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Ethan Gage #8
The Trojan Icon
Ethan Gage is back in The Trojan Icon, the richest novel yet in the New York Times bestselling series of historical thrillers. Hurtling from the snowy palaces of Russia’s St. Petersburg to the shadowy harem of Constantinople in 1806, the novel’s characters conspire and compete for a Trojan relic that can give invincibility to empires.
The action begins when the American adventurer and his wife, Astiza, are recruited to steal two Polish swords from the world’s most formidable treasury. Gage must break into a vault in the Peter and Paul fortress before Prussia ends Polish dreams of independence.
Yet that quest is only the beginning of challenge. Murder, ambush, royal treachery, and the mysterious appearance of a long-lost brother require a more daunting mission, requiring a sacrificial assault on a lair of pure evil.
From a Polish temple, to a Transylvanian castle, to the palace of the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, conspiracy and courage play out as Napoleon Bonaparte plots for domination. Populated by key players from history and based on real events, The Trojan Icon takes readers to a vivid world of passion, peril, and power in which the ancient past may change the fate of the world.
The Ethan Gage series of historical thrillers has sold into twenty-nine languages and drawn critical praise and eager fans worldwide.
The action begins when the American adventurer and his wife, Astiza, are recruited to steal two Polish swords from the world’s most formidable treasury. Gage must break into a vault in the Peter and Paul fortress before Prussia ends Polish dreams of independence.
Yet that quest is only the beginning of challenge. Murder, ambush, royal treachery, and the mysterious appearance of a long-lost brother require a more daunting mission, requiring a sacrificial assault on a lair of pure evil.
From a Polish temple, to a Transylvanian castle, to the palace of the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, conspiracy and courage play out as Napoleon Bonaparte plots for domination. Populated by key players from history and based on real events, The Trojan Icon takes readers to a vivid world of passion, peril, and power in which the ancient past may change the fate of the world.
The Ethan Gage series of historical thrillers has sold into twenty-nine languages and drawn critical praise and eager fans worldwide.
425 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2016
38 people are currently reading
563 people want to read
About the author
William Dietrich
25 books396 followersWilliam Dietrich is a NY Times bestelling author of the Ethan Gage series of eight books which have sold into 28 languages. He is also the author of six other adventure novels, several nonfiction works on the environmental history of the Pacific Northwest, and a contributor to several books.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 20, 2016
The extraordinary adventures of Ethan Gage continue in this 8th book of the series. Explorer, gambler, diplomat, sharpshooter, electrician, savant, treasure hunter, romantic, womanizer, idealist, opportunist. These are all words that Ethan might use to describe himself but would fail to paint the full picture of him. Each of these books has detailed his amazing adventures and just because he now has a family, including a 5-year-old son doesn’t mean he is letting up. In fact, his family seem to augment his powers of getting into tight spots in search of treasure or titles.
The years 1806 and 1807 find Napoleon Bonaparte at the height of his expansionist career and while most of the other books in this series depict Ethan’s interactions with Bonaparte, this time around he does not, at least not directly. Ethan and his lovely wife Astiza, are recruited to steal two Polish swords from the Peter and Paul fortress. But that is just the first adventure, for this book is really a series of at least four adventures, all interconnected. The group travels (or are kidnapped and taken to) a Polish temple, a Transylvanian castle, and to the palace of the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. As expected in these books, intrigue and humor abound. If you’ve ever read any of the Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser, then you will understand the sort of character that Ethan Gage is.
I am hopeful that there will be more books in this series. This one was independently published by the author who also happens to be a Pulitzer-winning journalist so hopefully sales will reach the appropriate number to make a ninth novel feasible. While this book could act as a satisfactory end to the series, it seems clear that there are a few lessons that Ethan Gage could still stand to learn about the relative values of treasure hunting as compared to a quieter, safer lifestyle.
The years 1806 and 1807 find Napoleon Bonaparte at the height of his expansionist career and while most of the other books in this series depict Ethan’s interactions with Bonaparte, this time around he does not, at least not directly. Ethan and his lovely wife Astiza, are recruited to steal two Polish swords from the Peter and Paul fortress. But that is just the first adventure, for this book is really a series of at least four adventures, all interconnected. The group travels (or are kidnapped and taken to) a Polish temple, a Transylvanian castle, and to the palace of the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. As expected in these books, intrigue and humor abound. If you’ve ever read any of the Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser, then you will understand the sort of character that Ethan Gage is.
I am hopeful that there will be more books in this series. This one was independently published by the author who also happens to be a Pulitzer-winning journalist so hopefully sales will reach the appropriate number to make a ninth novel feasible. While this book could act as a satisfactory end to the series, it seems clear that there are a few lessons that Ethan Gage could still stand to learn about the relative values of treasure hunting as compared to a quieter, safer lifestyle.
February 7, 2017
Ethan Gage is one of my favorite ill-luck adventurers. Indiana Jones of the Napoleonic era. Ethan's always seeking that single score that will set him up for life, and always missing it by a hair. He can see the treasure at the end of the rainbow, but never touch it. His lust for gold blinds him to the treasure he possesses in his exotic beauty of a wife, Astiza, and precocious son, Harry.
Mr. Dietrich presents history without the snooze button, illuminating without dehumidifying, and deftly weaves an adventure that combines historical fact, a heavy dose of action, and a whiff of the occult.
Go on an expedition to your closest library or bookstore. Dig through the archives. Find the treasure that is Mr. Dietrich's Ethan Gage series, and discover them for yourself.
Mr. Dietrich presents history without the snooze button, illuminating without dehumidifying, and deftly weaves an adventure that combines historical fact, a heavy dose of action, and a whiff of the occult.
Go on an expedition to your closest library or bookstore. Dig through the archives. Find the treasure that is Mr. Dietrich's Ethan Gage series, and discover them for yourself.
July 22, 2016
The idiot Ethan is back!! I mean he doesnt change, cant see things though and gets into trouble beyond he can imagine. The period during which this book is written in quite interesting and this time he flees Russia after a misadventure (as usual) and lands in Istanbul in Napoleon's service once more!!! Throughout the book he was used, abused and misused by the people who knew him well and could manipulate him.
The customs and volatile political situation of Ottoman capital back in 1807 was depicted nicely.
If you have read the previous books then you know its quite crazy and still plausible. The thing is, he has a wife and a kid now but still he remains a scoundrel, well less of it in some sense. As a person he has grown but still not as intelligent as he is expected to be. I have grown to like Harry as a person and Astiza is showing great promise but still Ethan has somehow manged to mess everything up. He is a character that you would love to hate and hate to love but at the end in your heart you will find some soft corner for him. His misfortune continues to follow him and the book ended with a promise of another great adventure in Persia.
The customs and volatile political situation of Ottoman capital back in 1807 was depicted nicely.
If you have read the previous books then you know its quite crazy and still plausible. The thing is, he has a wife and a kid now but still he remains a scoundrel, well less of it in some sense. As a person he has grown but still not as intelligent as he is expected to be. I have grown to like Harry as a person and Astiza is showing great promise but still Ethan has somehow manged to mess everything up. He is a character that you would love to hate and hate to love but at the end in your heart you will find some soft corner for him. His misfortune continues to follow him and the book ended with a promise of another great adventure in Persia.
February 1, 2020
Predicable. To the point I was skipping pages.
Think of an adolescent kid who reacts when someone says "Double-dog dare you", and doesn't think about consequences or what is important to them. That's Gage. Predictable idiot and predicable story line.
I finished the book, but only because I had gone so far in it I had to complete the task.
It is the last one of the Gage series. If Dietrich write another one I will not be a reader.
Think of an adolescent kid who reacts when someone says "Double-dog dare you", and doesn't think about consequences or what is important to them. That's Gage. Predictable idiot and predicable story line.
I finished the book, but only because I had gone so far in it I had to complete the task.
It is the last one of the Gage series. If Dietrich write another one I will not be a reader.
January 17, 2019
This book took me months to read, mostly because I kept leaving it out of boredom to read other books. I got 80% through before I started to give up..that seemed too far in to just not finish it, so alas, I have completed the journey. ** I am not in any context a historian or even a mild enthusiast of history (high school history class was the last time I've read any of that). I picked this book up by random at the library, didn't realize it was part of a series, but went with it anyway. Thus, I cannot comment on the historical accuracy of the events that the writer tried to portray. **
The book starts out with a great sense of adventure, where the Gage family is traveling from one country to the next in search of fame, fortune, and relics of the past. Along the way, they make plenty of enemies and some questionable friends. Ethan and Astiza are ingenious in the ways they escape their foes and Harry is a young, brave kid for helping in their plans.
This does not lack the fast-paced feeling of a good adventure book. Sometimes it felt like I was drenched in a lot of historical details, but again, maybe if I enjoyed history more, I would appreciate those. My main qualm with this book: was chasing the fame and fortune really worth it? I felt like that's where I disconnected. I didn't care whether or not he received a title and finding the Trojan Icon kind of seemed like a "so what" moment. To add to it, the book ends with a charming, feel good, "family is everything, the journey was our destination" kind of theme, but that was literally the last few pages! And during this ending, they still commented on how they wished they were living in a palace somewhere (like oy, almost dying several times trying to pursue that hasn't dissuaded them? Even Harry?!) It just seemed like an odd ending, considering it literally took the whole book for Ethan to realize his family was the real prize. Instead, he repeatedly disregarded his family's safety in order to achieve his own selfish goals.
The book starts out with a great sense of adventure, where the Gage family is traveling from one country to the next in search of fame, fortune, and relics of the past. Along the way, they make plenty of enemies and some questionable friends. Ethan and Astiza are ingenious in the ways they escape their foes and Harry is a young, brave kid for helping in their plans.
This does not lack the fast-paced feeling of a good adventure book. Sometimes it felt like I was drenched in a lot of historical details, but again, maybe if I enjoyed history more, I would appreciate those. My main qualm with this book: was chasing the fame and fortune really worth it? I felt like that's where I disconnected. I didn't care whether or not he received a title and finding the Trojan Icon kind of seemed like a "so what" moment. To add to it, the book ends with a charming, feel good, "family is everything, the journey was our destination" kind of theme, but that was literally the last few pages! And during this ending, they still commented on how they wished they were living in a palace somewhere (like oy, almost dying several times trying to pursue that hasn't dissuaded them? Even Harry?!) It just seemed like an odd ending, considering it literally took the whole book for Ethan to realize his family was the real prize. Instead, he repeatedly disregarded his family's safety in order to achieve his own selfish goals.
July 3, 2022
"The Trojan Icon" was all right. The prose is good, the characters pretty entertaining (Astiza's my favorite), and there's some good action. Not the books fault obviously but I didn't realize before starting that this was further on in a series, and there were a lot of half-references to previous events that I was confused by. There were some "stall parts" that didn't seem necessary, and the opening half about the Polish swords had almost nothing to do with the second half about the Trojan Palladium; it read like Dietrich had two half books about different historical artifacts and decided to cram them into one book.
July 8, 2022
Another great Ethan Gage Book
William Dietrich has a gift for placing Ethan into real world history where he has to contend with villains and scoundrels, plotters and schemers, none of whom serve our poor hero. It’s another exciting journey with interesting antagonists as Ethan and his family chase after treasures and legends that could change the course of world history. I’m just sad to learn this is the last novel in the series. Good bye, Ethan, I will miss you.
William Dietrich has a gift for placing Ethan into real world history where he has to contend with villains and scoundrels, plotters and schemers, none of whom serve our poor hero. It’s another exciting journey with interesting antagonists as Ethan and his family chase after treasures and legends that could change the course of world history. I’m just sad to learn this is the last novel in the series. Good bye, Ethan, I will miss you.
January 30, 2018
Good, but not as much of a page-turner as the previous Gage novels. Could be this series and historical fiction has run it's course as we near the end of the Napoleonic Era in the Gage adventures. Still a fun and interesting story as always, just not quite the 5 star 1-2 day read it used to be. Could explain the lengthy delay and/or permanent postponement of any 9th novel...alas.
April 20, 2020
Another fantastic tale!
The Ethan Gage adventures. Ever cease to entertain! It’s difficult to stop reading once you start! I’ve enjoyed each and every book not only for the well crafted stories, but for the fascinating lessons in history. Bravo!
The Ethan Gage adventures. Ever cease to entertain! It’s difficult to stop reading once you start! I’ve enjoyed each and every book not only for the well crafted stories, but for the fascinating lessons in history. Bravo!
March 10, 2018
Ethan Gage, an American rogue in the Napoleanic era.
Part Indiana Jones, part McGyver all fun and you learn a little history too.
Part Indiana Jones, part McGyver all fun and you learn a little history too.
November 5, 2020
Appropriately swashbuckling, like the other Gage stories. I appreciate the snippets of actual history mixed in with the suspense of the treasure hunt.
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August 16, 2022Ethan Gage is always a fun read. I look forward to the next installment.
July 3, 2024
guess this is goodbye Ethan Gage
February 25, 2017
A great case of a story with exotic locations, ancient mysteries and epic adventure.
December 7, 2016
Once again William Dietrich returns with a new adventure historical novel featuring Ethan Gage, his Wife Astiza and son Harry. This time they search for the Trojan Icon, a mythic (?) object that is missing for three thousand years. But they aren't the only ones quite a bevy for evil doers stand in their way. Ethan finds his long lost brother Caleb, who Ethan has some issues with.
From Russia, Poland, Transylvania and Constantinople the Gages must fight just about and everyone to win their quest.
Part Harry Flashman, part Indiana Jones with a large dose of mythos. Ethan Gage is a grand character who fight Napoleon one moment and befriends him the next. Who met Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Always fun exciting read. Dietrich's history is perfect. I'm sure the ninth book will another adventure worth waiting for.
From Russia, Poland, Transylvania and Constantinople the Gages must fight just about and everyone to win their quest.
Part Harry Flashman, part Indiana Jones with a large dose of mythos. Ethan Gage is a grand character who fight Napoleon one moment and befriends him the next. Who met Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Always fun exciting read. Dietrich's history is perfect. I'm sure the ninth book will another adventure worth waiting for.
July 8, 2016
While I enjoyed this book, I still find it strange to have it be a family adventure instead of just Ethan. Astiza and Harry (Horus) were as important, if not more so, than he was to the story. I'd give this 3.5 stars, but Goodreads won't let me.
June 23, 2017
Although just as action-packed and adventuresome as the previous Ethan Gage novels, The Trojan Icon lacked the eponymous hero's usually snarky wit and sarcastic tongue... There were moments, but not nearly enough!
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December 31, 2017Another great read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews