Disappointment - Rated 
I am a huge David Gemmell fan and thought the first two Troy books were excellent. Unfortunately with the third you can tell where his wife/ghost writer took over, as all of a sudden characters seem two dimensional and behave out of character. I finished the book, but it left me feeling quite disappointed in the end. I gave it 3 stars purely because I appreciate Stella Gemmell (? can't be bothered checking the name) tried to finish her husband's work, but in reality I think 2 stars is closer to the mark.
FANTASTIC! - Rated 
This is book, and indeed a trilogy ,that deserves many more than the 5 stars Amazon allow me to award. It is written with a pace, humanity and realism that most authors can only aspire to.
Many of the other reviewers of this book have commented on Mr Gemmell's passing and the major contribution to his legacy of his wife Stella. I can only add that the Mrs Gemmell's contribution links seemlessly with that of her husband and together they have written one the best historical trilogies ever. I was hooked from the first chapter of the first book and stayed there to the end. If you like Cornwell, Iggulden or Scarrow read this, it beats all three hands down.
Good, Not Great - Rated 
This was a very good book but suffered from a few problems. The Ahmose story was predictable in the extreme while characters tended to fade in and out throughout the whole trilogy. The book was also very long and suffered from not having a central figure.
Gemmell was a fantastic writer, this book isn't up to the standard of the Drenai saga though
5 stars... just - Rated
Unlike many other reviewers here, I am not a long-standing David Gemmell fan. As new reader, I was totally enthralled by the first two books in this trilogy and waited with great anticipation for this final book. It was certainly very sad to learn that David Gemmell had died. Without reservation, I will say that I am grateful that the publishers, editor and Stella Gemmell did so much to complete David's vision. It is clear that this is the story David Gemmel wanted to write and after reading it, I felt a real mixed sense of satisfaction and loss, for the story, the characters, the author and myself as the reader.
So, why do I call it "5 star... just"? I hate to be so picky, but there are some grammatical faux pas in the prose that are somewhat jarring - mainly to do with sentence construction and the misuse of commas near the beginning of sentences. It is clear that the economical prose employed by David Gemmell are not as well constructed by Stella, or policed by the Editors. These seem more prominent in the early part of the book and either I got accustomed to them, or they weren't present later on. Also, some of the dialogue between Helikaon and Andromache is rather desperate - somewhat Mills and Boon-like (I assume). However, I know that I am really splitting hairs here as this didn't stop me enjoying the story and as I said before, I am grateful to have been able to read the whole of this trilogy. To counterbalance my criticism, that this book was ever completed is a testament to Stella Gemmell and I don't wish to sound churlish or over-critical. Taking the unfortunate aspect of David Gemmell's death out of the consideration, though: this book simply isn't as well written as the first two. It's still a fine conclusion to a wonderful trilogy, though.
The story of Troy has been told a million times, but the Heroes come to life in this re-telling. Helikaon, Odysseus and Banokles are drawn so well and leave a lasting impression - giving Achilles and Hektor more than a run for their money. Moreover, given that this story is so well known, it's great to see how David Gemmell has re-imagined some key parts of it - and woven in some rather unexpected lines, too.
I would recommend this trilogy to anyone.
A worthy conclusion to the trilogy - Rated
David Gemmell sadly passed away after completing about 90,000 words of the third and final volume of his Troy Trilogy. Fall of Kings was completed by his wife, Stella (who was his editor and researcher throughout the trilogy), and published at the end of 2007.
We pick up after the events of Shield of Thunder. The Great Green is beset by war. Agamemnon and his allies (including the reluctant Odysseus) have secured most of the west and are now poised to strike directly at Troy itself. Hektor is leading the effort to dislodge their armies to the south, whilst Banokles - very reluctantly - is commanding forces to the north. Helikaon is ordered to sea, to take Kassandra to the island of Thera, but along the way he meets Odysseus and is drawn into a side-adventure to Ithaka.
Fall of Kings is a worthy conclusion to the trilogy. It's very difficult to tell where David Gemmell left off this work and his wife took over, and it's probably for the best to ignore that diversion and just enjoy the story. This book is, predictably, the story of the siege and fall of Troy, and frankly it may now have to be classified as the definitive modern retelling of the myth. The duel between Hektor and Achilles is here, but with a very interesting spin placed on it, whilst the fate of Helen is beautifully depicted. But it's the end of the book, particularly the last stand of the survivors within the palace of Troy, which will probably live longest in the memory.
Fall of Kings (****) is definitely not quite as polished as the prior two books in the series, but finding out the fates of the characters we have grown to know and love over the course of the trilogy more than makes up for any (minor) weaknesses in the prose. This is a fitting end to a monumental story of war, love and honour, and a grand retelling of one of the greatest myths of all time. Thoroughly reccomended.
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