So, I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was written very well, and I liked that it was a sort of alternative re-telling, which explores the legacy of the characters and the way we have come to perceive them. Odysseus's idea to stage the conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon was actually pretty smart, and I liked that - it definitely did make you wonder about what really happened. 

On the other hand, I felt like it had a lot of wasted potential. The concept of telling this story through many different perspectives sounds nice in theory, but it just... didn't live up to my expectations. They all felt pretty much the same, and I wished we could've seen more of each character's personal feelings about the war and their enemy. Don't even get me started on Helen, who -- while I did appreciate that she had personality and she was fleshed out -- was so unlikeable that I almost couldn't stand her chapters. 

On a more personal note, I was sorely disappointed by the way this book dealt with Patroclus's death. It's very important in the Iliad, and it changes the course of the war and motivates Achilles to fight again, but it was just glossed over and mentioned so briefly to the point where I felt like it was supposed to be insignificant here. I think Patroclus is more important than people tend to think, and I wish that had been emphasized more. 

However, I loved the descriptions of the battle scenes. I always find that those are the hardest to write, but here they were so visceral and vivid, and the imagery was so, so good. I felt physically sick when I was reading some of them, because I could see the brutality and the gore so clearly. In a strange sort of way, I enjoyed that. 

Overall, I think it's a pretty decent book. It isn't my favourite retelling of the Trojan War, and I had lots of issues with it -- especially its wasted potential -- but it wasn't a bad read, and I think it's a good starting point for people who want to read more about the war.