Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell
This is a wonderfully paced, absorbing and believable story with realistic characters.
David Gemmell turns his hand to historical fantasy with the first book in a trilogy encompassing the Trojan War. Lord of the Silver Bow is 449 pages in length and is published by Bantam Press.
Gemmell incorporates epic and historical fantasy into a set of novels set in the era of the Trojan Wars. Drawing upon Greek mythology and using his own inimitable style Gemmell draws us into the fables of Agamemnon, Aeneas (Helikaon), Andromache and Hector. This refreshing re-telling of the Greek epic follows the battle between Troy and Mycanae.
In Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow, David Gemmell takes a break from his usual heroic fantasy and turns his hand to the historical fantasy genre. This may take a few fans by surprise but any who have read Lion of Macedon will know that when the author turns his attention to real-life history he adds his own inimitable fantasy elements and creates a wonderful book that is both accurate and exciting. This is a tale of war, romance and legend featuring honour versus treachery with characters that are very human, flawed and neither good nor evil.
Gemmell has done such a terrific job in bringing the ancient Troy legend to life that he will win himself many new fans that may have previously avoided his work. It was a brave move to leave the comfort of his tried and tested heroic fantasy formula and enter the world of Greek mythology but it has turned out to be a successful one. This is a wonderfully paced, absorbing and believable story with realistic characters. If children were given this kind of fare in their curriculum then their enthusiasm for history may suddenly leap to previously unseen heights.
Lord of the Silver Bow does not feature the Greek gods to as large a degree as you might expect from a story of this type. The focus is definitely on the human, there is no black or white, the characters are multi dimensional and posses the good and bad traits found in every human (although these are heightened, this is Gemmell’s trademark, they are always slightly larger than life).
The best character is Argurios, betrayed by his own King and forced to fight against his own people. The weakest is Andromache, Gemmell has placed a strong female character, a feminist really and although this is admirable she does seem to be too modern for this tale.
Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow is very good, about the ideal length and sets up the trilogy nicely. David Gemmell is not afraid to change his successful formula and has taken on the Troy legend and turned it into an exciting, colourful and action packed tale accessible to modern times. This trilogy will awaken new interest in Greek mythology.
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