Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: My excitement when I first saw this book was matched only by my disappointment when I read it. I was looking forward to reading about the author's travels on Xenophon's route, and his "expert military historical analysis." Instead, Mr. Prevas seems to have done nothing more than combine a free (and sometimes misleading) translation of Xenophon's Anabasis with an out-of-date schoolbook summary of Greek history and some random observations about being a tourist in modern Turkey.If Xenophon were alive today, he would not be happy with what Mr. Prevas has done to his text. For instance, the Anabasis includes numerous speeches made by officers and soldiers in the course of the army's march. For some reason, Mr. Prevas turns the majority of these into dull summaries. He fills in gaps in Xenophon's account with his own dubious, largely baseless reconstructions (his characterization of Epyaxa on pages 71-73 is downright offensive). Indeed, much of Mr. Prevas' "research" seems to have consisted of making casual inquiries here and there. He also makes a number of inexplicable errors, especially for personal ("Agias of Arched" for Sophainetos of Stymphalos?) and place ("Phyrigia" for Phrygia) names. Sometimes the errors get downright silly. In the photographs section, the building captioned "Palace of Cyrus" is actually part of a Roman gymnasium dating from the third century AD!!! If you're a general reader interested in Xenophon and the expedition of Cyrus, don't waste your time with this book. Xenophon himself tells the story far better. His memoir, the Anabasis, is available in several excellent translations (try the Loeb Classical Library or Penguin editions), with introductions and notes.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable Read
Review: Xenophon's March: Into the Lair of the Persian Lion by John Prevas was a very enjoyable read about a splendid corner of history. At the end of the fifth century B.C. an army of fourteen thousand Greek mercenaries joined an army of a usurper to the Persian Throne. When the usurper was killed and his army almost destroyed, the Greeks were trapped more than a thousand miles from their homeland and outnumbered almost a hundred to one. To make matters worse, their leader, and most of their captains, had been murdered and they were without significant cavalry. If any were able to return to Greece that would have been remarkable. The fact that more than half returned is beyond description. However, the way in which it occurred is even more amazing. The Army that marched through the heart of Persia was not one led by a strong, experienced leader who had a firm control of a Army. The Greeks were led by an inexperienced commander, and the major decisions were made by the army as a whole, and only after a thorough public discourse. After the decisions were made, the soldiers would take issue with the leaders and punish those leaders, who in the view of the soldiers, had not acted properly. One can hardly imagine the American Army voting on tactics or the future of its leasers. The book is a very cursory overview of the "March of the Ten Thousand." At times Prevas seems to move between a travel log and a history. With these limitations, the book is well worth reading. It is well written, and tells a remarkable story. However, if one wants a more thorough history I would suggest Xenophon own writings.
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