Anne Radcliffe on Jun 13, 2013 wrote:

So Troy is breached as we sneak in with the adorably clever Trojan mouse... then I see the interior of the great city. Wow. I just stand there, amazed. I had loved the Mesopotamian-inspired names of Ophidians, very clever, but now I see this Mesopotamian-inspired glory, with its homage to the grand Ishtar Gate and more - what a feast for the eyes!

("Cap'n, you're here to fight, not take in the scenery!" Admiral Ratbeard sharply reminds me. Oh yeah)

I loved the Arabic musical riff that often accompanies criticals of the Ophidian warriors, and the female Ophidian archers collapse with such pluck -- drawing their bow in defiance before they fall.

The interiors are gorgeous, massive, and grand. And the clothes of the Ophidians are each more exotically beautiful than the last. I find myself taking in the lovely garments of the Ophidian Flame Dancers (what a wonderfully evocative name!), and their jeweled head-pieces...

("Captain, stop admiring the enemy's clothing! You're getting distracted and you'll get yourself killed!" Oops. Bonnie Anne knows me too well)

In the end, I felt quite sorry for Ssargon the Great (nice reference!), though the prospect of being sacrificed to their sacred flames was certainly incentive to keep fighting against them! And then to top off this very serious, epic series of battles, Ulysses, bewildering, gives us a parody line from the Iliad: "Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?" I almost fell out of my chair, laughing.

Troy was a superb experience, extremely well done!

Virtuous Anne Radcliffe