Ratings80
Average rating4.3
Het “probleem” van Mythos was een beetje dat er zo veel aan verhalen en verbanden in stonden, dat je al snel de draad weer eens kwijt bent (of zoals D het verwoordde: het is ook niet heel erg als je er bij in slaap valt, je pakt de draad gewoon fris weer op in het volgende hoodstuk...)
Troy is in dat opzichten een stuk fijner - de basis is een verhaal dat in grote lijnen wel bekend is, en Fry realiseerde zich ook het probleem wel:
“As I remind you from time to time, especially early on in the book, do not think for a minute that you have to remember all those names, places and familial interrelationships.”
Fry schrijft wederom met een fijne losse pols, en heeft, als je toch feitjes wilt, nog een flink aantal voetnoten [] een glossary van alle personages opgenomen.“Agamemnon stared in disbelief. ‘I beg your pardon?'”“When Apollo and Poseidon presented themselves to Laomedon for payment he did what many householders have done since. He pursed his lips, sucked in between his teeth and shook his head. ‘No, no, no,' he said. ‘The ramparts are bowed, I asked for straight. And the south gates aren't what I ordered at all. And those buttresses! All wrong. Oh dear me, no, I can't possibly pay you for shoddy work like that.'”[] met in een daarvan tegen het einde van het boek: “They were both the grandchildren of Aeacus, who had two sons, Telamon and Peleus, you will remember. You. Will. Remember.” :-)
A masterful retelling of this epic tale. I recommend the audiobook in particular—Fry’s narration brings it to life in spectacular fashion.
Wow what a read that was. Stephens humour does come through quite a bit and reading this makes the film version look like a child's pantomime.
I did struggle with the names at times but I thoroughly enjoyed it all the same.
Very enjoyable and entertaining as always. Pleasantly written and performed. It is part of a series of other Stephen Fry books on mythology, all of which I would recommend as well.
While I'm a fan of mythology and retellings of them in general, I don't usually pick up Greek mythology stuff because there are too many names and I have such trouble keeping track of them. While I did enjoy listening to the audios of Mythos and Heroes, it was more for the experience rather than actually trying to grasp and memorize the stories. But the story of the fall of Troy seems to be the only one I know a bit, virtue of some movies and shows I've seen as well as loving The Song of Achilles.
So this was actually fun to listen coz not everything was unfamiliar. It was also interesting to get to know the backstories of some of the major players of the Trojan War and how they came to be. But after deeply connecting with Achilles and Patroclus as a couple in TSoA, it was hard to see them not have a similar relationship in here. But overall, Stephen Fry's narration brings so much life to the story. He also seemed to be less sarcastic in this one compared to the previous two, but it seems to have suited this particular story, making it an enjoyable listen for someone like me, who is not well versed in the Iliad.
It makes me want to read and appreciate The Iliad, which is a great achievement.
Not as strong as the previous two. Mythos and Heroes, with their wide variety of stories, suited the relaxed light informative tone of Fry's writing, whereas with Troy there was a noticeable lack of the passion and fire the material definitely deserves.
Still a great time though.