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em_davies7019's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Blood
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Gore
matildabirdie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The story of the Trojan War is one of the greatest of all times and Stephen Fry is equally intelligent, witty and engaging. This combination made for an exceptional book. Undeniably a little depressing when it ended on the rape and pillaging of Troy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Rape
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
3.0
If you aready know the myths surrounding Troy then you won't get much from this book. I feel like this would be perfect for those who are first getting into the myths, but are unsure where to start, since they are presented in the order they occurred.
It took forever for me to get through this book. I found myself really losing interest after the first 100 pages. It's actually quite easy to read, besides some of the names, but that's to be expected. However, I didn't find Stephen Fry's voice here to be very interesting. I mean, yeah, he's certainly telling us the myths, but it's just not the fresh take that I think most are looking for when it comes to retellings.
The actual book ends on page 333 (paperback version), with the last 100 pages being the Appendix, List of Characters, Picture Credits, Acknowledgements, and Index. So it's at least less of a beast to read than it first appears.
It took forever for me to get through this book. I found myself really losing interest after the first 100 pages. It's actually quite easy to read, besides some of the names, but that's to be expected. However, I didn't find Stephen Fry's voice here to be very interesting. I mean, yeah, he's certainly telling us the myths, but it's just not the fresh take that I think most are looking for when it comes to retellings.
The actual book ends on page 333 (paperback version), with the last 100 pages being the Appendix, List of Characters, Picture Credits, Acknowledgements, and Index. So it's at least less of a beast to read than it first appears.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Infidelity, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Murder, War, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Gore, Rape, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide
marianneiriss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child death, Cannibalism, Violence, Murder, Animal death, Grief, War, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
chloeanderson's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Minor: Rape and Murder
nahlaaly56's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I've been waiting for this book to become available on Audible Canada for so long! Finally it is, and it was worth the wait. The third installment of the Mythos series is just as good as the first two and just as enthralling. As someone who loves Greek mythology, this book was very entertaining to me and I don't think I've ever heard the story told this way before. Definitely a new classic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Child death, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and Incest
abutler's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Stephen Fry is always a treat. I highly recommend the audiobook version because he reads it and it is a pure delight.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, and Slavery
streetmuseums's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
2.5
quite a boring retelling. impressive, really, given the story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
sofipitch's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First off, I got the hard cover edition and this book is so beautiful. It has think pages with color printed art from various era's that depict the myths being told. I dog ear books to keep my place and when I opened this book I considered not dog earing it bc of how nice it is (I ended up doing it anyways though, it's my book).
This book is so comprehensive, it includes a lot of background on the myths and lineage surrounding the main characters in the Trojan war. It mentions myths that are usually less common. I grew up reading a lot of greek myth collections and obviously some get repeated over and over while some you might only see mentioned once or twice. Well Fry doesn't let a single story pass you by, he tells them bc he loves them. It's not until close exactly half-way through the books the Greeks make it Troy and the actual war starts. Which I don't mind at all, the stories surrounding the buildup are as good as the war itself.
Like most myths, there are at time contradictory stories, other lineages and such that the author must choose one over the other. Fry includes a lot of other interpretations in the footnotes of the book. Some greek mythology fans can get angry at adaptations that don't do their favorite interpretation so I think it was a good way to keep those people at bay and show how comprehensive his knowledge on the subject is.
Fry uses dramatic irony from time to time which I love in mythology retelling, foreshadowing disastrous events yet to come through casual remarks made by the characters.
I love the pronunciation guides in the footnotes. I grew up loving greek mythology but since I grew up reading it all I never knew how to pronounce anything.
The only thing that I found slightly disappointing is some minor events from the Iliad are left out, such as Posiden fighting with the Greeks or Hera seducing her husband to distract him so the Greeks could get the upper hand. They are mostly unimportant, but they are funny, and this book often searches for humor whenever it could, so it would've been fun to include them.
Overall this book was amazing, I spent most of Saturday and Sunday this weekend reading it, I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to get my hands on the other two books, Mythos and Heroes. And I hope Stephen Fry doesn't end here but goes on to tell stories of two heroes leaving Troy which make up the Odyssey and Aeneid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death, Grief, Violence, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Incest, Rape, Infidelity, and Gore
tamtasticbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
3.75
"Troy" by Stephen Fry is a retelling of the classic legend of the Trojan War and all of the people and gods it involved. I enjoyed reading it once the story picked up and really got going. If you're familiar with the stories, this will likely be an easy read for you. If not, it might be harder to get into. Most likely though, if you're reading it you have some interest in Greek mythology! There are so many characters in this book (and every iteration of the Trojan War), which can hard to keep straight even if you are familiar with the legend. The story moved quickly. It almost felt like it ended abruptly (even though it was a natural break in the story) and I was left wanting just a bit more resolution.
There were tons of footnotes throughout the book, to offer backstories or research or explanations, which I won't lie, I would skim or skip because I wanted to stay in the action. For a more thorough reading, the footnotes are great. Overall, it was a good read-through.
Thank you to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
There were tons of footnotes throughout the book, to offer backstories or research or explanations, which I won't lie, I would skim or skip because I wanted to stay in the action. For a more thorough reading, the footnotes are great. Overall, it was a good read-through.
Thank you to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Murder