The Armour of Achilles

Book excerpt: Book three of a series set in ancient Greece is “a thrilling adventure full of bloody battles, vibrant characters and the heart-stopping romance” (Lancashire Evening Post). The siege of Troy is in its ninth year. But Troy still stands. When Agamemnon is threatened with mutiny by disillusioned troops, he changes tactics. Ordering attacks on Troy’s allies, he deprives the city of reinforcements, trade and supplies. Yet even this does not draw the Trojans out from behind their walls. Meanwhile Odysseus, Eperitus and their men have become hardened soldiers. Odysseus just wants to return home to his island Kingdom of Ithaca. But while Agamemnon is still determined to revenge himself upon Troy for the theft of Helen by Paris, Odysseus is held by the oath that he himself created. Eperitus too is tormented: sworn to protect the very man who murdered his daughter. As the war continues, Odysseus realises that sheer numbers will never overwhelm Troy. If he is ever to return home, then he must use cunning and guile to bring about its downfall . . . “Iliffe is more a storyteller than a classicist and his story is propelled by a very modern sensibility.” —The Daily Telegraph “Another gripping, thrilling tale from the new demi-god of the genre.” —Catholic Herald