I tried to give this one a go, considering the prolific author, but it didn't really appeal to me.

Many thanks to the publisher and author for the ARC.

This is the third installment in Stephen Fry’s Mythos series and details the rise and fall of Troy. He talks about the approximate setting of the story, the backstories of main characters, and events leading up to, during, and at the end of the Trojan War. There is also an appendix at the end talking about the overall myth and its relationship to reality.

The text is sprinkled with illustrations, graphics, and photos of things like timelines, maps, and artwork that help readers understand the story.

Note: Before this book, I had read Mythos, but not Heroes. You can definitely read this one as a standalone.

The rise and fall of Troy told by Stephen Fry, in his unparalleled wit and verve. He's really some charming guy.

Like I've said before, I had not been very well-read (still ain't) nor particularly interested in Greek mythology. But with "Mythos" Stephen Fry did pique my interest.

Nevertheless, it was again a struggle to keep all the characters and their relationships straight. For someone relatively new to the material these are challenging books. But Fry knows that, and does a good job of both directing your attention to where it is best used and also never giving you the feeling of being stupid, just because you can't remember all of the names and stories. Where he feels it is necessary he gives you a short reminder, so I never really felt lost.

I still doubt that I will remember much of it. It's just too much information. But it is nevertheless a very readable and enjoyable book, thanks to Fry's wry humor, capable guidance and charming narrative voice.

Maybe there were a couple too many footnotes. But a lot of them were rather charming as well. So I'll give him a pass.

Certainly a book for a future reread.

This was so much fun! I had no idea what I was getting into, but I love anything having to do with Greek myths. Sometimes I find books covering war dry, but Fry managed to keep it really entertaining and cover everything super thoroughly!

This was the first book by Stephen Fry that I have read. While I enjoy greek mythology And enjoyed this book it went into too much detail for my taste. It was still easy to read and understand but at times was a little tedious for my taste.

Mr. Fry brings an all new take to all the tale we learned about in high school, the one we read about in college, the one we've watched on the big screen. And with this take, and Mr. Fry's distinctive style, we can imagine ourselves in the thick of it all. What a great book to add to your collection. All of the characters are brought to life with flair.

***Received an ARC of story from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

I love everything to do with the Iliad. Stephen Fry has an incredible knowledgeable voice. His writing is easy to follow and makes learning about a subject I’m already passionate about enjoyable. I haven’t read Mythos or Heroes yet but I will certainly backtrack to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.

This is the first Stephen Fry book I've read, but it definitely won't be my last. And it was perfect timing with so many books coming out that are based on classical mythology. This last book of a trilogy is a retelling of the Trojan War as told through the Iliad. Fry's witty and compelling writing was a perfect way to refresh my memory of the stories I had read in high school literature class, while adding his tidbits to make it fresh again. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am disappointed that I waited this long to read one of his books. I'm looking forward to digging my way through Stephen Fry's backlist.

In Troy, the third volume in his Greek Myths Reimagined series (following on from his bestsellers Mythos and Heroes), Stephen Fry re-tells the complex, timeless and thrilling story of the Trojan War.
Fry's narrative is based primarily on the story as related in Homer's The Iliad (c.800BCE), although he also draws on other relevant ancient texts including Aeschylus's The Orestia (c.458BCE), Euripides's Iphigenia at Aulis (c.420BCE), and Virgil's The Aeneid (c.19BCE) together with more modern works such as Chaucer's (c.1380-90) and Shakespeare's (1601) interpretations of the story of Troilus and Cressida. Whether, and to what extent the legend is based on historical events remains a matter for fascinating conjecture between historians, classicists, archaeologists and linguists. For context, the battles upon which the stories are based are believed to have occurred at some point between 1280BCE and 1160BCE, up to 3,300 years ago, during the Bronze age.
While I must admit to never having read a translation of The Iliad in its entirety, I came to Troy with a reasonable degree of familiarity with the subject matter, having been fortunate to visit the sites of Mycenae, Sparta and Troy myself some years ago and having subsequently studied The Orestia. While a basic understanding of the story and knowledge of the major players are useful, I believe that Fry's Troy would also provide an entertaining, comprehensive and readable opportunity for those readers not already familiar with the legends.
To summarise the plot, Paris, an impetuous prince of Troy (a prosperous city-state located on what is now Turkey's northern Aegean coast), visits the Mycenean city-state of Sparta (on modern Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula) and abducts (either willingly or not) the queen, Helen, who is renowned as the most beautiful woman in the world. Helen's aggrieved husband, King Menelaus of Sparta, assembles an expeditionary force, led by his brother, King Agamemnon of Mycenae and featuring legendary heroes including Odysseus of Ithaca, Achilles and Ajax, who together set out with a flotilla of 1,000 ships to invade Troy and bring Helen home to Sparta. Priam, King of Troy, supported by his heroic son Hector and various Ethiopian, Macedonian and Amazon allies, holds off the invasion for 9 years before a final decisive series of battles and the rather inventive use of a large wooden horse bring the conflict to a bloody conclusion. Meanwhile, the Olympian gods, who initiated the series of events in the first place, can't resist but take sides and interfere at various points during the hostilities.
As Fry rightly points out in his introduction, both the chronology and the enormous cast of interrelated characters can be bamboozling for readers. I much appreciated the explanatory map, timeline and list of characters in this regard. The book is illustrated with many photographic images of works of art inspired by the story. While I read Troy in the cumbersome protected PDF format for review, I would strongly recommend reading this book in physical form, for ease of reference back and forth.
Troy is an engrossing, well-written and (at times) wryly amusing re-telling of a classic tale of human passions, hubris, endeavour and heroism. I can recommend it highly to all readers, from middle grades and up, with an interest in history, myth, adventure, human nature or who seek simply a rollicking good read.
My thanks to the author, comedian-presenter-polymath Stephen Fry, publisher of this US hardcover edition, Chronicle Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this wonderful title.

as obsessed as i am with the classical period, specifically the trojan war, i can’t believe i never found stephen fry before this. TROY was dry, informative, and entertaining. one of the best retellings i have ever seen of the trojan war and its timeline.

Incredible, Bloodlust and Mythical Tale..................................

Troy by Stephen Fry is a fantastic mythological tale of a once prosperous city of Troy. I have read about Troy before but not in such an amazing and detailed way. The author has traced the lineage of Greek gods and their sons, kings and queens extensively. And, the description of war is so detailed and extensive that I felt like I was standing amidst the fight. Also, the author has annexed a list of all the characters at the end of the book.

I would give 5 stars to the book for its extraordinary imagery of a tale so old and wonderful. Although, the climax was a little bit disturbing.

I saw TROY on NetGalley and jumped at getting to read one of Stephen Fry’s Trilogy. Last year at the virtual Hay Festival in Wales (thank you Richard) I had the opportunity to hear the author read an excerpt of his book and delighted at his storytelling as well as his voice.

Stephen Fry’s TROY is a retelling of the 10 year epic battle of the Trojan War. Achilles, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Menelaus, Helen of Sparta, Hector of Troy, and Paris are portrayed in all their glory as the heroes or villains that they are. Told in an easily understood prose, TROY is intense and humorous. Fry’s footnotes are witty and not to be missed! I loved the parts the Gods played in their favorites’ lives to help them when they could or to cause mayhem for others. It was very hard to put this book down. Unforgettable…

Fry is a master storyteller. His prose is lovely. Having not yet read his first two books MYTHOS and HEROES, it didn’t matter whether #3 TROY was where I started. I have MYTHOS waiting for me on Audible and can’t wait to listen to Stephen Fry as the narrator.

News is that the author will be publishing a #4 titled THE ODYSSEY in 2022…

5 out of 5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley, Chronicle Books, and Stephen Fry for the ARC of TROY in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date - June 22, 2021

Review posted to Goodreads on 6/20/21

I have enjoyed all of Stephen Fry's pevipus books and I enjoyed this one the same.

Easy to read, follow and understand. I am a suckered for Greek mythology so it didn't take.me long to get through this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

I previously enjoyed Stephen Fry's books Mythos and Heroes, detailing other stories in Greek mythology, and Troy was no different. Fry's writing style is witty and easy to read, and if you're new to these stories, I would certainly recommend them. I will say that he can sometimes take the gravity or emotion out of parts of the story; but then again, there are plenty of other renditions of stories in Greek mythology that tell the story differently, it might just not be everyone's cup of tea. As suspected, there will be a fourth book in the series, detailing the events of the Odyssea, which I will definitely pick up whenever it comes out.

It is worth noting that I haven't read Fry's "Mythos" or "Heroes," his works on the Greek myths that precede "Troy." Happily, you can absolutely consume "Troy" without having read the prior works (though I will be scooping up the hardcover editions of all three ASAP!).

I won't be digging to deep into the content of this text because....hello, we know what it's about. If you don't know anything about the city of Troy and it's epic fall, I have a few questions. First, are you an alien? Second, why aren't you reading this book right this minute to learn about it?

The text is clear, concise, and beautiful. I could almost hear Fry's voice in my head while I was reading. There's not much more to say - this is a lovely, easy-to-read deep-dive into one of the world's most famous stories. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

What I enjoyed so much about this book was how easy it was to understand. It was written with humor, informal side notes, and exciting storylines that were easy to follow in ways previous mythology isn't. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and I will recommend it in the future to people who are looking to learn mythology in an easily digestible way.

Before Frodo and Rand al'Thor and Ged and Fitz, there were Paris and Menelaus. Driven by mean, jealous, bored gods, Paris sets out to win over the most beautiful woman in the world, the wife of Menelaus, Helen. He abducts her and takes her to Troy and a ten year siege ensues with a plethora of fascinating characters joining in or leaving the fight as the story progresses.

This summary is one speck of dust in the grand scheme of things, because Stephen Fry deftly tells the story in magnificent detail, giving just enough background to make everything clear yet keep it as unchaotic as possible. Every little side story mentioned in the book is like another ingredient for the cake that is Troy. The story of Paris' father Priam, Heracles' cameo, Hera, Aphrodite and Athena's vanity, Agamemnon's explosive personality, Odysseus' underhanded ingenuity, Achilles' stubbornness, Cassandra, Briseis, Hector, Nestor - they are the flour, milk, butter, eggs, sugar and salt of Troy. However large or small their part, their overall contribution is vital to the deliciousness of the end result.

The timeless story of Troy is told with a friendliness and humor that balances out the horror of war that is mostly glossed over and not talked about in excruciating detail, although any reader with a vivid enough imagination can picture whatever was left unsaid. Both the main and side characters are given a certain charm and temperament thus enabling the reader to relate or empathize with them, or simply love or hate them.

Most importantly, Troy is easy to read. Even the paragraphs or pages that are lists of people and place names, interrelations and family dramas are there mostly just FYI and Fry makes sure to point out you don't absolutely have to remember every single name to enjoy the story as a whole, and he quickly redirects our attention back to the fun parts and the action.

Mythos was a wonderful and concise retelling of Greek myths, Heroes was a highly enjoyable summary of some of the most prominent and interesting mortal Greek heroes and the monsters they fought, but Troy takes the proverbial cake in its readability and entertainment value. I would highly recommend all three books to fans of Greek mythology and history, and especially to those like myself who have ever felt intimidated by the original ancient Greek literature.

The gorgeous yellow hardcover version of Troy by Chronicle Books is available from June 29th. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Chronicle Books and Stephen Fry for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the chance to read an early copy of this book!

I never read the Iliad, so TROY is really my first encounter with this whole story, even if of course I had cultural knowledge of Helen's abduction, Achilles's heel, Odysseus's long time away from Ithaca, "beware of Greeks bearing gifts," etc. I found Fry's telling a very interesting approach - eminently readable, and you have a strong sense of the storytelling as the author often inserts himself to say things like "this will come back later" or "you don't need to remember all of these little details, just get the general idea." I bet this would make an absolutely delightful audiobook because of the prose and style, although the actual content is a little hard to stomach.

There are quite a number of historical paintings and pictures of artifacts scattered throughout the book, although I can't say too much about them as the captions were yet to be completed in the version I read. The book overall is very visually pleasing with eye-catching use of color and stylish formatting.

The story of Troy is, wow, immensely violent and depressing and full of terrible men, which is exactly why I never read the Iliad. But I really do enjoy the way the story was told and how Fry would bring it together (including footnoted references to where, e.g. you could see more about Heracles in the HEROES book). It's a stylish and relatively accessible introduction to the Trojan War, it has some interesting notes at the end on myth vs reality, and it made me really intrigued to read the other books in this collection. It's certainly a book that will stick with me for a long time.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4047965736

Stephen Fry is a genius, so I'm always on board to see what he's doing. He's also really funny, so I initially expected the book to be more comedic, but it isn't, really. (There is some humor, but it's more an occasional wry aside than full comedy.) This is a written by Fry wearing his scholar hat, not his comedian hat, and so for a while I was enjoying it but not really convinced it needed to exist. Surely we could just read one of the more modern translations of the Iliad instead?

I have somehow not read then Iliad yet, though, so my opinion changed as I came to understand how little of the Trojan War is actually included therein. Fry presents the whole story, an admirable synthesis of many ancient (and sometimes contradictory) sources.

If you're looking for a humorous retelling of the Trojan War, look elsewhere. But if you've ever wanted to hang out with Stephen Fry and have him give you a conversational recounting of the Trojan War, that's the vibe here. Quite worthwhile.

My thanks to both NetGalley and to the publisher Chronicle Books for and advanced copy of this book.

Stephen Fry, actor, writer, director, narrator, noted bon vivant and responsible for my favorite representation of the character Jeeves on screen, returns once more for what is being called the third book in his Mythos Trilogy, Troy. I hope Mr. Fry counts his trilogies the same as Douglas Adams, and keeps adding more titles, for this books are just too much fun and informative to stop at three.

Teaching and engaging with others is difficult, but Mr. Fry makes it seem so effortless, even telling in the beginning of the book, yes this is a lot to take in, but you will and you will enjoy it when it comes to you. He asks the questions we'd like to ask, and gives answers to thoughts that would never occur. As I said I hope he continues on, a book on the Odyssey and the Aenid would be very interesting. Maybe even something a little more contemporary, say within the last 300 years would be nice.