Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews Book I of this series started off slow but really picked up speed as it reached its conclusion, so I started book two very excited to see where Gemmell was going with it. Unfortunately, Shield of Thunder really failed to deliver.As soon as you begin this book, you will notice that Gemmell has skipped forward in time. No big deal really except for one important fact: a tragic event has occurred, which has left one of our main characters dead or dying. (I suppose the author might have done this to build suspense or tension, but it had the affect of annoying me more than anything else.) And so, with this former main character in limbo, the focus of Shield of Thunder shifts to a brand new character, Piria, and two, minor characters, Kalliades and Banokles, from book one. Immediately, our new stars take center stage, uniting in tragic fashion before their backstory is revealed. Unfortunately, from this intriguing beginning, the story takes a big nosedive as the three journeying by sea to Troy (IF this sounds like deja vu after reading Book I I understand completely.), and even Odysseus' presence or the hopeless love of one of the companions for the other can't make this sea trip any better than the one in Lord of the Silver Bow. Honestly, if not for the constant interludes with Andromache in Troy itself, the book would have floundered from the start, but once again the city of Priam comes to the rescue, as the politically charged wedding games of Hektor and Andromache liven things up with political machinations, emotional fights, and the dramatic return of an old character. By the end of the wedding games, Shield of Thunder was right back on pace, rushing forward not only toward the beginning of the Trojan War but also toward the emotionally charged completion of Piria, Banokles and Kalliades' quest. But, alas, Gemmell once again crushed my hopes for this novel. Let me explain.One, the epic quest of Piria had been the major plot line in the book from page one. Gemmell spends chapters explaining it, making it heart-rending, and setting up a climatic ending to it. Then, when Piria, Banokles and Kalliades are moments away from completing it, things just . . . fizzle out. I won't explain how, but Piria's story just ends. No other way to say it. Boom it is gone, and you sit there and ask yourself why Gemmell spent all this time building this up to just snuff it out like a candle flame. Big letdown.Second, Gemmell skips forward in time again. The first time it was between book one and two, so I can live with that even though I didn't like it. Here, however, there is no reason for the time skip. One minute, there is a looming war between Mycene and Troy, and the next it has been going on for years. We hear about all these huge battles that have taken place. Characters talk about Hektor's victories and Odysseus' strategic brilliance, but what we actually read about is Kalliades and Banokles' struggles. And, while I did like both characters, Kalliades spends more time waxing philosophical on his inability to love anyone rather than actually fighting. Third, Gemmell has this annoying habit of giving you a character, feeding you a backstory then never returning to him. The Egyptian, Gershom, is a prime example. Book one starts off with him getting lots of page time; we get a detailed backstory with some plot issues twisting around. Then in Shield of Thunder Gershom goes poof! and disappears. Oh, he makes some appearances, but nothing related to his backstory. And he isn't the only character treated this way by the author. It is beyond irritating.So while Shield of Thunder is an okay read, I can't say I really liked it. Honestly, Gemmell barely keeps his Trojan War epic afloat with this one.
We all harbor monsters within us. Winged,clawed,fanged & frothing at the mouth they wait to be unchained even at the slightest provocation to create before our eyes what we have but dreaded in our darkest thoughts. A war looming in the horizon will change everything from the land to the people and everywhere we hear the patter of hoofbeats. Astride a pale horse comes the rider who eventually visits everyone who ever draw breath on this earth ! War draws mankind like moths to a flame and so does the epics that stand on battle grounds and sing the glory & horror of all that surrounds them. Two such locales that never exhaust their share of stories are Troy & Kurukshetra. At the surface they look like a simple battle between good & evil but delving deeper we find the intricacies of humanity at play.David Gemmell's Troy series is a first class retelling of the Homerian epic. The freshness of the tale is enhanced by the fact that Gemmell never goes in for Homer's storyline. The characters retain their names & the war retains its character but everything else dons a new coat of paint. The battle scenes are vividly portrayed in words and so is the story. There are no lengthy discourses on the life and times of the Greek, no dissections of the culture & the lifestyle or heroic descriptions of Achilles or Hektor ( well, that last part isn't entirely true !!). All that is in this book is akin to a gathering of dark clouds in the skies above. A sky that promises a deluge is what is looks like...All this have convinced me to read the next book in the series. I would definitely want to know how the war goes to Troy and how it all ends. I did away with the one star for some of the overtly dramatic scenes which the story could have done without with no hiccups to the flow.
What do You think about Shield Of Thunder (2006)?
As you can see above, the math for this one is quite simple. This is book two of one of the best Heroic Fantasy series I have ever read. This sequel to the wonderful Lord of the Silver Bow is the middle installment of David Gemmell's Troy trilogy in which he superbly re-imagines the events leading up to and including the Trojan War. It is brilliant, original and terrifically entertaining. Beginning several years after the events of Lord of the Silver Bow, this book continues the build up to the final battle for the City of Troy. Many of the best characters from the first book are around including Helikaon (aka Aeneas), Odysseus, Gershom (aka...that would spoil the surprise but when you learn you will have bricks dropping from your bowels), Andromache and Hektor. In addition, there are a whole host of new kick-ass participants. We have Peria, a fugitive priestess with a dark secret (oh how we love the dark secret). Plus we have new favorites Kalliades and Banokles, two larger than life heroes villains warriors in the grand Gemmell style. Finally, Achilles finally joins the cast in a BIG BIG way. The breadth of the story gets broader and depth of the characters continues to deepen. The writing is blood pumping and the plot is pure octane of the highest caliber. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorite series of all time. Gemmell was a master of this kind of story and this is him at the absolute top of his game. If you like well written epics with H.E.R.O.I.C. characters and N.A.S.T.Y. villains, than this series will leave you happier than Peter Griffin on Red Bull. 5.5 to 6.0 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!
—Stephen
What an amazing journey! There is action, adventure, courage, and so much more in these stories. What an inspiring author David Gemmell was. What is so great about these stories is that readers are taken into the hearts and minds of the characters. This is historical fiction that rises off of the page. It was so hard to put it down to do other things. Troy Shield of Thunder moves the story ever closer to the epic battle which we know will take place. What a pleasure it has been getting there. I have begun Troy "Fall of Kings" and I am anticipating an amazing read right until the very last page!
—Andrea
Sometimes books are so well written, the characters come so alive, that I can read the book as quickly as I can watch a movie. That was the case with this book. David Gemmell was a genius. He was a puppet master, carefully laying out his characters, their dialogue, their moves, so that the story comes together beautifully at the end. I'm not going to do a full review since if you already read book 1, you most likely plan on reading this book or already read it.However, if you haven't read book 1, please do so.
—Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker Queen of the Undead
