| Title | : | Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of The Iliad |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780711215221 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1993 |
| Awards | : | Kate Greenaway Medal (1993) |
The book was the winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1993.
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of The Iliad Reviews
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This is the perfect book for those that want a taste of Homer's Iliad before attempting the full work. Although aimed at a younger reading audience, Sutcliff's writing is concise and gripping; thus, this will be as equally beneficial to adults. This, when brought together with the excellent artistic skills of Allan Lee, makes for a lavish retelling of the Iliad.
The story begins with two lovers, a Trojan Prince (Paris) and the wife of Menelaus King of Sparta (Helen). Helen's beauty captured the heart of Paris, and as Christopher Marlowe famously said Helen was the face that launched a thousand ships. This was followed by a very long war, death and lots of blood resulting in a long drawn out siege that would continue for many years. Fabled heroes clashed spear against spear, shield against shield and the war waged on and on. Many would become immortalised in the action. Hector, Ajax and Odysseus to name a few; however, none more so than the mighty Achilles himself.
And this is where the illustrations and the writing excelled. In the images Achilles foregrounds all the other warriors, naturally, his presence demands attention. In Sutcliff's prose his presence was powerful and fear-inducing to his enemies. His anger, when roused, was terrible to behold. Few could stand against it and none of them for very long. When Patroclus fell, as Homer's narrative dictates, he was near unstoppable. The blame lay at the feet of Prince Hector, mightiest of the Trojans, and even he faltered at the sight of the golden haired warrior's wrath.
Great Artwork
Unlike other modern adaptations, Sutcliff does not solely focus on the story of Achilles. The Iliad does not follow one central character, after all, but instead breaks off into parts each telling the story of one particular character and his/her actions through the siege. Sutcliff jumps between the intertwining plots with dexterity. The story of Ajax's shame and dishonouring is told against the tales of Odysseus' ingenuity. Odysseus is, arguably, the most important character in the original work, so it was great to see him have a lot of page time despite the fact that his actions are not quite as dramatic as those of other characters.
Alan Lee has illustrated many special editions of Tolkien's writing. His work captures a sense of the epic within such settings. And it was great to see it here too. Sutcliff's writing is good, but it is the work of Alan Lee alongside it that makes this book truly remarkable. The images captured the sheer scale of the fighting and the urgency Agamemnon had for total victory, though it wasn't him that, ultimately, won the war. It was the soldiers, the heroes. It was those who fought for glory, rather than any particular political motivation or advancement, and it is those which history will remember most strongly.
So this book will be great for young readers hearing the story of Troy for the first time, but it also provides an excellent plot overview for those who want to read Homer's work in full at a later date. It's almost like an introduction, concise and explanatory, appropriate for children and adults like all great books that fall into the children's literature category should be. -
The verdict of a seven-year-old:
"There's too much killing! They shouldn't have done that over one stupid woman! They should've just talked things out!" -
A great introduction to the Iliad. It was dark and gruesome, but that allowed the moral quandaries to dance center stage. Through the entire story, even the youngest readers can’t help but judge good and evil, right and wrong, justice and mercy.
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I didn't know, when I asked for this retelling of the story of Troy for Christmas, that it was illustrated by Alan Lee. It was enough for me that it was written by Rosemary Sutcliff! And even without the illustrations, it's well done: Rosemary Sutcliff brings a lot of pathos to it, with moments of insight and tenderness. I thought the moment from the Iliad with Astanyax being afraid of his father's helmet was well done, but there were other good bits. In most ways, though, it stuck close to the original stories, even in style, using epithets and so on. It's a pleasure to read, but it is a simplified, shorter version of the story of Troy aimed at children, after all...
But with Alan Lee's illustrations, it becomes completely enchanting. I loved the pictures of Thetis comforting Achilles, the scene where Helen, Andromache and Hecuba grieve over Hector's body, the one of Penthesilea and the other Amazons... They're all beautiful, actually, and suit it perfectly. So happy I got this. -
A simple, middle grade to YA telling of the Illiad. After reading Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles, and Circe, I have been driven to become more proficient in these Greek Myths, so I am starting with simpler tellings, and will ramp up, until hopefully, I feel ready to read Homer's masterpieces.
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An interesting read. Taken from Grecian mythology, something a people once believed to be true, something from history, the tale can be baffling. (Who wanted to believe their gods-blessed heroes massacred a city?) Steeped in violence, sprinkled in mythology, this book may not be one you’d like to pick up.
Then again, it claims to be history…
For content, check out
the BookSeeker- Black Ships Before Troy -
This is a children's version of the Iliad, though not beneath the dignity of an adult. Sutcliff brings the many battle scenes alive in her meticulous telling and is very skilled in her use of vivid imagery. The character development is such that you are able to "see" people as neither good nor bad, but as humans who are capable of either. I think this is especially important in a children's book, because children by nature like to categorize characters in black or white, and literature like this helps them learn that the lines are not so neatly drawn in real life. The themes in this book make for great discussion: honor, betrayal, perseverance, vanity, narcissism, forgiveness, and dignity. A study of ancient Greece is really not complete without dipping into the Iliad and this book served well for my 14 year old daughter.
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Master storyteller Rosemary Sutcliff’s adaptation of The Iliad remains both very accessible to all ages and yet stays true to it’s origins. Among her source books:
The Aeneid,
The Iliad: A New Prose Translation, and other sources listed in the bibliography. The addition of Alan Lee’s illustrations elevate the text to even greater heights making this oversized hardcover edition one of most engaging versions of The Iliad that I have read to date. Highly recommended. -
Luke's review:
This was about a 10 year long war called the Trojan War between the Greeks and the Romans. And there was large wooden horse which was Odysseus' idea which help the Greeks to win the war.
It was terrific and exciting and it had lots of action.
Momma's Note: We listened to the audio version of this book which was read by Robert Glenister, and I can heartily recommend it. Robert Glenister is a fabulous narrator and captured the attention of my young son. -
I read this one several times with my kids many years ago. I’m glad I picked it up again.
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It's...okay. I have to read it for class (ew) which kind of sucks the fun out of it.
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Out of all the trojan war adaptions i could have been forced to read i’m sure i could have read a much worse version. Don’t get me wrong this was awful to get through. I could make a very long list with lots of flaws. For example, too much whiny men, the fact that like every woman was a slave, talking horses, the fact that every man thought he was superior, and unnecessary battles of men proving their strength. The list goes on. Also the dramatic voice that my english teacher read this is was great addition to the story🙏
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The Iliad for children. Can such a book exist and be good at the same time? The answer is a resounding "Yes!" Not for very young children, mind you, because you can't really dress up war, death and destruction for little ones, but if you want to get an 11-13 year old started on some Greek mythology, this is the way to go (and there is an Odyssey to go along with it too!).
The story, as we all know, is fascinating -- from the Judgment of Paris, to the wooing of Helen of Troy, to the death of Achilles, to the end of Trojan War. Making this story intelligible to a young audience is difficult but Rosemary Sutcliffe has done it as well as anyone could have. And the illustrations in this book are exceptional.
I read this book aloud to one of my daughters. It took a long time, but it was worth it. And my daughter asked a million questions along the way, which made it all the more worthwhile for both of us. When we finished, we decided that we would make the Odyssey our next book...
However, in her current term in 9th grade, her English class happens to be reading the Odyssey (the original, not the version for children) and she is really well prepared for it having read this children's version of the Iliad (which, by the way, was a complete coincidence -- no, I am not a tiger parent who set out to prepare my daughter in junior high school for Greek mythology in high school!). So, now I don't know if we will read Rosemary Sutcliffe's version of the Odyssey or not. But I hope we do. -
How good is this book?
1. I read almost exclusively on the Kindle because of presbyopia. But I read this physical book gladly.
2. I somehow managed to lose the book while traveling, so I immediately ordered a replacement.
Ok, so you know know at what lengths I've gone to read this book. Now marvel at the lengths the Greeks took to defeat Troy.
This is a prose retelling of the Iliad, written in a manner appropriate for all ages. Well, all ages interested in fairly epic tales of ancient battlefields. Paraphrasing here:
"His body was dragged from the chariot", "the spear pierced his shield and entered his heart, and his vision swam, as the world spun from red to black"
You know, for kids!!!
I've read parts of the Iliad and I was impressed at how much this book captures the feel of the story and Homer's style.
Recommended to Mythology fans, folks who loved Gaiman's Norse Mythology, and anyone interested in knowing more about those famous names: Achilles, Hector, Agamemnon, Odysseus. It's all here.
Next up? Sutcliff's retelling of the Odyssey. -
I'm pleased to have such a well written version of the Iliad (including the Aeneid's fall of Troy) for my sixth graders! Sutcliff does such a wonderful job with language in this translation that I plan to focus our English lessons on word choice, metaphors, similes, personification, extended metaphors, foreshadowing, and prediction. Additional lessons will include an historical timeline, Homer and Virgil, a discussion of translations to suit a particular audience, historical evidence of Troy and the pursuit of archeologists based on Homer's words, oral tradition to written tradition to theater to film, what makes a tale a classic, Greek gods, famous Greeks, famous Trojans, conflict of man vs. man, conflict of man vs. gods, fickleness of the gods, religion and worship rituals of ancient Greece.
I am so excited to bring this classic to my students. As we begin the school year, this will provide a powerful beginning for us. I hope I can instill love of mythology to my students as my teachers did for me so long ago. (Make that a mere 40 years ago!) -
The Iliad, for kids! But still with plenty of blood and gore. I liked it.
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I remember being drawn into the story of the Iliad the first time it was read to me as a kid, via
The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy. I was fascinated by the warrior Achilles who had only one weak point, devastated at the death of his friend Patroclus, and had mixed feelings about the death of Hector and what happened after. I'm guessing these things stick in my mind because this story was very different from the heavily moralized tales I'd had read to me before it. It was good to move beyond a simple "good guys vs. bad guys" dichotomy and instead have to think about the complexity of motivations, ethics, social roles, and beliefs about how supernatural beings affected humans (by pitting them against each other, apparently).
This edition has some really lovely illustrations by Alan Lee, and was a good way to get back into the story without having to read a thousand pages. Maybe one of the reasons the magic wasn't really there for me this time was because I'm reading it with different eyes now, paying more attention to the way women were primarily commodities to be traded and fought over, and the scale of destruction. Certainly worth learning about for its impact on history, but I decided there are too many gruesome details to read aloud to my 7- and 10-year-old right now. I'll read them an Usborne version this year and maybe when they're older they can read this on their own. -
Excellent Iliad 101
Review of the paperback of Rosemary Sutcliff's (1920-1992) posthumous 1993 text-only original, currently (Nov. 2018) incorrectly* merged in Goodreads with Alan Lee's later graphic novel adaptation from 2000**
Newcomers to Homer's Iliad will likely be surprised to read that it begins with Achilles' quarrelling with Agamemnon and ends with Hector's funeral i.e. all sorts of iconic mythological fiction tropes such as the Achilles Heel and the Trojan Horse do not appear in it at all.
Rosemary Sutcliff combines all of the major sources from Greek Myths and the Aeniad with Homer's story to provide an excellent complete distillation of the Iliad story in a very readable young adult fiction edition here. It will hopefully be an excellent introduction that will encourage interested readers to further explore the original sources of a timeless epic of love and war.
* The Goodreads Librarian Manual under How to Combine, Separate and Merge Editions states under Don't Combine that:
"Adaptations. The book should remain separated from its parent work, with the adaptor listed as primary author."
see at
https://www.goodreads.com/librarian_m... under "How to combine separate and merge editions."
** see Alan Lee's graphic novel adaptation at
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... -
This is The Iliad I know, through picture books, movie adaptations and Mr. Peabody. 😅 However, the main reason I enjoyed it in place of the original, is that the story was more complete. Homer's epic poem was written to focus on just the time around the main disagreement between Achilles and Agamemnon, not the overall war at Troy. I am grateful that Sutcliff chose to take other accounts of the battle into account to round out her telling of the tale.
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An excellent retelling of the Iliad.
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good, expected all of it though
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Very good kids' version of the story of the Trojan War, with special attention given to the events that make up the Iliad. Beautifully illustrated by Alan Lee. Full review
on my blog. -
Spoilers throughout review
Um…what a pleasant book *cough cough* not *cough cough*
BSBT is um…interesting. I’m basically at a lost of words for this book. But maybe not in a good way.
Warning: Blood, war, violence
This book could’ve been better…
I don’t understand why Rosemary Sutcliff’s version of the Iliad is so interesting. All I see was that the Greeks would fight really good, but then the Trojans would. This was basically the whole book. The sentences were also confusing, but I suppose that maybe it’s supposed to give it a ‘old’ look to it.
I don’t advise anyone or do this if the point of the book is for people to understand it.
Weird worded sentences don’t help.
But why was there so much blood. All through the book it was just blood but then they would be fine again. Excuse me, someone got hit in the shoulder and they are still heaving a 6 pound sword? Weird. I wonder how they recovered. So. Darn. Quickly?
That’s not human.
My interview with Helen
Contains spoilers
Me: Helen, you ran away from your husband with a man you just met and then started a decade long war. How do you feel about that?
Helen: Oh yeah it was cool and stuff. But then I ended up not liking him since Paris was a coward.
Me: *Coughs and clears throat*Pain*
Me: Oh um, didn’t you also have a child?
Helen: Oh yeah, I did didn’t I?
Me: If you had all this stuff, why did you run away?
Helen: Because Paris said he had been sent so I guess it must be important. *Starts picking at nails*
Me: *Intense coughing*
Helen: Are you okay? Oh, hi King Priam! *Runs away*
Me: Um, yeah, back to you Fred.
I bet that is how it would go.
My interview with Hector
Contains spoilers
Me: Hello Hector! …You seem busy I can wait. *Starts walking away*
Hector: No wait! *Kills someone and gets hit in the shoulder with an arrow.*
Hector: I can talk!
Me: *Screams* Are you okay?! There’s an arrow in your—
Hector: *Heaves and pulls out*
Hector: *Kills a Greek soldier running towards him*
Hector: Yeah, sure! I’m fine. What is it?
Me: I just um…was here to… *stares at blood*Gulps* too um…interview you.
Hector: Oh! Nice. *Runs to kill another soldier then hurries back* Yes?
Me: Um, why did you…uh…join the fight? Don’t you have a family?
Hector: I have to fight for my country! Oh, and, if you don’t mind, I have to continue doing so.
Me: Oh no, it’s fine. I…don’t like the sight of blood. *Runs away*
Me: Alright, what do you have to say, Amanda?
Just a normal interview with Hector the war-host.
Oh, that’s another thing! What is a war-host? I don’t think Rosemary Sutcliff ever made it plural, but I may be wrong. Who knows? I don’t plan to reread that book *cough cough* ever again *cough cough*.
And, I am sorry guys for all the coughing. It’s just…this book is so cough worthy.
*Gets glass of water*
*Drinks all of it*
*Cough cough cough cough*
Again, sorry guys.
Anyway, continuing on the review. *Interviews*
Interview with Achilles
Minor spoilers
Me: Hi! …um, respected Achilles! I was here to interv-
Achilles: It’s Lord Achilles to you. What do you want? *Glares*
Me: I’m here to um…interview you.
Achilles: Are you a Greek spy?
Me: N-no, Achilles I—
Achilles: It’s Lord Achilles! *Roars*
Me: *Drops microphone from mouth*
Me: Man, are you okay?
Achilles: *Whimpers*
Achilles: M-my best friend died! *Sobs*
Me: Aw, it’s okay A-chillies. *Clasps hand over mouth*
My mind: Oh no. I pronounced it wrong.Book: Hits me in face
Achilles: *Stands up*
Achilles: HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A BATCH OF CHILLIES??!
Me: S-SO WHAT’S GOING ON OVER WHERE YOU ARE MAX?
Me: *Running for me life*
See? Isn’t he so nice?
Anyway, there was 2% of plot in this book. And mostly it was just in the end. All it was was people bleeding, Hector vomiting black blood and Greeks and Trojans fighting over Helen who wants to go back to the Greeks. What a book.
2.3 stars. I wished I had liked it more
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I highly recommend this book to anyone with children. They need to know the Iliad, and this is a great start.
Told in an entertaining way and with great illustrations.
The Chattanooga library has a copy, so you don't have an excuse. -
This is the re-telling of The Iliad for kids. Rosemary Sutcliff is a great juvenile historical author for children. A homes-schooler go-to! This book is no exception. Lots of beautiful illustrations,a good descriptive narrative that did not read like a hacked condensed book for kids. But this condensed version is still very, very, long. I am sure to keep true and include all the elements of this very long piece of Greek literature. Did I mention long? I don't know much about ancient Greek literature and therefore was not aware of the fact that The Iliad is primary a story about a war; lots of battles. The siege of the city of Troy to be exact. Now details of battle are not exactly my favorite thing in the world to read about, nor is it for my 12 and 10 year old daughters, believe it or not. Half way through and my girls were moaning and groaning for me to just "skip to the end!" So I did a very quick speed read to find out that the last 4 or 5 chapters are actually really good. These we read today, skipping over pretty much the additional battle scenes. It ends, happily, with less military tactics, more human stories, which we all liked. Ending of course with the famous Trojan Horse. I am glad we finished it.
We are doing a literature "Charlotte Mason" approach to homeschooling, and just spent the last three months learning about Ancient Greece so I felt like either The Odyssey or The Iliad was a must. I will give a plug to Caroline Clooney's Goddess of Yesterday as a historical fiction about the fall of the city of Troy as a minor point, but largely as a great book that made life in Ancient Greece very real. We loved the heroine! Another good book to recommend for Ancient Greece supplement reading. -
A retelling of the Iliad apparently made to be more accessible to younger children. The illustrated version is beautiful and highly recommended if younger ones are reading it. However, let's be honest, this is about a TEN year long war...there is death and other crazy things that happen. It would probably be better to read along with your child to explain what is happening. My eight year old got ahead of me (much to my chagrin with it being such a short book) and there were things that were confusing to her. More the war things than dealing with the chaos of Greek gods.
I haven't read the Iliad (but I will be in the next couple of years) but I think that this gave a good grasp of what was happening in this story.
2022: Again, not a book that I would have my 3rd grader read. Even if the curriculum recommends it. My 3rd grader was advanced and I didn't know any better. She's now in 8th grade, and she remembers this book. However, she remembers not understanding a lot (ha! see the above review!) My 6th and 7th graders just read a short overview about the Trojan Wars in ancient history... so we pulled this out to supplement. My 6th grader is enjoying it, my 7th grader is "meh" - par for the course. I do like this illustrated version to pull them in. I am reading a paperback, obviously with all the same words, and it's...well...not as fun. Sometimes you just have to go for the versions that are "extra." -
Excellent version of The Iliad for reading out loud. Illustrated by Alan Lee, famous for his illustrations of
The Lord of the Rings books. The prose retains some recognizable elements of the original (there's the occasional simile about lions hunting their prey) while being obviously much more succinct (she takes only two or three sentences to describe the Shield of Achilles.)
This version encompasses more of the story than The Iliad: it begins with the quarrel between godesses that led to Paris absconding with Helen, includes the death of Achilles and the Trojan Horse, and ends with the fall of Troy. -
This retelling of The Iliad by Rosemary Sutcliff (complete with artwork) is considered to be for children, but it is a fantastic introduction to Homer's works for people of all ages. She captures the essence of Homer's epic poetry in prose form, with all the anticipation, action, and emotion intact. Highly recommended for read-alouds with older elementary age children, or for adults who are afraid to try the full text, yet. This smart intro will probably whet your appetite for the real thing, and prepare you to see the big picture as you plow through all the names and details of the full length poem. Very enjoyable, a work of art!
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This was a tad dry and I was surprised by the level of violence being that is considered a book for kids. I realize that there was quite a bit of violence involved in the story of Troy but the retelling was rather graphic and I would suggest previewing it before sharing with your youngsters. There were sections of equisite writing but not enough to sustain me through it all. 2.5 stars
