‘Australia’s finest writer’ Miriam Cosic, The Australian

‘... profound ... subtle and extremely moving.’ Daniel Mendelsohn, New Yorker

‘a masterpiece’ Alberto Manguel, Australian Literary Review

‘A work of immediacy, humanity and tenderness.’ Philip Parker, Financial Times

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David Malouf shines new light on Homer’s Iliad, adding twists and reflections, as well as flashes of earthy humour, to surprise and enchant.

In this exquisite gem of a novel, Achilles is maddened by grief at the death of his friend Patroclus. From the walls of Troy, King Priam watches the body of his son, Hector, being dragged behind Achilles’ chariot. There must be a way, he thinks, of reclaiming the body - of pitting compromise against heroics, new ways against the old, and of forcing the hand of fate. Dressed simply and in a cart pulled by a mule, an old man sets off for the Greek camp ...

Lyrical, immediate and heartbreaking Malouf’s fable engraves the epic themes of the Trojan war onto a perfect miniature - themes of war and heroics, hubris and humanity, chance and fate, the bonds between soldiers, fathers and sons, all newly burnished and brilliantly recast for our times.

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‘Though Malouf’s sparingly deployed details, vigorous language, and sly wit humanize these tragic heroes, the story is unmistakably epic and certainly the stuff of legend.’ Publishers Weekly (starred review)

‘That this tender novel lingers so long and hauntingly in the mind is a testament both to Malouf’s poetry and to his reverence for the endless power of myth.’ Steve Coates, New York Times Book Review

‘This book shines new light on this story of the Trojan War, adding twists and reflections as well as flashes of earthly humour.’ Brisbane News

‘Malouf’s rendering of Ancient Greece is gorgeous, fantastical, and yet earthly, humble and relatable.’ Australian Bookseller + Publisher