Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • The CBR Team
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us

Open Registration for CBR13 ends Jan. 31! Sign Up Today!

> FAQ Home
> Genre: Fantasy > Troy Story

Troy Story

Troy: The Siege of Troy Retold by Stephen Fry

January 9, 2021 by TheShitWizard 6 Comments

We’re just one week in to 2021 and I’m already failing at my resolution to write reviews as soon as I finish a book. I blame Antifa.

Anyhoo, tearing myself away from The Stupidest Coup, Troy was the perfect book to start my year with and Stephen Fry the perfect host. I’d already devoured Mythos which dealt with the birth of the gods, and Heroes which dealt with the age of Heracles, Theseus and co, so it was a safe bet that I’d love this – especially given that the fall of Troy is, in my not so humble opinion, the greatest story ever told. Excitingly, it seems he’ll soon be following this up with the second greatest story ever told – The Odyssey.

Fry tells the story with aplomb, complete with dry wit and helpful footnotes plus assurances that he’ll explain the various family trees and inconsistencies that we encounter along the way. The way Fry deals with dialogue and interactions of the various epic characters helps bring them much more down to earth, with relatable motivations, although I must admit that due to said dry wit I didn’t feel quite the same level of emotion that I normally do with this story (the death of Hector makes usually makes me weep like the freshly bereaved while I just got a throat lump here, and the fiery fury that normally sees me attempting to send death rays at Achilles was downgraded to a mere temper).

But that’s a very minor quibble and Troy is another fantastic addition to my bookshelves. I can’t wait until The Odyssey joins it.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Non-Fiction Tagged With: mythology, retold classic, Stephen Fry

TheShitWizard's CBR13 Review No:1 · Genres: Fantasy, Non-Fiction · Tags: mythology, retold classic, Stephen Fry ·
Rating:
· 6 Comments

About TheShitWizard

CBR13 participantCBR12 participantCBR11 participantCBR10 participantCBR  9CBR 8

Drinking tea, reading books, petting cats. View TheShitWizard's reviews»

Comments

  1. LittlePlat says

    January 9, 2021 at 10:50 am

    This sounds excellent! I just looked up the Audiobook, and Fry is the narrator, so I think I’ll be putting this on my to-read pile

    Reply
    • TheShitWizard says

      January 9, 2021 at 11:36 am

      It really is – the audiobook should be ace!

      Reply
  2. Malin says

    January 9, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    I have both Mythos and Heroes on my actual physical bookshelf, and this on my digital TBR list. I love Greek mythology and Stephen Fry, so the combination is pure Malin catnip. I had no idea he was doing The Odyssey next, I’m already excited.

    Reply
    • TheShitWizard says

      January 10, 2021 at 12:41 pm

      SOOOOOO exciting!

      Reply
  3. Jenna says

    January 9, 2021 at 9:49 pm

    I just commented on LittlePlat’s review that I was looking to foray into more retellings of myths and epics, this sounds like another great addition to the to-read list!

    Reply
    • TheShitWizard says

      January 10, 2021 at 12:42 pm

      Fry is fabulous company for such a foray. Enjoy!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • wicherwill on An amiably low-stakes romantic adventure in Victorian LondonDoesn't sound like you read #1 in this series first--do you need to?
  • wicherwill on A Breath of Fresh, Fierce, Queer AirThe biggest issue with Actually Joining cannonball read is that now I have so very many more books on my read list. If I understand...
  • Emmalita on Angry Men and the Women that Save Them: And They All Lived Happily Ever After and Had Many ChildrenI read these when they first came out, and certainly, at the time, enjoyed them. Except for Benedict. He should be dropped in a defunct...
  • llamareadsbooks on Until the mountains are no more, I will love youThank you for the review! I can't wait to read this book! Beverly Jenkins never seems to disappoint.
  • andtheIToldYouSos on If you are getting another cat, read this book. Heck, if you have a cat, get this book.the final frontier! it took quite some time before our cats were bedroom safe
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Google Pay
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in