The first half of the book is better than the second, as Gemmell does a good job of writing Odysseus while sticking to his canonical attributes. The book takes a downturn, however, in the second half as Gemmell's stable of characters go from dire circumstances to mandatory last-minutes rescues to sudden deaths, all without much emotional involvement. So much of what makes these people tick is told, not shown, in pluperfect flashbacks, as was the case in the first book, and it was a worn-out device by this middle-child entry. The "hidden identity" ploy was used yet again and the true name of "Piria" was easily guessed within the first few pages. There were few surprises in this book.

Considering how Gemmell has toyed with Homer's characters in their physical features, personalities, etc, I wish he had decided to rename them because some are either unrecognizable or ill-served by stupid cliches like the "war wound" and "healing sex." Maybe Gemmell fancied himself an iconoclast, like taking heroic Hector and turning him into a reluctant, anachronistic warrior beaten down by father & country, but it's too much all in one place. Apart from Odysseus, I liked the references to regional politics and warring tribes and how Troy found itself squared against most of them. Unfortunately, Gemmell's inability to make the characters as interesting as their times brings it down.

At any rate, while it was a fast read, it wasn't all that memorable.

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