It's time for a hero to rise. For his enemies to tremble. And for Athens, a city of wisdom and warriors, to shine with glory ... Cymon and Pericles are the characters to watch. The Greek City States did not ally themselves except when fighting a common enemy. They pooled resources to build war ships to fight and destroy Persians on the seas, but no Persian ships could be found. The sea was empty. Pericles finds the Persians hidden on a river. The ensuing battle is exciting; but afterwards the alliance, the League as it was called, is not in a healthy state. Lion focuses mainly on the Athenian front of things instead of the Persian. But there indeed were several points where we get to experience the war from Artabazus or even Xerxes' perspective. I was alright with that up till the death of Xerxes. We're shown the event from the Persian perspective, but I just don't feel connected. I know too little about Persian politics to even make sense of what's happening and why it's happening, let alone be emotionally connected to the scene. A better choice may be to tell Xerxes' death from the Athenian perspective, e.g. Cimon hearing about the death of Xerxes from some hoplites and that the king seemed to have died by his own guards' hands. That way Xerxes' death could be a bit more of a mystery and that could be pretty intriguing and realistic given how bemusing things can be during wartime. The master historical storyteller. This swords-and-sandals epic brings the ancient world to life' DAILY EXPRESS The age of myths and legends has given way to the world of men. In the front rank stands Pericles, Lion of Athens. Behind Pericles lies the greatest city of the ancient world. Before him, on land and at sea, stands the merciless Persian army. Both sides are spoiling for war. Though still a young man, Pericles knows one thing: to fight a war you must first win the peace.

Lion: The Golden Age, Book 1 (Audio Download): Conn Iggulden

Fascinating insight into the day-by-day activities during that period in history. As it should be, the author’s attention to detail and research is seriously impressive.If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us As always, I enjoyed learning a little more about life in Ancient Greece, particularly about theatre and The Festival of Dionysus. As before, the battle scenes are exciting and are seen from both sides of the field. The horror of what soldiers faced in the days of hand to hand combat is drawn in enough detail to appreciate it without being too gory, thankfully. No doubt, the fourth book of the series will follow Pericles in his later life and I will look forward to that. A second central character in this book is Cimon, also prominent in the Athenian series. Cimon is the Strategos of the Greek Alliance, which is shown being formed in this part under the leadership of Xanthippus. Much of the book involves the Pericles/Cimon relationship as Pericles both admires Cimon as a leader and person and is jealous of him, especially for his intimacy with Thetis, the captive concubine of a pirate from Scyros and the woman who becomes Pericles wife.

The Golden Age - Penguin Books UK

It is a fact that there are very few successful novels about the great age of democratic Athens. Someday someone will do Cimon justice. Pericles the Athenian by Rex Warner is very good in a rather intellectual way. The best existing novels are about the years of Athens’ defeat in the Peloponnesian War, Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine and Stephanie Plowman’s Road to Sardis, Tom Holt’s The Walled Orchard. The author’s attempt is not entirely unsuccessful, but I suspect the target audience does not include a curmudgeon like me. The novel follows on directly from the author’s Protector which saw Greek victory in the Persian Wars and focussed on the Athenian leaders Aristides and Xanthippus, and the Spartan general Pausanias. That novel opened in the middle of the battle of Salamis and closed shortly after the Spartan victory at Plataea. I found it hard to engage with most of the characters. Pericles, the main character, was difficult to understand and contradictory. I did not understand his determination to marry the complete stranger they met on an island. He behaved like he'd never seen a female before. Nor did I understand why he and his wife became so nasty to each other once they were married. Yes, he suspected she was in love with someone else, but given all the talk about Athenian men learning to be calm and mature, you'd think he could do better. This will be an enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in history, military strategy, and the ancient world! Behind Pericles lies the greatest city of the ancient world. Before him, on land and at sea, stands the merciless Persian army. Both sides are spoiling for war.The book opens to a map of the region, as well as a pronunciation guide – which I usually love. Who doesn’t love a book with a map? I am conscious that the above paragraph reads like faint praise. The truth is that, despite its readability, I have problems with the plot and characterisation. First, the clear and obvious hero of the book is Cimon, who steals every scene in which he appears. Pericles pales into insignificance in his presence. The story flags when Cimon is not present. Second, Pericles himself comes over as shallow and impetuous, nothing like how I might envisage the historical figure. True, he is young and inexperienced, but Cimon although not much older is a successful leader of men. Then there are the cardboard cut-out villains, Attikos (fictional) and Ephialtes (historical). Finally there is the entirely implausible love affair and marriage of Pericles to the unsuitable Thetis, the captive concubine of a pirate from Scyros. I just cannot conceive that this could possibly have occurred in the Athens of the aristocratic Pericles. Iggulden draws the Greek world convincingly and he is strongest writing battle scenes * THE TIMES * The sights, sounds and smells of Athens bring history to life with gripping brilliance' DAILY MIRROR

Conn Iggulden Books in Order | Complete Series List Conn Iggulden Books in Order | Complete Series List

To make his own name he must prove himself in the liar's den of Athenian politics: pitting wits against friends, sceptics, enemies.Discover the rise and fall of the world's greatest empire in the stunning first instalment of The Golden Age, an epic new series from the nation's finest historical novelist I was born in the normal way in 1971, and vaguely remember half-pennies and sixpences. I have written for as long as I can remember: poetry, short stories and novels. It’s what I always wanted to do and read English at London University with writing in mind. I taught English for seven years and was Head of English at St. Gregory’s RC High School in London by the end of that period. I have enormous respect for those who still labour at the chalk-face. In truth, I can’t find it in me to miss the grind of paperwork and initiatives. I do miss the camaraderie of the smokers’ room, as well as the lessons where their faces lit up as they understood what I was wittering on about. For one thing, as soon as a woman was dragged roughly out by her hair, I could just tell she was going to be the love interest. She was such a weak character that I can't even remember her name, although that might be because she didn't appear in the entire second half of the book. This central character of this novel is Pericles, the younger but only remaining son of Xanthippus, the hero of the two novels of the Athenian series. Our 3rd person point-of-view comes from his perspective . While this is termed as the 1st of two books in a new series called The Golden Age, it also serves as a de facto 3rd book of the Athenian series as it continues on in the timeframe and the characters presented there. The main characters in this story are Cimon and Pericles. They are childhood friends and their fathers had fought in the battles at Marathon against the Persians. The Persians have gone quieter of late, but that does not mean there is no danger. The city-states of Greece come together to form the Delian League, they amass a fleet that patrols the Aegean to keep a look out for potential Persian threats.

Lion by Conn Iggulden | Waterstones The Lion by Conn Iggulden | Waterstones

PRAISE FOR CONN IGGULDEN: 'Brings war in the ancient world to vivid, gritty and bloody life' ANTHONY RICHES From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada:The third in a series set during the Graeco-Persian wars, The Lion depicts the triumph of Cimon, the man most responsible for the defeat of Persian king, Xerxes. The story covers the formation of the Delian League (the alliance of Greek states set up to combat the Persian threat), the hostility of Sparta to Athenian leadership, and the first fracture in the alliance caused by the rebellion of Thasos. With Cimon as the leader of the Athenian League and with him are Pericles, Epikleos, Zeno, Anaxagoras, and the annoying Ephialtes and his guard dog, Attikos, and they will certainly bring Athens very much to the forefront with ferocious battles, political debate and plays during the Festival of Dionysus.