Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 A fitting conclusion? July 3, 2008
I realise that the last part in this absorbing triolgy had to be finsihed off by Stella Gemmell following David's untimely death. Although other reviewers suggest that this is seemless, I beg to dissagree. The final part of the triolgy is well crafted and brings a touch of refreshing, imagined "realism" to the tale of Troy's downfall. However, the storyline falls flat towards the end. Clearly, David Gemmell had a longer work in mind. Perhaps, even another book or series of books, charting the mythical rise of Rome (the "Seven Hills" of his story) in the manner of the Aeneid, just as the Trojan War triolgy is broadly based on the Iliad. We shall never know and that is a shame because that story is one which would have benefited from a re-telling by someone with David Gemmell's obvious talent.
That notwithstanding, there are a number of other loose ends such as the fate of Moses - yet another series of books which we shall never see. Oh well! Enjoy what we have.
A bold literary feat June 23, 2008
Homer, Aeschylus, Virgil, and other literary giants wrote on the end of Troy. Kudos to David and Stella Gemmell for having risked comparison to them. The "alternate" history is fascinating and convincing: only little flaw, Agamemnon, if this were a graphic novel, should have "bad guy of the tale" tattooed on his forehead, or so it seems. And,well, Agamemnon's end as depicted by Aeschylus couldn't be surpassed, still his demise is admittedly much more spectacular. And one can't but admire the geo-historical precision of the tale, with Hittite, Egyptians, and others. I've loved Helikaon and Odysseus's portrayals. Alas, Gemmell is gone as the heroes he wrote about, but his magnificent novels shall remain.
 Disappointment May 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a huge David Gemmell fan and thought the first two Troy books were excellent. Unfortunately with the third you can tell where his wife/ghost writer took over, as all of a sudden characters seem two dimensional and behave out of character. I finished the book, but it left me feeling quite disappointed in the end. I gave it 3 stars purely because I appreciate Stella Gemmell (? can't be bothered checking the name) tried to finish her husband's work, but in reality I think 2 stars is closer to the mark.
 FANTASTIC! May 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is book, and indeed a trilogy ,that deserves many more than the 5 stars Amazon allow me to award. It is written with a pace, humanity and realism that most authors can only aspire to.
Many of the other reviewers of this book have commented on Mr Gemmell's passing and the major contribution to his legacy of his wife Stella. I can only add that the Mrs Gemmell's contribution links seemlessly with that of her husband and together they have written one the best historical trilogies ever. I was hooked from the first chapter of the first book and stayed there to the end. If you like Cornwell, Iggulden or Scarrow read this, it beats all three hands down.
Good, Not Great May 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was a very good book but suffered from a few problems. The Ahmose story was predictable in the extreme while characters tended to fade in and out throughout the whole trilogy. The book was also very long and suffered from not having a central figure.
Gemmell was a fantastic writer, this book isn't up to the standard of the Drenai saga though
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