Rating: 10/10
Synopsis:
The long siege of Troy, the battles fought over it, and the city’s eventual capitulation and incineration are events which have often been retold since their first recitation by Homer. Seldom, however, will they have been narrated with such close attention to the minute particulars of battle, to its reek and terror and pain, as in this startling account by Daniel Kelly. Kelly looks minutely at every detail of archaic combat, as well as at the lives and feelings shaped by it. His Troy is not only a scene of shining glory, but also a grimy struggle for survival and mastery. And he introduces surprising questions: what if not everything in the Trojan war came to pass just as Homer tells us? What if the future of the Roman empire were hidden in the burning ashes of Troy’s – and not in the way we might expect?
Review:
This is a self-published novel that you MUST not miss. It has an alternate history, fantasy, heroic action, excellent attention to details of the fighting, city street combat. This is an epic journey to the city streets of Troy itself. I reviewed this book back in mid-2019. Now I feel this book needs that attention once again.
I loved the characters, the way Daniel has interpreted the novel, and it is clear he’s done his research. The plot of this novel is so good, that I will not spoil the twists or ending that come after this. The vivid descriptions of armor, battles. Everything about this novel is fantastic. This book had fantastic action sequences combined with a vivid sense of combat.
This book has a better interpretation of the Iliad than what the movie depicts. The movie depicted the elite nobles of both sides, Trojan and Greek scheming against each other. When in reality, this really wasn’t the case at all? Both sides knew each other pretty well. Daniel must have scoured through the annals of Greek literature to find some obscure references of which I am sure he will have added into this novel. Where they showed all the elites of both sides, Trojan and Greek scheming against each other when in reality the Trojans and the Greek nobility knew each other. Daniel must have read some obscure material and used it for this book. Diomedes was my favorite character in this book. I liked his innocence, because that war, whether it happened, took a toll on everybody. I imagine that was what the aftermath of WW2 was. Priam was excellent, and Agamemnon, he was a cunning old wolf. Odysseus is older than I interpreted. You also got to see the viewpoint of the Trojans, which is very rare. Also, search Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Ambient Music for 4 hours. This is perfect for the ambiance and immersion.
The dialogue, the prose, everything about this book is excellent. I’m in praise. What more can I say? I would have wanted this novel to be bigger, and more explanations as I have a lot of questions regarding this book. This could be an under-explored genre that, if Daniel capitalizes on, could work very well for him.
Thank you so much for writing this, Daniel. This is historical fantasy at its best.
Book Cover Reveal for Book II:
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