Customer Reviews

Killer of Men

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Beneath the spiffy cover of the first book Christian Cameron's new historical fiction series lies the tale of Arimnestos, a boy growing up in the crucible of war in archaic Greece. Unlike many forays into the genre of historical fiction Mr. Cameron manages to strike the difficult balance between historical versimilitude, compelling fiction, and relevance to a modern audience. Having hit that mark, this is not your average sword and sandals epic. Rather we have an insight into the soul of a man who is coming to terms with the deeds of his life, good and bad, happy and sad, humourous and dramatic.

I cannot highly recommend this book enough. In a genre that has suffered from a host of mediocre writers, Killer of Men stands above the crowd as an example of how historical fiction could be.

Killer of Men and Marathon Review

Characters: Killer of Men and Marathon are both first person accounts of the life of Arimnestos, the son of a Greek blacksmith who grows up to be a fearsome warrior-- a killer of men. The book takes the form of a story being recited to Arimnestos' daughter by him. As such, we know that 1) he survives and 2) he becomes a great man. What we are left to discover are the trials and tribulations of his strife-torn life. I'll leave it to say Arimnestos does not have an easy life.

There are many other characters in the books, many with similar sounding names. It is sometimes a challenge to keep the many other characters straight, but the book wouldn't be the same without the large cast. The novels are too epic in scope to have a small cast.

World building: Cameron completely captures the feel of the ancient world. The novel is filled with rich descriptions of geography, economics, technology, religion, arts, and government. This is not done in the form of info-dumping. The culture comes through the story in a very natural manner. Cameron has a scholar's mastery of the ancient Greek world.

Engagement (Willing suspension of disbelief): Killer of Men and Marathon both utterly absorbed me. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put the books down. There were no jarring or unrealistic elements that pulled me out of the story and into the real world. When you read one of Cameron's books, you are IN his world.

Writing/Mechanics/Editing: I found both novels to be error free. This seems to be increasingly rare, even with professionally edited novels. Cameron perfectly balances a fast-paced, engrossing read, while also getting across important philosophical and political concepts. Cameron also writes action scenes as well as any author I have ever read.

Cameron does use a lot of Greek vocabulary in his writing as opposed to using modern alternatives, however the meaning of the Greek terms is easy to pick up in context. To me it enriched the novels.

Impact: Cameron's novels stay with me long after I have finished reading them. One of my favorite elements of his novels (including his Tyrant series) is how well he captures the spirit of the soldier and the profound importance of the "brotherhood of arms". Arimnestos might be a killer of men, but he is still a human being who feels loss and knows the impact of his actions. The killing in Cameron's novels is not there for mindless entertainment, it always serves a deeper purpose.

I highly recommend these books and eagerly look forward to the next one in the series.

I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last. The story is detailed right from the lips of an elderly Arimnestos to his beloved daughter. No happy tale this. Rather it is the revelation to his daughter that he is a killer of men; a warrior that comes alive in the midst of blood, death and carnage. The story begins with a young Arimnestos given the rare gift (especially for the son of a simple bronze-smith) of a classical education which included reading and mathematics and equally important in those times, physical education in the arts of warfare. At a young age Arimnestos is thrust into a Phalanx and brutal battle with the Persians. After seeing his father and brother killed he's sold into slavery and it is then that the true story of young Armnestos' life as a killer of men truly begins.

Cameron does a remarkable job of making the reader feel as if he's walking the ancient world of Greece during the bronze and iron age, while at the same time seeing the same motivations that drive us today. This book ends with the promise of more to be said from Arimnestos and I for one am looking forward to hearing from him again.

A great piece of history that entertains and enlightens. Loved it!

I loved this book. I buy 12-15 historical fiction novels a year from Amazon US and UK. I put down at least half of them after 100 pages or so due to poor plotting, goofy characters, eye rolling dialogue, or weak writing. This genre is so difficult to execute well. However, Christian Cameron is a great author who has done an incredible level of research with a warrior's enthusiasm. The plotting and pacing are excellent. The characterization is good although not the best for secondary characters. The period detail, eye for realism, and battle scenes are outstanding. All of the similar-sounding Greek and Persian character names and use of the Greek terms can be a challenge but I quickly became absorbed in the details. Bravo Mr. Cameron! I have now bought your previous series and look forward to Marathan.

A "Killer of Men" may well be Christian Cameron's best book yet........it delves into a topic that fascinates the military; namely why are some men so more "efficient" on the battlefield than others, i.e. the majority.

Written in the first person, the account of Arimnestos's experience as re-told to his daughter in his old age are riveting. The technical details of phalanx and naval combat of the time are excellent ( in fact there is none better ).

If you are a lover of classical history you MUST read this book.......it is that good.

Even for those who are not that interested in the period it is still fascinating.......a friend of mine with experience in the "bush" war in Angola/Namibia was entrhalled by it and it's insights into "the storm of bronze".

Really drew me in- waiting eagerly for the rest of the books and ordered his other books. Also interested in this period fiction more now. Check it for sure.

I dunno about the claim that this is Cameron's best book to date (I still have much more than a passing fondness for Washington and Caesar, but it is definitely an amazingly enjoyable piece of historical fiction. The protagonist's narrative voice is engrossing and the story itself is so replete with realistic detail that one just gallops through the book somewhat uncontrollably.

Despite the fact that the protagonist announces that there is a sequel (and I'm really looking forward to the sequel), the ending is clean and satisfying. I cried when I finished the last page...

This novel, the first in a series, has a well-crafted storyline. Christian Cameron has an ability to write with such flair that his book `Killer of Men' pleasingly brings historical characters and events from Ancient Greece to life for the modern day reader. Concurrently, this novel is riveting from start to finish.

"Killer of Men' is focused on the main character Arimnestos, an actual historical figure from ancient Greece, his rise from a farm worker, to smithy and then a soldier who is sold into slavery by a very jealous and vengeful cousin, to numerous experiences that lead him to become famous as a `killer of men' at a time when Greeks were willing to defy the mighty Persian Empire through revolt and ultimately battle.

Christian Cameron is a top class author. At the end of each of his novels I'm left to crave for more.

I LOVE historical fiction. I read it every chance I get, so I buy a ton of books. This book is, hands down, the best I have read for quite some time. I loved the story. I loved the prose, and I loved the places it took me in my head. I had FUN reading this book. Can't wait to get Marathon!