Customer Reviews

Lord of the Silver Bow (Troy Trilogy, Book 1)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was released in England on the 1st of September and since I couldn't wait until it was released here in the U.S., I ordered.

I was not dissappointed and neither will you be.

David Gemmell fans know that this British author is most famous for writing in the fantasy genre. He is a master of creating a world and then peopling it with characters that are more human than any writer I have encountered. Though "Lord of the Silver Bow" is the first part in a trilogy about the Trojan War, Gemmell still writes like it were his own world. In fact, if the reader didn't know better, he would think that David Gemmell had been in ancient Greece scribing the events as they happened.

Historically, Lord of the Silver Bow is probably not accurate as it is peopled with real historical figures as well as figures from Gemmell's fertile imagination. Whatever historical "truths" that Gemmell misses are more than made up for by his deep insight into the minds of his characters. As in all of his novels the characters contain within them the whole range of human strengths and weaknesses; David Gemmell seems to suggest that a strength and weakness can be one and the same thing.

The story follows Helikaeon a sailor, warrior (and possible King) as he deals with love, death, loss and gain. Odyseuss is a homely, story telling, king that adds wisdom and humor to a world that for the most part is pretty grim.

"Lord of the Silver Bow" is a wonderful beginning to what could quite possibly be the greatest work of an already brilliant writer.

I for one can hardly wait for the rest of the trilogy to unfold.

As always with a David Gemmell book, I devoured this in two days despite a heavy work schedule. Unusually, I found myself re reading certain sections for the next few days that really caught my eye. I've read all his books and re read many, but few of them are close to as good as this one. I had to re read Legend over the past few nights before deciding that it was his second best novel yet, somewhat inferior to Legend but in my opinion slightly superior to his other books I have returned to multiple times, Winter Warriors and Hero in the Shadows.

I was somewhat skeptical of this Troy trilogy, as really these characters seemed old and tired by now. From the Illiad and the Oddysey many of us read in school, to the mediocre Brad Pitt movie, I wasn't really sure how this could be all that interesting. Even a 'bad' David Gemmell book is good, much like cold pizza, so I got it right away anyway. I'd buy every one if they cost $1000 dollars each. But I was quite surprised at just how good this book was.

In a nutshell, expect to *believe* in this story, and these characters, in a way you could not from reading more storied works. Oddyseus in particular is an excellent character, and just from the things he says, the Oddysey takes on a whole new meaning and I have gained a lot more appreciation for it. The character I assume is Helen of Troy (different name) is exactly the kind of woman I would want, and I would launch the thousand ships to go get her, where that seemed far fetched before.

I'm not going to give a plot synopsis and then call it a review, but I will say it is both what you'd expect, and so much more. Personally, I look for books that can stir my emotions, fiction or not. And this book certainly did that, as Gemmells always do. Reading the end, in my mind I wanted to grab a spear and a shield and stand with those who stood. Lets face it, we all read these books for the escapist fantasy.

Steven Pressfield, author of the excellent Gates of Fire, gave Gemmell a rave review for the hardcover book jacket. I found it to be entirely accurate. I have learned from the site michaelyon.blogspot.com that Mark Kurilla, who has lead men in combat in Iraq, requires his officers to read that book. I am almost too old to be accepted, but I would sign up in a minute if I were garunteed to serve under him. You can read these things and believe all of this is just fantasy BS, but then read that site and you may think otherwise. I have sent Mark my copy of the book, in the hopes that it may help his recovery. Pressfields book can be summed up by two words..."Zeus, Savior!" to anyone who has read it. Mr Gemmell has however surpassed even this most excellent novel of ancient greece.

So why isn't it better than Legend? Because it is hard to compete with the best modern literature has to offer. While a deeply flawed first novel, it has, as Oddyseus might put it, a magic that makes fiction lead to truths. And if you read this, Mr Gemmell, don't make the movie unless you can do it right..watch Black Hawk Down and Braveheart as many times as you have to.

I know this review may seemt o be overly gushing with praise, but just read any Gemmell book (the Drenai ones are safest for an 'excellent' grade) and see if you don't want to read another one.

Terrible news. Mr. Gemmell has passed away on Friday July 28th in his home after having bypass surgery. He was a master of his craft, and I own everything ever published by him including this novel. I do not know if he had completed the remaining 2 novels in this series before passing on.

I would not describe this book as a page turner, but it was still a good read. Before you pick up this book you should be aware that this is far from the story of Troy we are used to. If you are looking for something new in the retelling of this classic story, then this is the book for you. I have yet to read the second book in the series, so we will see if some other characters get introduced, but this book was missing many main characters. Menelaus is non existent, Helen has all of a paragraph, and Paris shows up maybe 2-3 times in the story. Hector also is absent almost the entire novel. I don't want to give specifics on how this story is different from other Troy retellings, but just know it strays from the classic story. I think the story will be more enjoyable if you know that upfront and just enjoy the story that is being told by lesser known characters.

I stumbled upon this book while looking for leisure reading in the library. The cover stood out, so I figured I'd give it a try. I was once an avid sci-fi/fantasy reader in my youth, but I can't really stomach elves, magical quests, and other Tolkien-esque worlds anymore.

I can't tell you my delight while I gobbled up this book. My only question to myself and David Gemmell is, "Where have you been all my life???". Gemmell's narrative, set in the pre-stages of the Trojan War, is absolutely engrossing.

The characters are vivid and deep. The plot twists and turns, and kept me up the wee hours of the night. Gemmell is also not afraid to kill off some key characters.

But what really sets Gemmell apart from other fantasy writers is his ability to develop a story wrapped in realism ... as if it could really happen. There are no dragons, elves, and magical runes. There are believeable characters with strengths and weaknesses ... Gemmell is amazing in taking the reader into the minds of his heros and villains.

My only complaint was the ending, while climactic, was also slightly disappointing. It reminded me too much of the old westerns, where the grossly outnumbered Cowboys are facing certain death against the vile Indians ... only to be saved in the last moment by the arrival of the valiant cavalry.

Otherwise, I've jumped headlong into volume 2, and plan to consume it as quickly as I can. My summer reading list will be as many David Gemmell novels as I can fit in before the weather changes and life returns to it's normal fast pace ... and time for leisure reading disappears for another year.

Given that this author generally does fantasy, and I'm not much into that, I didn't expect a lot from the book. And for the most part, in the early going, I was not surprised. The characters struck me as the typical adolescent fantasy sort, at least fantasy of the post-Tolkien variety, with not much depth, the heroes and other sympathetic characters all being much alike and, in many ways like ourselves albeit in costume.

The story, itself, was rich in detail as it credibly created the ancient world of the Iliad, offering an unusual interpretation of events, even while it painstakingly built upon modern archeological supposition concerning the world of the Sea Peoples at the end of the Bronze Age. Here are the Myceanaen pirates of the Aegean (Gemmel calls them Mykene) and the myriad kingdoms of western Anatolia on the edge of the declining Hittite empire. Here is the fabled city of Troy, built of gold-roofed towers and great walls and peopled by a variety of nations, impregnable and prone to court intrigue and violence. And, of course, the great empires of the Egyptians and Hittites contending, as contemporary archeology tells us, in the background.

The story itself is a bit of a slog in the beginning, despite all this, as Aeneas, the central character of this tale, demonstrates his great prowess in warfare again and again, his soul tortured by a brutal childhood, the intrigues of Agammemnon of the Mykene and Priam of Troy in the background. And there are love stories as well, as the priestess and princess Andromache finds her way to Troy for an arranged marriage with the missing, heroic Hektor and Hektor's sister finds love in a most unexpected place.

There's plenty of fighting, to be sure, as Aeneas struggles to avoid hired assassins who want him dead for a reason that is not entirely clear and at least one of the assassins struggles with himself over his calling, while stolid Mykene heroes pursue battle, while waging a war of divided loyalties in their own hearts. This is all offered in anticipation of subsequent books in which, presumably, the events of the Iliad will work themselves out as ancient Greeks batter themselves against the impervious battlements of Troy and the whole ancient world goes up in fire and smoke, just as archeology tells us happened in that era.

Two thirds of the way, despite all the usual stereotypes and such, the book caught fire for me and the characters began to hold my attention, as did the intriguing way Gemmel has put his own gloss on the events that led to the famed Dark Age before the rising of the later Greek city states and the Persian Empire that we know from Classical Greek writing.

What is known to historians, through the archeologists,is that the old Bronze Age world of the eastern Mediterranean collapsed and historical records become woefully scarce for several hundred years. Fortresses are abandoned, wealth disappears in the tombs, the kingdoms of the era seem to have been destroyed as great migrations of warlike peoples that changed the face of the area in many ways began in a transition that led into the early Iron Age (when iron replaced bronze as the metal of choice).

Gemmel gives us this world as it might have been and does not tie himself down to the record of the Iliad which, of course, was put in written form much later and no doubt included many anachronisms and much misinformation. Gemmel uses what we now know to reinterpret the era and, I have to admit, he does it in the end with flair. His descriptions of violence and battles are marvelously handled. They are always vivid, compelling and, in the end, convincing, particularly his descriptions of the military strategies involved. In fact, his writing when it comes to these scenes is quite good. I was particularly taken by his very first scene of the drowning man who, it turns out, is another well known personage from that era, albeit not one we'd expect to find in a tale of ancient Greeks and Trojans. But his presence is a nice touch.

I suspect I will be reading the sequels despite myself.

SWM

author of The King of Vinland's Saga

I just wanted to let fans of Troy know that despite David Gemmels untimely (when are they ever timely?) death, he did finish the second book (Shield of Thunder). As for the third in the series, he had most of it done when he passed away and his wife has agreed to finish it based on his outline. I look forward to it and wish her the best of luck.

I primarily read and review historical fiction set in Roman times through the Middle Ages. I decided to try something different when I noticed Troy while browsing Amazon. I am very glad I did. This is one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read. The characters are well developed and captivate you throughout the book. The pace of the novel is excellent and there is never a dull moment. Gemmell is on par with Bernard Cornwell. A shame that Gemmell has now passed, but what a great trilogy to end one's career with. Gemmell will be missed but his novels will delight others for generations to come.

A friend of mine (and fellow Ken Follet fan) suggested I read Gemmell's Troy trilogy about a year and a half ago. I finally got around to getting this book from the library and once I started it I could not put it down!

Gemmell' style is witty, fast paced and intelligent. His characters jump of the page and you really get a great feel as to what their motiviations, wants and feelings are. This goes from the most high born characters to the most peasantly characters.

Sometimes battle scenes can be hard to follow and cumbersome, but Gemmell makes them a joy to read and quite fast paced. The moments between the action are what really make this book shine though. The character interaction, etc.

This book was VERY addictive and I can't wait to get my hands on the second part of this trilogy.

I highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction of any time period!

What a fantastic book! Gemmell's take on the story of Troy and the Illiad is fascinating. As usual, his heroes are larger than life offering a realistic take on war and the aftermath of war. The characters are deeply fleshed out, with movitations and weaknesses. Leave your political and social beliefs behind and consider the time these people lived. Many of the things they do we would find shocking but were everyday events in the time this book is depicting.

Even though we know the ending of this fable, Gemmell has tied unknown characters into the tapestry allowing a fresh story. We know what happens to Hektor. But who is Helikaon? What will happen to this hero?

I urge you to read this book and if it is the first time you have ever read a Gemmell book, you are in for a treat. He is a fantastic writer of heroic fantasy. Do not be fooled into thinking its simply pulp fiction. There are great messages, great heroes and alternate realities waiting to be plundered by those with an open mind and an imagination. The 1-star review I read here blew me away. It was just so wrong! For example - Helikaon doesn't marry a woman he just met. He's known her most of his life! Please READ the book if you post a review!

Get this book and see what happens to Helikaon the hero king, Andromache the regal bow-weilding noblewoman, Xander the boy experiencing life on the edge of the seat, and yes your favorite characters like Hektor, Priam, and Paris...