Troy by Stephen Fry

Whispers of the Story 

Warning! This is not a love story!

Stephen Fry’s third Greek myth book dives into the chaos of Troy—from its divine beginnings to its fiery end. We have Helen (the face that launched a thousand ships), Paris (the guy who picked beauty over brains), gods with issues, mortals making very bad life choices, and lots of drama.

It all leads to the ultimate ancient war: 10 years of egos clashing, heroes dying, and the sneakiest trick in history—a giant wooden horse packed with Greeks. It starts with a celebration – Troy celebrates the departure of the Greek, and it ends with the annihilation of a civilisation. 

It wasn’t even worth it for the Greek leaders—after all that bloodshed, the gods made sure most of them went home just to die miserable, ironic deaths.

Review of Troy by Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry tries to tell the story as it was described in the ancient text, not exploiting modern views of true love and bravery, even though the conversations between the characters are often very funny. If you expect to read a book about a romantic love story between Helen and Paris, a war in which everyone has a hero’s attitude and a romanticised depiction of heroes fighting in battle, do not read it. This book does not present anything romantic in the war, on the contrary, presents the ugliness of the war, murders, rapes, sacrileges, and all the horrific acts that exist in every war. Also, based on the ancient stories that survive to this day, Fry keeps the idea that Helen was not in love with Paris, and there were many episodes in which he was a coward which alienated Helen even more from him. After his death, she is forced to marry one of his brothers, again against her will, so basically even his family does not believe in the true love between them. 

The way Stephen Fry establishes the context explaining all the actions and events that led to the war is very beautiful and helpful. It really shows all the political implications and set the stage for the final act, the war against Troy. He also described the main characters, their ancestry, their stories, and their main attributes. During the whole war, he focuses on describing all the small events that had ramifications in the end result of the war.  Because of all these details I find the book remarkable because it really helps the reader to see the whole picture and understand better.

The characters are also depicted with their virtues and their flaws. Odysseus was a very smart and cunning man, but he was also proud and arrogant, sometimes planning the demise of his allies if they offended him. Achilles was brave, strong, and a better fighter, but he was very proud, he chose to live a short life that would bring him glory, rather than to have a family. But that “glory” meant that he massacred many people, defiled a dead body, and refused the burial ritual because his cousin, who was also his lover was killed in a fair fight. I find it funny how they talk about glory and dying in battle, but if a loved one is killed in battle they find it most appealing and do hideous acts for revenge without regard for noble conduct, yet they expect it in return. He is not the only one that acts this way.

However, there are a few who are righteous and try to do good and follow the rules or honor and they are more on the Trojan side: Priam, Hecuba, and Hector. Prince Hector was brave, a skilled warrior, in control of himself, and always tried to have noble conduct in battle. His brothers on the other hand, including Paris, were bold and stupid in battles, the main reason they died.

The story ends with the massacre of the Trojans. The last scene depicts the gods who were appalled by the heinous acts the Greeks committed inside the city, even those who were on their side and they all agree that they should be punished for their crimes. I know what happens next, that most of them did not have a happy life after they went home. Odysseus managed to get home only after 10 years full of perils as a punishment from gods. After he regains the throne of Ithaca he loses his mind and is killed by one of his sons. Agamemnon was killed after he returned home by a plot maneuvered by his wife who did not forgive him for sacrificing their daughter. But there is one happy end. By most accounts, Helen was joyful to return with Menelaus and they lived a happy life.

 I would have liked to read these punishments from the gods at the end of the book, but that is the only minus I have regarding this book.

There are numerous adaptations to the screen of this love story, the most known being Troy from 2004 with Brad Pitt, Erica Bana and Orlando Bloom. The movie Helen of Troy from 2003 presents a more romantic view from my perspective, but there is a new TV series on Netflix from 2018, Troy: The Fall of a City which depicts the story more in detail and is not so romantic, but also shows the flaws of the main characters. Whatever you choose to see, keep in mind that in the Ancient times, people had different values and a more violent way of life, closer to what is depicted in this book. 

Happy reading!