In the Ancient World, one army was feared above all others. This is their story.
When Cyrus, brother to the Great King of Persia, attempts to overthrow his reckless sibling, he employs a Greek mercenary army of 10,000 soldiers. When this army becomes stranded as a result of the unexpected death of Cyrus, and then witnesses the treacherous murder of its entire officer corps, despair overtakes them.
One man, Xenophon, rallies the Greeks. As he attempts to lead them to freedom across 1,500 miles of hostile territory seething with adversaries, 10,000 men set off on the long way home.
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The Falcon of Sparta has its genesis in Xenephon's account of these events when he was part of a Greek mercenary force serving Cyrus, Prince of Persia, when Cyrus sought to overthrow his older brother from the throne. The first and largest part of the book reviews matters from the point of view of Cyrus, providing an insight into his possible motives. Xenephone comes into things in greater detail with the second half of the novel covering Xenephon's leadership of the surviving Greek forces on their epic march through Persian territory to safety in Greek provinces.
While this book lacks the same degree of dynamism in Iggulden's series about Julius Caesar and has the usual degree of reshaping events for narrative purposes, fans of his work will still enjoy this book. - Ross (QBD)
Guest, 30/05/2018
