Troy

Troy

Our Greatest Story Retold

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Following the bestselling retellings of the Greek myths in Mythos and Heroes, Stephen Fry's bewitching third volume Troy - concerning love and war, passion and power - is now ready for ordering.

The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against the city of Troy, to which they will lay siege for ten whole and very bloody years.

It is Zeus, the king of the gods, who triggers the war when he asks the Trojan prince Paris to judge the fairest goddess of them all. Aphrodite bribes Paris with the heart of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of the Greeks, and, naturally, nature takes its course.

It is a terrible, brutal war with casualties on all sides as well as strained relations between allies. The Greek's most fearsome warrior, Achilles, argues with King Agamemnon, his commander, over another woman, the Trojan slave Briseis. The consequences lead to terrible tragedies.

In Troy you will find heroism and hatred, love and loss, revenge and regret, desire and despair. It is these human passions, written bloodily in the sands of a distant shore, that still speak to us today.

It is a myth in which we seek the truth about ourselves and which Stephen Fry brings breathtakingly to life.

Praise for Heroes and Mythos:

'Ebullient and funny' The Times

'Entertaining and edifying' Daily Telegraph

'The Greek gods of the past become relatable as pop culture, modern literature and music are woven throughout. Joyfully informal yet full of literary legacy' Guardian

'An odyssey through Greek mythology. Brilliant . . . all hail Stephen Fry' Daily Mail

'A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' The Times

© Stephen Fry 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

  • An amiable meander through the historic sources . . . Fry's light and graceful tone helps to ease the unfamiliar reader through the complicated genealogies
    The Times

About the author

Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is an award-winning comedian, actor, presenter and director. He rose to fame alongside Hugh Laurie in A Bit of Fry and Laurie (which he co-wrote with Laurie) and Jeeves and Wooster, and was unforgettable as General Melchett in Blackadder. He has hosted over 180 episodes of QI, and has narrated all seven of the Harry Potter novels for the audiobook recordings. He is the bestselling author of four novels - The Stars' Tennis Balls, Making History, The Hippopotamus and The Liar - as well as three volumes of autobiography - Moab is My Washpot, The Fry Chronicles and More Fool Me. Mythos and Heroes, his retelling of the Greek myths, are both Sunday Times bestsellers.
Learn More

More in this series

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more