I have to give Gibbins high marks for this one. It is a great treatise on war and the human condition hiding behind the mask of an adventure novel. It jumps from our main characters to Heinrich Schleimann and his digs in Troy and Mycenae, to Germany in the waning days of World War II. Gibbins ties it all together in a nice tight bow and makes it believable. As always, my favorite part of his book is the author's notes section at the end. I would love to sit down and just listen to him lecture. I received this book as a Christmas gift, and most probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I love reading everything, but I had never heard of this author before, despite his being Canadian. That being said, it was an extremely good read, despite the fact that it was the fifth in a series. I usually hate jumping into a series halfway through, but I wasn't going to wade through four more books to get to the one that was already on my shelf. And I'm happy to report that you don't need to read the four previous books to be able to follow along. Obviously there are moments from the past that are mentioned periodically throughout the novel, but they give enough of a simple explanation that I came away from this novel understanding the background without having to go into too much detail (aka, reading the first four books). This book was more of an intellectual read, as it deals heavily in archeology. If I didn't have a rudimentary understanding of the subject, I might have been a bit lost throughout the novel. It also deals heavily with the past, particularly the mid to late 1800s as well as the time of Troy. Overall, I would recommend this book to friends who are looking for more of a challenge. If you thought Fifty Shades of Grey was a literary breakthrough you probably won't enjoy reading this novel.
What do You think about Le Masque De Troie (2010)?
Great book, amazing way of mixing facts and fiction. Always been a great fan of mythology.
—Mekitty
Great underwater, history, and archaeology conjecture.
—mashi
