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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN num: 9780316068000
ISBN number: 0316068004
Label: Orbit
Manufacturer: Orbit
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 448
Printing Date: March 10, 2008
Publishing house: Orbit
Sale Popularity Level: 38466
Studio: Orbit
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'Haunting and bittersweet, lush and vivid, this extraordinary story has lived with me since I very first read it.' --Naomi Novik, author of His Majesty's Dragon
The world is ending. One by one the mighty cities are falling, to earthquakes, to flood, to raiders on both land and sea.
In a time of war and doubt, Gull is an oracle. Daughter of a slave taken from fallen Troy, chosen at the age of seven to be the voice of the Lady of the Dead, it is her destiny to counsel kings.
When nine grey ships appear, captained by an exiled Trojan prince, Gull must decide between the life she has been destined for and the most perilous adventure -- to join the remnant of her mother's people in their desperate flight. From the doomed bastions of the City of Pirates to the temples of Byblos, from the intrigues of the Egyptian court to the haunted caves beneath Mount Vesuvius, only Gull can guide Prince Aeneas on his quest, and only she can dare the gates of the Underworld itself to lead him to his destiny.
In the last shadowed days of the Age of Bronze, one woman dreams of the world beginning anew. This is her story.
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Rated by buyers 
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This piece of historical fiction drew me in in the very first paragraph. After finishing it, I wanted to read it over immediately. It has moments of mysticism interspersed with true friendships based on respect and mutual calling.
Rated by buyers 
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As a self professed classics nerd, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Black Ships when I read about it in Entertainment Weekly.
Black Ships is Jo Graham's version of the events of the Aeneid-Aeneas' escape, travels, and subsequent founding of a new city. Our protagonist is Gull, a lowborn acolyte who ascends her mistress' place as Pythia, an oracle of the Lady of the Dead. Gull meets Aeneas and realizes that fate has bound him for a great destiny. She travels with the Trojans, er, Wilusans (Trojans in Hittite) in search of a new home. Their travels take them all over the Mediterranean-from an island of the dead to Byblos to Egypt (where they stay awhile) to the caves of Mt. Vesuvius-and finally into the Underworld itself.
This piece of historical fantasy was an enjoyable read, although a little slow at times. It was difficult for me to read at very first because I have such set thoughts on Aeneas' character and how it "should" be but I got over it fairly quickly. I just enjoyed it for what it was-a historical fantasy/romance. I especially enjoyed the disillusioned antics of Egyptian princess Dido, *ahem* I mean, Basetamon.
As the bedraggled group travels from place to place, they are pursued by Neoptolemus (his entrance into a fallen Troy and subsequent murder of King Priam is one of the most haunting scenes of the Aeneid). Unfortunately, Neoptolemus is never more than a vague threat in the distance (literally, they see his sails a couple times), and I would have liked a little more conflict there. The scenery and historical details are thorough, and Graham's writing style is exquisite- it's beautifully simple and yet still so compelling and vivid.
I am looking forward to the Hand of Isis, which is another historical fantasy set during the reign of Cleopatra, the last Ptolemy! It features Charmian, Cleopatra's handmaiden (Get it? Hand of Isis? ) and half sister. I am really curious as to how Graham will portray Cleopatra (I would assume she features prominently in the book, maybe not).
Will Cleopatra be portrayed as a dark, Egyptian sorceress (thanks to Octavian's propaganda) or will she be as she was- a daughter of Ptolemy XII, of Macedonian (not Egyptian!) descent, the very first Ptolemy who bothered learning Egyptian mores, language, and who was believed to be the incarnation of Isis.
Rated by buyers -
The daughter of a slave taken from fallen Troy, Gull is an oracle, the voice for the Lady of the Dead. When nine grey ships appear, captained by Aeneas, the last Trojan prince, Gull joins her mother's people on their flight from Greek enemies and their endeavor to find a new land to call home. Black Ships follows the journey of the Aeneid, but revised: with careful historical revisions, a cast of incredibly real characters, and skillfully interwoven religion, it is the personal story about the founding of an empire. There are a few little quibbles--who am I kidding? This novel is brilliantly conceived and executed, bringing history to life with the utmost care and skill. Black Ships is a stunning debut novel, and it deserves an unqualified recommendation.
Not unlike Mary Renault's novels or Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, Graham's Black Ships takes a part historical, part mythological, part religious story--here, Virgil's Aeneid--and brings it to life via realistic characters, historical integration, and religious overtones. Gull, the protagonist and narrator, becomes close adviser to Aeneas and fast friends with one of the ships's captains, and these relationships and characters--as well as the dozens of others that populate the book--feel real, pulling the story to a local level where every character has meaning. Gull joins Aeneas's fleeing fleet of ships as they journey across the Mediterranean sea, looking for safety and for a place to call home, and here the journey in the Aeneid is revised--ahistorical Dido, for example, is replaced by an Egyptian princess. These changes create a story which is all the more meaningful and impressive for its realistic rendering. Gull is also an oracle for the Lady of the Dead, bringing faith and gods to the story--and Graham handles both with aplomb, creating a divinity with real impact but realistic presence and a religion that feels authentic. Local and universal, personal and divine, Graham reaches to both ends of the spectrum. The book is historical fiction, but with careful research, skillful integration, and the author's palpable love for her story and setting, Black Ships feels wholly real.
The book isn't perfect, but the imperfections are no detraction. The climax and conclusion moves at a faster pace than the rest of the book, stripping away desirable detail. Graham's writing style is more than competent but neither is it exceptional, which renders it almost invisible--I remember characters, plot, scenes, but little about the writing style. A longer author's note or more exposition may help explain the historical setting--which was never confusing but made me wish I knew more about this era. While there are such quibbles and faults, they mean subsequent to nothing. It may not be perfect, but the imperfections don't distract. Black Ships is a triumph--intelligently conceived, brilliantly executed, and a true delight to read. Nothing should deter the interested reader from picking up this book. Captivating and impressive, it is a realistic, human story set on a history-altering stage. It is an astounding debut novel, and I look forward to more from Graham. All told, Black Ships is amazing, and I recommend it to all readers. Renault or Bradley fans will find a literary cousin in Graham. Greco-Roman enthusiasts should love it, and even if you're unfamiliar with or uninterested in this time period you may find that at Graham's hands it comes alive.
Rated by buyers -
It doesn't matter if you pick up the book thinking it's about Troy, NY--read the book. The very first chapter pulls you into a long-ago world where gods had a real, day-by-day impact on the affairs of men and a young girl grows from a victim of history to a maker of history. The level of suspense carried through the book is amazing and the writing is superb. All this, and it fits into the narrative of Virgil's Aeneid extremely well. (OK, one shift of location from Carthage to Egypt, but it makes sense historically.) Gull is an intelligent, sympathetic voice and a great viewpoint for the action of the book. You can make up your own mind as to whether the voices and visions are real or imagined.
Rated by buyers -
There's nothing I love so much as sinking into a big fat book that combines the sweep of history with a dash of magic. This book is an adaptation of the Aeneid, from the point of view of the Sybil who, in the poem, guides Aeneas through the underworld.
She's a lot more fleshed out here. Her name is Gull, later known as Linnea and as Pythia, and jumps off the page from the very beginning of chapter one with a self-introduction that reminded me a bit of Phedre's at the beginning of Kushiel's Dart. The wording and the voice are different, but it's the same sort of introduction: This is me. This is who I am. Take me or leave me--and if you take me, I've got a damn good story to tell you.
Gull is the daughter of a Trojan slave. When she is crippled in an accident, her mother realizes she'll be seen as a useless mouth to King Nestor. She takes the girl to be apprenticed to Pythia, an oracle and priestess of Persephone, the Lady of the Dead. In time Gull succeeds to the role of Pythia herself, and it seems that she will spend the rest of her life prophesying from her remote cave. Fate, however, has other plans.
Aeneas and his ragged band of refugees from Troy arrive to raid Nestor's palace, and Gull's life is forever changed.
(Oh, I should explain that Graham posits two separate Trojan Wars in this tale. Gull's mother was abducted in the first; Aeneas fled the city in the second.)
The novel follows Aeneas, Gull, and Aeneas's courageous and sexy captain, Xandros, as they search for a place to call home.
To me, one of the major themes of Black Ships is being human in a world that calls for larger-than-life gods and heroes. You see it with Gull, who operates within a strict set of rules as a priestess, and then throughout the story breaks most of them when the will of the Goddess or the needs of her people demand flexibility. You see it with Neas, whose father is constantly exhorting him to act in a more regal fashion. One of my favorite bits is when Gull is examining the cave near Vesuvius that she will use for the ritual of descent into the underworld, musing about how much work it will take to prepare it--and yet, though she works hard to ready the cave, when the ritual occurs it is governed by forces beyond her human control. I liked the contrast between the human and divine here.
The other major theme is love, and how these three flawed and scarred people find it with each other. I love that you can't clearly say "this character is gay, that one is straight." What it really comes down to is that these three people have a bond that transcends all categories. They're just...well, when reading this book I just can't imagine any of them without the other two.
Beautiful book, and I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer. ;)
(And, y'know, I really ought to go read the Aeneid. I never did read the whole thing, though I was supposed to for class once, and Jo has made me more intrigued by it.)
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