laiwyah's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this. Although sometimes it was a bit weird to have so many different writing styles, it added something to the book.
Some stories I loved more than others but it was an enjoyable read with nice twists !
Some stories I loved more than others but it was an enjoyable read with nice twists !
waiya's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this. Although sometimes it was a bit weird to have so many different writing styles, it added something to the book.
Some stories I loved more than others but it was an enjoyable read with nice twists !
Some stories I loved more than others but it was an enjoyable read with nice twists !
katejeminhizer's review
5.0
Normally I don't enjoy compilations. I feel that most writing styles don't marry well into one volume. The H Team is one of the exceptions. Not only did they tackle one of the most recognizable stories from antiquity, but they did so with magnificence! Each writer is able to really shine in their individual chapters with keeping the characters perfectly entwined throughout. I highly enjoyable read.
krisis86's review
2.0
The chapters were well written but I just kept comparing it to other Troy books I've read and it fell short. Not nearly as good as [b:A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii|23241868|A Day of Fire A Novel of Pompeii|Stephanie Dray|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410955762s/23241868.jpg|42785364]
brunettejnas's review
4.0
Another solid historical fiction from Kate Quinn and company. I still prefer A Year of Ravens story-wise, but really loved the history/historic texts that this pulled from to craft a well-rounded narrative. 4/5
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
4.0
It is no secret that I'm a huge fan of the writing collective known as the H Team -- a group of authors who have produced three collaborative historical novels, the first being A Day of Fire and the second being A Year of Ravens. This offering is their third, and it's their meatiest, bloodiest, and most emotional yet.
The fall of Troy takes place over a decade, and the authors of this collection manage to cover the scope of the conflict without losing tension and drama. They took a story that I always perceived as being rather male-heavy, combat-heavy, and honor-heavy, and presented it as a deeply emotional, psychological, and human tale, one told through the viewpoints of five men and four women, and I was really moved and surprised as I read.
In their telling, the collective decided to forgo the mythic, god-meddling basis for the conflict, and so everything that unfolds is due to human foible and folly: greed, envy, pride, selfishness, a mistaken sense of honor. Helen ends up their villain -- tough, calculating, determined to be free -- and even when she's unrepentant, I couldn't help but like her. (She is one of the many figures who isn't presented with her own POV piece, which I actually enjoyed. We none of us get to find out just what exactly she thinks and feels. Is she a monster? A tragic figure? Both!)
The inimitable Kate Quinn opens the collection beautifully, not only setting the stage for this horrific conflict, but introducing many of the key players through the eyes of her narrators, Trojans Andromache and Hellenus. To my delight, Quinn and co-author Stephanie Thornton, who pens Cassandra's chapter, decided to cast twins Cassandra and Hellenus as biracial, a small tweak I found very meaningful and greatly appreciated.
Cassandra has always been a favorite of mine, and I loved Thornton's take on the frustrated prophetess, a woman driven to madness when everyone ignores her.
Russell Whitfield's offering, from Agamemnon's point of view, lingers with me still as a particularly poignant and imaginative piece. Ostensibly a villain, Whitfield rather successful evoked in me some empathy and pity for the beleaguered king, and offered a humanizing look at why these warriors still pursued this seemingly futile war.
Christian Cameron and Libbie Hawker both presented female warriors in their pieces -- Cameron with Briseis, Achilles' war prize taken by Agamemnon; and Hawker with Penthislea, the Amazon warrior who captures Achilles' heart. I confess I'm one to gloss over fight scenes, but Cameron's chariot scene is so cinematic, it's breathtaking. In both cases, I was grateful to see women as soldiers in ways that felt authentic rather than intrusive or anachronistic.
Hawker also imagines Philoctetes, owner of Hercules' bow and Paris' killer, as a gay man, and in her author's note she writes about how important it was for her to present a gay character as a hero. This small change, like that of Hellenus and Cassandra, hardly alters the original story yet makes the reading of it so much more rich and interesting.
Odysseus -- who I suspect will be a fan favorite -- is charming throughout the entire book, and Vicky Alvear Shecter's chapter from his point of view is bitterly funny and achingly sad, and it sets up the tragic conclusion, written by SJA Turney, beautifully. Turney, and by extension his Aeneas, have the unenviable task of wrapping up all these disparate threads, and noble Aeneas proves perfect for the task.
Another knockout read, one that is more battle-oriented than I am normally drawn to, but stuffed full of delicious emotional drama and angst. I didn't want to linger with the conflict anymore, and yet I still felt intense loss leaving everyone, a credit to the authors for creating such wonderful, evocative figures.
The fall of Troy takes place over a decade, and the authors of this collection manage to cover the scope of the conflict without losing tension and drama. They took a story that I always perceived as being rather male-heavy, combat-heavy, and honor-heavy, and presented it as a deeply emotional, psychological, and human tale, one told through the viewpoints of five men and four women, and I was really moved and surprised as I read.
In their telling, the collective decided to forgo the mythic, god-meddling basis for the conflict, and so everything that unfolds is due to human foible and folly: greed, envy, pride, selfishness, a mistaken sense of honor. Helen ends up their villain -- tough, calculating, determined to be free -- and even when she's unrepentant, I couldn't help but like her. (She is one of the many figures who isn't presented with her own POV piece, which I actually enjoyed. We none of us get to find out just what exactly she thinks and feels. Is she a monster? A tragic figure? Both!)
The inimitable Kate Quinn opens the collection beautifully, not only setting the stage for this horrific conflict, but introducing many of the key players through the eyes of her narrators, Trojans Andromache and Hellenus. To my delight, Quinn and co-author Stephanie Thornton, who pens Cassandra's chapter, decided to cast twins Cassandra and Hellenus as biracial, a small tweak I found very meaningful and greatly appreciated.
Cassandra has always been a favorite of mine, and I loved Thornton's take on the frustrated prophetess, a woman driven to madness when everyone ignores her.
Russell Whitfield's offering, from Agamemnon's point of view, lingers with me still as a particularly poignant and imaginative piece. Ostensibly a villain, Whitfield rather successful evoked in me some empathy and pity for the beleaguered king, and offered a humanizing look at why these warriors still pursued this seemingly futile war.
Christian Cameron and Libbie Hawker both presented female warriors in their pieces -- Cameron with Briseis, Achilles' war prize taken by Agamemnon; and Hawker with Penthislea, the Amazon warrior who captures Achilles' heart. I confess I'm one to gloss over fight scenes, but Cameron's chariot scene is so cinematic, it's breathtaking. In both cases, I was grateful to see women as soldiers in ways that felt authentic rather than intrusive or anachronistic.
Hawker also imagines Philoctetes, owner of Hercules' bow and Paris' killer, as a gay man, and in her author's note she writes about how important it was for her to present a gay character as a hero. This small change, like that of Hellenus and Cassandra, hardly alters the original story yet makes the reading of it so much more rich and interesting.
Odysseus -- who I suspect will be a fan favorite -- is charming throughout the entire book, and Vicky Alvear Shecter's chapter from his point of view is bitterly funny and achingly sad, and it sets up the tragic conclusion, written by SJA Turney, beautifully. Turney, and by extension his Aeneas, have the unenviable task of wrapping up all these disparate threads, and noble Aeneas proves perfect for the task.
Another knockout read, one that is more battle-oriented than I am normally drawn to, but stuffed full of delicious emotional drama and angst. I didn't want to linger with the conflict anymore, and yet I still felt intense loss leaving everyone, a credit to the authors for creating such wonderful, evocative figures.
monicabhills's review
5.0
This is an extremely excellent novel on the Trojan War. This novel is composed of different songs or chapters. Basically different authors write about specific characters and their involvement in the Trojan War. All of these authors did an amazing job. Even though different authors wrote different parts it all flowed together seamlessly. I loved every single character that I read about. I found myself wishing for different outcomes based on who I was reading about even though I ultimately knew how the Trojan War ended. I also loved the fact that the authors gave background information on their part of the story at the end of the novel. This is a must read!!!!
chrudos's review
3.0
3.4 stars. Some of the stories would get 4.4, some below 3 stars, so this is the average. My favorite authors definitely didn't disappoint!
(also, probably shouldn't have read this so close to Gemmell's trilogy....)
(also, probably shouldn't have read this so close to Gemmell's trilogy....)
emilyinlalaland's review
4.0
Fun and unique take on the Trojan War! The multiple authors/POVs really worked for me and I think benefited the story a whole lot.
bookfever's review
5.0
The Apple by Kate Quinn:
The First story of this anthology started of really strong. I thought it was an amazing story but this came as hardly a surprise since it was written by Kate Quinn, one of my top favorite historical fiction authors. It featured Hellenus and Andromache. I wasn't very familiar with Hellenus but I've of course read more about Andromache. However, I did end up absolutely loving Hellenus. I loved his voice in this story. I also enjoyed reading about Andromache and her husband Hector, who is the crown prince and future king of Troy. As always I thought that Kate Quinn's writing was amazing. It really was a great start!
The Prophecy by Stephanie Thornton:
I was doubtful that I would enjoy the second story as much as Kate Quinn's but I thought it was equally amazing. This time Cassandra wa in the lead, the seer who's visions and warnings no one ever believes. The story was also pretty dark, in my opinion, but it was written so very well. I'm also pretty sure that I couldn't hate Paris and Helen more than I did at this point in the story. As troubled as she was, I did like Cassandra a lot. But I also pitied her because of the bad way her family, except for her twin brother Hellenus, treated her. But overall it was another really great story.
The Sacrifice by Russell Whitfield:
I remember really liking Russell Whitfield's story in A Year of Ravens so I was excited to read this one as well. I ended up loving this story about Agamemnon It actually changed my whole perspective about his character. The start of the story was very sad but also very strong. It was a stunning and exceptional addition to the book.
The Duel by Christian Cameron:
This author was unfamliar to me and at first I had a little of a hard time getting into the writing style for some reason but ended up loving the story soon enough. I don't know what I expected but I really hadn't expected the author to write about Briseis. She was one amazing and unconventional character. This was one powerful story! Achilles played a big part in it a well. Before this story I wasn't sure what to think of his character. He was somewhat an enigma to me but I really liked the author's take on him as well as his relationship with Briseis. This was without a doubt the best story in this book and easily my favorite.
The Bow by Libbie Hawker:
In Libbie Hawker's story I hadn't expected the points of view from Pentesilea and Philoctetes at all. Penthesileo's character I didn't care much for but I really liked Philoctetes because he was reallt different from all the other characters I've come across so far. I really liked his voice and how he hadn't really been part of the war due to a snake bite. I also liked the parts where Priam and Achilled came into as well.
The Horse by Vicky Alvear Shecter:
I was really looking forward to this Vicky's Alvear Shecter's story. Not only is she one of my favorite authors but this story of hers was really excellent. It was quite shorter than some of the previous stories but this definitely didn't mean it was any less enjoyable. In this story Odysseus was the main characters. He was one of my favorite characters so I was really glad to see him in the lead and the author's take on him was really great, too. This story was simply a brilliant piece of writing.
The Fall by S.J.A. Turney:
I was really looking forward to this story and the conclusion of this epic book. I had high expectations because I've really enjoyed S.J.A. Turney' work before. I've only read short stories by him so it's my goal to finally read a full book of his soon. But anyway, this story was a really great one and I loved the ending of the book as well. I really liked how the author wrote the main character of this story, Aeneas who also ended up as one of my favorite characters in general. I really enjoyed it!
Overall thoughts:
I enjoyed all of the stories and all the author involved are so very talented. The book was simply epic and a real joy to read. As much as I enjoyed A Day of Fire and A Year of Ravens, I thought that a A Song of War: A Novel of Troy was even better. It was a true masterpiece!
The First story of this anthology started of really strong. I thought it was an amazing story but this came as hardly a surprise since it was written by Kate Quinn, one of my top favorite historical fiction authors. It featured Hellenus and Andromache. I wasn't very familiar with Hellenus but I've of course read more about Andromache. However, I did end up absolutely loving Hellenus. I loved his voice in this story. I also enjoyed reading about Andromache and her husband Hector, who is the crown prince and future king of Troy. As always I thought that Kate Quinn's writing was amazing. It really was a great start!
The Prophecy by Stephanie Thornton:
I was doubtful that I would enjoy the second story as much as Kate Quinn's but I thought it was equally amazing. This time Cassandra wa in the lead, the seer who's visions and warnings no one ever believes. The story was also pretty dark, in my opinion, but it was written so very well. I'm also pretty sure that I couldn't hate Paris and Helen more than I did at this point in the story. As troubled as she was, I did like Cassandra a lot. But I also pitied her because of the bad way her family, except for her twin brother Hellenus, treated her. But overall it was another really great story.
The Sacrifice by Russell Whitfield:
I remember really liking Russell Whitfield's story in A Year of Ravens so I was excited to read this one as well. I ended up loving this story about Agamemnon It actually changed my whole perspective about his character. The start of the story was very sad but also very strong. It was a stunning and exceptional addition to the book.
The Duel by Christian Cameron:
This author was unfamliar to me and at first I had a little of a hard time getting into the writing style for some reason but ended up loving the story soon enough. I don't know what I expected but I really hadn't expected the author to write about Briseis. She was one amazing and unconventional character. This was one powerful story! Achilles played a big part in it a well. Before this story I wasn't sure what to think of his character. He was somewhat an enigma to me but I really liked the author's take on him as well as his relationship with Briseis. This was without a doubt the best story in this book and easily my favorite.
The Bow by Libbie Hawker:
In Libbie Hawker's story I hadn't expected the points of view from Pentesilea and Philoctetes at all. Penthesileo's character I didn't care much for but I really liked Philoctetes because he was reallt different from all the other characters I've come across so far. I really liked his voice and how he hadn't really been part of the war due to a snake bite. I also liked the parts where Priam and Achilled came into as well.
The Horse by Vicky Alvear Shecter:
I was really looking forward to this Vicky's Alvear Shecter's story. Not only is she one of my favorite authors but this story of hers was really excellent. It was quite shorter than some of the previous stories but this definitely didn't mean it was any less enjoyable. In this story Odysseus was the main characters. He was one of my favorite characters so I was really glad to see him in the lead and the author's take on him was really great, too. This story was simply a brilliant piece of writing.
The Fall by S.J.A. Turney:
I was really looking forward to this story and the conclusion of this epic book. I had high expectations because I've really enjoyed S.J.A. Turney' work before. I've only read short stories by him so it's my goal to finally read a full book of his soon. But anyway, this story was a really great one and I loved the ending of the book as well. I really liked how the author wrote the main character of this story, Aeneas who also ended up as one of my favorite characters in general. I really enjoyed it!
Overall thoughts:
I enjoyed all of the stories and all the author involved are so very talented. The book was simply epic and a real joy to read. As much as I enjoyed A Day of Fire and A Year of Ravens, I thought that a A Song of War: A Novel of Troy was even better. It was a true masterpiece!