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    The Falcon of Sparta
    The Falcon of Sparta
    The Falcon of Sparta
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Falcon of Sparta

    Written by Conn Iggulden

    Narrated by Pete Bradbury

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    About this audiobook

    Based on one of history’s most epic stories of adventure, The Falcon of Sparta masterfully depicts the ferocity, heroism, and savage bloodshed of the ancient world.

    Conn Iggulden, the New York Times bestselling author of the Emperor, Conqueror, and Wars of the Roses series, returns to the ancient world with a ferociously violent epic.

    401 BC. In the ancient world, one army was feared above all others. The Persian king Artaxerxes rules an empire stretching from the Aegean to northern India. As many as fifty million people are his subjects. His rule is absolute. Though the sons of Sparta are eager to play the game of thrones …

    Yet battles can be won—or lost—with a single blow. Princes fall. And when the dust of civil war settles, the Spartans are left stranded in the heart of an enemy’s empire, without support, without food, and without water.

    Far from home, surrounded by foes, it falls to the young soldier Xenophon to lead the survivors against Artaxerxes’s legendary Persian warriors.

    "A well-researched tale of heroism and hardship, honor and betrayal in which anyone's life can disappear with a filth-tipped arrow or the slash of a kopis. Exciting fare, a yarn well-spun."—Kirkus Reviews
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 5, 2019
    ISBN9781980030232
    Author

    Conn Iggulden

    Conn Iggulden is one of the most acclaimed authors of historical fiction writing today. Among numerous bestselling novels, he is the author of The Abbot’s Tale, The Falcon of Sparta, The Gates of Athens, Protector, The Lion, and Empire, all available from Pegasus Books. Conn lives in London.

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    Reviews for The Falcon of Sparta

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    • 4/5
      I was mesmerized from the outset by this loose construction of the Battle of Cunaxa and the journey to the Black Sea with Xenophon leading Greek mercenaries and baggage train. The Anabasis is still the best recounting of this, in Xenophon's own words. The story first covers the author's interpretation of WHY Cyrus is rebelling against his brother, the Great King, Artaxerxes; details of Xenophon's background in Athens; and the muster of Greeks in Sardis. After the battle in which Cyrus is slain and the betrayal of all the Greek generals where they are murdered in cold blood, the novel slows its pace until Xenophon is chosen to lead everyone. He displays a natural leadership ability. With this trek, the story picks up again. Xenophon and his unofficial second-in-command, the Spartan, Chrisophus, chivvy the people along towards their goal, overcoming many obstacles along the way--Persian army tailing them to the end of their empire, extreme weather, exciting fight with one of the mountain tribes. Author's style has improved a thousand fold since his clunky Roman trilogy! Thinking about the title, I opined the "Falcon of Sparta" most likely was the Spartan, Clearchus, chief general from Sardis through Cunaxa to his demise. Cyrus' banner had been marked with a falcon. I thought the backstories fit in nicely and gave some background and rounding out of Cyrus' and Xenophon's characters. Highly recommended.