Glyn Iliffe - The Oracles of Troy (The Adventures of Odysseus)

PRAISE FOR GLYN ILIFFE

The world of this novel appears as many scholars see that of Homer: a rich melange of different eras It has suspense, treachery and bone-crunching action It will leave fans of the genre eagerly awaiting the rest of the series

Harry Sidebottom,

author of the best selling Warrior of Rome series

Iliffe is a talented storyteller

Times Literary Supplement

A ripping swords-and-sandals treatment of TheIliad

The Telegraph

A thrilling adventure full of bloody battles, vibrant characters and the heart-stopping romance that makes ancient Greece so universally appealing. Dazzling drama on a grand scale

Lancashire Evening Post

A must read for those who enjoy good old epic battles, chilling death scenes and the extravagance of ancient Greece

Lifestyle Magazine

The reader does not need to be a classicist by any means to enjoy this epic and stirring tale. It makes a great novel and would be an even better film

Historical Novels Review

Another gripping and thrilling tale from the new demi-god of the genre, one which fans will relish getting stuck into

The Catholic Herald

THEORACLESOFTROY

Glyn Iliffe studied English and Classics at Reading University, where he developed a passion for the stories of ancient Greek mythology. Well travelled, Glyn has visited nearly forty countries, trekked in the Himalayas, spent six weeks hitchhiking across North America and had his collarbone broken by a bull in Pamplona.

He is married with two daughters and lives in Leicestershire. King of Ithaca was his first novel, followed by The Gates of Troy and The Armour of Achilles. He is currently working on the fifth book in the series, The Voyage of Odysseus.

1st Kindle Edition

Copyright Glyn Iliffe 2013

The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

This book is a work of fiction. It has been written for entertainment purposes only. All references to characters and countries should be seen in this light.

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Also by Glyn Iliffe

King of Ithaca

The Gates of Troy

The Armour of Achilles

Visit www.glyniliffe.com to read more about

The Adventures of Odysseus.

GLYN ILIFFE

THE ORACLES

OF TROY

FOR TABITHA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As ever, I am grateful to my wife, Jane, for her patience and encouragement.

My thanks also go to Richard Sheehan, Steven A McKay, Maureen Corderoy, Deven Kanal, Jane Davies, Kevin Marlow and Bruce Villas for their proof reading skills and improvements to the original text.

CONTENTS

Glossary

Book One

1. Lemnos

2. Philoctetes

3. Heracles

4. Reconciliation and Healing

5. The Eye of Apollo

6. Nisus of Dulichium

7. Helenus

8. The Return of the Outcast

9. Death in the Morning

Book Two

10. A Way Out

11. A Widows Fate

12. In Apheidass House

13. The Oracles of Troy

14. The Legend of Pelops

15. The Golden Vine

16. Pelops Tomb

17. The Maze

18. The Guardian of the Tomb

19. Eurypylus Arrives

20. Neoptolemus

21. The Greeks at Bay

22. The Shadow of Achilles

23. Neoptolemus and Eurypylus

Book Three

24. The Kerosia

25. Prisoner of Apheidas

26. An Unwelcome Visitor

27. An Ultimatum

28. Odysseus Unmasked

29. Temptations of the Flesh

30. Unexpected Help

31. The Palladium

32. The Insanity of Kings

33. Hope out of Defeat

Book Four

34. The Wooden Horse

35. Cassandras Woe

36. Voices From Home

37. The Gate Falls

38. Inside the Palace

39. Helen and Menelaus

40. Love and Vengeance

41. At the Temple of Zeus

42. The Snake Pit

43. The Rape of Cassandra

44. Ambitions End

45. At the Ships

46. The Last King of Troy

47. The Dead Child

Author's Note

GLOSSARY

A

Achilles

Myrmidon prince, killed by Paris

Aeneas

Dardanian prince, the son of Anchises

Agamemnon

king of Mycenae, leader of the Greeks

Ajax (greater)

king of Salamis, killed himself after being sent mad by the gods

Ajax (lesser)

king of Locris

Alybas

home city of Eperitus, in northern Greece

Anchises

king of the Dardanians, allies of Troy

Andromache

wife of Hector

Antenor

Trojan elder

Anticleia

Odysseuss mother

Antinous

Ithacan noble, son of Eupeithes

Antiphus

Ithacan guardsman

Apheidas

Trojan commander, father of Eperitus

Aphrodite

goddess of love

Apollo

archer god, associated with music, song and healing

Arceisius

Ithacan soldier, murdered by Apheidas

Ares

god of war

Artemis

moon-goddess associated with childbirth, noted for her virginity and vengefulness

Astyanax

infant son of Hector and Andromache

Astynome

daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo

Astyoche

daughter of Priam and mother of Eurypylus

Athena

goddess of wisdom and warfare

Aulis

sheltered bay in the Euboean Straits

C

Calchas

priest of Apollo, adviser to Agamemnon

Cassandra

Trojan princess, daughter of Priam

Clymene

servant to Apheidas and mother of Palamedes

Clytaemnestra

queen of Mycenae and wife of Agamemnon

D

Dardanus

city to the north of Troy

Deidameia

mother of Neoptolemus and widow of Achilles

Deiphobus

Trojan prince, younger brother of Hector and Paris

Demeter

goddess of agriculture

Diocles

Spartan soldier

Diomedes

king of Argos

E

Elpenor

Ithacan soldier

Epaltes

Argive soldier

Epeius

Greek craftsman and notorious coward

Eperitus

captain of Odysseuss guard

Eumaeus

swineherd and faithful slave to Laertes

Eupeithes

member of the Kerosia

Euryalus

companion of Diomedes

Eurybates

Odysseuss squire

Eurylochus

Ithacan soldier, cousin of Odysseus

Eurypylus

Mysian king, grandson of Priam

H

Hades

god of the Underworld

Halitherses

former captain of Ithacan royal guard, given joint charge of Ithaca in Odysseuss absence

Hecabe

Trojan queen, wife of King Priam

Hector

Trojan prince, killed by Achilles

Helen

former queen of Sparta, now wife of Paris

Helenus

son of Priam and Hecabe

Hephaistos

god of fire; blacksmith to the Olympians

Heracles

greatest of all Greek heroes

Hestia

the goddess of the hearth

Hippodameia

wife of Pelops

I

Idaeus

herald to King Priam

Idomeneus

king of Crete

Ilium

the region of which Troy was the capital

Ilus

founder of Troy, grandfather of Priam

Iphigenia

daughter of Eperitus and Clytaemnestra, sacrificed by Agamemnon