Short and decent book. Strauss isn't exactly writing "a new history" but he surely is making the story of the Iliad more approachable. He does make some historical clarifications to help the reader determine exactly how much history is behind Homer's work and the story of the Trojan War itself. Then chapter by chapter, Strauss takes the reader through the story and describes the characters as they would have been, gives a more honest picture of how the battles would have occurred, how realistic some of the social and religious practices were, and compares the major characters and events with comparable bronze age civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians, the Hittites, etc.

Overall a pretty good read. I think this is an excellent book to read after reading Homer. Enjoy the epic and then venture into this reading to get an idea of what probably happened, if the Trojan War did actually occur.