I knew that I would like this book even before I started it. I like scifi. And I like history, particularly ancient history. And this one, amazingly, is both.
What I didn’t know was just how wonderfully well-written this story would be. So, what’s it all about, eh?
In 425 BCE, the Athenian general Demosthenes comes into possession of the most powerful weapon his world has ever known. He fears to wield it against his city’s bitter enemy Sparta, but he knows that he must, lest it be wielded by others. He knows, too, that it seeks to wield and possess him, for this weapon is human, or something like it, and as complex as the wider universe from which she fell. She is Thalassia. She is doom and madness. She has come to break history, and she did not come alone.
ATHENIAN STEEL is a bloody, twisted mayhem in the ancient world and Book I in a centuries-spanning epic that will appeal to readers of Gene Wolfe, David Gemmell, David Drake, Michael Moorcock, & other classic SF/Fantasy authors of the 1970’s to 1990’s. Fans of Bernard Cornwell, Michael Curtis Ford, Steven Pressfield and similar will also find plenty to enjoy if they don’t mind some cosmic SF, dark humor, and sex blended in with their military historical fiction.
In many ways, this is a straight up historical fiction and is full of accurate historical details and authenticity, bringing ancient Athens and her people to life. In other ways, it is an alternate history. A look at what might have been, if the terrible power struggle of the Peloponnesian War had gone a bit differently – if, for example, a visitor or three from the future / space / another dimension turned up and started poking about with their knowledge and willpower.
Historically speaking, I’m no expert but I’ve studied this period, I have a well-thumbed copy of Thucydides within arms reach at all times in case of emergency and I know, to varying degrees, about the warfare, art, domestic life and mindset of these people. It became clear almost immediately that I was reading someone who knew his stuff, far more than I, and could be trusted to get it right. And the detail is just… “there”, it’s never pointed out and works seamlessly to create a believable world for the characters to inhabit.
Ultimately, this is a character driven story about two flawed people from very different places and times and how they are drawn to each other. Their relationship is dysfunctional and very far from the obvious. They feel like real people. People who commit errors that make their victories all the sweeter. It’s not a happy story, by any means but I enjoyed it enormously and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series – Spartan Beast – which is out now.
I have no hesitation in recommending it wholeheartedly.
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Thanks for sharing, Dan. Going to give this one a try!
That’s great, Cheryl, I hope you enjoy it!