I just finished this and, well, am torn. On the one hand, Miller has some really cool ideas on how to re-imagine the Trojan War from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles' brother-in-arms... Or something. And it's the or something part where I get iffy; Miller has done her research and there are many good details about Ancient Greece but... A lot of anachronism too. And it feels wedged in.
Still, if nothing else she does Odysseus justice; here's a passage towards the end of the book whre Odysseus is talking to Achilles' son, Pyrrhus, who is arguing that Patroclus should not be given an honorable burial:
"Patroclus was no commoner. He was born a prince and exiled. He served bravely in our army, and many men admired him. He killed Sarpedon, second only to Hector."
"In my father's armor. With my father's fame. He has none of his own."
Odysseus inclined his head. "True. But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired in one generation is abhorred in another." He spread his broad hands. "We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory. Who knows?" He smiles. "Perhaps one day even I will be famous. Perhaps more famous than you."
"I doubt it."
Odysseus shrugs. We cannot say. We are men only, a breif flare of the torch. Those who come may raise us or lower us as they please..." (Miller, Song of Achilles, 363-364)
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