an epic for the ages for a reason, and this edition is the easiest to read I've ever encountered.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the educational read!

Stephen Fry has an excellent way with words. This was a very good retelling of the Illiad and went into much more details than I've previously read (not having actually read the Illiad myself). I thought it was interesting and smooth, with excellent pacing. Having read this one, I would be very tempted to read his other two Greek mythology books as well.

This was...comprehensive. It wasn't bad, but, once I got started, I was never excited to pick it back up. There's so very many names. Fry does a great job of laying it all out and tying the pieces together but it is tedious, even with the occasional humorous quips. This is getting rave reviews, so maybe it's just me or the timing.

I have always loved Greek mythology and this telling of Troy and the Trojan War was fantastic. So well written and witty and easy to read. I really loved it. Thank you to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC.

This was a fantastic book telling all the myths associated with the rise and fall of Troy
Having recently read The Iliad I was vaguely concerned that this book would be too repetitive and I would not enjoy it. However, I was so wrong! Stephen Fry explores more myths than are associated with The Trojan War than are covered in The Iliad including the origins of most of the vital characters which was intriguing. Even the parts that I was familiar with from The Iliad were enthused with Stephen Fry's amazing sense of humour and writing that definitely lends itself to being read in his voice in your head. My only criticism would be sometimes the notes referring to Stephen Fry's other books upsets the pacing of the book but other than that its great. Laugh out loud moments and amazing writing! I 100% recommend this book to everyone if you love Greek Mythology or if you want a gateway into Greek Mythology without having to struggle through the original texts.

While the writing is solid, interesting storytelling is cast aside in favor of an academic tone, quickly becoming a tedious read. Against the current trend of innovative and complex retellings of the Classics, Troy feels outdated, providing no new insight or interesting takes.

Stephen Fry's Troy is a modern version of Homer's Iliad, written in agile and fun prose that brings Homer's work closer to today's readers, without neglecting the drama and depth of the original work. A magnificent work from start to finish!

Excellent!

Following on from his "Heroes" and "Mythos", this is another thoroughly engaging and entertaining retelling of the classic tale.

Fully recommended.