Rating: 
Summary: Provoking Take on
Review: "I don't know why Harvard even bothered showing up -- they barely even won!" C. Montgomery Burns, to Waylon Smithers after Burns' alma mater, Yale, loses a football game to Harvard.
All kidding aside, Michael Curtis Ford's re-imagining of King Mithridates is a well-researched, well-written novel that offers many intriguing theories and images on the long-ruling Pontic monarch. From convincing descriptions of varied landscapes to fully realized characters to some horrifying battle scenes, Ford has done himself proud -- this is a very entertaining read in many respects.
The main stumbling block of "The Last King" is that the image of Mithridates -- a physical marvel with a visionary intellect and courage to boot -- may be accurate, but the Romans are simply given too little credit. Some of this may be due to Ford's choice of narrator, Mithridates' [...]son Pharnaces, who has no love for Rome and adores dear old dad. But things get a bit comical as Pharnaces describes Mithridates' genius and the various attributes of the Pontic army -- and the numerous shortcomings of the Romans -- and the Romans keep beating Mithridates!
Every victory for Mithridates is magnified, and every loss has an explanation. It's like reading the sports page from the schoool paper where they write about their own team's defeat -- even though we lost, we're better than the team that beat us. While I appreciate the effort to tell the losing side, here, it would have been better had Pharnaces been a little more objective in his narration -- it gets a bit comical after Roman victories get rationalized so often.
For fans of historical fiction, pick up this book -- it's a worthy read, particularly if you're a fan of the Roman world. It is a bit of fun to read a description of Sulla as a maggot-ridden despot!
All in all, a well-written yet slightly off-balance read, but definitely worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money on this book
Review: (...) The first chapter of the book is good and if Ford could've kept on writing like that I would've enjoyed. There is zero character development in the entire book beyond the narrator, Pharnaces, occasionally getting mad at his father Mithridates for inexplicable reasons. The author claims many times that Mithridates was Rome's most formidable enemy ever, but if I hadn't already known of him from my own research, the way that Ford paints him is an absolute failure. Only once or twice does Ford really tell of any of Mithridates' victories, saving much more space for his losses and describing how physically massive the man is every couple of pages.
Rating:
Summary: Worth my time, but not inspiring
Review: Although I loved the discription of the battle of Chaeronea and of course the decent of Nike, Goddess of Victory, at Pergamum, I was a little disappointed in this book. Please dont get me wrong, I had great fun reading this but I do not believe I will be recommending it to anyone.This book was handicapped by a lack of character development. Was there ever fear or love in the lives of these characters? How is it possible for Mithridates to be so massive and powerful at aged 70 to singularly carve his way through hoards of Scythians? The story line was also quite jumpy. At one point Mithridates is 21 and seemingly 15 pages later he is in his late 40s. In that I never felt like I was there with the main characters or emotionally invested in their success or failure was also a drag.
Rating: 
Summary: Riveting in word and deed
Review: Be prepared to be swept into the thick of ferocious battles. Your commander is none other than Mithridates Eupator VI of Pontus and there is no turning back. Your enemy is the powerful Roman Empire and you are often outnumbered and challenged by their greatest commanders. Men will fall like dominoes, only the strongest and luckiest will survive, fierce fighting, devastating losses and hardship. You are there and it's both terrifying and exhilarating.
Your vantage point of Mithridates is given by his bastard but favoured son, Pharnaces, who worships and strives to emulate his larger-than-life father. His narration weaves warmth and character depth into this spectacular account. Unlike, general historical novels which are often filled with court intrigues and alliances, here the focus is on the battles, the leader and rightly so.
The Roman Empire is seen from a refreshing viewpoint, clearly coloured from Pharnaces' bias, easy to discern where artist's license is taken to cleverly add psychological insight into these lesser known 'barbarians'. We are given the rare opportunity to fight alongside and witness up close, an under-recognized ancient sovereign, a fearless conqueror and dreaded adversary.
Mithridates represents the epitomy of power and determination. No obstacle is too daunting, no defeat final. He is a true hero, his strength comes from within and Mr Ford has matched our leader's valour with his masterful account, historically accurate and immediate in it's drama.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Ford's best
Review: I enjoyed this book, and am glad I read it. That being said, I didn't think it stood up to Ford's prior two books. Though I applaud the effort to tell the story of Mithridates, and in fact the story of Rome from the outside looking in. The middle of the book seemed to get redundant at times, Mithridates builds an army, Mithridates loses his army, Mithridates bulds another army. He is described as Rome's greatest enemy, yet the book never really presents him as much more than a minor thorn in the empire's side. However, if you enjoy historical fiction of Ancient Rome and Greece, you will more than likely enjoy this book. The end of the book left me satisfied that Ford succeeded in what he set out to do. Perhaps, if Mithridates efforts appear somewhat redundant it's because they were. The Roman Empire was not always glorious, and there were men whom, while not always successful, did wage all in defiance. The Last King, while not "The Ten Thousand", or Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" was still more entertaining than anything I could have seen on television or on a movie screen.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Ford's best
Review: I enjoyed this book, and am glad I read it. That being said, I didn't think it stood up to Ford's prior two books. Though I applaud the effort to tell the story of Mithridates, and in fact the story of Rome from the outside looking in. The middle of the book seemed to get redundant at times, Mithridates builds an army, Mithridates loses his army, Mithridates bulds another army. He is described as Rome's greatest enemy, yet the book never really presents him as much more than a minor thorn in the empire's side. However, if you enjoy historical fiction of Ancient Rome and Greece, you will more than likely enjoy this book. The end of the book left me satisfied that Ford succeeded in what he set out to do. Perhaps, if Mithridates efforts appear somewhat redundant it's because they were. The Roman Empire was not always glorious, and there were men whom, while not always successful, did wage all in defiance. The Last King, while not "The Ten Thousand", or Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" was still more entertaining than anything I could have seen on television or on a movie screen.
Rating: 
Summary: An epic tale of victory, defeat, hubris, and humility.
Review: I greatly enjoyed Michael Curtis Ford's previous works, so I was especially interested in hearing the tale of yet another obscure, although powerful figure from ancient times. As stated in the book, "history is written by the victors" and thus, the lifelong power struggle faced by Mithridates is often lost in his defeats, because despite his billing as one of the most feared threats to the Roman Empire, the book paints the picture of a physically menacing ruler who cannot seem to achieve his greatest goal...the destruction of Rome and the creation of a "New Greece". The previous offering by Ford, "Gods and Legions" was most enjoyable due to the intensely complex characters. In contrast, the complexity of "The Last King's" titular character, Mithridates is less obvious. Seemingly motivated by hate, revenge, and the attempt to restore family and national honor, Ford proceeds to depict not just the great victories (which were few, and not particularly "great") but more of the struggles and defeats that face this highly motivated and seemingly obsessed monarch. Despite his tremendous size and intellect, Mithridates is constantly rebuffed...due to his hubris. "The Last King" subtly implies that those who are arrogant, overconfident, and brazen do not always prevail, despite seemingly overwhelming resources and skill (a lesson that might be well applied to the modern day warriors known as `athletes'). It was apparent that the victors of the battles depicted in the book were the ones who did not rely on their explicit talents, but instead, those who used their cunning intellect to overcome the odds stacked against them. This profile applied well to Mithridates on the scarce occasions of his victories, and more so to Pharnaces, the tale's narrator and most interesting character in the novel. Pharnaces's fierce loyalty to his father, the King, and his sometimes conflicting loyalty to his men provides a subplot that in itself might have made a fascinating topic for historical fiction. It is this relationship between son and father...general and King...that needed to be more expounded upon. As a whole, the novel provided a very strong depiction of a monarch probably more feared for his longevity and tenacity, than his actual threat against Rome. (One wonders about the legitimacy of this menacing size, considering that the victorious Roman accounts would undoubtedly be exaggerated to increase the grandeur of their victories over him.) But what this third offering from Ford lacks is the characterization that created such wonderful reader empathy in the previous two novels. Ford's focus in "The Last King" is the depiction of warfare and the great imagery of the battlefield, and while he is a master of painting the battlefield picture, at certain points, Ford relies on this skill far too often. As a non-expert in ancient warfare and history, it was hard for this reader to be interested in some of the battles waged, mainly due to my lack of empathy for the characters, and consequently, the numerous battles became somewhat indistinguishable from one another. Despite these minor characterization issues, Ford's book is a must read for those who truly appreciate the art of using words to create fantastic images of times past. Ford has shown in his previous works that he is capable of creating not just depictions of events, but fascinating stories and characters based on the historical. I would be very interested in seeing him expand his talents towards other historical eras...perhaps more modern...and with less obscure characters for which readers may already be empathetic.
Rating:
Summary: An epic tale of victory, defeat, hubris, and humility.
Review: I greatly enjoyed Michael Curtis Ford's previous works, so I was especially interested in hearing the tale of yet another obscure, although powerful figure from ancient times. As stated in the book, "history is written by the victors" and thus, the lifelong power struggle faced by Mithridates is often lost in his defeats, because despite his billing as one of the most feared threats to the Roman Empire, the book paints the picture of a physically menacing ruler who cannot seem to achieve his greatest goal...the destruction of Rome and the creation of a "New Greece". The previous offering by Ford, "Gods and Legions" was most enjoyable due to the intensely complex characters. In contrast, the complexity of "The Last King's" titular character, Mithridates is less obvious. Seemingly motivated by hate, revenge, and the attempt to restore family and national honor, Ford proceeds to depict not just the great victories (which were few, and not particularly "great") but more of the struggles and defeats that face this highly motivated and seemingly obsessed monarch. Despite his tremendous size and intellect, Mithridates is constantly rebuffed...due to his hubris. "The Last King" subtly implies that those who are arrogant, overconfident, and brazen do not always prevail, despite seemingly overwhelming resources and skill (a lesson that might be well applied to the modern day warriors known as 'athletes'). It was apparent that the victors of the battles depicted in the book were the ones who did not rely on their explicit talents, but instead, those who used their cunning intellect to overcome the odds stacked against them. This profile applied well to Mithridates on the scarce occasions of his victories, and more so to Pharnaces, the tale's narrator and most interesting character in the novel. Pharnaces's fierce loyalty to his father, the King, and his sometimes conflicting loyalty to his men provides a subplot that in itself might have made a fascinating topic for historical fiction. It is this relationship between son and father...general and King...that needed to be more expounded upon. As a whole, the novel provided a very strong depiction of a monarch probably more feared for his longevity and tenacity, than his actual threat against Rome. (One wonders about the legitimacy of this menacing size, considering that the victorious Roman accounts would undoubtedly be exaggerated to increase the grandeur of their victories over him.) But what this third offering from Ford lacks is the characterization that created such wonderful reader empathy in the previous two novels. Ford's focus in "The Last King" is the depiction of warfare and the great imagery of the battlefield, and while he is a master of painting the battlefield picture, at certain points, Ford relies on this skill far too often. As a non-expert in ancient warfare and history, it was hard for this reader to be interested in some of the battles waged, mainly due to my lack of empathy for the characters, and consequently, the numerous battles became somewhat indistinguishable from one another. Despite these minor characterization issues, Ford's book is a must read for those who truly appreciate the art of using words to create fantastic images of times past. Ford has shown in his previous works that he is capable of creating not just depictions of events, but fascinating stories and characters based on the historical. I would be very interested in seeing him expand his talents towards other historical eras...perhaps more modern...and with less obscure characters for which readers may already be empathetic.
Rating:
Summary: A GOOD HISTORY LESSON BUT NOT A GOOD NOVEL
Review: I hadn't heard of King Mithradates the Great of Pontus so, from an educational standpoint, THE LAST KING was worth reading. Mithradates suffered some of the worst luck imaginable in that three of Rome's greatest generals commanded armies against him. Still, with determination and intelligence, he managed to be quite a thorn in Rome's side for many years. This is basically the story Mr. Ford tells. As history, this is an easy lesson to absorb but as fiction it is not up to the caliber of good historical fiction because, mainly, the characters and dialogue are comic bookish. Despite King Mithradates's son being the protagonist and the story viewpoint being from the Pontusian side, I still rooted for stodgy, efficient Rome. In other words, Mr. Ford gave me little reason to care for those people. But the story moves fairly quickly and several of the the battle scenes are very well written. Three Roman legions out of five.
Rating:
Summary: fabulous biographical fiction
Review: In first century BC, the Roman Senate declared King Mithridates Eupator VI of Pontus (on the Black Sea) as its greatest enemy. Rome had turned Pontus into a satellite state when Mithridates' mother ruled. When he became the monarch, his country was totally reliant on Rome. Instead of bowing like his mom, he launches campaigns often brutal to throw Rome out of his country and the rest of Asia Minor. Over the next four decades starting at home, Mithridates ruled and warred. First he exploited the weaknesses of his mother ultimately overthrowing her; then he challenged the puppeteers of the Roman Republic using anything in his genocidal arsenal to make a point. Finally after forty years of battles, retreats, and more war, he met final defeat at the hands of General Pompey. Even then he refused to bow having his men execute him instead of allowing the Romans to parade him as a trophy. This is a fabulous historical fiction novel that provides deep insight into the Ancient Roman world through one of its toughest enemies. Many readers like this reviewer probably never heard of Mithridates before, but he obviously proved to be a dangerous long term threat to the Romans. Though the depth in which Michael Curtis Ford provides military tactics seems overwhelming to the lay-person, it also furbishes a sense of how brilliant Rome's Greatest Enemy truly was. The tactics also lead to fantastic descriptions of the battles as the audience get a first hand account (narrated by the lead protagonist's son) of life in the BC Roman Empire from the perspective of those who wanted out from the glory. Harriet Klausner
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