This was a gorgeously paced re-telling of Achilles story, from a viewpoint I haven't experienced before. The author really delves into the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus - where is all began, how it evolved, the opposition from many (in particular Thetis, Achilles' immortal mother), and it's ending. It was a beautiful exploration of opposites attracting, of their individual strengths holding up the other in their times of need or when in danger of falling short. All the same drama, adventure, and glory that one expects from Achilles' tale are parts of this telling. There is nothing missing from the traditional. But there is so much more. There is such a deep look at the man Achilles' was, an insight into him as a person, his pride, his faults, his quest for happiness AND renown; his perfection of movement and skill in battle are there, and honored, but he becomes so much more. The facets of who he was beneath that warrior front and how, in the end, his greatest tales and the songs sung of him are born from his own moment of greatest pain and sorrow, the loss of the only and greatest love in his life. It made reading this story, the ending of which everyone knows already, so much harder to bear than expected. As someone else said - going in knowing the ending already, you will be surprised how much you'll hope for something to be different and how much you care when it turns out just the way it always does. Your heart breaks for the reality of these characters. Just a really intriguing and personal take (not least because it's told in the words of that greatest love, with words of pure adoration, even through disappointments) on a tale that never fails to entertain. There is so much heart in this novel.