My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Greek mythology with its enchanting names has always held a fascination for me and was thereby really happy to be offered a chance to read The Way Home by Julian Barr. Many Thanks to Odyssey books for the copy of this book.

The Way Home captures the story of Aeneas a demigod who rises to be the hero of the Trojans as the Greeks pillage their city. Battling against all odds and fighting gods and goddesses who have their own agenda, young Aeneas at 19 faces the challenge to save the people left behind after the carnage of Troy. His wife Kreusa is dead but Aeneas will face hell to save his young son Julos. Along with his father Ankhises, Aeneas commandeers Greek ships to sail across the seas and find a land wherein they can rebuild a new Troy. The journey is arduous and the enemies and the goddess Hera is hell-bent on destroying every last Trojan from the earth.

Julian Barr has written an incredible story based on Virgil’s epic poetry but where the author actually succeeds wonderfully is in presenting this fantasy tale in easy to grasp terms for any reader. The language flows effortlessly without exhaustive details that may become boring after a while, the trials and tribulations faced by Aeneas, his reluctance to be the King of his people, the anxiety he feels in making the right decisions, and the way he leads his people by righteous choices, everything was described brilliantly. The gods and goddesses who use Aeneas for their own power struggle and how Aeneas rises above every prophecy made about him, defying the Gods was conveyed beautifully making The Way Home by Julian Barr a very fascinating read.

The chapter that has a confrontation between Aeneas and Aphrodite was excellent and I loved each and every supporting character like Beroe, Sergestos, Gyas the mercenary, Mnestheos (Remember what I said about the lovely names 😉)who provided that extra impetus for Aeneas to move on and become the True ruler for his people.

Looking forward to the next book in the series.



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The war of the gods has left Aeneas’s country in flames. Though he is little more than a youth, Aeneas must gather the survivors and lead them to a new homeland across the roaring waves. Confronted by twisted prophecies, Aeneas faces the wrath of the immortals to find his own path.

First in a trilogy based on Virgil’s epic poetry, Ashes of Olympus: The Way Home is a tale of love and vengeance in an age of bronze swords and ox-hide shields.