REVIEW: Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy

A stunning, inventive retelling of a story we all thought we knew

Why did Hector, the most honorable and skilled warrior in Troy, turn and run from Achilles when they finally met in single combat?

Why did Priam, the aging king of Troy, risk his life to visit Achilles, the man who killed and humiliated his own son?

We HAVE answers to these questions, of course. We have had them for thousands of years. But are the answers we have persuasive? Or could other, hidden forces have played a role in the moments that came to define the myth of the Trojan War? The answer to the latter question, at least in A.D. Rhine’s telling, is absolutely (but don’t worry, there aren’t any spoilers here).

I just finished reading an advance copy of Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy by A.D. Rhine a few minutes ago and, I must admit, I’m a bit speechless. Ashlee Cowles and Danielle Stinson, the authors behind the pseudonym A.D. Rhine, were on the Ancient Heroes podcast back in July and they told me what to expect: a retelling of the Trojan War myth on an epic scale. That was no exaggeration.

I started with the audiobook of Horses of Fire (published in 2023), the first in their Trojan War duology. It is exceptionally done and I recommend it to those who prefer to start a work from the beginning (although it’s not necessary).

Before getting into the substance of Daughters of Bronze, it’s worth noting the unique approach. The novel is told from the first-person perspectives of a few Trojan women: Andromache, Helen, Cassandra, and Rhea (she is mostly an invention of the authors). Daughters of Bronze is also not a straightforward retelling of the Iliad, but rather relies on a broader set of ancient sources and research to try to paint a more nuanced and historically accurate portrait of Troy and the time period. As one example, the infamous Sea Peoples - the mysterious invaders who historians believe played a role in the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations around the 12th century BC, but are absent from Homer’s epic poems - are involved.

The lead characters are also not exactly as you may remember them. Andromache, Hector’s wife, has some of the warrior qualities of the other Andromache in Greek myth, a queen of the Amazons. While creative liberties like this are taken partly for the sake of good storytelling, any noticeable deviations are carefully considered and grounded in a respect for both the mythological tradition and the historical record (in other words, this isn’t revisionism to serve a modern political agenda). The authors give a detailed account of how they made these choices in the back of the book, always coming back to their initial, driving question: if the Trojan War really happened, what might it have looked like?

Comforted by the authors’ deep respect for the source material, readers are free to get lost in this utterly immersive and convincing account of events we thought we knew well. This is where the novel shines. Each of its lead characters pulls you fully into their world, rendering the siege and eventual fall of Troy at a newfound depth. And even though its leads are the aforementioned women, Daughters of Bronze brings you closer to many of the war’s male heroes, including Hector and Ajax the Great, than any account I’m aware of.

To Ashlee and Danielle’s credit, their telling doesn’t just feel like another interesting interpretation or a brief glimpse into one universe among many - it feels authoritative, more like a source for others to draw from than a modern retelling. Of course, as long as we still look to this ancient mythological tradition as inspiration, there will be new versions of the famous men and women of the Trojan War. Authoritativeness is always out of reach. But Daughters of Bronze has a way of making you forget all of that, at least while you’re reading it.

When I return to the Iliad or the countless other works inspired by it, it will be hard not to have these precise characters in the back of my mind. This Andromache, this Hector, this Helen, etc. What more can a lover of ancient mythology possibly ask for?

There is no way around it: Daughters of Bronze is a tremendous achievement. Five stars, emphatically. ★★★★★