Lotus666
06-08-09, 10:46 PM
Done by Lord Destroyer in April '09 this year...
Fall of Kings is the last of the Troy trilogy by late British fantasy writer David Gemmell - I daresay he had an outline and/or a rough draft written up when he died in July 2006. His widow, Stella, apparently did the rest. It's advisable to read the previous two books in the Troy trilogy (Lord of the Silver Bow and Shield of Thunder) before getting into this one. It also helps to have some knowledge of Greek mythology and the events of the Iliad by Homer to have some perspective.
When Fall of Kings starts, a war is raging between Troy and its allies against the Mykene and their allies. The war began over Agamemnon's lust for Priam's riches and wanted to plunder it, and Priam was not about to let it go. Some other nations threw their lot in with Agamemnon because of certain slights inflicted upon them by Priam himself or wanted part of the plunder.
Three years had passed since the events of Shield of Thunder - Andromache had birthed a son, Astyanax, but only she, her husband, Hektor, and Heliakon of Dardanos knew who the real father was. Hektor buried the hurt deep within, and the other two kept tight reins on that secret for fear Hektor's father, King Priam of Troy, would have Astyanax killed because the child wasn't of his bloodline.
The war, in and of itself, was a losing gamble for Troy. One by one their allies fell until Troy and any remnants of their allies stood. Attacks were halted with the onset of winter, and while that went on, Heliakon took Andromache and Kassandra to Thera, where Andromache was a priestess until she was sent to Troy to marry Hektor. Kassandra was to be a new priestess there, and she had been seeing visions of the future for many years. Andromache was going there to bury the bones of her Theran lover, Kalliope. Shortly thereafter, Heliakon goes to help his friend, Odysseus, retake Ithaka from a bunch of pirates; although Odysseus was allied with the Mykene at the time - those two had a friendship that stretched through the years and no war was about to cast that aside. Heliakon's help came when things were looking bad for Odysseus and his men - ultimately Odysseus killed the leader of the pirates, named Antinous.
Come the start of spring, the Mykene launch a surprise attack on King's Joy (a palace some distance from Troy) and kill Prince Paris. His wife, Helen, takes their two children and instead of going quietly with the Mykene, jumps to her death. The battles that follow - Troy is running out of the metals needed to forge new bronze armor and weapons, especially tin. One of Troy's commanders, Banokles (formerly a Mykene soldier, now allied with Troy), lost his wife to a jealous baker, and becomes a juggernaut of destruction.
Heliakon returns in his ship, the Xanthos, and manages to sneak past the Mykene fleet in the Bay of Troy. Andromache and its load of tin and other necessary metals to make new bronze armor and weapons are smuggled in via a path north of Troy. Andromache visits her father-in-law, Priam, and Priam somehow knows of Heliakon lending aid to Odysseus. In the past few years, Priam had been prone to bouts of insanity - and he declares Heliakon an enemy of Troy during such a phase.
Outside of Troy, the Trojan army was losing inch by inch. A drought had hit the city of Troy, and water supplies were getting more and more scarce. Hektor and the Trojan Horse (elite cavalry) go to disrupt the Mykene supply lines, while the rest of the Trojan army does their hardest to hold back the advancing Mykene army. In a raid on a wagon train, Hektor does battle with Achilles' closest friend, Patroklos, and kills him. Sometime thereafter, Achilles puts forth a challenge for him and Hektor to fight one-on-one to the death. Hektor reluctantly agrees, and the fight takes place outside the walls of Troy - the arena being an area with a wide trench around it filled with hot coals. The fight continued with both warriors sustaining wounds when Achilles stumbles and starts staggering around like he was drunk. Agamemnon accuses Hektor of intentionally lacing his blade with a deadly poison and sends his troops to attack. Achilles, though dying, manages to say it wasn't Hektor who did the deed. Odysseus finds out the priest of Ares was the one who did it and he suspects Agamemnon put him up to it. Both Hektor and Achilles die, and after their funerals, some of those allied with Agamemnon cease their alliance for various reasons. The Thessalians break their alliance because of what happened to Achilles, Odysseus and his Ithakans break away because of his suspicion of Agamemnon's methods and motives. Nestor of Pylos also breaks away as a result.
With the loss of several allies, Agamemnon resorts to other measures. By the time of the duel, the drought came to an end and water supplies were reasonable, and the Mykene had taken control of the Scamander plain and the lower city of Troy. He tries a diversion - sends troops to scale the east and west walls while he makes use of a battering ram at the south gate. The Trojans realized what was up and repelled the attack. The Trojan Horse (or rather, what was left of it) was ambushed and nearly destroyed - there were few survivors. Some Mykene disguised themselves as members of the Trojan Horse and managed to get inside the walls. Although their efforts were thwarted, the Mykene had their proverbial foot in the door.
Ultimately, Troy fell, but not before Andromache fled with Astyanax and Heliakon's other son, Dex. Priam threw himself from the Tower of Ilios just as the last of his sons fell under Mykene blades. Banokles gave his all, but fell at the palace. Banokles' friend, Kalliades (also a Mykene outlaw alllied with Troy) manages to help Andromache flee. Shortly after the fall of Troy, another army approaches - the Hittites. They were determined to destroy the city of Troy block by block for their own reasons. Agamemnon finds Priam's treasury...only to find almost nothing left. He is convinced Heliakon snuck in and stole the lot, then fled with Andromache and her children, so he and his fleet give pursuit to the Xanthos.
The Xanthos goes to Thera, where it appears something terrible is about to happen and Andromache is worried about her sister by marriage, Kassandra. She learns something awful is about to happen and she is told to flee while the getting is good. She does so and the Xanthos manages to get some distance from there. Agamemnon and a few of his ships show up, only to find out the last of Priam's treasury was not stolen, but spent - he was very much bankrupt. Shortly thereafter, a major earthquake strikes, and apparently a volcano arises, destroying Thera and killing all of those that were on the island. The earthquake raises a tsunami that nearly wrecks the Xanthos and Odysseus's ship, the Bloodhawk. Heliakon, after going through funeral rites for shipmates lost to the tsunami, learns Odysseus is alive and well, but trying to find his way home. He goes back to Dardanos with Andromache and his two sons.
Fast-forward about 30-40 years later - Andromache is queen of Dardanos, and she's a grandmother. Heliakon died recently, and his body was laid on the deck of the Xanthos surrounded by fragrant herbs and dry wood. In short, he got a Viking funeral.
Overall, Fall of Kings was a perfect end to a great trilogy. Rest in peace, David Gemmell - your books were a wonderful read all these years to me.
Rating: 9.5/10
Fall of Kings is the last of the Troy trilogy by late British fantasy writer David Gemmell - I daresay he had an outline and/or a rough draft written up when he died in July 2006. His widow, Stella, apparently did the rest. It's advisable to read the previous two books in the Troy trilogy (Lord of the Silver Bow and Shield of Thunder) before getting into this one. It also helps to have some knowledge of Greek mythology and the events of the Iliad by Homer to have some perspective.
When Fall of Kings starts, a war is raging between Troy and its allies against the Mykene and their allies. The war began over Agamemnon's lust for Priam's riches and wanted to plunder it, and Priam was not about to let it go. Some other nations threw their lot in with Agamemnon because of certain slights inflicted upon them by Priam himself or wanted part of the plunder.
Three years had passed since the events of Shield of Thunder - Andromache had birthed a son, Astyanax, but only she, her husband, Hektor, and Heliakon of Dardanos knew who the real father was. Hektor buried the hurt deep within, and the other two kept tight reins on that secret for fear Hektor's father, King Priam of Troy, would have Astyanax killed because the child wasn't of his bloodline.
The war, in and of itself, was a losing gamble for Troy. One by one their allies fell until Troy and any remnants of their allies stood. Attacks were halted with the onset of winter, and while that went on, Heliakon took Andromache and Kassandra to Thera, where Andromache was a priestess until she was sent to Troy to marry Hektor. Kassandra was to be a new priestess there, and she had been seeing visions of the future for many years. Andromache was going there to bury the bones of her Theran lover, Kalliope. Shortly thereafter, Heliakon goes to help his friend, Odysseus, retake Ithaka from a bunch of pirates; although Odysseus was allied with the Mykene at the time - those two had a friendship that stretched through the years and no war was about to cast that aside. Heliakon's help came when things were looking bad for Odysseus and his men - ultimately Odysseus killed the leader of the pirates, named Antinous.
Come the start of spring, the Mykene launch a surprise attack on King's Joy (a palace some distance from Troy) and kill Prince Paris. His wife, Helen, takes their two children and instead of going quietly with the Mykene, jumps to her death. The battles that follow - Troy is running out of the metals needed to forge new bronze armor and weapons, especially tin. One of Troy's commanders, Banokles (formerly a Mykene soldier, now allied with Troy), lost his wife to a jealous baker, and becomes a juggernaut of destruction.
Heliakon returns in his ship, the Xanthos, and manages to sneak past the Mykene fleet in the Bay of Troy. Andromache and its load of tin and other necessary metals to make new bronze armor and weapons are smuggled in via a path north of Troy. Andromache visits her father-in-law, Priam, and Priam somehow knows of Heliakon lending aid to Odysseus. In the past few years, Priam had been prone to bouts of insanity - and he declares Heliakon an enemy of Troy during such a phase.
Outside of Troy, the Trojan army was losing inch by inch. A drought had hit the city of Troy, and water supplies were getting more and more scarce. Hektor and the Trojan Horse (elite cavalry) go to disrupt the Mykene supply lines, while the rest of the Trojan army does their hardest to hold back the advancing Mykene army. In a raid on a wagon train, Hektor does battle with Achilles' closest friend, Patroklos, and kills him. Sometime thereafter, Achilles puts forth a challenge for him and Hektor to fight one-on-one to the death. Hektor reluctantly agrees, and the fight takes place outside the walls of Troy - the arena being an area with a wide trench around it filled with hot coals. The fight continued with both warriors sustaining wounds when Achilles stumbles and starts staggering around like he was drunk. Agamemnon accuses Hektor of intentionally lacing his blade with a deadly poison and sends his troops to attack. Achilles, though dying, manages to say it wasn't Hektor who did the deed. Odysseus finds out the priest of Ares was the one who did it and he suspects Agamemnon put him up to it. Both Hektor and Achilles die, and after their funerals, some of those allied with Agamemnon cease their alliance for various reasons. The Thessalians break their alliance because of what happened to Achilles, Odysseus and his Ithakans break away because of his suspicion of Agamemnon's methods and motives. Nestor of Pylos also breaks away as a result.
With the loss of several allies, Agamemnon resorts to other measures. By the time of the duel, the drought came to an end and water supplies were reasonable, and the Mykene had taken control of the Scamander plain and the lower city of Troy. He tries a diversion - sends troops to scale the east and west walls while he makes use of a battering ram at the south gate. The Trojans realized what was up and repelled the attack. The Trojan Horse (or rather, what was left of it) was ambushed and nearly destroyed - there were few survivors. Some Mykene disguised themselves as members of the Trojan Horse and managed to get inside the walls. Although their efforts were thwarted, the Mykene had their proverbial foot in the door.
Ultimately, Troy fell, but not before Andromache fled with Astyanax and Heliakon's other son, Dex. Priam threw himself from the Tower of Ilios just as the last of his sons fell under Mykene blades. Banokles gave his all, but fell at the palace. Banokles' friend, Kalliades (also a Mykene outlaw alllied with Troy) manages to help Andromache flee. Shortly after the fall of Troy, another army approaches - the Hittites. They were determined to destroy the city of Troy block by block for their own reasons. Agamemnon finds Priam's treasury...only to find almost nothing left. He is convinced Heliakon snuck in and stole the lot, then fled with Andromache and her children, so he and his fleet give pursuit to the Xanthos.
The Xanthos goes to Thera, where it appears something terrible is about to happen and Andromache is worried about her sister by marriage, Kassandra. She learns something awful is about to happen and she is told to flee while the getting is good. She does so and the Xanthos manages to get some distance from there. Agamemnon and a few of his ships show up, only to find out the last of Priam's treasury was not stolen, but spent - he was very much bankrupt. Shortly thereafter, a major earthquake strikes, and apparently a volcano arises, destroying Thera and killing all of those that were on the island. The earthquake raises a tsunami that nearly wrecks the Xanthos and Odysseus's ship, the Bloodhawk. Heliakon, after going through funeral rites for shipmates lost to the tsunami, learns Odysseus is alive and well, but trying to find his way home. He goes back to Dardanos with Andromache and his two sons.
Fast-forward about 30-40 years later - Andromache is queen of Dardanos, and she's a grandmother. Heliakon died recently, and his body was laid on the deck of the Xanthos surrounded by fragrant herbs and dry wood. In short, he got a Viking funeral.
Overall, Fall of Kings was a perfect end to a great trilogy. Rest in peace, David Gemmell - your books were a wonderful read all these years to me.
Rating: 9.5/10