In Kithairon's Shadow: A Novel of Ancient Greece and the Persian War [Paperback]

Jon Edward Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2003

In 480 B.C., Xerxes I, king of the Persian Empire, led a vast and uncountable army intent on the domination of Europe. Only a tiny collection of Greek city-states stood in his path. At Thermopylae the Persians annihilated a small holding force commanded by King Leonidas of Sparta, then quickly marched on to Athens, reducing the city to ruins. Outnumbered and beset by treachery, Sparta, Athens and their allies gathered near the town of Plataea for one final battle. The future of Western civilization hung on the outcome. In Kithairon’s Shadow is the story of five men from ancient Greece and the parts they would play in determining their future, and ours.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jon Edward Martin, a native of Massachusetts, works as a business consultant. His life-long study of ancient Greece and his travels throughout modern Greece have inspired him to write In Kithairon’s Shadow, his first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (December 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595299067
• ISBN-13: 978-0595299065
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History Disguised as a Novel, January 28, 2006

By 

Kenneth Sohl "[e-mail]" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Kithairon's Shadow: A Novel of Ancient Greece and the Persian War (Paperback)

Fast-paced, peopled with well-fleshed out characters (some fictional, some historical) and historically accurate, this novel is a godsend for those who wish a familiarity with the subject matter, but hate to read history. Here is a blow-by-blow depiction of all the major events of the second Greco-Persian war in the order that they unfolded as observed by the various participants, yet the novel never seems stilted or contrived, but flows naturally.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In Kithairon's Shadow - A fresh look at the battle of Platea, December 20, 2005

By 

www.spartan-world.de (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Kithairon's Shadow: A Novel of Ancient Greece and the Persian War (Paperback)

Jon.E.Martin's first book "In Kithairon's Shadow" brings a refreshingly original but also historically accurate view of the events leading up-to and finally the battle of Platea in 479 B.C.

The book supplies the reader with a well balanced overview of the Spartan, Athenian and Persian views of the events at Platea.

New-comers to Ancient Greek history will experience an entertaining read and will be able to see the subject "brought to life". They will without a doubt have an abundance of material to "feed on".

Established students and fans of this period will easily recognise the references to the ancient sources but will be pleasantly surprised in not seeing the source being constantly quoted.

The battle itself is quite simply a pleasure to read.. fast moving, full of energy and detail.
Mr.Martin has written what has to be seen as one of the best fictional books on the battle of Platea.

A thoroughly entertaing read which I can easily recommend to anyone interested in Ancient Greek history.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Battle of Platea comes alive in a readble and enjoyable way., June 17, 2007

By 

M. D. Thomas "ReadingSailor" (New London, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Kithairon's Shadow: A Novel of Ancient Greece and the Persian War (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this read. This book packed in tremendous amounts of history, yet remained fun to read. As one reviewer says it took a bit to get started, but the build up was necessary to fully engage the characters. Some one unfamiliar with the battle of Platea would need those initial chapters. The characters are alive and fresh whether made up or historical. I would highly recommend this book and looking forward to reading Jon Martin's second novel (which I have ordered). This is a must read for fans of historical fiction, especially those that enjoy ancient Greece. Some may ask, why didn't you give it 5 stars if you liked it so much? Well I found several editing errors in the book, which once you re-read the paragraph you could figure out what was going on, but the fact that I had to stop and ask, "What just happened? Did the Character talking switch?" makes me unhappy. I expect the editors to do their job.