It has always irritated me that the narrative of the final days of Troy wasn't actually in the Iliad or the Odyssey. I was a mass-market-mythology lover who didn't want to take that extra step of taking classics courses or learning Greek or Latin. Due to the loss of several Trojan Cycle manuscripts (the Little Iliad, Aithiopis, etc.), audiences never got to see Helen and Menelaos reconcile. The death of Achilles? The death of Paris? The wooden horse? Nope. And champions like Memnon, Penthesilea, and Neoptolemos were relegated to a couple of paragraphs here and there in English-language collections of the myths. (Hat tip to Robert Graves' "The Greek Myths," Gustav Schwab's "Gods and Heroes," and David Kravitz's "Who's Who In Greek and Roman Mythology," which were all excellent starting points and found in superstores during my early adulthood.)

Wait no more. Quintus of Smyrna, who lived several centuries later than Homer and his contemporaries, put together an epic poem based on who-knows-what manuscripts that have not survived. Alan James and the Johns Hopkins University Press have published a sweet volume with the text of the epic, and a lengthy commentary section that proves quite useful. Quintus has a habit of using epithets of characters rather than their given names, so if you aren't sure which goddess "Tritogenia" is, it's possible to refer to the commentary as if it were endnotes and figure out the majority of references. (Tritogenia, "thrice-born," is Athena.)

So what do we get as the content of the epic? A battle-axe-wielding Amazon. An Ethiopian demigod born of the rosy Dawn. The madness of Great Ajax. Heracles' son killing scores of Greeks (including their doctor!) before facing Achilles' son who has come to avenge his father. Philoctetes, Heracles' ally, wounding Paris with an arrow dipped in the blood of the Hydra, and Paris's attempt to reconcile with his former lover Oenone before the poison works. The horse gambit (complete with a bizarre appearance by two sea serpents that roam right into town to eat Laocoon's kids… really, they couldn't have done that on the beach?). Lastly, it's got the sack of Troy and Aeneas's escape before one final word from Athena to Lesser Ajax, communicated via thunderbolt.

So for content, this volume delivers. The only story I can think of from this period of the war that the Posthomerica doesn't have in detail is the theft of the Palladium. Obviously, that's no fault of the translator. As for whether the poetics carry the same heft as Homer… probably not. There's only fourteen books, not twenty-four, and one can feel the difference. Deaths are more sudden; stories of heroic angst less rich in detail. Deiphobos claiming Helen just before the fall of the city is barely a footnote. But in keeping with the spirit of the subject matter, I suggest the mythology buffs fall upon this book as wolves fall upon the sheep-fold, their jaws drawing blood while the shepherd, tired from day-long toil, sleeps in his bed, unaware of the violent work that…

...uh, sorry. Got carried away. But if you don't mind a lot of extended similes like that, the Posthomerica is the volume for you.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it ended. I wish there was a sequel! It's amazing to get a peek into what Helen's life might have been. Highly recommend. 

Helen of Sparta carries a heavy weight on her shoulders.  She is princess to Sparta, but also the daughter of Zeus.  Helen is resented by her mother for how she was conceived; she is also bound to inherit the throne.  Helen’s gifts from Zeus not only granted her beauty, but dreams that foresee the future.  In a recurring nightmare, she envisions Sparta in flames and the death of her family when she is married to a childhood friend.  Determined to escape her fate, Helen makes plans to escape to Athens with King Theseus, son of Poseidon.  Finally feeling some freedom, the gods continue to punish Helen for her actions; however, Helen still continues to forge her own path.

Helen of Sparta offers a fresh take on Greek mythology and the Trojan War from Helen’s point of view.  I loved the mix of historical fiction and mythology.  I was captivated by Helen’s fiery spirit and determination right from the beginning and found myself immersed in her story.  She does not play a damsel, but is the driver of her own destiny.  Helen’s world is brought to light with the magic of the gods and the brutality of the history.  Focusing on Helen’s life when she was younger, I got to know her character very well as she grew, as well as Theseus.  Theseus  is created in a heroic and sympathetic light.  Overall, Helen's story is packed with great characters, a rollercoaster of emotions and an intense plot.  With a rather abrupt ending, I am hoping to read more in the next book.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Off to check if March kindle firsts ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/digital/kindle/first ) has anything of interest since prime membership still valid.

Looks like, despite science fiction, Gemini Effect too horror for me so likely downloading Helen of Sparta.

EDIT:  Well, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!  Just made sure kindle editions were added to Leafmarks (pulling data from publishers) and every last offering for March comes from Amazon publishing imprints.  So much for month-early ARCs from a variety ...