Memnon (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Oden (Men of Bronze) follows his critically acclaimed debut with an eloquent and captivating historical thriller that chronicles the life of Memnon of Rhodes, a Greek mercenary in the service of Persia. A contemporary of Aristotle and Alexander the Great, Memnon flees his home on the Greek island of Rhodes after his father is beheaded during an uprising. Hoping to fulfill his dream of becoming "a living Achilles," he signs on as a lieutenant to a Persian provincial governor and discovers his talent as a leader and tactician—more an Odysseus than an Achilles. (He even has his own Penelope, a Persian princess named Barsine, who fulfills her role in the requisite tragic love subplot.) When Alexander invades Asia Minor, the Persian King Darius III retains Memnon, the foreign mercenary "with the powers of a Persian general... to repel the Macedonians." It's a spectacular battle that has dire consequences for Memnon. Historians have paid scant attention to Memnon of Rhodes, but Oden, who admits to "have taken spectacular liberties" with the incomplete historical record, brings the man and his times to life with a combination of vivid conjecture, deft plotting and graceful prose. (Aug.)
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Product Description

Memnon of Rhodes (375-333 BCE) walked in the footsteps of giants. As a soldier, sailor, statesman, and general, he was, in the words of Diodorus of Sicily, “outstanding in courage and strategic grasp.” A contemporary of Demosthenes and Aristotle, Memnon rose from humble origins to command the whole of western Asia in a time of strife and slaughter. To his own people, he was a traitor, to his rivals, a mercenary. But, to the King of Kings, his majesty Darius III of Persia, Memnon was the one man capable of defending Asia Minor from the rising power of the barbaric Macedonians. In a war pitting Greek against Greek, Memnon proved his quality beyond measure. His enemies fought for glory and gold; Memnon fought for something more, for loyalty, for honor, and for duty. He fought for the love of Barsine, a woman of remarkable beauty and grace. Most of all, he fought for the promise of peace. Through the deathbed recollections of a mysterious woman, the life of Memnon unfolds with brilliant clarity. It is a record of his triumphs and tragedies, his loves and losses, and of the determination that drove him to stand against the most renowned figure of the ancient world—the ambitious young conqueror called Alexander the Great.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 503 pages
• Publisher: Medallion Press (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932815392
• ISBN-13: 978-1932815399
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #486,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Memnon Wasn't African - That's a Different Story., October 19, 2006

By	Die Morgenröte (NYC) - See all my reviews

The "Memnon" the Reviewer named "Dazjae" is referring to in his review (see below) is not the same one found in this book. (The Review in question has since been deleted, either by the reviewer or by Amazon. I am leaving the first portion of this Review up for now though in case any others might make the same mistake.)

This book is about the historical Memnon of Rhodes (a Greek) who fought against Alexander the Great.

The Memnon that the reviewer "Dazjae" has confused this book's protagonist with is a mythical hero in a Fantasy/Sword & Sorcery series set in ancient Africa that is entitled "Shades of Memnon" - Book One being written by Gregory Walker (a series that has gotten excellent reviews). The only association here is the name being used.

Dazjae obviously didn't read Oden's "Memnon", or for that matter even the description of it presented here. Had he done so he would have avoided this mistake, avoided giving this book an unfairly bad rating and most importantly, avoided accusing this author of historical inaccuracy/dishonesty (to say the least of implying intentional "ethnic manipulation").

I'm posting primarily to offset the rating impact caused by Dazjae's mistake and to correct his error lest it unfairly hurt this book's sales (accusing an author of changing a character's ethnicity from African to White isnt exactly going to leave a good impression on potential buyers who may be unfamiliar with the subject and believe the comment).

About the book itself -

I have read both "Memnon" and Oden's earlier work "Men of Bronze." I liked the latter a little more than this one, but that doesnt mean Memnon wasnt good - it was. Its style was just as fast paced and engaging as Men of Bronze, and again showed Oden's ability to move the story with and within the history, rather than let it get bogged down by it (too many writers of historical fiction have a tendency to not know how to blend historical details into their stories without resorting to the "speed-bump" effect - sudden stops for clumsy info-narratives). The fact that Memnon provided a different angle to an era usually written from the Alexandrian perspective made it especially worth reading, since the viewpoint on this often written about ancient era was the reverse of what is normally seen. Seeing Alexander as the enemy rather than the hero put quite a different spin on things. Those interested in Alexander and this time should like this book even just for that reason alone.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Crafted Historical Fiction, November 11, 2006

By	John G. Gleeson Sr. (Frederic, Mi USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I liked this book a lot: the writer took the minimal historical information that is available about Memnon of Rhodes and wove it into one of those wonderful epic novels that are cinema - like in scope. Everything works well: good characterization; excellent story telling and a good writing style. I enjoyed Oden's first book, "Men of Bronze" and trust that he will continue to provide readers with this type of literate, yet action packed stuff.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading!, January 9, 2007

By	Candace S. Wilde "imhotep" (Michigan City, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading Scott Oden's "Men of Bronze", I was very impressed with his characters and writing style. "Memnon" did not disappoint me. The book was very pleasurable to read, holding interest, and followed a good historic, but fictional, line. I felt as I was transformed into an identity of that time and was participating in the story, seeing the battles first hand. "Memnon" is great reading for those of us who like ancient world studies and wish to settle back and enjoy reading a book that makes the camera roll in your mind!