SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller, 2012.

Miller provides an absorbing retelling of the story concerning the ancient Greek hero Achilles in her new novel: the story is told through the eyes of Patroclus, Achilles' best friend and constant companion from childhood. Using Homer's work as her basis, she pretty much adheres to the usual version of events, but places her own stamp on them by focusing on the relationship of the two men, with each other and with others in their orbit.
  Becoming acquainted as mere boys when the young prince Patroclus is exiled from his father's tiny kingdom for accidentally killing another boy, Achilles and Patroclus over time become the best of friends. When Achilles' father, King Peleus, sends Achilles to the aged centaur Chiron for his education, Patroclus ends up following and being accepted as a pupil as well. As they grow into young adulthood in the mountainous retreat, learning about warfare and healing and survival, their emotional bond grows as well, leading later to a physical relationship. Achilles' mother, the goddess Thetis, a totally cold and unemotional character who wants to keep her son at a superior level to be worthy of being Aristos Achaion--"best of the Greeks"--has ever had it in for Patroclus and continually tries to come between the two, even resorting to attempted murder of her son's only friend.
   The story turns more familiar when the beautiful Helen is kidnapped from Menelaus in Sparta and taken to Troy, war is declared by Agamemnon, the High King of Greece, and all who are allied must go to fight. Odysseus and Diomedes search for Achilles, as it is known that Troy will not fall without his help. Mother Thetis, knowing all the dark prophecies about her son's life, has hidden him in King Lycomedes' court, dressed as a woman, hoping that he can avoid his destiny, but he is discovered, and he and Patroclus join the war. Achilles leaves behind a son, Pyrrhus, who will later play out his own destiny at Troy.
   While the centuries-old saga of the Trojan War may be familiar to many, Miller adds new dimensions to the cast of characters, and brings forth those who have often remained in the background: the beautiful but hard Thetis, the captive maiden Briseis (who captures Patroclus' heart), the physician Machaon, the kindly and wise centaur Chiron, Achilles' charioteer Automedon, and others are here portrayed in proper context. Some of the more famous appear only briefly: Helen, Paris, Andromache, Priam, etc. I found it refreshing to read the story with the focus on less familiar characters who also took part in the conflict. Of course, at the center of the novel is Achilles, the golden hero, half human, half god, whom all believed was chosen to lead them to victory at Troy and who came to realize after his first battle that "this is what I was born for"; and Patroclus, generous and tender-hearted and un-soldierlike, who loved and supported his comrade, and who with his own actions ultimately found his place in history as well.
   I found Miller's storytelling skills superb; her writing is spare and simple, yet elegant, conveying a wonderful sense of time and place; her characters are full blooded and real; the historical details are meticulously researched. The reader experiences the changing relationship of two young boys that comes to fruition during a horrendous war, the values of friendship and loyalty and honesty, the screams of dying men and horses on the blood-and-gore soaked plains of Troy, the terrific misuse of absolute power, and the violence and brutality of a long ago age. While the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus may be off-putting to some readers, I felt the author handled it in an understated and quite inoffensive way. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the Trojan War and who would enjoy a well-told story from a different point of view. I found it a very beautiful rendering of a very old story.

THE HITTITE by Ben Bova, 2010.

I just finished this yesterday. Being a Trojan War fan, I decided I'd give it a try. I was familiar with Ben Bova as a scifi author, but had never read any of his books, as I'm not really a fan of that genre. This novel is about the Trojan War, but told from the point of view of an outsider, a Hittite soldier, Lukka, who after the Hittite king is murdered and the empire at Hattusas is in chaos, discovers his wife and two young sons have been stolen away and taken to the west. He and others in his troop follow the trail, participate in various ambushes, and end up in the Achaian camp outside of the walls of Troy. The story is at times very familiar, with the usual Greek and Trojan cast: Odysseos, Agamemnon, Hector, Paris, and Helen. Bova makes the character of Lukka to be an unsung hero of the war, a capable and articulate soldier who makes logical and reasonable suggestions for battle strategy, builds a siege tower (which becomes the basis for the great horse), serves as a messenger for both sides, and is present for almost every important event. There is plenty of battle action, assorted violence, and gore, and enough period detail for setting the story, but it's a pretty shallow novel. Some of the language was jarringly modern.The author puts his own spin on some of the more well known episodes of the story, and offers up different reasons for some characters' actions. And the conclusion, which involves Helen and Lukka, totally turned me off. Mostly, I felt as though I was reading a movie script, and honestly, the cover reminds me of a movie poster. Was it a waste? Not completely. But there are certainly better novels out there about Troy than this. Whom The Gods Would Destroy by Richard Powell, Song of Troy by Colleen McCullough, and War at Troy by Lindsay Clarke are three I would recommend over this one.

RETURN FROM TROY by Lindsay Clarke, 2005.

For some reason, I read War at Troy several years ago, but neglected to go ahead and read this sequel as well. I finally borrowed it and was totally enthralled. Picking up with the horrible sacking of Troy, Clarke does an excellent job of following the various survivors of the carnage and relating the various threads of their stories through the next ten years. It's all here: Menelaus and beautiful Helen, the woman who caused so much strife and agony; ambitious Agamemnon and Cassandra's fates at the hands of vengeful Clytaemnestra; Penelope's patient waiting for her husband's return amid the growing menace in her palace; Odysseus's son Telemachus's coming of age and his rage over his father's long absence; and Odysseus's many adventures in foreign parts as he journeys throughout the Mediterranean, trying to find the path that leads him home. Their stories are so familiar, and yet the author presents them in a fresh way that is enjoyable and entertaining. His apt descriptions of life in the ancient world, including daily routines, the war with the Dorian invaders, slavery, idol worship, terrific tempests, etc. all add color to the multiple stories. Well written and well told, if you enjoy stories of the Trojan War and what happened after, this is quite worthwhile reading.

Finished 5/31/09:

LAVINIA by Ursula K. Le Guin, 2008.
Historical novel about the Latium princess Lavinia who was written about by Vergil in the Aeneid. She married the Trojan invader Aeneas and founded what became the Roman Empire. Well researched and written, although at times I felt it a bit slow. Author does a good job in her descriptions of what life was like in Italy then, its primitiveness, customs, daily life, culture, geography, and different tribes living in close proximity.