Description:

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Bova is best known as a prolific writer of works of science fiction. Here he tries his hand at supposedly historical fiction, with interesting, enjoyable, but uneven results. Lukka, a Hittite warrior, returns to the Hittite capital city to find it engulfed in civil war, his father murdered, and his wife and two young sons taken away by slavers. Along with a small cadre of soldiers under his command, Lukka launches an epic search for his family, which leads him to the gates of Troy as it is beseiged by the army of Agamemnon. Bova then proceeds to an original retelling of the final stages of the legendary Trojan War. In this account, Lukka serves as a literary mirror, revealing the personalities of some well-known characters, with a few surprising results. Odysseus, predictably, is practical, crafty, and a natural survivor in treacherous waters. Achilles is a born killer, but he is shown as short and ugly, and his death is decidedly unheroic. Helen is, of course, the babe of all babes, but she is also petty and whiny. Bova tends to use flowery, descriptive language to excess, but he knows his Homer. --Jay Freeman

Review

Excellent. A thrilling and inventive retelling of the legend of Troy. --David Hagberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Expediter

Completely convincing and emotionally satisfying; the adventure and warfare are gripping enough to keep me awake to finish the book in a single night. I hope that when I'm [Bova's] age, I'll be doing--as he is--the best work of my career. --Orson Scott Card, New York Times bestselling author of Ender's Game

A cast of stars, all seen through the eyes of a Hittite warrior. With authentic battle scenes and the reality of siege warfare, THE HITTITE is an adventure you'll want to undertake. --Barbara D'Amato, Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of Foolproof