Artaxerxes is first in line to the throne of Persia. His brother Cyrus
is loyal to him, so when Araxerxes sends a message to Cyrus that their
father is failing, Cyrus immediately heads home. There his bodyguard of
three hundred Spartans are massacred and he is jailed, awaiting
execution. Fortunately his mother intervened and he is freed.
Having made his escape, Cyrus begins to build an army. He has recruited
more Spartans under the leadership of General Clearchus. One of the men
to join his army is Xenophōn, a student of Socrates. However, will his
small army be enough to take on the mighty Persian army?
It isn’t long before Artaxerxes cuts off money Cyrus needs to pay his
army. What can he do? The only thing left was to march. When word of
Cyrus marching against him, Artaxerxes masses his own army. Badly
outnumbered, Cyrus dies in the battle when the two armies meet.
The Greeks are relatively unscathed by the battle. Clearchus orders the
Greeks to retreat to protect the camp followers, and then to begin a
march to the north to get away from the massive Persian army. Will
Artaxerxes let them go, or will his army descend on them and destroy
all?
Artaxerxes is not prepared to let them go. What follows is a test of
strength and endurance for the Greek soldiers and their camp
followers. Conn Iggulden’s historical novel is based upon facts and the
writing of Xenophōn. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Any fan of
historical fiction will enjoy this book.
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