Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic book, despite bizarre reviews
Review: I normally don't write reviews, but I just finished this incredible book, and when I looked it up on Amazon I was astounded to see the weird conclusions being drawn by a previous reviewer. Tissaphernes a woman?! Holy cow, the text makes it quite clear that the woman was the Persian general's daughter, not the general himself! The story ended halfway through!? The reviewer admittedly draws his information from some high school term paper dredged from the Web. Yikes. Some facts need to be set straight here, and since I loved this book, as well as the original material it was drawn from, I guess I'll do it.This book is a tremendous novel--a readaption and fictionalization of the Anabasis, Xenophon's recounting of the march of 10,000 Greek soldiers against the most powerful army on earth, and of their struggle for survival after their defeat. Ford accurately, even poetically, describes the bulk of this historic journey, ending only when the Greeks have made their way to safe haven. His rendering covers the original story up to its climax. He thankfully omitted the rest of Xenophon's original work, which is much less novel-worthy. Ford's work is a brilliant effort, and part of its brilliance is in knowing just when to stop. In fact, in an endnote, the author recommends that readers look up the original account. This book is a great achievement, one that IMHO surpasses even Gates of Fire in its pacing and battle scenes. Don't let bizarre reviews dissuade you from what will definitely become a classic in historical fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Good not Great
Review: As someone who reads mostly science fiction and fantasy, this book represented a nice change of pace. Similar subject matter to what I typically read, but with the added spin of reality. Michael Ford gets high marks for conveying a very real world. Yes, I know it is a real world, but presumably Mr. Ford wasn't around when the actual events took place. Based on the detail that he included in the story from the marching and camp conditions, politics, geography, etc., he obviously did an excellent job of researching his topic and really bringing ancient Greece to life. Having said that, I have to say that the story left me somewhat flat. Its a heroic tale by anyone's definition, but the characters didn't really come to life for me. Maybe its because I'm used to a fictional tale, but I can't say that I cared overly much about Xenophon nor did I feel like I really knew him. Despite my vague dissatisfaction upon completion of the book, I do have to say that it kept my interest and was a pretty quick read. I also feel like I learned something from reading the book and would recommend it to friends.
Rating: 
Summary: A prelude to the Alexander (Valerio Massimo) series
Review: I read this because Alexander was inspired by Xenophon. So I would read this first, and follow on to the Alexander trilogy which is also very well done.
Rating: 
Summary: Well written but very boring.
Review: The plot of Ford's first novel is little more than an adaptation of Xenophon's actual account of the same event. After Sparta defeats Athens in the Peloponnesian War, the Persian prince Cyrus hires 13,000 Greeks as mercenaries to help him take the throne from his brother. In the ensuing battle, Cyrus is killed and his army destroyed, though the Greeks came through with hardly a man lost. It is up to Xenophon to lead the Greeks back home in a hostile land, thousands of miles from safety. I had very mixed feelings about this novel. Granted - there is almost nothing cooler than Greek hoplites and pissy Spartans. The novel is very, very well written, with truly haunting descriptions of what happens to frostbitten flesh when stuck in boiling water. That said, I found it very hard to care for the main focus of the story - Xenophon. Basically he has to possess grit enough to get these soldiers to safety. Wow. The depth of his character development consists of growing from a sweet-natured boy into a hardbitten soldier.
On whole, a very well written book about a heroic journey home that is, ultimately, too boring to really turn into a novel. Perhaps I am merely too taken with so many of the other great works of historical fiction that deal with the ancient world - Gates of Fire, Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series, or even Lindsay Davis' series of comedy/mysteries starring Falco. Whatever the case, I did not once feel pulled into the story. I could not ever come to care about the characters, or enthralled by the situations. It should have been called "Greeks Walking...". I look forward to reading Mr. Ford's second book, which seems to sport a far livlier story as its backbone.
Rating:
Summary: A great adventure!
Review: Mr Ford writes a great story about Xenophon and the 10,000 Greeks who fought for the Persians and then had to march back through hostile territory to reach home. He puts you in the mind of Xenophon and paints a competlling picture of an army moving through a hostile environment against untrustworthy friends and foes alike. I enjoyed it and reccommend it for someone who enjoys puting themselves back in time and participating in one of the great adventures of antiquity.
Rating: 
Summary: Themeless Story; Shallow Plot; No Character Development
Review: Michael Curtis Ford's narrative on the Greek mercenary army led by Xenophon into the regal struggle between Persian monarchs after the Peloponesian war. The narrative is recited by Themistogenes (Theo), Xenophon's slave from boyhood. Although the historical context offers potential for a great narrative if handled by a talented writer, Ford's rendition delivers nothing but shallow characters, and a disjointed plot that supports absolutely no theme except for a crude romantic tale. In terms of plot, the story starts in an unrelated Athenian campaign led by Xenophon that offers absolutely no insight into the story and confuses the reader. Although the story follows the preparation, execution, and ultimate failure of the mercenary expedition into Persia, the focus is primarily on Theo's perspective which is unimpressive and dull. All of the characters are minimally developed throughout the story which keeps the plot at an extremely dull level. Xenophon is placed as the heroic leader of the doomed expedition and should have the most development but is relegated to a marginal role. Instead, the story focuses on Theo who is more preoccupied with a rather unbelievable romantic sub-plot which completely takes away all force from the narrative. Half the story focuses primarily on Theo's affection for Asteria, a Persian woman of the court who, for rather nebulous reasons, decides to attach herself to a mere slave with no personality and no bright future. The emphasis on a romantic sub-plot really destroys the legitimacy of the narrative because no person of antiquity would write in this manner. Although romantic novels were written in ancient Greece, such narrative styles became prevalent over 2 centuries later during the Hellenic period and not the classical period in which Ford's story takes place. Furthermore, such romantic novels were drastically different than the crude sub-plot Ford drags on throughout his narrative: Greeks did not mix historiography and romance together which is what Ford unsuccessfully attempts here. The crude plot and minimal character development results in a story that is completely devoid of theme. What conflict and resolution is reflected here? How was it manifested by the characters? Again, other than a crudely executed romantic sub- plot, those questions are left unexplored and unresolved throughout the narrative. In sum, this work is horribly unimaginative. The characters do not evolve in the story. The only change in the characters occurs in the context of a sub-plot that is completely out of place for such a narrative and thus the credibility and legitimacy of the narrative is progressively eroded to the point of being themeless. Ford's work slightly improves in his second novel "Gods and Legions" but that work has critical flaws of its own. Being rather unimpressed with two of Ford's novels so far, I'm not about to waste my money on his third: there are simply too many writers out there who are far better for me to waste money on these uncreative works. I would recommend Gore Vidal's "Julian", Robert Graves' "I Claudius", or Stephen Pressfield's "Tides of War" and "Gates of Fire" instead of anything written by Ford.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent yarn, gripping and unput downable
Review: Read it. Feel the glory and the dispair, the heat and the cold, the companionship and the hatred. I liked the book so I bought the second. This one is worth buying in hardback and bringing to the front of your bookshelves. All forms of war are awful I suppose but there is something glorious about horses and spears and shields and brute strength and courage that is appealing. Who am I to judge but I really enjoyed the style of the writing and hurrah the English was really English. A great author in the making or perhaps already made. PS. I couldn't follow the 'journey' on the maps otherwise 5 *****.
Rating:
Summary: Anyone interested in ancient civilizations will love this
Review: This book explains in amazing detail the ancient world long forgotten in modern fiction books. Its surprising how some of ancient Greece's advances were better or just as good as advances as late as the 12th century A.D. Theo takes you on a magnificant quest of adventure, hardship, betrayel, and discipline. Also recommended: Lord of the Rings; Red Storm Rising; Dune
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Historical Fiction
Review: Clearly, Ford has done his research and gives the reader a wonderful story to read as well as a glimpse into the life of the professional soldier. His descriptions of the rough terrain of Persia and Ionia, as well as his familiarity with ancient Greek language and culture, makes this book a great addition to anyone's library. It is that great rarity--a book you can read anywhere without feeling guilty because you haven't put your brain in gear. I actually read it on the stairmaster and underlined the great passages later! For folks who are interested in the cultures and campaigns of the ancient world as well as aficionados of classical literature, this book is well worth the read! Also recommended: Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield Tides of War by Steven Pressfield Last of the Amazons by Steven Pressfield The Iliad by Homer The Odyssey by Homer The Greek Myths by Robert Graves
Rating:
Summary: Not worth your time
Review: I read the mixed reviews prior to purchasing this book and decided to depend on the many positive ones. Mistake! Like many others, I could have cared less about Xenophon by the end of the story. He seemed more petty and manipulated by his circumstances than heroic and driven by a higher purpose. There were hints that a personal climax was ahead for Theo when he narrated the widening a gap between himself and Xenophon. However this never occured. At the end, Theo (who was said earlier in the book to be older than Xenophon) ended up taking care of him in his dotage by whiping his backside and taking care of every other need of his senility. Theo was a freedman - why did he stay if he felt removed from Xenophon? Xenophon was wealthy, why didn't he have slaves to do this for him? We're never told. I was surprised that no other reviewer mentioned the vulgarity in the book. The F-word is used very liberally. It's possibly forgivable to allow the Spartan generals to swear with the best modern drill sargeant since that keeps it in context. But it extends to Theo's narrative description of f***ing rivers, etc. Completely unnecessary and distracting. If Mr. Ford is such a student of the ancient Greek, it would have been more powerful for him to use colloquial oaths of the time rather than trudge through the gutter with modern profanity. This book was a complete disappointed.
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