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. ( )