Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of 'The Iliad' Mass Market Paperback – December 13, 2005

Wonderful book and came in excellent condition.

Este libro fue para mi hijo y es de un excelente material las letras son muy claras para poder leer y analizar sobre el tema que más te gusta.

In the book Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff, she rewrites the story of Homer's Iliad for young readers. Many of the characters include royalty and warriors from Sparta and Troy as well as Greek gods who liked to interfere in their lives. It retells the story of the Trojan war, the Iliad by Homer. The Trojan war was a fight over the beautiful Helen. In the end the Greeks construct a huge wooden horse, which they leave behind as a war token. What happens after, you will have to read it.The Iliad is a book about a man's attractiveness to physical beauty and obsession over it. One of the main characters, Paris, is attracted to a woman named Helen, and steals her from another man, Menelaus. This sparks the Trojan War that lasts ten years. After ten years of fierce battles, Paris and Menelaus agree to fight to the death over Helen. Whoever wins will get to marry her.Also in the book is the story of Achilles. Achilles is a strong and brave fighter. Menelaus realizes he can't win the Trojan War without Achilles. During the war Achilles falls in love and gets distracted during all the long battles. He eventually loses the love of his life, and leaves the battlefield upset.The author Rosemary Sutcliff has written two books made for young adults, one is the Iliad, and the other is the Odyssey, both by Homer. This book is easy to read because it’s so interesting and has short chapters. If you like this genre, it’s very engaging. Like a Greek tragedy, it story transcends all time periods and issues. It's a very interesting book, and I did not want to put it down because it’s a good introduction to Greek mythology. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read and I plan on reading her second book. In the end I would definitely recommend this book to someone who likes Greek mythology, or interested in battles.

Back when I was teaching 6th grade, they were supposed to learn the story of the Iliad. Since the epic version isn't 12-year-old friendly, I looked up "Iliad for kids" and got this one. I read it to the class, and they mostly liked it, especially the part where the man had to dress as a woman. They're 12, of course they find that funny.Basically instead of being an epic poem, the author made the Iliad into a novel that's easy to read. There is also a similar version of the Odyssey that you can get as a separate book. If you want kids to know the story in general, this is a great option. If you want to teach/read the original epic poem, this is not what you want. I own bother versions and this this option is really cool, even though I also love classic literature! It's kid-friendly for young teens and up (like I said, I read it to 12-year-olds, but younger ones might not like it), but it's certainly not kiddie. An adult wanting the story might like this, too.

We all know that as literate adults we should read the Iliad. I did, back in college. But now I have a teenage son, and we're studying Ancient Greece right now. I just couldn't bring myself to make him read the full version yet, so I shopped for an alternate version. After reading scores of reader reviews of various books, I settled on this one. And, boy, am I glad I did!When the Amazon box arrived (don't you just love getting those boxes?) I picked up Black Ships to take a look before I passed it to my son. But I didn't hand it over until I'd read the whole thing! It's fabulous!Remember when you read the Iliad, how hard it was to keep track of all the different characters, and who had offended whom, and who came from where, and all those little details? That, on top of deciphering the archaic language form, made the reading somewhat tedious. Interesting, yes, but it took effort! This version was so much more fun. I didn't have to keep flipping back and forth in order to keep up, and the story just surged along. Furthermore, Sutcliff manages to keep the flavor of the original tome intact, using vivid prose.My son is enjoying it so far, too - he's reading it of his own free will! And I believe his experience will be positive enough that when it comes time to read Iliad and Odyssey, he will be excited. (And actually read the full version and not some abridged form or, heaven forbid... Cliff Notes!!!)So, if you just want to brush up on your memory of the Iliad, or introduce it to some reluctant reader, or you have a child in mind, then I highly recommend this book. She's done a fantastic job.One caveat, this version does not have illustrations...

This book was a small paperback, and didnt have a lot of illustrations. Still, my two grandkids enjoyed listening to me read the book to them, and the story was exciting and a great addition to our Ancient Civilizations study. This book was recommended as part of the History Quest Curriculum.

A children's book perhaps, but not childish. This introduction to Homer's masterpiece retains much of the grim battle-violence, the female captives, and the complex supernatural interventions found in the original. It's certainly appropriate for children 9 and older, and teens and adults should enjoy it too. I certainly did.Miss Sutcliff's book retains the epic tone of the original, that Indo-European bronze-age feel that distinguishes it from the Odyssey. She seems sympathetic toward the Trojans, and portrays Hector as the epic's true hero, perhaps, rather than the immature, divine-protected Achilles.I bought the un-illustrated paperback as a Christmas present for my son, who is enjoying it as a bed-time story. I'm sure the illustrations in other versions are very fine, but the Iliad does not require illustration any more than flowers require gilding, so I am content with my choice. Highly recommended - will expand your child's horizons in a way that the Wimpy Kid books cannot.