Troy: Fall of Kings (The Troy Trilogy)

*Review first published on Goodreads* “Beware the wooden horse, Agamemnon King, Battle King, Conqueror, for it will roar to the skies on wings of thunder and herald the death of nations.” “A pox on riddles, priest!” replied the king. “Tell me of Troy and of victory.” “The last king of the Golden City will be Mykene. The gods have spoken.” —THE ORACLE OF THE CAVE OF WINGS And he is our beloved, reluctant General, Banokles. At some point in our lives, we have heard about the fallen City of Troy. About the subterfuge that the Greeks employed to infiltrate the City of Troy. Troy the movie featured the colossal Trojan Horse, as in Virgil's Aeneid that speaks of the Trojan Horse. According to Quintus Symrnaeus, the use of a great wooden horse that hid an elite force was the brainchild of Odysseus. With Fall of Kings, David Gemmell took a different approach. The Mykenes had tricked the Trojans into opening the gates to horsemen whom they presumed were Hektor's cavalry. Hektor's cavalry, whom David had so cleverly named 'The Trojan Horse'. "That was a good ploy, though, wasn't it? The Trojan Horse. Who wouldn't open the gates for them, riding like that?" Banokles shook his head in admiration. David and Stella Gemmell had done a marvellous job with the military tactics, the blood and the gore, and the battles and sieges which culminates in the fall of the Golden City. The bout between Hektor and Achilles, the latter avenging the death of his shield bearer, Patroklos, was gripping yet heartbreaking. An epic duel that resulted in the death of the two greatest warriors: Achilles and Hektor. The Troy series was beautifully penned down to tell the story of not the Golden City, but about fallen heroes and valiant warriors who had stood in allegiance to their beloved city. It tells the story of honour and duty; of love and friendship. //Unbidden, faces appeared in Andromache's mind: Hektor, the bravest of the Trojans; his brothers Dios and Antiphones; the tale spinner Odysseus; the valiant Mykene warriors Argurios, Kalliades, and Banokles. And Helikaon, her lover, her husband, the keeper of her heart. I have walked with heroes, she thought.// Conclusion: David Gemmell's Troy series puts Troy the movie to shame. And this is coming from the person who was temporarily obsessed with the movie back in 2004.

Wow, i have really enjoyed this amazing trilogy, i've always been a huge fan of the history of Troy and of David Gemmell and when i heard he was writing a Troy trilogy i was so excited. I loved every page and was sorry when i was on the last book, David has a great way of bringing characters to life, you'll whole heartily root and cheer for the Greeks right along with the Trojans. Hector and Achilles truly are awesome, likable heroes, the scope of these books are unreal, just like the old epic historic films of Hollywood's past. Another pleasant surprise for me was i read the last book on my very first kindle, i was sold on never wanting one, but with all our local book stores closing i gave in when i received one as a Christmas gift. And boy did i change my mind, i LOVE my kindle, it's so nice to finally pick any historical novel you want without waiting until you can track it down locally, and it keeps up with the last page you read so no more scrolling through the book looking for your place. The only thing missing is, where i'm an artist and i collect ancient history novels (love the great covers) i miss adding each new book to my library. With the fall of Troy also comes the very sad passing of David Gemmell, we have all lost one of the most exciting writers of historical fiction and fantasy, thanks David for all the wonderful books....

Troy: Fall of Kings is one of those books that leaves you both in awe of its brilliance and perplexed by its obvious flaws. The good points of this book are many. Gemmell and his wife (Who I understand finished said book after her husband's death.) continued the series' trend of creating realistic characters, who fit perfectly into the historical narrative of this period. These characters are multi-dimensional, behave realistic based upon their established personality, and burst off the page. The same can be said of the battle scenes, where they are realistically portrayed and one can feel the adrenaline rush of fear and the sound of clashing weapons as the Greek and Trojans warriors clash. And the final duel between Hector and Achilles is one of the best written I've read between two, heroic warriors. Even the final "Trojan Horse" resolution is well thought out and makes historical sense. Still, there are instances where the story just doesn't ring true. Helikaon and Andromache, in particular, make certain decision that seem forced so that other important moments in history can be written about. Another is the resolution - if you can even call it that - of Gershom's strange plot line that was somewhat mystifying throughout the series. There are other examples of this throughout the later part of the book, especially the last few chapters where Troy's survivors are shown fleeing for their lives, but I do not want to belabor the point, only point out that these moments detract from the effect of the narrative as a whole. With all that being said, I enjoyed the novel. It was a fitting ending to a good series. A trilogy where the Gemmells did an excellent job of taking the myths about Troy and turning them into compelling historical fiction. Not to say they did not take artistic liberties with historical fact, but that, even though they did, it rang more or less true. For attempting to shed a light of reason on the Trojan War, this novel and series is a must read. Finally, I would be remise if I did not salute the legendary David Gemmell. There will never be another writer who can do justice to a warrior's true spirit as he did in this series and all his novels. A final triumph for a true master of his craft.

**Please note: This review is written for both the second and third book in this is trilogy. ** I cannot recommend these books enough. They should be taken together. You will be invited into a beautiful land that will come to life. You will come to care about the characters. I am fascinated with a good story. I love it when I encounter one. I especially appreciate the books that have characters that I come to view as something akin to friends. When I finished the last book of this trilogy, I was actually sad. I felt a sense of loss that the story had come to an end. The characters are deep. They are believable. The choices they make feel real, painful, and alive. The pace of the story is nearly perfect. I bought the first book of this series based on a recommendation unsure of what I would find when I cracked the cover. The complication of life is found on each page, with each character. Our choices move us to make other choices. It is often not the intended consequences of our actions that move us but the unintended consequences. The results that we didn't think about, or that we were not able to consider. Heroes and rarely as glorious as we perceive them and most villains are not nearly as banal as we would like to make them--although they are occasionally every bit as evil as we imagine. In short, life is a lot of soupy gray, with some clear black and white thrown in. I found this series to be phenomenal. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story. It is a classic retelling of the story of Troy, but more than that, it is a retelling of real life. 5 Stars

This book was extremely well written with such well developed characters you found yourself laughing and crying with them. The author was able to take a story that was old and played out and turned it into this magical tale that had me reading non stop until the end. The struggles and successes of these individuals really puts our modern day struggles into perspective. It gives the reader an in depth look at the day to day life of a soldier and their leaders. It really shows how when its all said and done, it only takes 1 man to change the course of history, 1 bad decision unbalanced the scales of justice that could lead to the downfall of an empire. After this book I started looking for other historically based fictions. Not only was I learning about that time period in the history of the world, I felt a kinship to the men of that time. I was rooting for them, crying at their losses, cheering at their successes! It was all tied back together in the end with great closure for all your favorite characters. Battles=YES Love=YES Betrayal=YES Comedy=YES (his name is Banokles:) Heroes =YES Villains=YES Pirates=YES The whole trilogy is so well written I plan to read all of David Gemmell's books!

I'm a hardcore fan of Bernard Cornwell, and other historical fiction authors. Mr. and Mrs. Gemmell's Troy trilogy was superb reading, sparking a renewed interest (in me) of the Odyssey. Character development was top-notch, and I followed the various character threads with relish. I actually bypassed weekends of sports on television, so I could sit on the terrace and gorge on the wondrous tales in the Troy trilogy. I strongly recommend this series to any fans of ancient historical fiction. You won't regret it, and I challenge you to willingly put the book (or Kindle) down once you start the trilogy. After savoring the last page of the last book, the stories and characters remain etched in my conscious, and I wish, with all my heart, that the series didn't end. Bravo to the Gemmells, and many thanks to both (unfortunately, David has passed away) for the unforgettable reading pleasure they provided me. p.s. - what an epic movie the series would make! Sam

This is as good a novel as I have read. I'm reluctant to call it historical fiction because it is based more on Homer and Virgil than it is on historical record. That actually enables Gemmell to embellish the story in incredible fashion. This third volume could not have completed the trilogy in any better way. There are no loose ends, and many suprises! I'll not expose any of Gemmell's wonderful twists. I class this book with Steven Pressfield's "Last of the Amazons," which I enjoyed immensely as well. Mrs. Gemmell earns special kudos for completing this important work that should end up on everyone's shelf of classics. If she created the stunning conclusion to wrap this up, she is without peer, and her husband would be extremely proud. I never knew at what point she assumed the duties. I think this book sums up David Gemmell's life. Like his characters, he lived it to the fullest. As an author, he finished with a rousing tale that will endure the test of time.

Ok, I complained about the discrepancies with Iliad and Odyssey in the first book. It is Troy and the war and the heroes all rewritten, more human, more details, less gods but the same feeling of something sobrenatural that changed the world. I won't forget abot Banokles, Argoriuos, Skorpio and others from now on because the Gemmels create a parallel version with a modern touch but at the end , the same power that make you cry and feel the sorrow for the time of heroes. The fall of Troy is still my favorite story and books like these just make it more deep and wonderful. Still haven't found my Ithaca!