Reading this series again more than a decade after my first read, I am reminded that David Gemmell truly is the king of the heroic fantasy.

I've read a lot of good fantasy and fiction over the last few years, and also greatly increased my understanding of the ancient Greek world and epic poetry. All of this serves only to increase my appreciation of what David Gemmell has been able to do in this series.

You will find every kind of hero you can think of in these books - the natural hero, the tragic hero; the reluctant hero, the selfless hero; the unwanted hero, the unexpected hero; heroes in all shapes and sizes, all walks of life, in war, in peace, in love, in sacrifice. And each finds their place, all coming together in one of the most heroic contexts in history.

It's hard to rewrite a story that is the foundation of western literature, and this trilogy is by no means perfect, but David Gemmell interweaves so many Homeric references, historical details and strong characters, that I can't help but be swept along onto the Great Green with his direct but powerful writing style.

A retelling of the Trojan war that is down-to-earth, gritty and realistic, yet nonetheless downright epic - this for me is Gemmell's ultimate work in more ways than one. ( )

When people ask me what kinds of books I read, I usually now answer "Historical Fiction." When people ask why, I should just say David Gemmell.

This book epically slashes and gashes its way to to the tops of my favorite trilogies. ( )

I really enjoyed this series. Wonderful characters, especially the larger than life hero, Banokles, who physical and strength of character make him a Trojan general. In the third and final book, Troy is besieged by King Agammenon and his Western kings alliance, and there is much death and slaughter, especially of Troy's ruling family. Yet, the end is not gloom and doom. Highly recommended. ( )

The final book in Gemmel's Troy trilogy, and listed as co-written by his wife, Stella, after his premature death before the book was completed.
The narrative is centred on the actual siege of Troy and the final battles - so there was much more fighting and hacking and spearing and dying than I needed, but hard to write out of the story.
The best parts of the book (and the previous volumes) lies in the believable characters that inspire affection (or loathing) in the eye of the reader. I sometimes think that his characters are based on people he knows, and he projects their modern characteristics into the alien environment. Not a problem, but possibly better if the process was less transparent. ( )

It was a tragedy to lose David Gemmell so early. He was one of the best fantasy writers in the biz and even his lesser books were better than most. He also passed away before he could finish his Troy trilogy, but thankfully his wife completed his work. Usually when someone takes over a series, some of the original vision is lost, but Stella Gemmell rose to the occasion and finished the trilogy with an assured hand (although, as usual the body-count was high). Epic, action-packed, and enthralling. ( )

Another fantastic read, I love the way he meshes myth with history ( )

It took me some time to finish Fall of Kings, not because it was uninteresting (trust me, it was hard to put down), but because I've been very, very busy.

Fall of Kings, the last of the Troy trilogy, opens with Agamemnon and his fleet witnessing the burning of Dardanos, Helikaon's realm. The latter arrives shortly after, burning the whole of the enemy fleet.

Meanwhile, in Troy, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Refugees arrive on a daily basis, and those who try to flee are promptly killed by Agamemnon's forces. After Hekabe's death, Priam has become only a shadow of his former self; delusional, alcoholic, insane. He rests his hopes on only two people; his favorite son Hector, and the Dardanian king.

It is now winter, cold and bitter. Boats never cross the Great Green in the cold season, yet Priam sends his youngest daughter Kassandra to Thera, along with Andromache. They are to sail on the Xanthos with Helikaon, who needs to travel to his small colony on the Seven Hills for some much needed tin.

While on Thera, Gershom has an epiphany, brought on by Kassandra, and leaves the Xanthos to sail back to Egypt, making do on the promise he made to a healer, and thus face his destiny. Kassandra also warns Andromache of a situation in Ithaka; pirates have taken over the city and Penelope is now their hostage. As they speak, Odysseus is running to her rescue and to retake his land, and Helikaon must help. And help he will.

In the spring, Odysseus, reluctant ally of Agamemnon, forms a plan to take Troy. While not taking the city itself, the plains and the lower city are taken. Troy itself is now besieged, with little food and water. The nobles are worried that they will not last through the summer.

At last, the Xanthos returns. The tin Helikaon has managed to acquire is smuggled to the city, and Andromache can return to her home, and the son she so sorely misses. The great ship and the Trojan fleet must now escape and manages to do so by sinking the enemy's ships, which number twice their own.

Soon after, we witness the epic battle between Hektor and Achilles. However, neither survives. Odysseus then leaves Troy, determined not to be part of the sacking of Troy. Nestor follows, along with Achilles' Myrmidons.

It won't be long before the city is taken. Andromache must escape, and she is able to do so with the help of Kalliades, Banokles and Helikaon. Meanwhile, Agamemnon reaches Priam's vault, which promises to hold riches beyond belief, only to find it empty. Convinced that Helikaon stole it, he pursues him to Thera.

The island is destroyed not long after by a natural catastrophe, and sends a series of tsunamis across the Great Green. While the Xanthos survives them all, Odysseus' fate is unknown.

This is a fitting end to a wonderful trilogy. While David Gemmel left this last book unfinished upon his death, his wife, Stella, magnificently took on the task of completing it. The book seamlessly transitions from his writing style to hers, so much so that I never noticed where that transition starts.

Again, this is a story of tragedy and loss, of love and loyalty, of life and death, but most of all, of sacrifice. All the characters in the book must sacrifice something, sometimes their own lives, for something, or someone, they cherish. The most gripping of examples is during Andromache's escape, when Banokles cuts the rope after she, Kalliades and Helikaon have descended the wall. He could have joined them, but in not doing so, he saved all their lives, and diminished the chances of having them pursued by the enemy.

This has never been about 'the face that could launch a thousand ships'. In fact, Helen is repeatedly described as 'plain and plump'. This has never been about the love story between her and Paris. If anything, the story is about the forbidden love between Andromache and Helikaon, Agamemnon's ambition and greed, and the precarious political situation surrounding it all.

Both David and Stella Gemmel capture this beautiful tale inspired by Homer's Iliad, and retell it in a captivating fashion. The novel, and the series, reeks of violence, murder, blood.

But through it all prevails hope, love, loyalty and friendship. ( )

This is the book that should have gotten the Harry Potter hype! The last book by one of the greatest fantasy writer in decades! Anyone who is unsure of where to start with Gemmell, read Legend. This series is definitely the best that Gemmell has written in years! He saved the best for last. Stella - any chance of a Drenai novel? ( )

I read the first two installments of this trilogy last month and greatly enjoyed them. This final installment wraps up the story of the Heroes of the age, including the siege of Troy and its bitter end. David Gemmell passed away while this was being written, and it was completed by his wife Stella. I can't say to what extend this had an impact on the book, I for one, couldn't really find any difference in tone or writing style from previous Gemmell books.

And perhaps that was part of the problem. This book is more of the same. Even many of the events seem familiar to those in the previous installments. Helikaon being chased across the Great Sea in his great ship, his romance with Andromache and their associated angst. Battles. War. A Siege. Heroic deaths. Sea battles. Loyal friends. Attempted assasinations. We've seen this all before. Gemmell's prose is always workmanlike and muscular and thankfully sparse. He definitely tells rather than shows. The romance in particular is depicted in clunky prose, though only slightly less so than the fight scenes. But having said all that, the plot flows along at a fair clip, and continues to hold one's interest. And Gemmell still has the ability to unexpectedly affect you with the occasional standout moment (the death of Helen for example was particularly moving). This book also succeeds as its predecessors did in cleverly working in some of the more fantastical legends of the Illiad and Odyssey and present them in a slightly different light, so that we might read the Homeric legends as distortions of more realistic events. The story of the Trojan Horse for example is extremely cleverly handled, as is that of Odysseus' return to Ithaka disguised as a beggar. The other strength of this series is the number of female characters who play important and relevant roles to the larger story, and whose personal character arcs are of interest. Though this does serve to stretch out the story somewhat.

Perhaps I would have been better served spacing out my reads a little more, or perhaps this last installment could have been trimmed. There was an element of 'sameness' creeping in, but it was never enough to make me want to stop reading. All in all the Troy trilogy was an enjoyable read, Gemmell's limitations as a writer aside, and this was a fair enough ending to the series. ( )

This book has everything a good book needs: intrigue, bloody action from mass battles to Hector's dramatic one on one fight with Achilles, love and hate, life and death. Helikaon, Andromache, Odysseus, Kalliades, Banokles, Hektor, Achilles, Agamemnon, Gershom - and all the others we came to love or hate have a role to play and will meet their fate, for good or for bad and for some with surprising twists. The sense of bravery, loyalty, grief, honor and happiness and the feeling that you know the characters so closely you feel their triumphs and pain like your own is the same as in the two previous books.

It is hard to tell which part was still written by David Gemmell himself and where his wife Stella took over after David's untimely death. Respect to Stella for this - it's quite an accomplishment.

The complete trilogy is a strong retelling of Homer's classic saga. For anyone who like their tales actionpacked, full of intrigue and great dialogue, with a big cast of characters to be loved or hated - don't hesitate to pick up this book. Be sure to read Lord of the Silver Bow and Shield of Thunder first!

Strongly recommended.

8,5 / 10

http://theflyingdutchmanbookreviews.blogspot.com ( )

Troy falls... ( )

It’s great to see an example of a series being successfully completed after the death of its creator – it can be a bit hit and miss, but this was definitely a hit. Stella Gemmell has done a fine job of finishing the trilogy, and I have to say I actually preferred her lighter touch, which was an improvement on her husband’s occasionally heavy-handed prose.

In terms of the actual plot, I read this book much more critically than the previous two. I have a slight obsession with the Trojan war, and while the first two books were really scene-setting, this one was right into the thick of the action. Perhaps it was because it is a story that is so well known to a lot of readers that Gemmell decided to change so much of it, but this was only partly successful. In places he made a very good point about the way stories grow and change and become what we know them as centuries later. The way Helen’s reputation for beauty comes about is a good example of this, and the ruse by which the Trojan horse finally gets into the city. In other places, however, the story and particularly the characters are spuriously mucked about with in ways that seem to serve no practical purpose whatsoever. That Andromache ends up walking off into the sunset with Helikaon is perhaps necessary in order to create a slushy ending which is apparently supposed to appeal to the reader, but having Agamemnon murder his sister Iphigenia before dying in the eruption on Thera is utterly pointless. It doesn’t do anything for his characterisation that hadn’t already been done in other ways, and that couldn’t have been done by sticking to the original myth. Kassandra’s treatment is similarly silly – no mention is made of her curse throughout the three novels, until about two paragraphs before her death Andromache makes a casual reference to it. By that time it’s too late to serve any purpose as a plot element, and would have been much better left alone.

Most bizarre of all was the inclusion of Gershom. Although interesting and amusing, it had nothing whatever to do with the story of Troy, and either has to be read as a clumsy attempt to dismiss the events of the Exodus as mythology, or as pure showing off on the part of the author.

In conclusion, then, this trilogy is entertaining to read, but as an example of how a modern writer should handle an ancient myth it’s not great, and it really doesn’t inspire me to read any of David Gemmell’s other novels. For those interested in retellings of the Trojan war, I would recommend Colleen McCullough’s [The Song of Troy] as a much better alternative. ( )

Concluding book of the Troy Trilogy--not as well written as the first two (Gemmell died before completing it and his wife finished it for him) but still a thrilling ride. ( )

There is always a problem in re-telling familiar tales in that the author is really obliged to allow the main characters to end up more or less how we 'know' they are intended to be. I don't think it is a 'spoiler' to assume that Aeneas will survive to found Rome and that most of the rest will end up dead.

Gemmell has had an interesting way with some of the wilder legends by putting them into the mouth of the story-teller Odysseus - elaborating the god and monster stories from less supernatural adventures. He continues in this way particularly in respect of the Trojan Horse - his basis for the legend is much more plausible than the usual explanation although you can see how his story might change around camp fires at night. Gemmell also deals with the beauty of Helen in an original, if slightly less convincing, way.

The doom of the house of Atreus is pretty terminal but I think that the Aeschylus version is much more fun and I am not entirely happy about the timing of the Santorini (Thera) eruption in relation to the Trojan War. Gemmell was a careful author and he presumably had some evidence base for that idea.

Stella Gemmell did a good job finishing her late husband's book which stands as a very satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy. It will be interesting to see if she produces any of her own now.

Historical fantasy at its best. Sadly the book had to be finished by gemmell's wife due to his untimely death. I worried that the book would suffer. However, Stella Gemmell did her husband proud. This novel was every bit as good as the first two in the set! ( )

good end to a good series of books. shame it's his last one though! ( )