S.P. Somtow's classic sequel to "The Iliad" returns to the print. Firmly rooted in modern archaeological discoveries about Bronze Age cultures, "The Shattered Horse" paints a vivid picture of a decaying golden age seen through the eyes of the survivors of Trojan War . at the center of the story, Prince Astyanax, heir to the Trojan kingdom, marked for death as a child by the Greek conquerors, escaping perhaps by divine intervention . doomed, perhaps, to repeat history. An astonishing panoply of mythic characters come to life in this book, called by Gene Wolfe "in the true sense, a work of genius."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
intense beauty and rage ... inhumanity vies with love as the fiercest of emotions ... true masterpiece of historical fiction. -- William Gagliani in
From the Publisher
In 1986 when this novel first came out, it received rave reviews from the fantasy press. Now that there have been such major films about ancient Greece as Troy and recently released, this is the time for The Shattered Horse to reach a wider market ... history buffs and lovers of classical literature. Not to be missed this time around!
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More About the Author
Once referred to by the International Herald Tribune as 'the most well-known expatriate Thai in the world,' Somtow Sucharitkul is no longer an expatriate, since he has returned to Thailand after five decades of wandering the world. He is best known as an award-winning novelist and a composer of operas.
Born in Bangkok, Somtow grew up in Europe and was educated at Eton and Cambridge. His first career was in music and in the 1970s, his first return to Asia, he acquired a reputation as a revolutionary composer, the first to combine Thai and Western instruments in radical new sonorities. Conditions in the arts in the region at the time proved so traumatic for the young composer that he suffered a major burnout, emigrated to the United States, and reinvented himself as a novelist.
His earliest novels were in the science fiction field and he soon won the John W. Campbell for Best New Writer as well as being nominated for and winning numerous other awards in the field. But science fiction was not able to contain him and he began to cross into other genres. In his 1984 novel Vampire Junction, he injected a new literary inventiveness into the horror genre, in the words of Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, 'skillfully combining the styles of Stephen King, William Burroughs, and the author of the Revelation to John.' Vampire Junction was voted one of the forty all-time greatest horror books by the Horror Writers' Association, joining established classics like Frankenstein and Dracula. He has also published children's books, a historical novel, and about a hundred works of short fiction.
In the 1990s Somtow became increasingly identified as a uniquely Asian writer with novels such as the semi-autobiographical Jasmine Nights and a series of stories noted for a peculiarly Asian brand of magic realism, such as Dragon's Fin Soup, which is currently being made into a film directed by Takashi Miike. He recently won the World Fantasy Award, the highest accolade given in the world of fantastic literature, for his novella The Bird Catcher. His forty-seven books have sold about two million copies world-wide.
After becoming a Buddhist monk for a period in 2001, Somtow decided to refocus his attention on the country of his birth, founding Bangkok's first international opera company and returning to music, where he again reinvented himself, this time as a neo-Asian neo-Romantic composer. The Norwegian government commissioned his song cycle Songs Before Dawn for the 100th Anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize, and he composed at the request of the government of Thailand his Requiem: In Memoriam 9/11 which was dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 tragedy.
According to London's Opera magazine, 'in just five years, Somtow has made Bangkok into the operatic hub of Southeast Asia.' His operas on Thai themes, Madana and Mae Naak, have been well received by international critics. He is directing Wagner's Ring Cycle for the Bangkok Opera, a four-year project which recently received full page coverage in the New York Times.
His current project is Ayodhya, a modern opera that retells the entire Ramayana in a single evening. He has written both the libretto and the music for this spectacular work which will premiere in November 2006 and which he has dedicated to His Majesty the King
Born in Bangkok, Somtow grew up in Europe and was educated at Eton and Cambridge. His first career was in music and in the 1970s, his first return to Asia, he acquired a reputation as a revolutionary composer, the first to combine Thai and Western instruments in radical new sonorities. Conditions in the arts in the region at the time proved so traumatic for the young composer that he suffered a major burnout, emigrated to the United States, and reinvented himself as a novelist.
His earliest novels were in the science fiction field and he soon won the John W. Campbell for Best New Writer as well as being nominated for and winning numerous other awards in the field. But science fiction was not able to contain him and he began to cross into other genres. In his 1984 novel Vampire Junction, he injected a new literary inventiveness into the horror genre, in the words of Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, 'skillfully combining the styles of Stephen King, William Burroughs, and the author of the Revelation to John.' Vampire Junction was voted one of the forty all-time greatest horror books by the Horror Writers' Association, joining established classics like Frankenstein and Dracula. He has also published children's books, a historical novel, and about a hundred works of short fiction.
In the 1990s Somtow became increasingly identified as a uniquely Asian writer with novels such as the semi-autobiographical Jasmine Nights and a series of stories noted for a peculiarly Asian brand of magic realism, such as Dragon's Fin Soup, which is currently being made into a film directed by Takashi Miike. He recently won the World Fantasy Award, the highest accolade given in the world of fantastic literature, for his novella The Bird Catcher. His forty-seven books have sold about two million copies world-wide.
After becoming a Buddhist monk for a period in 2001, Somtow decided to refocus his attention on the country of his birth, founding Bangkok's first international opera company and returning to music, where he again reinvented himself, this time as a neo-Asian neo-Romantic composer. The Norwegian government commissioned his song cycle Songs Before Dawn for the 100th Anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize, and he composed at the request of the government of Thailand his Requiem: In Memoriam 9/11 which was dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 tragedy.
According to London's Opera magazine, 'in just five years, Somtow has made Bangkok into the operatic hub of Southeast Asia.' His operas on Thai themes, Madana and Mae Naak, have been well received by international critics. He is directing Wagner's Ring Cycle for the Bangkok Opera, a four-year project which recently received full page coverage in the New York Times.
His current project is Ayodhya, a modern opera that retells the entire Ramayana in a single evening. He has written both the libretto and the music for this spectacular work which will premiere in November 2006 and which he has dedicated to His Majesty the King
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent adventure set in ancient times,
By Chino Fernandez "techtor" (Quezon CIty, Philippines) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Shattered Horse (Hardcover)
I had always been fascinated by tales in ancient times. I also find rewrites of these tales quite entertaining, quite explorative. "The Shattered Horse" has this, and more. Astyanax, who should have been thrown down from the walls of Troy as a babe, is still around and he grows to start a new Trojan war, which he does by stealing Helen again. But on the way, he sees the terrible effects of a recent war: deprived states, chaotic governments, rampant crime and death, tragic fates, all of which happened to the Greeks as well as the Trojan after their great war. He probably thought when he returned, maybe I should jump from the walls of Troy anyhow. But it's a great adventure. The events are amazing, the telling gripping, the magical element awe-inspiring (especially Memnon, the Ethiopian god-king). I can't believe such a gem as this was missed by the fantasy-reading public.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good author, good story,
By
This review is from: The Shattered Horse (Hardcover)
Loved reading about the adventures of Astyanax. An excellent retelling of the legand. I recommend it to all that have an interest in the Trojan war. The book is not perfect it does get a little confusing towards the end.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quoting reviews from previous edition ISBN 0747230927,
By TRP "Trip" (Amsterdam) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Shattered Horse (Paperback)
This has been out of print for so long - the reviews below from the earlier edition on amazon will hopefully demonstrate why this book should be back in print!**** Good author, good story , October 7, 2005 Reviewer: "General Pete" (SC) Loved reading about the adventures of Astyanax. An excellent retelling of the legand. I recommend it to all that have an interest in the Trojan war. The book is not perfect it does get a little confusing towards the end. ***** Excellent adventure set in ancient times, August 28, 2001 Reviewer: "techtor" (Quezon CIty, Philippines) I had always been fascinated by tales in ancient times. I also find rewrites of these tales quite entertaining, quite explorative. "The Shattered Horse" has this, and more. Astyanax, who should have been thrown down from the walls of Troy as a babe, is still around and he grows to start a new Trojan war, which he does by stealing Helen again. But on the way, he sees the terrible effects of a recent war: deprived states, chaotic governments, rampant crime and death, tragic fates, all of which happened to the Greeks as well as the Trojan after their great war. He probably thought when he returned, maybe I should jump from the walls of Troy anyhow. But it's a great adventure. The events are amazing, the telling gripping, the magical element awe-inspiring (especially Memnon, the Ethiopian god-king). I can't believe such a gem as this was missed by the fantasy-reading public. ***** Filled with moonlight and old magic, October 21, 1999 Reviewer: A reader I'like to thank the author for the book... And now I'm go to catch an oppoturnity of buying it.
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