Lost Army [Paperback]

Valerio Massimo Manfredi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2009

The 4th century BC. A village in Syria. A woman, dressed in rags and covered in blisters and sores, is seen approaching on the road coming from the north. Suspicious of her, the villagers shout and throw rocks at her. She is struck and falls. She seems dead...Her story encompasses one of the great collective acts of heroism of the ancient world. She was the mistress of Xenophon, a general in the vast army of ten thousand Greek mercenaries from virtually every Greek city state that was employed by Cyrus the Younger, in his quest to seize the throne of Persia from his brother, Artaxerxes II. Manfredi, one of the world's experts, has created an rip-roaring adventure seen from the perspective of the women who accompanied the soldiers on their long journey. A new and intense account of the most celebrated march in man's history, by the acclaimed author of the Alexander trilogy

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR VALERIO MASSIMO MANFREDI’S PREVIOUS NOVELS

‘Stand aside Gladiator, the real classics are coming’!

The Independent

‘Has all the elements of a truly epic novel. The pages are jam packed with excitement, danger, love, revenge, mystery and myth’

Historical Novels Review

‘A tremendous historical bestseller, concentrating on a hero of Homeric energy and Machiavellian rationality’.

Western Mail

‘Moving at a blistering pace… a good introduction to the life of a legend’.

The Glasgow Herald

‘Written in an easy-read style, this epic tale is a real page-turner, full of bravery, love, myth and magic’.

Belfast Telegraph

‘It’s a rip-roaring, page-turning yarn, full of Oriental mysticism, Roman values and old-fashioned adventure’.

Yorkshire Evening Post

‘With some genuinely frightening elements and one that keeps you turning the page… Manfredi’s already had the Hollywood treatment and this is absolutely crying out for the same’.

Daily Express

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Valerio Massimo Manfredi is professor of classical archaeology at Luigi Bocconi University in Milan. He has published ten works of fiction, including the 'Alexander' trilogy, which has been translated into twenty-four languages in thirty-eight countries. His novel The Last Legion was released as a major motion picture in 2007. He has written and hosted documentaries on the ancient world and has written screenplays for cinema and television.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan (July 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330452797
• ISBN-13: 978-0330452793
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,367 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Greek Mercenaries Historical Fiction From A Female Point of View, September 12, 2010

By 

GALLI (San Juan, PR) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lost Army (Hardcover)

The writer, Valerio Manfredi, is an expert Italian university professor and archaeologist who writes quite well ancient mediterrean history, be it on Rome, Egypt, Greece and Persia. He has written numerous historical books with fictional characters. On this occassion, The Lost Army, is about an army of Ten Thousand Greek mercenaries who are contracted by Cyrus to pursue and kill his brother Artaxerxes, who is the Great King of Persia and whom he wants to dethrone for his own personal ambitions. The book is writen from a female point-of-view by a Syrian girl who falls in love with a young Greek warrior in this titanic war expedition with this band of Ten Thousand Greek warriors. It's a good read, but not as good as his brilliant book titled "Pharoah" and his now famed trilogy on Alexander The Great.

2.0 out of 5 stars Bad narration makes for a poor story, January 6, 2011

By 

sam_acw "sam_acw" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Lost Army (Kindle Edition)

The march of the ten thousand is told here from the point of view of a camp follower. All the basics are there although the battle scenes are brief and not engaging.
The biggest problem though is the main character as a narrator. As a persian farm girl she would be believable but with her perfect grasp of politics, omniscience and constantly giving the impression that all the others are stupid she becomes an unrealistic and irritating lead.
The original Anabasis is a far more involving and gripping lead!

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Army, June 8, 2010

By 

Emmette D. Cone "Taylujay" (fort worth, /texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lost Army (Paperback)

Cant's say enough about about the author. I am reading every novel that I can find by Valerio Manfredi. Just a 5 Star ++.. Taylujay