With Hades’ Daughter, Douglass kicks off her 4-book series “The Troy Game,” in which descendants of the ancient Trojans journey to a new, foreign land where, with the assistance of The Game, they begin to build Troia Nova. Along the way, they capture Cornelia, a Greek princess who is brutally forced into marriage with the Trojans’ leader Brutus. Brutus ultimately plans to abandon Cornelia for Genvissa, the woman whose mystical powers will ensure that he and she will reign as king and queen.

Unfortunately, none of the main characters are particularly likeable, so I didn’t find I had much emotional investment in their well-being. Also, “The Game,” referred to many, many times, remains even at the end of the book a somewhat confusing and nebulous concept. I do like Sara Douglass, so I’ll still finish the series.

Interesting. For some reason, something about Sara Douglass’ writing irritates me, but I don’t know what it is exactly. That being said, I really enjoyed this book—it was compelling, and even if it was a little slow at times, I always wanted to know what was going to happen next.

This book has probably the best fantasy premise I have yet to encounter. It weaves myth and history so well that they are essentially the same in this novel. The next book takes place about 2500 years later, but it is set up in a way that makes perfect sense. I can’t wait to read the next one. I thought the notion of the “Troy Game” was a little bit lame at first, but later realized it was something like a stroke of brilliance. I know this review may come off as a little critical, but like I said, there’s just something about her writing that I’m not thrilled with. This book is very good, though, and something that anyone interested in myth should check out.

Stunning! Excellent fantasy fiction…can’t put down…