The Shattered Horse

After reading, Shattered Horse I can definitely say Somtow is a man of the classics and this proves he can journey well beyond the basic horror tomb for which he's known. Shattered Horse follows right after 'The Iliad' and takes on the journey of Prince Astyanax. It's a marvelous tale of the hero's journey with the backdrop being the ending of an era, The Age of Bronze. Shattered Horse doesn't engage the senses as well as his other novels; however, it is intellectually visceral and worth the read for those that enjoy the Iliad, Odyssey, Bill Moyers, or journey mythos.

Very dense and episodic. A bit like the Oddyssy in a way; I wonder if that was deliberate.I think it detracted a bit, though; the story kept building up momentum and then losing it in a change of direction.I've always loved the theme of the ending of an age. Tolkein did it best, I suppose, but this was wonderful and more real, because it built on a real mythology, an age that passed and was believed in, and alas the great god Pan is dead. The battle of the last two heroes of the age of bronze had me in tears, and I only wish there'd been more of that, more of the splendour of the age so I could see what was being lost.Must reread some time.

A great book set in the years after the fall of Troy. If you're into Greek Myths you'll love this. Somtow is a brillant man and a great writer.