Chris' Fish Place

Disclaimer: ARC read via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.  The ARC did not have all the illustrations, so I cannot comment on those.

                When I was a freshman in high school, the Iliad was one of the books used in English class.  I didn’t have a problem reading it because not only had I read Bullfinch and Hamilton, but also the children’s version of Troy.  My first reaction was this is it, no wonder everyone else finds it boring.  All the good stuff was left out.

                In many ways, it is that reaction that this Osprey book about Troy battles, and seems to battle quite well.  While the matter of Homer’s epic is covered quite well, the details that appear in the non-Homer work, the needed sacrifice to sail, the fate of the women, Helen’s back-story – all make an appearance here.  The good bits are here.

                The use of the good bit – the violent and disturbing bits  that many people I would imagine, want to be left out – make the book entertaining and show that the story can still compete with the likes of Ironman and Thor, those box office behemoths.  By keeping the nasty bits, the story becomes more engaging.

                The prose is lively and matter of fact.  It is not purple, and, more importantly, it is engaging enough to keep the attention of the reader.  While it does focus on the story, told in chronological order, there is a historical reference – a look at the site of Troy as well as Greek culture.  Additionally, there are boxes that contain a breakdown of who brought how many ships and which god was on which side.  These boxes are nicely designed and make accessing the information quite easy.  There is also a section about Hollywood versions of the story.  Better yet, there is a bibliography at the end.

                It is true that for the reader more familiar with the story (say, long time fan of the story), there isn’t anything really new – though the ease of access for detail might be worth the cost of book alone.  The book, however, is ideal for a teen or pre-teen who expresses an interest in the story or who is not responding well to Homer.