Customer Reviews

Pharnabazus Sits on the Ground With the Spartan Captains

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I bought this book because I'm a Classicist who loves to read fiction taking place in Classical Greece, and because the title indicated to me that the author does not fit the category of 'mass-production machine,' which publishers seem more and more eager to publish - and readers increasingly willing to accept.

Nevertheless, I was somewhat tentative in my hope for a good ancient read, as reviews seem hard to come by. I was pleasantly surprised - very pleasantly.

Mr. Carnahan manages to create the brilliant, disturbing and demanding world of the Hellenes extremely well, without swamping the reader with endless superfluous details. Indeed, the writing is sparse and lean, but potent nevertheless.

Atop this ancient atmosphere lies a series of fascinating characters. Central is Alkibiades, chiefly seen through the eyes of people whose lives collide with his - directly by his murderer, the Spartan Hermion, and by his friend and enemy Pharnabazus (leader of the Western Satrapies of Persia), and indirectly by characters within the tales told by these two - for example, Hermion's wise and fiery wife.

All these characters play out their fate amidst the swirling alliances and wars of the ancient Greeks, though the politics of the times take a backseat to the characters of the novel.

The research is good, especially on Sparta, where much takes place, as Hermion is the main narrator.
There are some historical errors here and there, but very few compared to most historical novels, (e.g. the position of Thebes in relation to Sparta - in fact allies since before the Peloponnesian War - and the 'cavalry revolution' in Athens - the Athenians had the same number of cavalry (1,200) before the Peloponnesian War as after). But most importantly, the atmosphere is there. This is a book I know I will read again.

Well this book was to the point, i liked the characters and surprisingly this book got me a little more interested in Alcibaides. This book is from 3 points of view: Hermion a spartan captain, Pharnabazus a Persian
Satrap and Alcibaides an Athenian general who's murder is being discussed. This book was well rounded, it gave u a look into each of their societies, not too much on Persia and maybe not enough on Sparta but enough to give u good idea. The character's were very human even Alcibaides was a little more human. great book, great read! my only regret is that it wasnt a longer book!