by Virgil
First published 2008
Troy burns around Aeneas as he gathers survivors and sets sail for an unknown destiny. The gods have decreed he will found a new empire, but Juno blocks his path at every turn. Storms wreck his ships and cast him onto foreign shores. In Carthage, Queen Dido offers sanctuary and love, yet duty compels him to abandon her for his mission. He descends into the underworld to glimpse his people's future, then reaches Italy where native tribes resist his arrival. War erupts as Aeneas fights to claim the land promised by fate. Each victory costs him something precious. He must choose between personal happiness and a destiny larger than himself. Robert Fagles translates Virgil's epic with the same power he brought to Homer's works. This tale of sacrifice and determination reveals how Rome began in one man's struggle between love and obligation.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy, ancient, epic, classical-studies
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, destiny, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Carthage, Italy, Troy
Period: Ancient
484 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics