I really enjoyed the retelling of the Fall of Troy from a woman's perspective, and I think Bradley does an excellent job of integrating the characters in a modern adaptation. She does get on her soapbox quite a bit though. I love the twist of women ruling, but getting ousted by their consorts who force their way into becoming kings. The problem is that instead of showing this happen and allowing me to establish my own opinion, she sort of force-feeds me what is already obvious. She inserts her words into the characters' mouths too much, and it often comes across as preachy. So much of it didn't even need to be said. It's obvious the gods are unjust when the events of Troy are considered, so I don't need to be reminded of that every chapter.I did love her interpretation of Aeneas and Helen. Aeneas came across as a truly lovable hero, and the creative freedom Bradley took with him and his love interest was a believable, fun twist. Helen came across as remarkably human, which was an unexpected surprise. I think Bradley could have gotten her point across that the gods are unjust with her story alone.I won't ruin the ending, but I feel like it was cut short. This is a fairly long book, but it was disappointing to have the rest of Kassandra's life summed up in a couple paragraphs, and I didn't like how there was no connection to the beginning of the book, where she is an old woman listening to a minstrel.All in all, this was a good introduction for me to Bradley. I appreciate how she boldly incorporates controversial issues like sexuality and gender with no fear of stepping on toes. If a writer is going to be real, they have to go all the way, and she definitely does. ( )

An excellent page turner from the perspective of Paris's sister, the prophetess, Cassandra. ( )

This was a fantastic book. I had read that it was comparable to The Mists of Avalon. It didn’t live up to that, but it was very good. The feminine aspects were more like what I would expect from Marion Zimmer Bradley. The story of Kassandra was incredible. The setting was amazing too. Bradley does a fantastic job of weaving stories of Greek culture into the everyday activities in the book. She integrates them in a way that is so natural you might almost miss them. The only problem I had with this book was the whole Troy aspect. The whole book you know that the city is going to fall (as Kassandra does), but then when it finally happens it’s too fast and not dramatic enough. It’s just a bit of a let-down that you were waiting all that time for something so minuscule. The ending also seems a little forced and rushed. Overall, I was very happy with this book. ( )

Interesting story and well-written as Bradley's works tend to be.

http://www.amazon.com/review/R93A8YWN... ( )