The mythical legend of the great Trojan War is rooted in the ancient Greek civilization, and was the subject of the first book printed in English in 1475 (p. 8). Dateline: Troy is Paul Fleischman�s take on the historical significance of this myth, which he alleges is �still being fought� (p. 9). The story begins with the birth of Paris, the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Because of a prophesy that he would bring fire and ruin upon the city, the Priest of Apollo orders that the baby's throat be cut at birth. The herdsman who is ordered to carry out the deed disobeys, and he and his wife secretly raise Paris as their own child. When he grows to adulthood, he seduces Helen, the wife of Menalaus, king of Sparta, and carries her away to Troy. The enraged king amasses his allies from every corner of Greece, and an armada of a thousand ships sets sail for Troy. After a ten year war, the Greeks are able to penetrate the walled city in the belly of a giant wooden horse, eventually reducing it to a heap of smoking rubble. The goddess Athena, enraged by Troy�s destruction, sends a tremendous storm that annihilates the Greek armada. The carnage is so complete on both sides, that it is impossible to �tell the victor from the vanquished.� (p. 74)
Fleischman uses the art within the book to make an unmistakable anti-war statement, and demonstrate the universal theme of the Iliad. Facing each page of text in the book is a full-page collage of newspaper clippings, which the author portrays as a modern-day parallel to the events of the Trojan War. The lottery which resulted in Ajax being sent to fight Hector is compared to the lottery of 1970 during the Viet Nam War. The blow dealt Troy by the soldiers hiding in the belly of the Trojan horse is faced by an article about the My Lai massacre. A collage entitled �The Human Cost of War� faces the final page of the book, describing the slaughter of both armies.
The story, with flat, stereotypical characters, is definitely all in the action. The award-winning author�s artful writing technique and powerful use of words is fully demonstrated in this book, which is told from an omniscient point of view. Personification is used repeatedly in describing the wind: �The north wind noses through the rubble that was Troy� (p. 8). The wind is also said to �shriek� (p. 74) and was �evil� (p. 32). Simile is used to compare a knife to a bird of prey: �The priest�s heavy knife hung in the air like a hawk. Then it dove at her neck.� (p. 32) The fleet was scattered �like leaves� (p. 30) and a pair of warriors �wrestled like lions� (p. 58).
Rich imagery throughout creates vivid word pictures. We see a �crow-pecked corpse� (p. 12), smoldering eyes (p. 50), people �ravenous for blood� (p. 34), and warriors �gorged with booty� (p. 74). Highly descriptive action verbs give added power to the narrative: �heaved their spears� (p. 56); �shrieking his promise� (p. 58); and �hacking down goats and sheep� (p. 66). The book is especially rich in alliteration: �quick to quarrel� (p. 40); �felled his father� (p. 42); �haughty heart� (p. 48); �bloody bodies� (p. 54); �swords slashing� (p. 52); and �leaking and lost� (p. 30). Understatement is also used effectively in describing Odysseus� scheme to evade going to battle. A roster of brave enlistees, eager to join the fray, is followed by a brief, telling statement: �Others were less enthusiastic.� (p. 26)
Although the book is relative short and heavily illustrated, it is definitely for older readers. The images of women disrobing �before a dumb-struck Paris� (p. 16), themes of seduction and adultery, and descriptions of women as �plunder�(p. 46) make this inappropriate for elementary students. It should also be noted that Fleischman takes some liberties with the traditional myth, which is acceptable in this genre. The book is fresh, imaginative, entertaining, and provocative � adjectives which can be used to describe all of this author�s brilliant body of work.
Related Websites:
Website for Troy, the movie: http://troymovie.warnerbros.com
Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.pantheon.org
Homer's Iliad online: http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html