What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hittite
This is the tale of Lukka, the Hittite soldier who traveled across Greece in search of the vicious slave traders who kidnapped his wife and sons. He tracks them all the way to war-torn Troy. There he proves himself a warrior to rank with noble Hector and swift Achilles. Lukka is the man who built the Trojan horse for crafty Odysseus, who toppled the walls of Jericho for the Isrealites, who stole beautiful Helenthe legendary face that launched a thousand shipsfrom her husband Menaleus after the fall of Troy and fought his way across half the known world to bring her safely to Egypt.
8 pages, Audio Cassette
First published April 1, 2010
5 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Ben Bova
715 books1,037 followersBen Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 15, 2012
I know Ben Bova best as a science fiction author. Years ago I picked up his book Mars as the perfect present for my father, and ended up reading it myself. The following year I offered Venus and Return to Mars as gifts and ended up reading those too, and over the years I helped my father amass a Ben Bova collection of his Grand Tour of the Solar System series – though I’ve not yet got round to reading the last couple of entries. Naturally I would intrigued when I discovered that Bova, whose sci-fi work I enjoyed, would be releasing an historical fiction novel. He wouldn’t be the first sci-fi author to do so – Norman Spinrad, whose marvellously kitsch and dated sci-fi pulp of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s was beloved by a younger self, also branched out into historical fiction later – but the incidence is still rare enough to raise my eyebrow. I was curious about how an author whose sci-fi was so well-known to me would fare in this foray into historical fiction.
I noticed instantly from the get-go the difference in writing style and the fact that The Hittite is much shorter than Bova’s sci-fi novels. Bova’s sci-fi novels are lengthy affairs, yet punchy in their delivery, packed chock full to the brim of action, plot, and character insight, all rolled into one big rollercoaster of a sci-fi thriller. They’re full of technical and scientific details, and you really feel it, yet the mystery elements in the story ensure that they are deeply engrossing. I’m almost tempted to call them page-turners if that term weren’t applied more often these days to easy, populist reads – and I wouldn’t call Bova’s sci-fi novels easy reads, they’re challenging, but they’re also just so darn compelling that they suck you right in to their world.
The Hittite is different. In stark contrast, the writing style here is sparse, the book is short, the chapters only a few pages each. That’s not a complaint as such – just an observation – but it’s certainly surprising given Bova’s usual style. In a way there is a slight feeling of disappointment, because I expected an historical fiction epic just as packed and action-filled as Bova’s sci-fi novels. This new style has both advantages and shortcomings. On one hand, the sparse style is judicious, offering us carefully considered snippets of information without becoming meandering or overwhelming. However, on the other hand, I almost felt like I didn’t get to know the characters that well, beyond an intriguing but frustratingly elusive rough sketch of some interesting personalities. In regards to pacing, this style of writing quality at once made the story feel like it fairly clipped along and that a lot happened despite the sparseness of the writing. Yet strangely at the very same time I also got the strange sense that events were progressing so quickly that not enough time was spent into really going into each one in more depth. As a result I both liked and found problems with this different style that Bova utilises in The Hittite.
In terms of plot, it wasn’t what I expected. I scrupulously avoided any hint of spoilers ahead of time, so I cracked open the book expecting a novel set in the Hittite empire and found instead a new retelling of The Iliad. I love the story of The Iliad, it’s a timeless tale, but the problem with historical fiction set in the Trojan War is that it’s one of these that has absolutely been done to death. It can be very difficult to get a new angle on it and make it fresh and exciting, something that people want to read. Even for a Trojan War lover, how many times do I really want to read the same story? David Gemmell, in my opinion, succeeded in putting a really fresh angle on the legend – he shook things up enough to be unexpected, took the tale in new directions, yet retained the heroic premise and gave the saga a real tales-by-the-fireside feel. That surprised me, pleasantly I must say, as I went into Gemmell’s trilogy having heard negative reports. Bova’s angle is to tell the story from the perspective of Lukka, an outsider from the Hittite empire, who gets involved with both Trojans and Mycenaeans. Okay, that’s a different premise. And Bova does change events up a little. But it’s not enough. If an author’s going to do the Trojan War, by this stage I think they have to put a whole new angle on it or stay faithful and write it really well. Bova’s angle isn’t different enough – too much is still predictable, despite the scattering of new material he throws in, and the sparse writing style can’t make up for it by at least creating a richly absorbing retelling. This was frustrating as I’m familiar with Bova’s usual packed-to-the-brim writing style, which is quite the engrossing read, and we just don’t get it here.
Which brings me to Lukka. Like I said, interesting premise to bring the Hittites in on the Trojan War. But I had issues with Lukka. Not glaring issues that ruined my enjoyment of the book, but just the kind of slightly irritating peripheral issues that mean you didn’t quite enjoy it as much as you might have. As Lukka tells us this tale, and we as readers see events through his eyes, it’d be pretty boring if he just sat by the sidelines the entire time and didn’t play an important role. However, I felt that Lukka veered just a little too much towards “Mary Sue”/“fan fiction” territory. I’m sure that Bova didn’t intend to write it that way, but when an original character is brought into established canon – especially canon as established as Homer’s Iliad – and is presented as an important contributor and gets mixed up in all the key events… it reminded me of fan fiction Mary Sue characters who get just that sort of treatment – waltz on in to established canon of a book series and are miraculously involved in every important event and become themselves a crucial character – when in the original canon they didn’t exist and weren’t needed at all for events to play out. Now, I am sure that Bova didn’t intend to write Lukka that way, and as I said I guess you could make a case over the fact that since it’s Lukka’s shoulder the reader sits on… however, when that veered too close to Mary Sueism for my comfort. Also, I found Lukka’s attitude towards his wife slightly uncomfortable. When he finds out that
Bova is a good writer, and I had hopes for this book, but it just doesn’t hit the mark. It’s not bad as such, but it’s a bit dull and predictable and the writing style is so different from his usual signature style. It’s a reasonably enjoyable read but that’s it, there’s nothing more to really engage or excite. It’s just “okay”. Mildly enjoyable, but just too mediocre. Not fresh or in depth enough, and the main character whilst likable is unmemorable.
6 out of 10.
I noticed instantly from the get-go the difference in writing style and the fact that The Hittite is much shorter than Bova’s sci-fi novels. Bova’s sci-fi novels are lengthy affairs, yet punchy in their delivery, packed chock full to the brim of action, plot, and character insight, all rolled into one big rollercoaster of a sci-fi thriller. They’re full of technical and scientific details, and you really feel it, yet the mystery elements in the story ensure that they are deeply engrossing. I’m almost tempted to call them page-turners if that term weren’t applied more often these days to easy, populist reads – and I wouldn’t call Bova’s sci-fi novels easy reads, they’re challenging, but they’re also just so darn compelling that they suck you right in to their world.
The Hittite is different. In stark contrast, the writing style here is sparse, the book is short, the chapters only a few pages each. That’s not a complaint as such – just an observation – but it’s certainly surprising given Bova’s usual style. In a way there is a slight feeling of disappointment, because I expected an historical fiction epic just as packed and action-filled as Bova’s sci-fi novels. This new style has both advantages and shortcomings. On one hand, the sparse style is judicious, offering us carefully considered snippets of information without becoming meandering or overwhelming. However, on the other hand, I almost felt like I didn’t get to know the characters that well, beyond an intriguing but frustratingly elusive rough sketch of some interesting personalities. In regards to pacing, this style of writing quality at once made the story feel like it fairly clipped along and that a lot happened despite the sparseness of the writing. Yet strangely at the very same time I also got the strange sense that events were progressing so quickly that not enough time was spent into really going into each one in more depth. As a result I both liked and found problems with this different style that Bova utilises in The Hittite.
In terms of plot, it wasn’t what I expected. I scrupulously avoided any hint of spoilers ahead of time, so I cracked open the book expecting a novel set in the Hittite empire and found instead a new retelling of The Iliad. I love the story of The Iliad, it’s a timeless tale, but the problem with historical fiction set in the Trojan War is that it’s one of these that has absolutely been done to death. It can be very difficult to get a new angle on it and make it fresh and exciting, something that people want to read. Even for a Trojan War lover, how many times do I really want to read the same story? David Gemmell, in my opinion, succeeded in putting a really fresh angle on the legend – he shook things up enough to be unexpected, took the tale in new directions, yet retained the heroic premise and gave the saga a real tales-by-the-fireside feel. That surprised me, pleasantly I must say, as I went into Gemmell’s trilogy having heard negative reports. Bova’s angle is to tell the story from the perspective of Lukka, an outsider from the Hittite empire, who gets involved with both Trojans and Mycenaeans. Okay, that’s a different premise. And Bova does change events up a little. But it’s not enough. If an author’s going to do the Trojan War, by this stage I think they have to put a whole new angle on it or stay faithful and write it really well. Bova’s angle isn’t different enough – too much is still predictable, despite the scattering of new material he throws in, and the sparse writing style can’t make up for it by at least creating a richly absorbing retelling. This was frustrating as I’m familiar with Bova’s usual packed-to-the-brim writing style, which is quite the engrossing read, and we just don’t get it here.
Which brings me to Lukka. Like I said, interesting premise to bring the Hittites in on the Trojan War. But I had issues with Lukka. Not glaring issues that ruined my enjoyment of the book, but just the kind of slightly irritating peripheral issues that mean you didn’t quite enjoy it as much as you might have. As Lukka tells us this tale, and we as readers see events through his eyes, it’d be pretty boring if he just sat by the sidelines the entire time and didn’t play an important role. However, I felt that Lukka veered just a little too much towards “Mary Sue”/“fan fiction” territory. I’m sure that Bova didn’t intend to write it that way, but when an original character is brought into established canon – especially canon as established as Homer’s Iliad – and is presented as an important contributor and gets mixed up in all the key events… it reminded me of fan fiction Mary Sue characters who get just that sort of treatment – waltz on in to established canon of a book series and are miraculously involved in every important event and become themselves a crucial character – when in the original canon they didn’t exist and weren’t needed at all for events to play out. Now, I am sure that Bova didn’t intend to write Lukka that way, and as I said I guess you could make a case over the fact that since it’s Lukka’s shoulder the reader sits on… however, when that veered too close to Mary Sueism for my comfort. Also, I found Lukka’s attitude towards his wife slightly uncomfortable. When he finds out that
Bova is a good writer, and I had hopes for this book, but it just doesn’t hit the mark. It’s not bad as such, but it’s a bit dull and predictable and the writing style is so different from his usual signature style. It’s a reasonably enjoyable read but that’s it, there’s nothing more to really engage or excite. It’s just “okay”. Mildly enjoyable, but just too mediocre. Not fresh or in depth enough, and the main character whilst likable is unmemorable.
6 out of 10.
February 10, 2014
I wasn’t really sure what I expected of The Hittite, but it certainly wasn’t what I got. The opening scene takes place amidst the chaos of the sack of Hattusas where Lukka is desperately trying to keep discipline in the garrison while finding his family. The once mighty Hittite empire has been thrown into chaos by a bloody civil war and once Lukka learns that his wife and sons are bound for Troy as slaves, there’s only one place he can go. Except when he gets there, not all is as it seems.
The thing I like most about The Hittite is how Ben Bova portrayed all of the famous characters from the proud (and vain) Achilles to Helen. I love how Achilles is the proud fool he was in the original legend while Helen is an independent woman desperate to survive in a world where women are, for the most part, chattel. The most heartbreaking part of the whole novel is when we hear Helen’s tale from Apet her nursemaid and see just how much she really did suffer in Sparta. It’s a much more realistic portrayal of Spartan life than I’ve ever seen and had I been in Helen’s place I would have done the exact same thing: use Paris to escape to Troy.
The other thing I liked was that Ben Bova’s writing style has the perfect balance for historical fiction. He is able to describe everything so that I felt like I was there, but he never really gets into the long-winded descriptions that some authors of historical fiction do. I liked how he explained the implausible things from the Trojan myth (Achilles’ weakness, the Trojan horse) in a way that makes you believe it really could have happened that way and the story could have just grown into something more.
Overall, I absolutely loved The Hittite. I wasn’t going to pick it up at first, but it was in the bargain bin at my local bookstore so I figured I had nothing to lose. Trust me, you’re pretty much guaranteed to fall in love with The Hittite once you start reading it. It’s well worth the cover price.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The thing I like most about The Hittite is how Ben Bova portrayed all of the famous characters from the proud (and vain) Achilles to Helen. I love how Achilles is the proud fool he was in the original legend while Helen is an independent woman desperate to survive in a world where women are, for the most part, chattel. The most heartbreaking part of the whole novel is when we hear Helen’s tale from Apet her nursemaid and see just how much she really did suffer in Sparta. It’s a much more realistic portrayal of Spartan life than I’ve ever seen and had I been in Helen’s place I would have done the exact same thing: use Paris to escape to Troy.
The other thing I liked was that Ben Bova’s writing style has the perfect balance for historical fiction. He is able to describe everything so that I felt like I was there, but he never really gets into the long-winded descriptions that some authors of historical fiction do. I liked how he explained the implausible things from the Trojan myth (Achilles’ weakness, the Trojan horse) in a way that makes you believe it really could have happened that way and the story could have just grown into something more.
Overall, I absolutely loved The Hittite. I wasn’t going to pick it up at first, but it was in the bargain bin at my local bookstore so I figured I had nothing to lose. Trust me, you’re pretty much guaranteed to fall in love with The Hittite once you start reading it. It’s well worth the cover price.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
November 14, 2015
I love the premise of The Hittite, but the execution left me frustrated for two reasons:
1. Helen of Troy is beautiful. She's a beauty. She's lovely. With fair hair and blue eyes. She's beautiful. And beautiful. She has golden hair and light eyes. And she's beautiful. Sick of hearing that beautiful Helen is a beautiful woman? Yeah, so am I.
2. Women are property. They belong to their husbands. Women are third-class citizens. Women? Oh, they're not important. Baby girls are worth nothing; only boys count. Okay, okay; I get it!
If you, as an author, feel the need to repeat elements of your story--ADJECTIVES!--over and over and over and over and over and over, you might want to rethink the effectiveness of your writing.
I was so thankful when the book was over; there's no way I'm continuing with the series.
1. Helen of Troy is beautiful. She's a beauty. She's lovely. With fair hair and blue eyes. She's beautiful. And beautiful. She has golden hair and light eyes. And she's beautiful. Sick of hearing that beautiful Helen is a beautiful woman? Yeah, so am I.
2. Women are property. They belong to their husbands. Women are third-class citizens. Women? Oh, they're not important. Baby girls are worth nothing; only boys count. Okay, okay; I get it!
If you, as an author, feel the need to repeat elements of your story--ADJECTIVES!--over and over and over and over and over and over, you might want to rethink the effectiveness of your writing.
I was so thankful when the book was over; there's no way I'm continuing with the series.
May 23, 2010
‘How can one person be willing to die so that another could
live?’
Returning home from a long and brutal campaign against the Armenians, the Hittite soldier Lukka finds the Hatti Empire in chaos. The capital city, Hattusa, is in flames. Lukka’s family home is destroyed, his father mortally wounded and his wife and young sons have been taken by slave traders.
Lukka and his small band of soldiers track the slavers across Greece to war-torn Troy. Here, as Lukka tries to recover his wife and sons, he becomes a warrior of the Trojan War where he fights with the Greeks in their battle for the return of Helen.
The basic story outline is familiar to anyone who has read The Iliad. But there are some alternative history twists which will amuse some readers and may well annoy others. I have mixed feelings about the novel: I didn’t care for the portrayal of some of the characters, especially Helen, yet I quite liked the hero Lukka.
An enjoyable escapist read – if you can tolerate some changes to the story of The Iliad.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
live?’
Returning home from a long and brutal campaign against the Armenians, the Hittite soldier Lukka finds the Hatti Empire in chaos. The capital city, Hattusa, is in flames. Lukka’s family home is destroyed, his father mortally wounded and his wife and young sons have been taken by slave traders.
Lukka and his small band of soldiers track the slavers across Greece to war-torn Troy. Here, as Lukka tries to recover his wife and sons, he becomes a warrior of the Trojan War where he fights with the Greeks in their battle for the return of Helen.
The basic story outline is familiar to anyone who has read The Iliad. But there are some alternative history twists which will amuse some readers and may well annoy others. I have mixed feelings about the novel: I didn’t care for the portrayal of some of the characters, especially Helen, yet I quite liked the hero Lukka.
An enjoyable escapist read – if you can tolerate some changes to the story of The Iliad.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
May 11, 2025
Visit JetBlackDragonfly (The Man Who Read Too Much) at www.edenthompson.ca/blog
for over 900 book reviews in all genres
The Hittite is a historical novel by the prolific Ben Bova, a retelling of the siege of Troy. It doesn't claim to be the historical truth; it's a sweeping adventure, and once I was on board for an exciting tale, it didn't disappoint.
Lukka, a Hittite soldier leading a band of fighting men, returns to find the city of Hattusas ruined from an attack. His father is dying, and his wife and two sons have been taken as slaves by King Agamemnon to Troy. With nothing left, they make their way to Troy to rescue his family. Once at the plains of Ilios, they find the classic battle continuing between the walled city of Troy and the beachhead of the Achaians. A recap: the beautiful Helen was stolen away from her husband Menelaos, and his brother King Agamemnon has joined with Odysseus and Achilles to rally their armies against Troy. Prince Hector of Troy leads the Trojans at the wall of the city, along with vain Prince Paris, who has stolen Helen and taken her as his wife. Of course, the whole gang is present, including Ajax, Antiklos, and King Priam. As a Hittite, Lukka has many new fighting skills to show the Achaians and works with Odysseus as an intermediary with Hector. Here, Lukka befriends Prince Hector, meets the beautiful Helen, passes messages between camps, and finds his children and wife, now a slave to King Agamemnon himself.
Lukka is brave and smart; however, being the central linchpin of the entire siege of Troy is a heavy load for one character. Helen knows she is just a prize in the game of war, her husband's property, and must work within that to direct her own future. Achilles refuses to join the fighting and withdraws to his camp with his lover, fellow soldier Patroclus. It's only when Patroclus is killed in action that Achilles retaliates in revenge with his Myrmidon army. Later, Lukka has the idea to build a large wooden scaffold, covered in horse hides—a new approach to the Trojan Horse.
We already know how it ends, but Bova twists the setting to offer a different view of the characters. Who survives, who dies, and who does Helen end up with?
The Hittite is an exciting read, both historical and adventurous. If you are looking for an entertaining read and don't want to start with Homer's Iliad, I'd recommend it!
for over 900 book reviews in all genres
The Hittite is a historical novel by the prolific Ben Bova, a retelling of the siege of Troy. It doesn't claim to be the historical truth; it's a sweeping adventure, and once I was on board for an exciting tale, it didn't disappoint.
Lukka, a Hittite soldier leading a band of fighting men, returns to find the city of Hattusas ruined from an attack. His father is dying, and his wife and two sons have been taken as slaves by King Agamemnon to Troy. With nothing left, they make their way to Troy to rescue his family. Once at the plains of Ilios, they find the classic battle continuing between the walled city of Troy and the beachhead of the Achaians. A recap: the beautiful Helen was stolen away from her husband Menelaos, and his brother King Agamemnon has joined with Odysseus and Achilles to rally their armies against Troy. Prince Hector of Troy leads the Trojans at the wall of the city, along with vain Prince Paris, who has stolen Helen and taken her as his wife. Of course, the whole gang is present, including Ajax, Antiklos, and King Priam. As a Hittite, Lukka has many new fighting skills to show the Achaians and works with Odysseus as an intermediary with Hector. Here, Lukka befriends Prince Hector, meets the beautiful Helen, passes messages between camps, and finds his children and wife, now a slave to King Agamemnon himself.
Lukka is brave and smart; however, being the central linchpin of the entire siege of Troy is a heavy load for one character. Helen knows she is just a prize in the game of war, her husband's property, and must work within that to direct her own future. Achilles refuses to join the fighting and withdraws to his camp with his lover, fellow soldier Patroclus. It's only when Patroclus is killed in action that Achilles retaliates in revenge with his Myrmidon army. Later, Lukka has the idea to build a large wooden scaffold, covered in horse hides—a new approach to the Trojan Horse.
We already know how it ends, but Bova twists the setting to offer a different view of the characters. Who survives, who dies, and who does Helen end up with?
The Hittite is an exciting read, both historical and adventurous. If you are looking for an entertaining read and don't want to start with Homer's Iliad, I'd recommend it!
November 20, 2019
This book is about two things I love reading about, the Trojan War and the Hittite Empire. That's why I kept reading despite not liking the main character from almost the first page.
When we are introduced to Lukka his emperor has just been murdered and the capital city is burning. He does absolutely nothing to help the people caught in the chaos and never even sees if the empire will surviving before he leaves.
It is maybe a little understandable as his wife and sons are captured by slavers but more than once he thinks to himself that if it wasn't for the kids he wouldn't be trying to save his wife.
When he does find her and learns that she'd been forced to sleep with the slavers to save their sons, he hits her, insults her, thinks she'd be better off dead and decides to free his sons and leave her behind.
I quit after that.
When we are introduced to Lukka his emperor has just been murdered and the capital city is burning. He does absolutely nothing to help the people caught in the chaos and never even sees if the empire will surviving before he leaves.
It is maybe a little understandable as his wife and sons are captured by slavers but more than once he thinks to himself that if it wasn't for the kids he wouldn't be trying to save his wife.
When he does find her and learns that she'd been forced to sleep with the slavers to save their sons, he hits her, insults her, thinks she'd be better off dead and decides to free his sons and leave her behind.
I quit after that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2021
DNF
I couldn't stomach this. I'm only marking this as 'read' to leave a review.
While it may be historically accurate that a man of this rank in this time period would have seen women as nothing but incubators for their offspring and tools for their physical relief, and would have r#ped his way across a land, I don't need to be steeped in it.
The main character must rescue his oh so precious boys and yeah maybe also his wife, but she's a woman and there are plenty of women to be had - paraphrasing the actual prose. Hard pass for me.
I've never read Bova's planetary series, though I had intended to. I am certainly less inclined now to pick them up.
I couldn't stomach this. I'm only marking this as 'read' to leave a review.
While it may be historically accurate that a man of this rank in this time period would have seen women as nothing but incubators for their offspring and tools for their physical relief, and would have r#ped his way across a land, I don't need to be steeped in it.
The main character must rescue his oh so precious boys and yeah maybe also his wife, but she's a woman and there are plenty of women to be had - paraphrasing the actual prose. Hard pass for me.
I've never read Bova's planetary series, though I had intended to. I am certainly less inclined now to pick them up.
February 25, 2022
Lukka and his contingent of warriors return home to find their hometown in ruins and under siege. He finds out that his wife and sons have been taken by the invaders. He talks some of his band into going in search of his family and they end up at the battle of Troy. In order to try to get Agamemnon, who has enslaved his wife and boys, to release them Lukka throws in his lot with Odysseos in the battle for Troy. This battle is being fought for the fair Helen who had left her husband in order to become a princess of Troy as well as for the strategic location of the town in relation to shipping.
The horrors of battle and the machinations of all those involved create a riveting tale.
The horrors of battle and the machinations of all those involved create a riveting tale.
February 8, 2017
Who knew Ben Bova did historical fiction...read perfectly by Stephan Rodnicki. The pacing was fast, the story precise, the characters believable. The story of wandering soldier who gets involved in the Trojan war, helps win it, and becomes disillusioned. The Greeks act like Greeks, the Trojans like the Trojans--both we know from Homer and others. This story is told from the standpoint of a common soldier. A stand-alone book, it would be sullied with a sequel.
April 18, 2019
Since my main interest in this book comes from an interest in history and especially the history of this period, I am splitting this review into two sections. The first section will deal with the story itself and the style, characters, etc. The second part is about the history and doesn't reflect my rating much either way, since most people who read this book will be looking for exactly what it is: An adventure novel set during the Trojan War. If you aren't interested in history then feel free to ignore the second part of this review.
Story
This book is basically about the Trojan War. The main character, Lukka, is a soldier from the fallen Hittite Empire which lies far away from either side. He is on a quest to rescue his wife and sons from slavers, and these slavers have rather unplausibly traveled all the way to Troy (a month-long journey) where you'd think there would be enough slaves already. Aside from the somewhat forced nature of his quest the first part of the book is the most successful. It feels like an adventure. A group of men on a quest to rescue their leader's wife. Unfortunately things reach something of a standstill once they reach Troy. Once there Lukka immediately joins the Greeks since his wife is now a slave to Agamemnon. From then on Lukka is predominantly a bystander to the Trojan War.
There are a number of plot points that, perhaps because they are so well known, the author simply has other characters describe to Lukka, sometimes only moments after they have happened, instead of having him witness them himself. This kills any momentum that the book has. This story is essentially The Iliad retold with a new character. There is very little else added. It seems as if the book is on autopilot for as long as the war goes on (Which is the rest of the book basically). I think that I would actually have preferred it if they changed everything around and gave a different take on the material. It can't seem to decide whether to be realistic or fantastical and it sort of settles for being dull. As it is, you're better off reading the book that this is based on instead. If the Iliad is too hard for you there are dozens of abridgments out there. Get one of them instead.
The characters are not particularly complex and have rather a tendency to be defined by a single character trait. The Greeks are seen rather differently than Homer portrays them: Agamemnon is a whiner; Menelaus is a cruel husband; Achilles is an ugly, violent dwarf; and Nestor is a senile old man who keeps recounting boring stories. Odysseus comes off fairly well, being a cunning but professional soldier. Hector comes off well also, as he tends to do in modern takes on Troy. The biggest change of all is Helen. This book has a strong feminist angle which I personally find to be rather forced. Helen is a clever woman who wants to escape from the Greeks because they do not give her as much freedom and power as the Trojans. I don't want to say more since that would give the ending away, but her story is the only one that goes rather different from the legend. Since the Greeks are utterly unsympathetic this removes any concern that the reader might have for their story.
Perhaps the Adventure novel just isn't my genre, but I feel this book to be disappointingly average. There is nothing wrong with the book per say, it simply doesn't meet expectations. That isn't to say that this book is without potential. The ending is left wide open and it sounds like the author intends to continue the story. Since by far the most interesting parts of the book were those that did not deal with Troy the potential of quality sequels is decent. They are not likely to be deep or engrossing, but they might be entertaining and that is all that this book tried to be.
History
This section deals with the actual history portrayed in the book and isn't meant to affect the entertainment value of the writing. There have been some spectacularly inaccurate books out there that nevertheless manage to be fun. Still, for those who are interested here are my comments on the history portrayed in the book.
I have to say that the research here seems kind of sloppy. Perhaps I'm simply spoiled by reading Bernard Cornwell and the like, but I usually expect more work put into this kind of book. Certainly there was some research done since the names of the gods and the uses of chariots and siege weapons are more or less as they should be, but those feel like they have been just copied off of a list. The character names are taken from random places or made up. Lukka for example, is the name of one of the kingdoms bordering the Hittites. A positive point is that the Hittites refer to themselves as people of Hatti, as indeed they would have, even if everyone else does anachronistically refer to them as Hittites. Iron was not the standard equipment of Hittite soldiers. That is a theory that was disproven half a century ago. Leaving aside the question of whether there was a Trojan War or not (That is one of the advantages of writing fiction) the way that it was portrayed takes everything from the Iliad and merely adds touches here and there so that it seems more realistic.
The political situation as portrayed is not right. The timing is off for the whole thing. Bova's grasp on dates seems rather shaky. He has people witness the sack of Babylon, the battle of Kadesh, the fall of Hattusas, and the fall of Troy all in a single lifetime. Some of these events were close in time, but others are up to 200 years apart. The Greek Cities fell before the Hittite Empire did, which means that the main character should never have been in the situation he was in. It certainly stretches credulity that the Trojans would have no idea after ten years of fighting that the Hittites had fallen and were not coming to their aid.
In terms of sources used, apart from the names of the gods I don't see any information in this book that couldn't have come from the episode in the BBC series Lost Cities of the Ancients. The slant on the fall of the Hittite Empire is exactly the same with the Hittites falling solely due to civil war. Neither this book nor that show mentioned the myriad of raiders sweeping through the Near Eastern world at this point, destroying every country but Egypt. In fact, the show actually stated flat out that there were no external enemies facing the Hittites. This book seems to agree with that assessment. Of course, if this book becomes a series it will have a chance to correct that. Here's hoping.
The Greeks come off as arrogant, disorganized barbarians while the Trojans are rich and civilized merchants. Both are of course exaggerations but understandable ones. The Hittites, disappointingly given the title, come across as rather bland and generic. They seem merely to be a powerful Imperial power. Nothing else is really shown. The Hittites are intentionally without culture and customs so that they can serve as modern eyes observing the Greek and Trojan ways. I feel that there was a missed opportunity there, since the Hittite world is never really shown.
The situation in the Empire is left rather vague. You hear that the kingdom has fallen to a civil war, but you never hear more than that. Not even the name of the last king. Or any king for that matter. Perhaps he thinks that real Hittite names are too hard to pronounce (Try saying Suppiluliumas, the hero of the far superior I, the Sun!). The capital city of Hattusas is sacked by the Hittite factions in the beginning of the book for reasons that are unclear and despite the fact that the former capital was abandoned by this point.
Just from a storytelling perspective it would have been nice to have given the main character a home to flee from. Starting in the middle of things seems like a good idea, but I think that the book would have been better served to have either told the story of the fall in flashback or start it earlier so that you could feel for what Lukka lost. Amusingly enough, he already has a flashback to the fall of Hattusas about 20 pages in, even though we have already seen it. For a novel entitled “The Hittite” you'd think that there would be more about them. Instead we merely get another retelling of the Trojan War.
Story
This book is basically about the Trojan War. The main character, Lukka, is a soldier from the fallen Hittite Empire which lies far away from either side. He is on a quest to rescue his wife and sons from slavers, and these slavers have rather unplausibly traveled all the way to Troy (a month-long journey) where you'd think there would be enough slaves already. Aside from the somewhat forced nature of his quest the first part of the book is the most successful. It feels like an adventure. A group of men on a quest to rescue their leader's wife. Unfortunately things reach something of a standstill once they reach Troy. Once there Lukka immediately joins the Greeks since his wife is now a slave to Agamemnon. From then on Lukka is predominantly a bystander to the Trojan War.
There are a number of plot points that, perhaps because they are so well known, the author simply has other characters describe to Lukka, sometimes only moments after they have happened, instead of having him witness them himself. This kills any momentum that the book has. This story is essentially The Iliad retold with a new character. There is very little else added. It seems as if the book is on autopilot for as long as the war goes on (Which is the rest of the book basically). I think that I would actually have preferred it if they changed everything around and gave a different take on the material. It can't seem to decide whether to be realistic or fantastical and it sort of settles for being dull. As it is, you're better off reading the book that this is based on instead. If the Iliad is too hard for you there are dozens of abridgments out there. Get one of them instead.
The characters are not particularly complex and have rather a tendency to be defined by a single character trait. The Greeks are seen rather differently than Homer portrays them: Agamemnon is a whiner; Menelaus is a cruel husband; Achilles is an ugly, violent dwarf; and Nestor is a senile old man who keeps recounting boring stories. Odysseus comes off fairly well, being a cunning but professional soldier. Hector comes off well also, as he tends to do in modern takes on Troy. The biggest change of all is Helen. This book has a strong feminist angle which I personally find to be rather forced. Helen is a clever woman who wants to escape from the Greeks because they do not give her as much freedom and power as the Trojans. I don't want to say more since that would give the ending away, but her story is the only one that goes rather different from the legend. Since the Greeks are utterly unsympathetic this removes any concern that the reader might have for their story.
Perhaps the Adventure novel just isn't my genre, but I feel this book to be disappointingly average. There is nothing wrong with the book per say, it simply doesn't meet expectations. That isn't to say that this book is without potential. The ending is left wide open and it sounds like the author intends to continue the story. Since by far the most interesting parts of the book were those that did not deal with Troy the potential of quality sequels is decent. They are not likely to be deep or engrossing, but they might be entertaining and that is all that this book tried to be.
History
This section deals with the actual history portrayed in the book and isn't meant to affect the entertainment value of the writing. There have been some spectacularly inaccurate books out there that nevertheless manage to be fun. Still, for those who are interested here are my comments on the history portrayed in the book.
I have to say that the research here seems kind of sloppy. Perhaps I'm simply spoiled by reading Bernard Cornwell and the like, but I usually expect more work put into this kind of book. Certainly there was some research done since the names of the gods and the uses of chariots and siege weapons are more or less as they should be, but those feel like they have been just copied off of a list. The character names are taken from random places or made up. Lukka for example, is the name of one of the kingdoms bordering the Hittites. A positive point is that the Hittites refer to themselves as people of Hatti, as indeed they would have, even if everyone else does anachronistically refer to them as Hittites. Iron was not the standard equipment of Hittite soldiers. That is a theory that was disproven half a century ago. Leaving aside the question of whether there was a Trojan War or not (That is one of the advantages of writing fiction) the way that it was portrayed takes everything from the Iliad and merely adds touches here and there so that it seems more realistic.
The political situation as portrayed is not right. The timing is off for the whole thing. Bova's grasp on dates seems rather shaky. He has people witness the sack of Babylon, the battle of Kadesh, the fall of Hattusas, and the fall of Troy all in a single lifetime. Some of these events were close in time, but others are up to 200 years apart. The Greek Cities fell before the Hittite Empire did, which means that the main character should never have been in the situation he was in. It certainly stretches credulity that the Trojans would have no idea after ten years of fighting that the Hittites had fallen and were not coming to their aid.
In terms of sources used, apart from the names of the gods I don't see any information in this book that couldn't have come from the episode in the BBC series Lost Cities of the Ancients. The slant on the fall of the Hittite Empire is exactly the same with the Hittites falling solely due to civil war. Neither this book nor that show mentioned the myriad of raiders sweeping through the Near Eastern world at this point, destroying every country but Egypt. In fact, the show actually stated flat out that there were no external enemies facing the Hittites. This book seems to agree with that assessment. Of course, if this book becomes a series it will have a chance to correct that. Here's hoping.
The Greeks come off as arrogant, disorganized barbarians while the Trojans are rich and civilized merchants. Both are of course exaggerations but understandable ones. The Hittites, disappointingly given the title, come across as rather bland and generic. They seem merely to be a powerful Imperial power. Nothing else is really shown. The Hittites are intentionally without culture and customs so that they can serve as modern eyes observing the Greek and Trojan ways. I feel that there was a missed opportunity there, since the Hittite world is never really shown.
The situation in the Empire is left rather vague. You hear that the kingdom has fallen to a civil war, but you never hear more than that. Not even the name of the last king. Or any king for that matter. Perhaps he thinks that real Hittite names are too hard to pronounce (Try saying Suppiluliumas, the hero of the far superior I, the Sun!). The capital city of Hattusas is sacked by the Hittite factions in the beginning of the book for reasons that are unclear and despite the fact that the former capital was abandoned by this point.
Just from a storytelling perspective it would have been nice to have given the main character a home to flee from. Starting in the middle of things seems like a good idea, but I think that the book would have been better served to have either told the story of the fall in flashback or start it earlier so that you could feel for what Lukka lost. Amusingly enough, he already has a flashback to the fall of Hattusas about 20 pages in, even though we have already seen it. For a novel entitled “The Hittite” you'd think that there would be more about them. Instead we merely get another retelling of the Trojan War.
October 1, 2023
2.5 Stars
Despite the title, "The Hittite," there is little about Hittites in this book. It essentially is another retelling of the Iliad, but with a so-called Hittite character inserted.
Lukka, the Hittite protagonist, flees Hattuša, the capital of the Hittite kingdom, which has fallen due to a civil war, a backstory that is never really explained in the book. He arrives in the capital city amid chaos, in which his wife and small children have been stolen away. He leads his band of Hittite warriors across the land in search of them, where he ends up at Troy during the later stages of the Trojan War.
Lukka is not a very likeable character. He is selfish. When he first arrives in Hattuša he wants his band of warriors to take off and follow him in search of his wife and sons. Why should they be beholden to him? At Troy, he spends most of the time lusting after Helen while pretending to seek his wife. He admits that he doesn't care for his wife, yet he is fixated on finding his sons (although he can't even remember his second son's name). He does a lot of victim blaming when he finds out his wife was used by the Greeks--even when she tells him that she did what she could to keep their sons safe (Menelaos even says that a captive woman is not responsible for what happens to her during captivity). Lukka ultimately makes a half-hearted effort to find his wife and free her from bondage in Troy. He actually tells himself: "I tried my best to save her and failed." No, you didn't.
Any links the author makes to actual Hittite culture is weak. When one of his men decides to quit the team early on, Lukka kills him. He then says, "He rose out of the grave I had dug for him and stared at me from the underworld beyond the Styx..." The Styx for a dead Hittite?
How the book is framed is also jumpy. At page 19, Lukka says, "For six months I led my squad of men westward, across the chaos and anarchy of a collapsed empire." What happened in that six months? Then at page 31, they suddenly arrive at the Greek camp. A big section of the book switches over Helen's Story. Why the shift away from the Lukka? There are already enough books specifically on Helen circulating that we don't need another one inserted into a book supposedly about a Hittite warrior. It acts like padding, since the plot has so little going on--it's mostly about Lukka working for Odysseus and acting as an envoy between him and Troy while he lusts after Helen.
Conveniently, his wife dies so he can spirit Helen away to Egypt.
As other reviewers have stated, the book is a fairly quick read. It can be shelved with some of the other unremarkable books covering the Trojan War.
Despite the title, "The Hittite," there is little about Hittites in this book. It essentially is another retelling of the Iliad, but with a so-called Hittite character inserted.
Lukka, the Hittite protagonist, flees Hattuša, the capital of the Hittite kingdom, which has fallen due to a civil war, a backstory that is never really explained in the book. He arrives in the capital city amid chaos, in which his wife and small children have been stolen away. He leads his band of Hittite warriors across the land in search of them, where he ends up at Troy during the later stages of the Trojan War.
Lukka is not a very likeable character. He is selfish. When he first arrives in Hattuša he wants his band of warriors to take off and follow him in search of his wife and sons. Why should they be beholden to him? At Troy, he spends most of the time lusting after Helen while pretending to seek his wife. He admits that he doesn't care for his wife, yet he is fixated on finding his sons (although he can't even remember his second son's name). He does a lot of victim blaming when he finds out his wife was used by the Greeks--even when she tells him that she did what she could to keep their sons safe (Menelaos even says that a captive woman is not responsible for what happens to her during captivity). Lukka ultimately makes a half-hearted effort to find his wife and free her from bondage in Troy. He actually tells himself: "I tried my best to save her and failed." No, you didn't.
Any links the author makes to actual Hittite culture is weak. When one of his men decides to quit the team early on, Lukka kills him. He then says, "He rose out of the grave I had dug for him and stared at me from the underworld beyond the Styx..." The Styx for a dead Hittite?
How the book is framed is also jumpy. At page 19, Lukka says, "For six months I led my squad of men westward, across the chaos and anarchy of a collapsed empire." What happened in that six months? Then at page 31, they suddenly arrive at the Greek camp. A big section of the book switches over Helen's Story. Why the shift away from the Lukka? There are already enough books specifically on Helen circulating that we don't need another one inserted into a book supposedly about a Hittite warrior. It acts like padding, since the plot has so little going on--it's mostly about Lukka working for Odysseus and acting as an envoy between him and Troy while he lusts after Helen.
Conveniently, his wife dies so he can spirit Helen away to Egypt.
As other reviewers have stated, the book is a fairly quick read. It can be shelved with some of the other unremarkable books covering the Trojan War.
December 6, 2017
A big departure from Ben Bova -- the last days of the Trojan war, from the point of view of a Hittite mercenary searching for his wife, captures by slavers when the capital of Hittusa fell. The prose is elegant, the world palpable and the story (especially the surprise portrayal of Achilles and Helen) is a fun read. However, the story ends on an open note that screams sequel, which does not exist.
March 19, 2019
Who knew Ben Bova did historical fiction? This way a fun version of the Trojan War told from the perspective of a Hittite warrior and Helen of Troy. It prompted me to look up and learn more on the Hittites than I probably would have ever done otherwise.
If you are a fan of classic era history, grab this one. It's a quick, fun read.
If you are a fan of classic era history, grab this one. It's a quick, fun read.
April 9, 2018
Bova’s ability to take a Reader back into time is uncanny in his authenticity and story telling under remarkable circumstances. Briefly, this novel is a damn fine read worthy of the few dollars he’s asking for it. If you favour the historical genre, you’ll not be sorry you purchased this one.
October 15, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was told simply, just like it would have been in those times. The battle scenes were vivid and brutal and it was pleasant to witness Luca's character progression throughout the story from his own perspective.
August 8, 2020
It was an interesting way to take the take of the Iliad and give an explanation behind the story. I didn’t think much of Helen, or how things were conveniently taken care of for the conclusion to work out the way it did.
March 11, 2019
If you want the story of Helen of Troy retold in an incredibly charismatic fashion, this is the book for you. It was a steal of a find and among my favorites in my library.
March 28, 2019
Historical Fiction
October 20, 2021
Ben Bova Deez nuts
I didn't read this book. I only want to make this joke.
I didn't read this book. I only want to make this joke.
September 2, 2023
That was an exceptional story. Meshed so nicely with "The Illiad"
October 3, 2023
Duration: 09:23:38
March 13, 2017
A well-done retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of a foot-soldier. Bova is best known as a science fiction writer, apparently his talents extend to historical fiction as well. Recommended!
September 12, 2012
After a long, exhausting battle far from home, Hittite commander Lukka returns with his squad only to find his once proud empire in ruins after a civil war. The emperor himself is dead, his palace burned to the ground. The city has been overrun by looters, murderers, rapists, and bandits.
In a desperate search for his wife and toddler sons, Lukka learns from his dying father that they have been taken by slave traders. Lukka fears that his sons will be murdered as slavers have no use for toddlers.
Regrouping with his men, Lukka leaves his home and sets off for Troy on a hunch that this is where the slave traders would go to sell their captives. After a wearisome journey beset with battles and tragedy, the squad finally reaches Troy only to find the city under siege from the Achaeans led by the barbarian king Agamemnon and the Ithacans led by the more honorable Odysseus.
Agamemnon's brother, Menelaus, had married the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. Yet Helen was disgusted by the barbarian and her life in Sparta had been misery until the day when Prince Paris from Troy arrived to collect tribute while Menelaus was away. Helen had run away with Paris and was accepted as a princess in the Trojan empire, sparking the war between Troy and Sparta.
Lukka and his men find themselves in the service of Agamemnon and Odysseus, though of the two kings only Odysseus spares Lukka any attention. Eventually, Lukka finds his wife, Aniti, and their sons. As Agamemnon is not known for releasing his slaves, Lukka petitions to Odysseus for their release, but his request is constantly delayed as the time never seems right for approaching the selfish king.
Part of the reason for Agamemnon's dark mood is his ongoing feud with Achilles who has refused to assist the king in his siege of Troy. Agamemnon had given Achilles a female slave as a reward for his bravery but then took her back. As a result, Achilles now holds a grudge.
Later, Lukka is selected by Odysseus to convey a message of peace to King Priam of Troy and there, he meets Prince Hector, Paris, and of course, Helen. The message is simple: return Helen to Menelaus and the siege will end. However, the Trojans reject the message and continue to successfully defend their kingdom from daily attacks by the barbarians.
Desperate to assist Agamemnon, if only for the release of his family, Lukka brings his military prowess to bear against Troy by constructing a "siege tower" that will allow soldiers to scale the lowest wall surrounding Troy. The tower is mistaken for a "giant horse filled with soldiers" and the war begins, but can Lukka save his wife and sons? What will become of Helen of Troy?
Having read two of Ben Bova's Voyager series novels and about six from his Grand Tour series (all science fiction), The Hittite was a departure for me. The pacing was much faster, the story focused on a few characters, and it was written in first person POV of Lukka. I'm accustomed to Bova's stories written in third person POV and laden with characters.
I found his protagonist, Lukka, to be somewhat flat and Helen herself was portrayed by Bova as a selfish, spoiled, and somewhat callow woman yet still tragic at the same time. I enjoyed Poletes, an old "windbag" storyteller who is saved by Lukka and becomes his servant. He was the most entertaining character in the book.
Overall, I recommend The Hittite if just for an easy read and interesting twist on The Iliad. Bova does not spare details of the living conditions and barbaric practices of the time. Just do not expect an epic adventure tale or a story of any emotional depth.
In a desperate search for his wife and toddler sons, Lukka learns from his dying father that they have been taken by slave traders. Lukka fears that his sons will be murdered as slavers have no use for toddlers.
Regrouping with his men, Lukka leaves his home and sets off for Troy on a hunch that this is where the slave traders would go to sell their captives. After a wearisome journey beset with battles and tragedy, the squad finally reaches Troy only to find the city under siege from the Achaeans led by the barbarian king Agamemnon and the Ithacans led by the more honorable Odysseus.
Agamemnon's brother, Menelaus, had married the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. Yet Helen was disgusted by the barbarian and her life in Sparta had been misery until the day when Prince Paris from Troy arrived to collect tribute while Menelaus was away. Helen had run away with Paris and was accepted as a princess in the Trojan empire, sparking the war between Troy and Sparta.
Lukka and his men find themselves in the service of Agamemnon and Odysseus, though of the two kings only Odysseus spares Lukka any attention. Eventually, Lukka finds his wife, Aniti, and their sons. As Agamemnon is not known for releasing his slaves, Lukka petitions to Odysseus for their release, but his request is constantly delayed as the time never seems right for approaching the selfish king.
Part of the reason for Agamemnon's dark mood is his ongoing feud with Achilles who has refused to assist the king in his siege of Troy. Agamemnon had given Achilles a female slave as a reward for his bravery but then took her back. As a result, Achilles now holds a grudge.
Later, Lukka is selected by Odysseus to convey a message of peace to King Priam of Troy and there, he meets Prince Hector, Paris, and of course, Helen. The message is simple: return Helen to Menelaus and the siege will end. However, the Trojans reject the message and continue to successfully defend their kingdom from daily attacks by the barbarians.
Desperate to assist Agamemnon, if only for the release of his family, Lukka brings his military prowess to bear against Troy by constructing a "siege tower" that will allow soldiers to scale the lowest wall surrounding Troy. The tower is mistaken for a "giant horse filled with soldiers" and the war begins, but can Lukka save his wife and sons? What will become of Helen of Troy?
Having read two of Ben Bova's Voyager series novels and about six from his Grand Tour series (all science fiction), The Hittite was a departure for me. The pacing was much faster, the story focused on a few characters, and it was written in first person POV of Lukka. I'm accustomed to Bova's stories written in third person POV and laden with characters.
I found his protagonist, Lukka, to be somewhat flat and Helen herself was portrayed by Bova as a selfish, spoiled, and somewhat callow woman yet still tragic at the same time. I enjoyed Poletes, an old "windbag" storyteller who is saved by Lukka and becomes his servant. He was the most entertaining character in the book.
Overall, I recommend The Hittite if just for an easy read and interesting twist on The Iliad. Bova does not spare details of the living conditions and barbaric practices of the time. Just do not expect an epic adventure tale or a story of any emotional depth.
January 14, 2015
"War stories grow larger with each telling, and this one was already becoming overblown, scarcely an hour after it happened."
The Hittite opens on a soldier of the Hittite (Hatti) Empire, Lukka, returning home from a campaign in Armenia, only to find the once-mighty empire in disarray and his family kidnapped by slavers. Along with a few soldiers who have nowhere left to call home, Lukka treks westward, his sights set on the city of Troy, where he learns his wife and two sons have been taken.
So begins Lukka's adventures involving the legendary Greek siege of Troy, encounters with the beautiful Helen, and even a friendship developed with a blind storyteller (sound familiar?).
After reading some reviews, many "traditionalists" take the author to task for his interpretation of the classic stories. To me, it seems a little pedantic to pick on Bova for giving his own take on a story that has likely changed in detail over centuries and multiple translations (see my quote above).
He turns some of the extraordinary events into just plain ordinary. He shows little love for the Greeks, portraying them as dirty, plunder-seeking barbarians (one could argue Homer was slyly saying the same in the accepted translations). In Bova's vision, Agamemnon is a power hungry king using the "kidnapping" of his brother's wife as cover to weaken Troy and gain access to the grain-rich shores of the Black Sea. He also views the Hittites as a more enlightened culture, something likely exaggerated, but I can't truly debate due to my lack of Hittite scholarship.
Still, it's obvious that the author knows his Greco-Roman classics. While Homer's tale makes up the bulk of Bova's story, the reader will also notice strands of Aeschylus, Virgil, and Statius throughout. Despite this, what I really love about The Hittite is that it can satisfy on two levels: As a standalone story, the writing is fluid and full of action, but for those familiar with the original works, there are plenty of cheeky references and easter eggs.
The ending was a little opaque, probably leaving room for a sequel, though I haven't been able to find any solid information on that.
If you're looking for a brisk read and are familiar with the legends of the Trojan War (or better yet, want a fun way to get familiar), I highly recommend picking up The Hittite.
The Hittite opens on a soldier of the Hittite (Hatti) Empire, Lukka, returning home from a campaign in Armenia, only to find the once-mighty empire in disarray and his family kidnapped by slavers. Along with a few soldiers who have nowhere left to call home, Lukka treks westward, his sights set on the city of Troy, where he learns his wife and two sons have been taken.
So begins Lukka's adventures involving the legendary Greek siege of Troy, encounters with the beautiful Helen, and even a friendship developed with a blind storyteller (sound familiar?).
After reading some reviews, many "traditionalists" take the author to task for his interpretation of the classic stories. To me, it seems a little pedantic to pick on Bova for giving his own take on a story that has likely changed in detail over centuries and multiple translations (see my quote above).
He turns some of the extraordinary events into just plain ordinary. He shows little love for the Greeks, portraying them as dirty, plunder-seeking barbarians (one could argue Homer was slyly saying the same in the accepted translations). In Bova's vision, Agamemnon is a power hungry king using the "kidnapping" of his brother's wife as cover to weaken Troy and gain access to the grain-rich shores of the Black Sea. He also views the Hittites as a more enlightened culture, something likely exaggerated, but I can't truly debate due to my lack of Hittite scholarship.
Still, it's obvious that the author knows his Greco-Roman classics. While Homer's tale makes up the bulk of Bova's story, the reader will also notice strands of Aeschylus, Virgil, and Statius throughout. Despite this, what I really love about The Hittite is that it can satisfy on two levels: As a standalone story, the writing is fluid and full of action, but for those familiar with the original works, there are plenty of cheeky references and easter eggs.
The ending was a little opaque, probably leaving room for a sequel, though I haven't been able to find any solid information on that.
If you're looking for a brisk read and are familiar with the legends of the Trojan War (or better yet, want a fun way to get familiar), I highly recommend picking up The Hittite.
January 28, 2016
While certainly entertaining, Bova's new book is hardly earth-shattering. Despite the fact that it contains many things I like to see in books - varied cultures, historical settings, retellings of well-known events - I was never deeply engaged in the book.
The story starts with Lukka the Hittite leaving the ravaged Hittite capital of Hattusas in search of Lukka's enslaved wife and sons. Their search takes them to beseiged Troy, near the end of the Trojan War.
This is supposedly a 'reimagining' of the Trojan War, but for the most part, the parts that were changed were barely enough to blink an eye at. For example, instead of instant death with an injured heel, Achilles kills himself rather than face a lifetime as a cripple after an arrow severs his tendon. A change, to be sure, but hardly revolutionary. The biggest alteration to the end of the story just seemed like a way to set up a sequel, instead of actually altering the story itself.
The vast majority of the characters are interchangable - they are names with swords, and that's all. I couldn't distinguish any of Lukka's men from the other, and with the exception of perhaps Oddyseos and Agamemmnon/Menelaos, all the rest of the Greeks were pretty much static characters. Even the kings themselves weren't that different from each other. Ajax is a warrior. Menelaos is a bloodthirsty warrior. Agamemmnon is a ruthless warrior. Achillles is a proud warrior. Lukka is a relentless warrior. Hector is an honorable warrior. Paris is a cowardly warrior. Helen is beautiful. Oh, and of course Odysseos is a crafty warrior. Hardly the kind of varied, multi-leveled characterization that drives a book.
Then the climax came, the books trailed for about ten pages with some meandering plot and just ended. I don't mean "was wrapped up", I mean "ended." I almost felt like Bova got sick of writing the story himself, didn't know where he was going with it, and just stopped writing. In the middle of a paragraph. If he's setting up for a sequel, then I can understand, but if not I feel like the publisher left off a few dozen pages of my book.
I'm not sure that I'll be even looking for further works of Bova's. There are better historical fiction writers out there.
The story starts with Lukka the Hittite leaving the ravaged Hittite capital of Hattusas in search of Lukka's enslaved wife and sons. Their search takes them to beseiged Troy, near the end of the Trojan War.
This is supposedly a 'reimagining' of the Trojan War, but for the most part, the parts that were changed were barely enough to blink an eye at. For example, instead of instant death with an injured heel, Achilles kills himself rather than face a lifetime as a cripple after an arrow severs his tendon. A change, to be sure, but hardly revolutionary. The biggest alteration to the end of the story just seemed like a way to set up a sequel, instead of actually altering the story itself.
The vast majority of the characters are interchangable - they are names with swords, and that's all. I couldn't distinguish any of Lukka's men from the other, and with the exception of perhaps Oddyseos and Agamemmnon/Menelaos, all the rest of the Greeks were pretty much static characters. Even the kings themselves weren't that different from each other. Ajax is a warrior. Menelaos is a bloodthirsty warrior. Agamemmnon is a ruthless warrior. Achillles is a proud warrior. Lukka is a relentless warrior. Hector is an honorable warrior. Paris is a cowardly warrior. Helen is beautiful. Oh, and of course Odysseos is a crafty warrior. Hardly the kind of varied, multi-leveled characterization that drives a book.
Then the climax came, the books trailed for about ten pages with some meandering plot and just ended. I don't mean "was wrapped up", I mean "ended." I almost felt like Bova got sick of writing the story himself, didn't know where he was going with it, and just stopped writing. In the middle of a paragraph. If he's setting up for a sequel, then I can understand, but if not I feel like the publisher left off a few dozen pages of my book.
I'm not sure that I'll be even looking for further works of Bova's. There are better historical fiction writers out there.
Read
September 21, 2012 From
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
ReviewExcellent. 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
May 6, 2014
This book retells the story of the Trojan War, with the title character, The Hittite Lukka, being involved by fighting as part of the forces of Odysseus. Lukka has a group of 20 Hittite soldiers under his command that have stayed together after their home kingdom is destroyed. Lukka finds out his wife and sons have been taken as captive slaves by Agamemnon and is determined to find them. He follows their journey to the camps outside the city of Troy, and offers himself and his men to aid Odysseus in the battle, in exchange for having his wife and sons freed. Credulity is strained a bit at this point, when Lukka seems to be involved in all the legendary actions that take place at Troy, acting as a messanger to take an offer of peace settlement to Priam. That is where he meets Helen of Troy/Sparta. It's he and his men that build a siege tower that the Trojans think is a giant horse and he has a confrontation with Hector and Paris in the final battles, which seems to make him the most important person on the field.
Having listened to the audiobook of "The Song of Achilles" a while back, this book felt a little bit flat. Stefan Rudnicki does an admirable job with the narration, but it is not at the same literary level as Madeline Miller's debut novel.
This is the first book in a trilogy, and I'll probably listen or read the next books, as they are enjoyable.
Having listened to the audiobook of "The Song of Achilles" a while back, this book felt a little bit flat. Stefan Rudnicki does an admirable job with the narration, but it is not at the same literary level as Madeline Miller's debut novel.
This is the first book in a trilogy, and I'll probably listen or read the next books, as they are enjoyable.
October 8, 2014
Lukka is a Hittite warrior returning to Hattusas as it falls into anarchy following the death of the last Hittite king. There is nothing left to fight for, so he takes his squad or a personal mission to rescue his two sons. Oh, and his wife if she happens to be alive.
They end up at Troy, where the professionalism of his squad have an impact on the outcome of the siege.
So how do you include a fictional character into a fictitious account of a war? Do whatever you please of course! The drawn-out drama of the Iliad is contracted and ignored and the ending of the siege is different.
The book then sets out on a new adventure but it never arrives at the ending. It ends abruptly and unsatisfactorily.
The characters are poorly drawn and unsympathetic. How exactly are you supposed to engage with these people? Even the protagonist's professed devotion to his sons is not exactly a sympathetic quality, it is something he goes through the motions of. How are we supposed to view the known canonical characters? Is Poletes Homer?
Overall I was disappointed by this shallow scrape of a retelling of the siege of Troy. If you are looking for something with more substance, I would suggest The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley, although that has its own flaws.
They end up at Troy, where the professionalism of his squad have an impact on the outcome of the siege.
So how do you include a fictional character into a fictitious account of a war? Do whatever you please of course! The drawn-out drama of the Iliad is contracted and ignored and the ending of the siege is different.
The book then sets out on a new adventure but it never arrives at the ending. It ends abruptly and unsatisfactorily.
The characters are poorly drawn and unsympathetic. How exactly are you supposed to engage with these people? Even the protagonist's professed devotion to his sons is not exactly a sympathetic quality, it is something he goes through the motions of. How are we supposed to view the known canonical characters? Is Poletes Homer?
Overall I was disappointed by this shallow scrape of a retelling of the siege of Troy. If you are looking for something with more substance, I would suggest The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley, although that has its own flaws.
October 8, 2014
This is historical fiction, a gritty retelling of the siege of Troy without the poetry and glamour of the Iliad. The protagonist is a man of his era, so he is not altogether likable by today's standard. Nor should he be. Maybe that is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much. It does not try to rewrite history based on PC standards. It was a cruel world, men were hard and mistreated women. Women used what they had to deal with that male dominated world where they were treated as chattel. People died grisly deaths. New technologies or even inventive ways to approach a problem was mistrusted or seen as the work of the gods. This is a fast moving story with a lot of grisly detail.
A couple of remarks about the description given in Goodreads. It is both misleading and wrong on several accounts. Lukka never steps a foot in Greece. He travels west across what is modern day Turkey towards Troy, which is east of Greece on the other side of the Aegean Sea. Destroys the walls of Jericho? Not in the book. Fights his way to safety in Egypt? Extremely misleading. There is more but exposing them would be giving away too many spoilers.
A couple of remarks about the description given in Goodreads. It is both misleading and wrong on several accounts. Lukka never steps a foot in Greece. He travels west across what is modern day Turkey towards Troy, which is east of Greece on the other side of the Aegean Sea. Destroys the walls of Jericho? Not in the book. Fights his way to safety in Egypt? Extremely misleading. There is more but exposing them would be giving away too many spoilers.
September 2, 2010
This was certainly an interesting take on the siege of Troy, Helen of Troy, and the famous Trojan horse. This was a fast historial novel with some interesting takes on history and what actually happened. The book is written in 1st person by Lukka, a Hatti soldier, who is the one who builds the Trojan horse. He is scouring the countryside searching for his wife and two small sons after the capital city Hattusa has been ransacked and the city is engulfed in fire and being terrorized by marauding gangs. He ends up finding them outside of Troy with the Achaians who are attacking Troy. Remember Agamemnon, Menalaos, Achilles, Paris, Hector and the beautiful Helen? (or just think of the Iliad) - they are all in the story. A gripping tale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews