2018 Costa Fiction Prize Shortlist “Tight, masterfully crafted, gripping in every detail. One of the greatest stories yet written, a book that will be read for generations.” - Daily Telegraph When the Greek queen Helena is kidnapped by the Trojans, the Greeks sail for her, laying siege to the city of Troy. Briseis, another captive queen held captive in the Greek camp, condemned to slavery in the bed of Achilles, the man who shed her family’s blood, becomes a pawn in a menacing game between warriors weary and frustrated by them. In the centuries that followed, this most famous of wars would be written off by history, a footnote in a bloody story written by men blinded by hatred—but Briseis has a very different tale to tell.