Last of the Amazons: A Novel (Hardcover)

This novel has to do with the clash of cultures between the burgeoning Greek civilization and the mythical Amazon society and takes place about 1250 B. C. The plot is a little convoluted. It starts as the story of a group of Greeks tracking down an escaped Amazon slave. On the journey, an account is told by a couple of the older fellows of a previous trip to the land of the Amazons, and the subsequent Amazon invasion of Athens. This makes up the meat of the book. But also in there is the story of the very first Greek visit to Amazonia, made by the mythical Heracles. So we have a story within a story within a story, all of which relate essentially the same journey.

But this is not what bothers me. What bothers me is that the story of these journeys and the events which occurred on them is really all there is. Despite the fact that the book is comprised of several first-person narratives, we don't get the inner, personal stories of these people. To go back to Flashman: yes, he was present at the Charge of the Light Brigade, and yes, he was present at Custer's Last Stand. But the difference is, these are not the story. The story is Flashman's life; what he was doing, where he was, how he got into these situations, what he thinks of them, and how he got out of them.

This is what makes good historical fiction. We as readers are far more able to come to a new understanding of events when we are able to view of them through the eyes of a fully fleshed-out human being, one whom we've come to know and empathize with, and one who has an opinion we yearn to hear. This is a lot different from having a cardboard character read a history to us, no matter how interesting the subject matter.

But I am being perhaps a little too harsh, because, no question about it, the subject matter here is very interesting, and, as mentioned earlier, is brought to us by an author who is truly, remarkably knowledgeable about this stuff. We get descriptions of the peoples who inhabited the areas around the Black Sea, we get descriptions of the Amazon way of life, and we get descriptions of the beginnings of Greek civilization. The Amazon way of life is particularly imaginative and detailed, with their groups of three, their mating rituals, their preoccupation with horses, and their splendid prowess with arms.

Also excellent is the description of the siege of Athens, and the various other battles which take place throughout this novel. Again, Mr. Pressfield is extremely knowledgeable about ancient warfare, and there is so much here which was new to me: battle formations, cavalry and siege tactics, the importance of strong leadership, etc. In general, one gets an idea of what the average soldier feels ands experiences as he participates in an ancient, horrific battle.

Also here are the trademark, grand Pressfield speeches. The debates between Theseus and the Amazon queen, Eleuthera, are particularly wonderful. Theseus argues for the benefits of civilization and the ways in which it frees men to pursue their goals beyond simple subsistence. Eleuthera scorns this: "Our Athenian guest claims that cities produce leisure. What rubbish! Who has more free time than the hunter or warrior, whose very work is sport?" There is much more in this vein, all of which is very thought-provoking, and brings to one a vague sense of longing for the wild, untamed, ancient (or maybe not-so-ancient), past.

Pressfield is a great writer, no doubt about it, and this is a great book. But it sure would be nice to find a friend in here somewhere.

While still set in Ancient Greece, "Last of the Amazons" strays slightly from the formula of its predecessors. Whereas in his first two books Pressfield wrote novelizations of actual historical events, in "Last of the Amazons", he explores the semi-mythological era of early Athens. As always, this novel is impeccably researched and laid out in a highly plausible way, but even the author admits that his story is speculative, at best. However, that in no way detracts from what is a great historical/military novel.

As anyone who has read his prior novels knows, Pressfield excels in writing the story of the mayhem and brutality of combat. I have not encountered a single other author who can make the sweat, blood and fear of close combat come alive like Pressfield. Furthermore, he has a knack for capturing the language of the time, such that his prose reads like something far older than it actually is. That's not to say he's another Homer, but he does capture the spirit of the epic genre in a highly effective manner.

While I didn't empathize with the characters in "Last of the Amazons" as much as I did in "Gates of Fire", they are perhaps even better written. "In Gates of Fire" Pressfield had real historical figures, in a real battle to work with, one that had a tragic and foregone conclusion. As a result, the reader knew the destiny of all the actors, and therefore developed a level of pathos for them that transcended the writing (which was still excellent). In "Last of the Amazons", however, Pressfield is writing about figures that are more rooted in mythology than history, so he had to flesh them out a great deal more, and succeeded admirably. He has created some genuinely tragic and conflicted figures that are incredibly complex. Moreover, he has proven that he can write believable, strong, female characters, which were noticeably (albeit understandably) absent from his first two novels.

Finally, since Pressfield was able to stray from, and manipulate, the historical record, this novel has a much stronger message than his prior ones. He makes a powerful statement about redemption, and explores at some length what constitutes civilization and civilized behavior.

In conclusion, "Last of the Amazons" is an outstanding read. It has breathtaking battle scenes, but also is very thoughtful. It is a great adventure, but also extremely well written. In short, it is an excellent novel: enjoy!

Pressfield shines when he describes battle and action. His war scenes are wonderful, not overly descriptive but not abstract either. It's a cliche but you do feel like you are there in a sense. The same goes for his adventure scenes. Pressfield also does a great job of research and imagination, as there is little real evidence of an Amazonian civilization. Pressfield handles the daunting task of inventing a new civilization and its structures well. However, I felt the description often became too detailed, as to muddle the impact of the main points.

The faults are major. The narrative structure Pressfield uses is distracting to say the least. Resulting from that, the reader never really feels they have a grasp of the characters. The main characters just aren't examined the right way, in my opinion. This results in lost interest for any of the characters. The dialogue is awkward and stilted. It just lacks a personality.

Improvement of Tides of War, but far below Gates of Fire.