Black Ships Before Troy vs The Iliad: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Troy, War, Children's fiction
Black Ships Before Troy
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Retells the story of the Trojan War, from the quarrel for the golden apple, and the flight of Helen with Paris, to the destruction of Troy.
The Iliad
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A strikingly illustrated retelling of Homer’s classic from the team who brought us The Odyssey—Carnegie Medalist Gillian Cross and illustrator Neil Packer. After nine years of war between the Greeks and Trojans,…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Iliad has the widest readership — 532979 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Black Ships Before Troy | The Iliad | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (4671) | 3.9 (532979) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (11) | 5.0 (1) |
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Reception
| Black Ships Before Troy | The Iliad | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 4671 | 532979 |
| Editions | 15 | 7 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 3390 | — |
| Reading it now | 181 | — |
| Written reviews | 489 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 1073 | 1116819 |
| Pages | 128 | 188 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Black Ships Before Troy or The Iliad?
The Iliad has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Iliad 3.9/5, Black Ships Before Troy 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Black Ships Before Troy or The Iliad?
Black Ships Before Troy is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Black Ships Before Troy (128 pages, ≈ 2 h 22 m); The Iliad (188 pages, ≈ 3 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: Black Ships Before Troy or The Iliad?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Black Ships Before Troy: Light; The Iliad: Light.