Shield of Thunder (Troy Trilogy, Book 2)

Book Description

The second novel in David Gemmell’s bestselling Troy trilogy. Interlacing myth and history, and high adventure, this is epic storytelling at its very best.

War is looming, and all the kings of the Great Green are gathering, each with their own dark plans of conquest and plunder.

Into this maelstrom of treachery come three travellers: Piria, a runaway priestess nursing a terrible secret; Kalliades, a warrior with high ideals and a legendary sword; and his close friend Banokles, who will carve his own legend in the battles to come.

Together they journey to the fabled city of Troy, where a darkness is falling that will eclipse the triumphs and personal tragedies of ordinary mortals for centuries to come.

From the Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

imaginative story, pulp writing.......2007-09-23

Shield of Thunder, like Lord of the Silver Bow, both show great imagination in plot, but pure pulp delivery. If you get a kick out of this period in history, by all means read these books, but I doubt if you'll be moved to reread them.

I am so sorry to hear that David passed........2007-09-09

I have read all of David's novels and loved them all. He shall be missed. Great job David. GOD's speed and blessing be upon you.

Solid adventure.......2007-08-13

Part two of the late David Gemmell's Troy trilogy is begins a few months after the failed attempt at removing King Priam from power in Troy. Princess Andromache is adjusting to life at court, while Hektor is sailing the seas and fighting off pirates; he's filling in while Helikaon (known to us as Aeneas) is sick. King Odysseus, King Agamemnon and several other rulers attend the wedding games of Hektor and Andromache, and trouble is stirred up and brought to the boiling point. The last third of the book is devoted to the series of battles that make up the early years of The Trojan War, which is made out to be something like the ancient world's version of World War II.

Once again David Gemmell creates a real living, breathing world out of something that has been romanticized and usually seems inaccessible to the modern reader. Gemmell has taken a very human approach to the Trojan War story, by eliminating the gods and making the heroes human with real strengths and weaknesses. The action scenes are bloody and seem pretty realistic (though it is never gratuitous). While this is a bridge book, it never felt like it, except that while a major battle is completed by the end, the war is far from over. Also while the gist of the story is the same, many of the details are different. Like the marriage of Paris and Helen are mentioned, but it is hardly the reason for the war.

I really liked this book, and Gemmell's fans will not be disappointed with it. I am eagerly waiting for the last book, due out soon.

Troy remix.......2007-06-14

The Shield of Thunder continues Gemmell's exciting, refreshing Trojan War series. With its action, noble warriors, and gorgeous, heroic women, it is the equivalent of a summer blockbuster (a good one, not a Michael Bay film). I like how Gemmell strays from the classic mythology by reducing Hektor and Achilles to supporting characters, exalting Aeneas and Andromache as primary characters, and creating new characters in Kalliades and Banokles. This isn't Homer's Trojan War: Helen and Paris play a minor role, and the Olympians seem to be sitting this one out. To be fair, the novel displays little complexity; most of the characters can be summarized in one sentence. The good guys are heroes and the bad guys are rapists. Even when the good guys turn bad briefly, they're still good. I also thought that the opening premise about Andromache was not resolved completely; and the outcome of the Kalliope storyline felt a little like a copout. In the next volume, I hope Gemmell (or his designee, RIP) gives us a Mykene as a primary character so we can see the war from the "enemy" perspective. I highly recommend the novel and the series and look forward to the next installment.

Can't wait for the third book.......2007-05-21

David Gemmell has breathed new life into a well-known story and made the Bronze Age come alive. His rich imagination created a host of new heroes and heroines of hitherto secondary characters of Iliad without sacrificing the voice of Homer. I hope we'll get to see the third book published, completing this wonderful trilogy.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chinese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Japanese | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Doctors & Medicine | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Lawyers & Criminals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Love, Sex & Marriage | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Early Civilization | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

French | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Victorian | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

German | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Russian | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Chinese | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Conspiracy Theories | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

War on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

Science | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

Online Research | Genealogy | Reference | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Sailor Moon | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Pilates | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

History | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Romance Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Iliad (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Average customer rating:

One of the hard slog classic reads
A great story that anyone would enjoy putting aside all the academic chatter.
A deeply powerful tale told in an equally powerful way by Fagles
Requirement for Western Civilization
Okay translation

The Iliad (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Homer
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Ancient, Classical & Medieval | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0140275363

Amazon.com

This groundbreaking English version by Robert Fagles is the most important recent translation of Homer's great epic poem. The verse translation has been hailed by scholars as the new standard, providing an Iliad that delights modern sensibility and aesthetic without sacrificing the grandeur and particular genius of Homer's own style and language. The Iliad is one of the two great epics of Homer, and is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time, but to say the Iliad is a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters: Achilles, Helen, Hector, and other heroes of Greek myth and history in the tenth and final year of the Greek siege of Troy.

Book Description

This timeless poem-more than 2,700 year old-still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amid devastation and destruction as it moves inexorably to its wrenching, tragic conclusion. Readers of this epic poem will be gripped by the finely tuned translation and enlightening introduction.

Translated by Robert Fagles
Introduction and Notes by Bernard

Customer Reviews:

One of the hard slog classic reads.......2007-10-11

No need to review this classic.
Recommendation: If you are buying this to actually read, get a version with larger type. I can barely read this with my reading glasses on. I'm going to have to get another version myself.

A great story that anyone would enjoy putting aside all the academic chatter........2007-08-08

Translation (in my opinion and experience) is not so much about accuracy as it is about hearing or reading something, absorbing it, and telling the same thing in another language in a way that can best be understood or even--we hope in this case--engaging or entertaining to the listener or reader. The Penguin Classic version of the Iliad does this quite well; and the translator has proven himself to be a good teller of the story in English given to us by Homer so long ago.

Don't read the Iliad because it's a classic, or because it's Greek, or because Homer wrote it. Read it for the same reasons and with the same mindset as you would any book written today, because it's good--and in this case outstanding. Put simply, don't analyse it or study it, just read and enjoy.

The Iliad is really that good.

A deeply powerful tale told in an equally powerful way by Fagles.......2007-05-22

The Iliad is certainly a piece of literature that has stood the test of time - and with good reason. War has constantly been a feature of human society and the Iliad tells of all its horrors like few other pieces of literature. But the epic is more than just a war story - it's a story of human limits and mankind's (especially in the West) constant struggle to deal with the realities they create. I suppose one could respond that this epic is more involved with human potential but it is very hard to read either the character of Hector or Achilles as anything but a tragic character - as someone who paid dearly for his role as "hero" of Troy or Greece. This is not a great piece of literature because it projects heroic ideals that should inspire us, though this aspect of the epic has played its own powerfully important role, rather, it is a great piece of literature because just as the epic appears to throw those ideals up for lauding, it problematizes them - it illustrates their often tragic consequences. The heroic individual who can single-handedly make a difference and the ethic of competition the epic oozes have played profoundly important roles in shaping Western history but the Iliad is great because it draws out the ugly consequences these ideals can produce and the price one pays for holding them too close.

Fagles' translation - for all I can tell - is an excellent one. I know no Greek (Sanskrit was my "classical" language) but the power of Fagles' rendering is palpable throughout (especially in the masterful first chapter) and it is difficult, though not impossible, to imagine it being more so in another translator's hands.

Requirement for Western Civilization.......2007-05-12

How can anyone not give The Iliad 5 stars? Not only is it the fountainhead of all Western literature, it's a great story!! READ IT!!

Okay translation.......2007-03-29

I'm not convinced that this translation is an improvement to the Lattimore or Fitzgerald translations. It's readable and slightly more up to date in idiom, but it is somewhat predictable as a translation. It lacks the boldness of the translation by Stanley Lombardo, who has, in my opinion, produced the freshest and most exciting translations of both the Iliad and the Odyssey. The prose renditions of the Odyssey (the updated Rhieu and the Griffin/Hammond) are as readable and more exciting than the translation by Fagles. That said, it is still a fine translation, but if you already have the Lattimore translation (or if you are lucky enough to have the Lombardo translation) there isn't a whole lot to be gained with this translation.

Average customer rating:

What The Trojan War may have really been like
OK, interesting but light
AS HISTORY, IT'S SPECULATIVE AND ALMOST UNINTERESTING.
Excellent, enjoyable and brief
For the Iliad bedside reader

The Trojan War: A New History
Barry Strauss
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Greece | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 074326441X

Book Description

The Trojan War is the most famous conflict in history, the subject of Homer's Iliad, one of the cornerstones of Western literature. Although many readers know that this literary masterwork is based on actual events, there is disagreement about how much of Homer's tale is true. Drawing on recent archeological research, historian and classicist Barry Strauss explains what really happened in Troy more than 3,000 years ago.

For many years it was thought that Troy was an insignificant place that never had a chance against the Greek warriors who laid siege and overwhelmed the city. In the old view, the conflict was decided by duels between champions on the plain of Troy. Today we know that Troy was indeed a large and prosperous city, just as Homer said. The Trojans themselves were not Greeks but vassals of the powerful Hittite Empire to the east in modern-day Turkey, and they probably spoke a Hittite-related language called Luwian. The Trojan War was most likely the culmination of a long feud over power, wealth, and honor in western Turkey and the offshore islands. The war itself was mainly a low-intensity conflict, a series of raids on neighboring towns and lands. It seems unlikely that there was ever a siege of Troy; rather some sort of trick -- perhaps involving a wooden horse -- allowed the Greeks to take the city.

Strauss shows us where Homer nods, and sometimes exaggerates and distorts, as well. He puts the Trojan War into the context of its time, explaining the strategies and tactics that both sides used, and compares the war to contemporary battles elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean. With his vivid reconstructions of the conflict and his insights into the famous characters and events of Homer's great epic, Strauss masterfully tells the story of the fall of Troy as history without losing the poetry and grandeur that continue to draw readers to this ancient tale.

Customer Reviews:

What The Trojan War may have really been like.......2007-10-13

"The Trojan War: A New History" by Berry Strauss is not exactly new, more like an easy go to guide to archeological plausibility of how the Trojan War would have been like if it really happened. And make no mistake, most historians agree something happened, and Strauss makes the argument that maybe Homer and the other Trojan Cycle poets weren't so far off the mark.

The frame of the book is the story of the Trojan War as we know it. Trojan prince Paris steals away Spartan King Menelaus's wife Helen. Menelaus goes to his brother Agamemnon for help. The two raise an army of Greece's greatest war chiefs (such as Odysseus and Achilles) and lay siege to the great city-state Troy. There the Archives (what Homer called the Greeks as they weren't a unified nation yet) rage and war for ten years until finally Troy is conquered.

The legend is the frame, but then Mr. Strauss gives us detailed evidence to either back up or disprove a certain detail of the "Iliad" or "The Odyssey" (or whatever other poem he's discussing). He uses archeological finds such as pottery, and he also draws on scrolls from other kingdoms that were roughly contemporary nations to Bronze Age Troy. He cites examples from the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Hittites (whom the Trojans claim as their parent nation), the Babylonians, and other Near Eastern kingdoms on how Homer's description of action compares to practices going on at the same time elsewhere.

This is a short read and anyone who is really interested in what the Trojan War may have been like, and wants some good guesses about some of the more fantastic aspects of the great poem (like what really may have happened to Aeneas after the war), then this is the book for you.

OK, interesting but light.......2007-10-05

I enjoyed reading the book. The history is good. Because the amount of history available is so little, the author pads the book with bland fiction. Not what I expected.

AS HISTORY, IT'S SPECULATIVE AND ALMOST UNINTERESTING........2007-07-29

The siege and fall of Troy is one of the greatest stories of literature. But is the epic tale as depicted in "The Iliad" and and other literary works based on an historical event? Barry Strauss attempts to answer that question in "The Trojan War: A New History." Unfortunately, this book does very little in terms of answering these questions. While he does briefly discuss some of the archaeological evidence found at what is believe to be the actual site of the ancient city of Troy, this book is based on speculations made by Strauss himself. Also, Strauss does little to make the information interesting. However, the book is helpful in making it easier to understand the story of "The Iliad," making it a good companion piece to Homer's epic. But as an historical account, "The Trojan War" is a bit of a let-down.
Grade: C+

Excellent, enjoyable and brief.......2007-06-15

Strauss crafts a great short book, replete with quick prose, great language and interesting scholarship, tying together Egyptian and Hittite records to show that many of the outlandish tales from the Iliad and the Odyssey are not nearly as surprising as we might think. Anyone who has seriously enjoyed the epics would love this book, a contemporary version of the classic The World of Odyseeus by M.I. Finley. I highly recommend this book for novices and serious scholars. The approachable length makes it more appealing, as do the short chapters and the nuggets of narrative voice that Strauss includes to spruce up the countless inscriptions. A great addition to any library.

For the Iliad bedside reader.......2007-04-21

i have always thought the Trojans were the stupidest people that ever lived and the Greek conquest was the best thing for them. I mean who would drag a gigantic horse inside their city without looking inside it? Pictures of this event show guys with ladders climbing out from obviuos seams (whole battalions)? I decided early that i was going to give the Trojans some credit and had formed an early opinion that the horse was real small and maybe one really small guy,a contortionist to be exact was so concealed in the horse that noone would suspect,at night he crept out and stole a key or something.Strauss pretty much clears all this up and you'll have the most logical explanation of the Trojan horse complete with readable archaeological research. I had previously read that the main target of Viking raids was other Viking settlements so I always thought Troy was a Greek colony that "got too big for it's britches" and was taken down by their main Aegean rival.This question was never answered in the book,"Were the Trojans rival Greeks or were they more under the influence of the eastern Hittite empire"?Strauss presents the evidence and let's you decide,that's what I enjoyed about this book.Particularly there is reference to obscure ancient texts such as the "Little Iliad",a lesser known but important writing as well as other antiquarian sources that add to Strauss' interpretations.i concluded from the book that there is probably alot of sources that were lost on the Trojan War over the last 3000 years,so a final picture will never emerge.Before there was the bible there was the Iliad,a ray of hope and optimism for the human condition,that is asking"what values are really important to us"

The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy

Average customer rating:

Wonderfully retold story of Odysseus
Homer for Children Today!
The Children's Homer
A classic brought to life even for children
Most influential book of my childhood

The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy
Padraic Colum
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0689868839

Book Description

Travel back to a mythical time when Achilles, aided by the gods, waged war against the Trojans. And join Odysseus on his journey through murky waters, facing obstacles like the terrifying Scylla and whirring Charybdis, the beautiful enchantress Circe, and the land of the raging Cyclôpes. Using narrative threads from The Iliad and The Odyssey, Padraic Colum weaves a stunning adventure with all the drama and power that Homer intended.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully retold story of Odysseus.......2007-05-10

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.

Homer for Children Today!.......2007-03-27

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.

The Children's Homer.......2007-03-22

As a homeschooled child, I read this book when I was eight and thoroughly enjoyed it; now, at fifteen, I have just finished reading the original Iliad and Odyssey for the second time. Reading them made me realize how much The Children's Homer helped me, both in exposing me to the epics and giving me a basic overview of the story. My only complaint was that it lacked the strength and beauty of the original, but that is understandable.
I would also recommend The Greek Way (Edith Hamilton) as an excellent look into ancient Greek philosophy and philosophers. I read this in the same course as The Children's Homer and it has become my favorite history book-children will enjoy it, but parents had best let them read it to themselves; it is unfair for parents to monopolize children's books.
Marion Doak, student

A classic brought to life even for children.......2007-02-27

Three cheers: for Padraic Colum, who was a natural storyteller and interpreter of the ancient myths; for Dover Publications, who offers this reprint and other classics dirt cheap (Dover editions are generally five bucks or less); and for the parent who loves these stories and can read them intelligently to young children.

Parents: there are many, many things in these kinds of stories that will not be self-evident to children if they are not explained: language, relationships, cause and effect, the Greek pantheon, etc. You must, as appropriate, stop and talk things over with your child. It will be a better reading experience for the both of you, and it will do wonders for your child.

My son, knowing that Odysseus was finally going to confront the wooers of this wife Penelope, was besides himself with excitement as the tension mounted. He did not mind at all the side diversions into other stories--by this time he understands that the ancient Greeks told stories within stories within stories (they didn't have TV! or the Internet!). His patience paid off, and Colum's description of the final scene was most satisfying. This, together with Colum's telling of the legend of the Golden Fleece, Jason, and the Argonauts (available in another Dover edition--see my Amazon review), are highly recommended as a superb introduction to these classic tales.

Most influential book of my childhood.......2007-01-29

As a kid, I loved this book.

As a young adult, I've gone to college and become a Classics major. Now I'm reading the Aeneid in Latin, and I've really begun to appreciate what a wonderful book this is!

I have no way of judging this book's suitability for "kids in general." For me, though, this book instilled a love of mythology and history that has stayed with me through my life so far. I strongly suggest it!

Lord of the Silver Bow (Troy Trilogy, Book 1)

Average customer rating:

Death really Sucks......................
Not your average Troy
Not Free SF Reader
Another version of the Trojan War
loved it

Lord of the Silver Bow (Troy Trilogy, Book 1)
David Gemmell
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0345494571
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Book Description

He is a man of many names. Some call him the Golden One; others, the Lord of the Silver Bow. To the Dardanians, he is Prince Aeneas. But to his friends, he is Helikaon. Strong, fast, quick of mind, he is a bold warrior, hated by his enemies, feared even by his Trojan allies. For there is a darkness at the heart of the Golden One, a savagery that, once awakened, can be appeased only with blood.

Argurios the Mykene is a peerless fighter, a man of unbending principles and unbreakable will. Like all of the Mykene warriors, he lives to conquer and to kill. Dispatched by King Agamemnon to scout the defenses of the golden city of Troy, he is Helikaon’s sworn enemy.

Andromache is a priestess of Thera betrothed against her will to Hektor, prince of Troy. Scornful of tradition, skilled in the arts of war, and passionate in the ways of her order, Andromache vows to love whom she pleases and to live as she desires.

Now fate is about to thrust these three together–and, from the sparks of passionate love and hate, ignite a fire that will engulf the world.

Readers who know the works of David Gemmell expect nothing less than excellence from this author, whose taut prose, driving plots, and full-bodied characters have won him legions of fans the world over. Now, with this first masterly volume in an epic reimagining of the Trojan War, Gemmell has written an ageless drama of brave deeds and fierce battles, of honor and treachery, of love won and lost.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Death really Sucks.............................2007-09-25

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.......

Not your average Troy.......2007-09-20

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.

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

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.

Another version of the Trojan War.......2007-06-27

The late David Gemmell's final effort, "Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow" is a wonderful retelling of the Trojan War saga, told from the beginning. The novel's primary character is Helikaon, known to the Western World as Aeneas. He is a reluctant prince and a high seas trader. His best friend is Odysseus, also a mighty king and trader. Aeneas meets and falls in love with a local priestess Andromache, who is promised to Hektor, Troy's favorite son. At the end of this first episode in the trilogy Helikaon helps defend the golden city Troy from rebellion.

There is little magic or involvement from the gods in this book, the only supernatural elements are Kassandra's visions (which are ignored) and other prophecies. The characters act more like modern men than ancient world people would have. The only one to act according to tradition is Agamemnon, a greedy tyrant. Basically all these characters act like any other character from a Gemmell novel.

Still, a wonderful book with excellent (and brutally violent) action scenes that will satisfy all fans of the genres; just wish for some more of the gods.

loved it.......2007-06-12

I thought this book was great. It had the perfect blend of fiction plus history without going overboard. I loved the detail, descriptions, everything. The characters and plot were very well developed and I felt for each characters plight..
I will definitely get the second book in this trilogy..

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of The Iliad

Average customer rating:

no illustrations in my edition
Great book for an 18-year old remedial reader
Familiarity breeds comfort in the classics
Very good retelling--but not the best
Black Ships Before Troy

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of The Iliad
Rosemary Sutcliffe
Manufacturer: Frances Lincoln
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1845073592

Book Description

Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, is one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. Rich with arresting imagery and memorable characters, its powerful metaphors still permeate modern culture. This brilliant retelling offers young readers an exciting introduction to the heroes of ancient Greece while providing the complete story of the battle of Troy. The legendary beauty, Helen, is abducted, leading to a decade-long conflict in which even the gods and goddesses take sides and intervene. This is the Trojan War, where the most valiant heroes of the ancient world are pitted against one another. Here Hector, Ajax, Achilles, and Odysseus meet their most formidable challenges and in some cases, their tragic ends. Rosemary Sutcliff makes such extraordinary stories as those of the Trojan horse, of Aphrodite and the golden apple, and of the fearsome warrior women, the Amazons, accessible to contemporary young people. Superb illustrations enhance the story's dramatic appeal.

Customer Reviews:

no illustrations in my edition.......2007-10-10

I have not yet read this book- so my review is only based on my disappointment that I bought this book after reading about the wonderful illustrations. I have a much longer version of the Iliad, which I am reading to my children. I bought this so I could read it to them also, to give them more of an understanding of the Iliad. I read the wonderful reviews about the illustrations and thought the book sounded perfect. While the cover is beautiful, it is the ONLY illustration in the whole book. The older edition must be the one with the pictures, I will be checking into whether or not it is still available.

Great book for an 18-year old remedial reader.......2007-03-15

I have been tutoring an 18-year old remedial reader in basic phonics. We first read D'Aulaire's Greek Myths, as he wanted to read about heroes. We then graduated to Black Ships Before Troy, as he had seen the movie, Troy. This is a great book. It is well-written, full of intriguing details and actions which are brought to life by Sutcliff. She is one of my favorite authors, anyway, so I knew it would be good, but it is GREAT. We can hardly wait to move on to the Odyssey.

I'm sure it would be good for younger, excellent readers, but it is a great hero book for older students and adults, too.

Familiarity breeds comfort in the classics.......2007-01-04

Rosemary Sutcliff excels at story telling by making the epic story of the Iliad understandable and thrilling to a seven year old. I have read this book to my son at least three times, beginning when he was seven years old. He is now so familiar with the story and characters of the Iliad as a result of Black Ships Before Troy that to read Homer's Iliad will simply mean meeting these familiar characters again. Sutcliff's writing is so engaging that parents as well will enjoy this book. An absolute bonus is the excellent illustrations by Alan Lee.

Very good retelling--but not the best.......2006-12-20

My seven year old and I read this together immediately after finishing the version of the Iliad retold by Ian Strachan and illustrated by Viktor Ambrus. While Sutcliff and Lee's effort is a good one, and I would recommend it highly, Strachan and Ambrus's is superior: the language is tighter and less florid, the artwork more dynamic and compelling. Unfortunately, the Strachan version is out of print and hard to find, but this one is a more than acceptable substitute.

Sutcliff's language is full (to the point of distraction) of similes and other figures of the "wine-dark sea" sort, which like a tongue-tingling seasoning (see what I mean?) is fine in moderation, but she overdoes it. Nevertheless, it's a good introduction to the Iliad. At 113 pages, it's possible to read this at bedtime over a week if you've checked it out from the school library, as my son did.

But do check out my review of the Strachan version.

Black Ships Before Troy.......2006-08-07

Most anyone knows that they are supposed to read Homer's Iliad at some point in their life, but many are intimidated by its complexity. For starters, try Rosemary Sutcliff's Black Ships Before Troy. It is a beautiful and delightful read for all ages. You can easily sort the characters and get a grip on the plot without wading through the epic or the longer narrative. Once you have done this, you may muster the courage to attack the Iliad itself and impress all of your friends, or you can just let them think you are an expert in ancient literature after Black Ships Before Troy.

Average customer rating:

A great translation.... not for the meek at heart.
The Speaker's Handbook!
Awkward translation
Excellent English Iliad
The Best English Version

The Iliad of Homer
Homer
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Ancient, Classical & Medieval | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0226469409

Book Description

"The finest translation of Homer ever made into the English language."—William Arrowsmith

"Certainly the best modern verse translation."—Gilbert Highet

"This magnificent translation of Homer's epic poem . . . will appeal to admirers of Homer and the classics, and the multitude who always wanted to read the great Iliad but never got around to doing so."—The American Book Collector

"Perhaps closer to Homer in every way than any other version made in English."—Peter Green, The New Republic

"The feat is decisive that it is reasonable to foresee a century or so in which nobody will try again to put the Iliad in English verse."—Robert Fitzgerald

"Each new generation is bound to produce new translations. [Lattimore] has done better with nobility, as well as with accuracy, than any other modern verse translator. In our age we do not often find a fine scholar who is also a genuine poet and who takes the greatest pains over the work of translation."—Hugh Lloyd-Jones, New York Review of Books

"Over the long haul Lattimore's translation is more powerful because its effects are more subtle."—Booklist

"Richmond Lattimore is a fine translator of poetry because he has a poetic voice of his own, authentic and unmistakable and yet capable of remarkable range of modulation. His translations make the English reader aware of the poetry."—Moses Hadas, The New York Times

Customer Reviews:

A great translation.... not for the meek at heart........2007-09-07

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.

The Speaker's Handbook!.......2007-06-06

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.

Awkward translation.......2007-02-14

The major problem I have with this translation is the awkwardness of its language. There are long, unwieldy sentences with twisted syntax. Sometimes, the translation is obscure. For example: "...and the will of Zeus was accomplished/since that time when first there stood in divison of conflict..." Not every line is as bad as that, however. There are some passages that read fairly smoothly, and the last two lines of the fourth book stand out. The translation as a whole, however, mutilates the English language. There are better options if you would like to read the Iliad.

Excellent English Iliad.......2007-01-28

Richmond Lattimore's translation of The Iliad is the strongest, most resonant version I have yet read. It doesn't have the energy or the high poetry of the Fagles or Fitzgerald translations, but it is nevertheless the most moving and the most rewarding to read.

Lattimore's translation approximates as closely as possible what it would have been like to hear Homer speak for himself, in long, rhythmic lines that leisurely extol the story of Achilles's wrath. One feature that I found helpful was Lattimore's direct transliteration of Greek names into English, rather than using their Latin equivalents. Here, Achilles is Achilleus, Menelaus is Menelaos, Hephaestus is Hephaistos, and so forth. Printing the names so that they can be pronounced as they were in the original Greek helped in separating this reading of Homer from those I had experienced before. And unlike the Fitzgerald translation, these names are not encumbered with accent marks and other distracting apparatus.

Lattimore's introduction is also worthwhile. He spends a few pages examining each of the many major figures--Odysseus, Diomedes, Agamemnon, Paris, Hektor--as well as describing the cultural context of Homer's epic. And index of characters and where in the text they can be found makes this, along with the introduction, an excellent edition for students and beginners.

But the chief attraction is, of course, the story itself. As I said, this is neither the most energetic nor poetic of the English versions, but it is certainly the best and most faithful to the original. Despite having read The Iliad several times before, I found myself moved and excited again and again by the often poignant scenes of war that Homer presents.

If you only read one English version of The Iliad, make this it. Highly recommended.

The Best English Version.......2007-01-22

Aside from Pope's, which sadly is very difficult to locate, Lattimore's Iliad is the best English Iliad ever made for a number of reasons. First, Lattimore translates the poem line by line, so that, if you want to follow the Greek text, you'll be able to do so with much greater facility than, Fagles, for example, who translates in verse "paragraphs" rather than lines. In Lattimore's careful, graceful rendering of Homer's prosody lends the verse authenticity without ever slipping into the pedantic. The line-by-line approach, moreover, most faithfully carries Homer's rhetoric and pace.

Second, Lattimore preserves Homer's formulas. Where a series of lines appears describing some event or passing some message, Homer packages those lines and repeats them virtually verbatim when the subject comes up again. Thus, for example, Agamemnon's speech in which he "tests" the resolve of the Greeks to raze Troy (with unfortunate results), by falsely urging them to drop ship and flee, is repeated almost exactly later in the poem when Agamemmnon really means it (2: 110-141; 9: 17-28). Similarly, each major character has a set of adjectives and adjectival phrases describing the character ("brilliant", "swift-footed" Achilles; Hector "of the shining helm" the "flowing-haired" Achaens, the "deep-benched" ships, etc.) These formulas accompany the characters and objects throughout the poem. Lattimore observes these formulas. (Fagles does too, frequently but not consistently. Fitzgerald generally does not.)

Third, Lattimore's rendering of the dactylic hexameter characteristic of Homer's verse, is amazing, at times bordering on the miraculous. Dactylic meters are generally awkward in English ("higgledy piggledy"). The virtousity, ease and fluidity that Lattimore acheives is something I wouldn't have believed possible before reading it here.

Because Lattimore tries throughout to translate what Homer said, rather than what one wishes he said (see Lattimore's introduction), the English verse is supple and aptly conveys what "makes it great." Moreover, the emotional and dramatic contexts are reliable. The butchering and slaughtering are immediate and terrible; the teeth-chattering fear of the heroes in the face of certain destruction prepares the many remarkable instances when a hero will flee rather than fight; the poignancy of Hector's grim certainty of his fate (as expressed in the famous scene in Book 6 where he "lets go" his heart's dearest treasure because he knows it is his destiny to do so) is dark and heartwrenching. Consider the famous speech of Achilles to Lycaon in Book 21, before Achilles cuts him down with a single stroke of his sword: After acknowledging that in a previous encounter, Achilles agreed to spare Lycaon and sell him into slavery instead, Achilles addresses Lycaon stoically, even calling Lycaon his "friend" before butchering him. Reminding Lycaon that that was then and this is now, Achilles points out that no one can survive his rage over Patroclus' death. "So, friend, you die also. Why all this clamor about it?/ Patroklos also is dead, who was far better than you are./ Do you not see what a man I am, so huge, so splendid/ and born of a great father, and the mother who bore me immortal?/ Yet even I have also my death and my strong destiny,/ and there shall be a dawn or an afternoon or a noontime/when some man in the fighting will take the life of me also,/ either with a spearcast or an arrow flown from the bowstring...." This speech is as moving and strange in English as it is in Greek. Nobody touches Lattimore in lyricism and profundity of diction in passages like this.

These are just a few of the many qualities that put Lattimore at the top of Homer's modern English translators. It is impossible to overstate the virtuosity of Lattimore's line. I hate comparisons of apples and oranges, even where they improbably fall from the same tree. That said, if I could only have one translation, it would be Lattimore's. Fagles' is very fine, and both reveal aspects of Homer's genius with a brilliance unknown before their separate appearances. Lattimore, however, renders the poem's diction, style and thematic exposition more closely than Fagles, and since Homer's poem iw what we want to read when we read it in English, this is the bottom line. (Fitzgerald doesn't compare.) But since we live in times of unprecedented abundance, I don't have to make that choice.

My only quibble: Lattimore tries, inconsistently, to transliterate names more "accurately," than in most versions. Thus, Achilles is "Achilleus;" Ajax is "Aias." Admirable sentiment. Awkward for the verse. I ignore it and "hear" the received versions when I'm reading Lattimore.

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

Average customer rating:

My favorite for the elementary set
Good Enough
The kids loved it
Review
good history resource

The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War (Step-Into-Reading, Step 5)
Emily Little
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religions | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0394896742
Release Date: 1988-11-08

Book Description

Illus. in full color. "An ancient history lesson emerges from this account of the way the Greeks tricked the Trojans and rescued Helen of Troy. The book is well tailored to younger readers with careful explanations and short sentences; a pronunciation guide is appended. Drawings portray the story's main events. A nice supplement to units on ancient Greece or mythology."--Booklist.

Customer Reviews:

My favorite for the elementary set.......2007-09-14

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.

Good Enough.......2006-04-25

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.

The kids loved it.......2005-05-12

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.

Review.......2002-03-13

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.

good history resource.......2000-04-11

This step into reading book is geared for 2-4 grades. The chapters are short and fully illustrated. The sentences are kept short but the story still remains interesting. There is a pronunciation guide at the back of the book for those unusual names like Menelaus. Great reading for a unit study on Ancient Greece.

Average customer rating:

An epic translation
Great in print, even better on CD
Kudos for Lombardo
Lombardo's Defense
Effortless Homer

Iliad
Homer
Manufacturer: Hackett Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Greek | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0872203530

Amazon.com

So great is the impact of ancient Greek literature on Western culture that even people who have never read Homer's Iliad or The Odyssey know a lot about them. The Trojan Horse, Achilles' heel, the Sirens' call, Scylla and Charybdis--all have entered popular mythology, becoming metaphors for the less heroic situations we face in our own lives. Ever since these oral poems were committed to paper (probably in the 8th century B.C.E.), people have been translating them. The version of Iliad translated by Stanley Lombardo is a brave departure from previous translations; Lombardo attempts to adapt the text to the needs of readers rather than the listeners for whom the work was originally intended. To this end, he has streamlined the poem, removing many of the stock repetitions such as the infamous "rosy-fingered dawn," or rewriting them in ways dependent on their context. What emerges is a vivid, lively rendition of one of the world's great stories of men and war.

But classicists, beware: This Iliad has something of a '90s sensibility, from the cover art (a photograph of the D-Day Normandy landing) to Achilles' Rambo-like diction. It might well outrage the purists, but for those who remember their musty high-school reading of Homer's great epic with a barely suppressed yawn, Lombardo's energetic translation is just the version to change their minds.

Customer Reviews:

An epic translation.......2007-05-22

"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.)

Great in print, even better on CD.......2006-11-25

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.

Kudos for Lombardo.......2006-09-13

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.

Lombardo's Defense.......2006-07-26

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."

Effortless Homer.......2005-10-04

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.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books