Troy by Adele Geras
Reviewed by Joie
In a land between continents, 2000 years ago, a war so terrible it is still known today is being fought. Men cleaved in half and punctured by hundreds of arrows lie on the battlefield. Blood is everywhere. The city is withering away. This is a tale of the Trojan War and people the people of Troy.
The battles of the Trojan war are well known and recited throughout ages. The clever Greeks and the spiteful Trojans. But this tale is not one of the battlefield. It lies in Aphrodite's game; two sisters with God sight are set against longings not known before, and, all the while, the war rages on. This story depicts what the great Trojan War was like from the viewpoint of women.
The book was a captivating read. Although one must know quite a bit about the Greek heroes and deities, it is a realistic tale of war siege combined with the cruelty of love and trickery among the Olympians. I recommend this book only for older teenagers and adults as it contains rather suggestive themes and gruesome scenes. Girls would probably enjoy it more than boys due to the action flowing more slowly than usual, but it is not standstill. The characters acted as real humans would at that time, and I think Geras did a good job depicting them. An adventure of the other side of the Trojan War is there for those who wish to read it!