Written with the authority of a scholar and the vigor of a bestselling narrative historian, is a superb and utterly timely presentation of one of the timeless stories of Western civilization. As she did in and , bestselling author Caroline Alexander has taken apart a narrative we think we know and put it back together in a way that lets us see its true power. In the process, she reveals the intended theme of Homer's masterwork-the tragic lessons of war and its enduring devastation.