The Iliad

(Paperback)

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Gillian Cross's brilliant retelling and Neil Packer's glorious illustrations bring to life Homer's Iliad, one of the greatest stories ever told.

Gillian Cross's brilliant retelling and Neil Packer's glorious illustrations bring to life Homer's Iliad, one of the greatest stories ever told. The team behind The Odyssey (2012) now tell the story of the Trojan War. Cross's vivid adaptation begins with a beauty contest: the prize, a golden apple. In return for securing her victory, the goddess Aphrodite helps Prince Paris abduct Helen, wife to the king of Sparta. Enraged, the king and his Greek allies wage war on the Trojans. Nine years later, the fighting still rages on, but the Greeks are beginning to quarrel among themselves Achilles and Agamemnon's petty argument has dire consequences for everyone caught in the crossfire. Neil Packer's pictures capture the beauty and remoteness of the setting, and bring a profound humanity to one of the finest literary achievements of Greek civilisation.

Author Bio

Gillian Cross is an acclaimed author for young people, who won the Carnegie Medal for Wolf, and the Whitbread Award and the Smarties Prize for The Great Elephant Chase. Her Demon Headmaster books were turned into a successful television series by the BBC. Gillian and her husband Martin live in Shaftesbury, Dorset. They have four children. Find Gillian online at www.gillian-cross.co.uk, or follow her on Twitter under the handle @gilliancross.

Neil Packer is an exceptional talent in children's books. Graduating from Colchester School of Art, he worked on advertising campaigns before illustrating One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Name of the Rose and Labyrinths for the Folio Society. Neil lives in London NW1 with his son Arvo. Find Neil online at www.neilpacker.co.uk.