Troy

The Greek Myths Reimagined

By: Stephen Fry

Narrated by: Stephen Fry

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

In this brilliant conclusion to his best-selling Mythos trilogy, legendary author and actor Stephen Fry retells the tale of the Trojan War.

Full of tragic heroes, intoxicating love stories, and the unstoppable force of fate, there is no conflict more iconic than the Trojan War. Troy is the story of the epic battle retold by Fry with drama, humor, and vivid emotion. Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, Helen, their lovers, and their mortal enemies all burn bright in Fry's compelling prose. This volume invites you to explore a captivating world with a brilliant storyteller as your guide.

• Beloved author: Stephen Fry is an icon whose signature wit and mellifluous style makes this retelling utterly unique. Fans will love hearing his interpretation, whether they are familiar with the original Greek myths or not.

• Timeless Stories: For fans of Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, Madeline Miller's Circe or Song of Achilles, or Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls, this is the perfect next great book. These ancient tales never get old.

• Stunning Series Conclusion: Mythos and Heroes, the first two installments in the trilogy, were international best sellers. Now fans can listen to the thrilling third book.

©2021 Stephen Fry (P)2021 Chronicle Books

Thank the gods

There are times when the entitled and bored millennial in me stirs and I begin lamenting the “lack” of new and interesting books to read. Then I buy something like Stephen Fry’s “Troy” and I think “What a time to be alive!”. To be a lover of Greek mythology right now is to live in a golden age of new and intelligent reinterpretations of antiquity’s greatest legends and stories. In the last 10 years alone we’ve gotten superbly written works like “Song Of Achilles”, “Circe”, “The Silence Of The Girls”, “A Thousand Ships”, “House Of Names”, and “Ariadne” just to name a few. Add to that Stephen Fry’s “Mythos” series and it begins to feel like we’re being spoiled by the gods (not that I’m complaining!).
There was always something special about Fry’s series when compared to works like “Song of Achilles” or “The Silence Of The Girls”. That is not to knock either story! Both books are two of the freshest, most thoughtful, and well-written takes on The Trojan War in my lifetime. I cannot recommend them enough. However, there was always going to be a problem of accessibility to general readers. You didn’t necessarily need to know who Diomedes, Ajax, Agamemnon, Achilles & Patroclus, Briseis, or Thetis were to read them but you’d get much more out of both books if you did. The more you knew of Greek mythology and The Trojan War the more rewarding they were. With Stephen Fry’s “Mythos” series “accessibility” was never an issue. Whether you were a practiced mythology junkie like me or a totally uninitiated reader dipping their toe into the world of Titans and Olympians for the first time, you would undoubtedly find something to enjoy and appreciate.
Mr. Fry was unceasingly thoughtful, wry, and always had a way of making these stories relevant to the modern reader. While “Troy” is all those things and more, readers should prepare themselves for a slightly more somber tone. This is the story of The Trojan War after all. It’s a story of devastation, lost loves and comrades, and almost unimaginable cruelty. The suffering and loss of the men and women who fought and died in or survived the Trojan War (yes, women weren’t just captives and queens. They fought too.) is quite literally “legendary” and Fry gives it the weight and consideration it deserves. There is a particularly poignant line from Apollo that illustrates this point perfectly. After the sacking of Troy and wholesale slaughter of its inhabitants (including infants) Hermes makes a thoughtless jape. Upon hearing it Apollo snaps back “There is a time for humor Hermes. This is not it.” The scene between Priam and Achilles is another moment that’s so well written and perfectly performed it might cause a sniffle or two. It’s moments like that that make me really appreciate Stephen Fry. Yes, he’s funny, pithy, and clever but the man has heart and empathy to spare.
While I truly enjoyed both “Mythos” and “Heroes” I think I enjoyed “Troy” most and would wager I’m not alone. He doesn’t just help the reader understand the myths, he helps us understand the culture that birthed them. “Troy” is Stephen Fry at his most thoughtful and passionate. Yes, it’s funny. However, it’s insightful and profound as well.


If you’ve enjoyed Stephen Fry’s “Troy” as much as I have and are looking for recommendations then check out: “Circe” or “Song of Achilles” (SoA is also great reading for Pride month) by Madeline Miller, “The Silence Of The Girls” by Pat Barker, “A Thousand Ships” by Natalie Haynes, or the earlier books in Fry’s Mythos series “Mythos” and “Heroes” .

Loved it!

I was anxiously waiting to listen to this audiobook as I had just recently discovered the first two books of this series. It is very well worth the listen and provides great coverage into the background of Troy, it’s inhabitants, and of course the events of the Trojan War with a dash of the involvement of those pesky Gods of Olympus. Stephen Fry provides a wonderful perspective and new life into the characters and situations described in Homer’s Iliad and I wouldn’t want to listen to anyone else tell these great stories. I have grown to quite enjoy Stephen Fry’s series of books and I hope that there will be more to come. Cheers.

Mythic part 3

This concludes the trio of books/recordings that Fry has created. It is equal in scope and quality Mythos and Heroes, and having read/listened to those would be useful, but not required for understanding Troy.

Be sure to listen to the appendices also.

Fry is fun to listen to and weaves the material together skillfully. All 3 are long but well worth your time.

From a PhD in Classics.

A Great Way To End A Great Series

Stephen Fry does it again. I loved Mythos. I loved Heroes. And I loved Troy. 100% Recommend

Another Amazing Performance!

Mr. Fry does such an excellent job both writing and telling these stories, I can't wait for his take on the Odessey, my favorite of the two Homer epics!

Re: Troy

A superb recounting, with touches of Fry's famous humor, of the whole Trojan War era encapsulating its players, episodes, variations, causes, effects and importance to literary and Western culture.

great

just as good as the others. I hope he will continue this. Thank you Mr. Fry.

Greek mythology demystified

Steven Fry's performance ever since his first book has always been a lark. The Iliad for me was always one of those stories that you could sit down and read about end to end and still have it make to sense or get lost in the weeds. But the single-minded performance of Stephen here sells the story to me. Gripping me in every turn. I hope Stephen finds it in him to do the Odyssey.

Homer lives!

Fantastic, and wonderful in every way. I feel lucky to have been able to receive these stories via the Mythos trilogy.

Wonderful to listen to.

The narrator was superb. I really enjoyed the interspersed commentary and humor. Well worth the listen.