Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good
Review: Generally good writing throughout the book. Yet it suffers some from attempting to cover such a lengthy journey. At times it reads as if important details are being skipped and interesting events are merely summarized in order to move things along. Still, the many trials of these soldiers are clearly described and a few good accounts of battles are given. Overall a decent story.
Rating:
Summary: A new voice for an old tale
Review: Though I'm not much older than someone who has graduated from High School, I found this tale rather more inciteful than studying the Greek Literature. Michael Ford's first book has made this tale easier to swallow than reading "Theo's" old text. If you read this book, it at least gives you an idea of who Xenophon was through the expedition. A very realistic approach of what happened since most Greek literature I read has something to do with Sirens, immortals, and great heroes who can butcher 50 people without suffering a blow.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so civilized
Review: A tale of a little known era in history. The times were not as civilized as is the general impression, "western culture" was still in its infant stage. The book brings this out clearly besides being a rip-snorting tale of adventure and intrique. In some respects the brutality of 2 1/2 millenia ago are still prevalent today, we need to study this example to avoid slipping backwards. The well-drawn characters are an excellent guide in this regard.
Rating:
Summary: The Ten Thousand - Restored
Review: Michael Curtis Ford's historical novel The Ten Thousand is a faithful and exquisitely written modern-day reworking of one of the most enduring adventure stories from the ancient Greek world, Xenophon's Anabasis. The original work by the renegade Athenian cavalry warrior Xenophon is his personal record of his (purportedly) single-handed rescue of a straggling army of ten thousand Greek soldiers stranded deep within the territory of Persia. They came to be so stranded because their leader, the Persian rebel Cyrus who wished to overthrow his brother the King of Persia, fell in battle at Cunaxa, and the Greek generals were subsequently butchered through an act of treachery by the Persian leader Tissaphernes.Imagine finding yourself in such a state. The year is 401 B.C. You are a wealthy Athenian aristocrat, a hardened equestrian, under the age of thirty. Conditions at home are politically untenable and personally unbearable for you in the aftermath of Athens' defeat in a long war with her adversary the city of Sparta. Consequently, at the insistent appeal of your cousin and childhood friend, you have left your home city to join in the riskiest of operations: a rebellion against none other than the Persian King himself. But now the uprising has failed. The army is trapped behind enemy lines, ringed by powerful enemies, leaderless, disorganized, demoralized, disconsolate, starving, injured, dying. Suddenly you, up to now a mere spectator, receive a vision that inspires you to take charge of your fellow men and bring them out of Persia and back home to Greece. You are still too young to be a general. But take charge you must - yourself. This was Xenophon's state, and according to him, writing under the pseudonym of Themistogenes, he did rise to the occasion and lead the Greeks back to the Black Sea. Mr. Ford has taken the name of Themistogenes to refer to Theo, a slave of Xenophon's father Gryllus, who is charged with the care of the young boy, nicknamed Aedon ("nightingale") for his singing ability. Theo becomes Aedon's (later the grown-up Xenophon's) close confidant who accompanies him to Persia and back, and the events unfold before us in the book in his narrative voice. Denizens of the ancient world as well as adventure spirits of all kinds will take immense pleasure in this extraordinarily profound and vivid work, with its linguistic undulations of mood and tone; its gripping, often lurid, descriptions of battle scenes and other crises; and its constant level of suspense. There is a burning romance between the narrator and a (sometimes naked) lady of uniquely alluring independent spirit, and all throughout the reader feels the power of friendship ebb and flow, in frequent combat with the forces of military enmity and personal resentment and hostility. Mr. Ford may justifiably take on a new epithet: either "the second Xenophon" or "the second Themistogenes", whichever he prefers. My only criticism of the work is that it is long - in excess of 350 pages. Readers must apply Herculean efforts in the latter stages to persist through the book's seemingly random and disconnected final scenes. Nonetheless, when they at last prevail to the strikingly unexpected conclusion - as they inevitably will do - their grandiose achievement in reading the book will be manifest. So readers, beware when purchasing Michael Curtis Ford's The Ten Thousand. You must equip yourselves - with numerous bedtime or late-night snacks or what-have-you - to prepare for an odyssey of epic proportions - one unconditionally worthwhile upon its completion.
Rating:
Summary: History and Fiction You Can't Put Down
Review: Never mind those skimmers who want from the trite crap between the covers of their paper-back bed-mates a chance to fantsize about partners they'll never have. For readers (properly so-called) of novels (properly so-called) who want books of substance, here is your book of the year -- a rewarding piece of historical fiction that repays the mind while gripping the imagination. Michael Ford has penned a remarkable story around a remarkable event, about which few of us know enough to even begin imagining. Thanks to his research, the unimaginable details are all true of their kind, and writ here in vivid color; thanks to his creative vision and splendid way with words, this epic tale unfolds before one's very eyes like the grand event itself, complete with characters you'll hate, characters you'll love, and characters you don't know how to judge for the life of you. The academic side of me, who teaches more Socrates in a semester than he cares to acknowledge, learned more about that era and that world than from any textbook; the mountain-climber side of me, who goes out of his way for the extraordinary, found this book to be better than a cold peak. Pity we don't have more of substance like this fine book. Don't wait for the movie, which will never be half as good. Buy it and read it, and then read it again.
Rating:
Summary: I don't like to read, but this was worth it!
Review: Although the backdrop of ancient greece generally appeals only to academians and intellectuals (of which i am neither), I found a refreshing universality in Ford's tale of Xenophon. Conflicts ranging from father-son relationships, patriotism, familial loyalty, friendship, cultural differences, and romantic love are all covered in this very well written novel. Ford has shown great ability in describing both the boorish behavior of soldiers-at-war one moment, and the high brow intellectualism of Socratic thought, the next. His adept use of language enhances the reader's ability to visualize the trials and tribulations of the novel's hero, and the situations at hand. This book can appeal to everyone. Hopefully Ford's next novel will come very soon.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel of guts and glory in ancient Greece
Review: Michael Ford's meticulous research of his subject has brought us insight into the lust, greed, deceit, and loyalties of Ancient Greece. The Ten Thousand is a gripping, exciting and compelling novel and Ford has made Xenophon's tale come alive with each page. A must read for anyone who enjoys reading a book that's packed with action and intrigue.
Rating:
Summary: The book makes my ancestors come alive. . . .
Review: As a Greek, I found myself drawn to the picture on the cover, only to find that the pages within held an even better image of ancient Greece than this fine art work. The picture painted is a grim one, interesting in both its history and philosophical monologues. This is a thinker's book. It contains facts and fiction, both baked to the point of perfection in the author's oven. Well, at least, he did a better job of writing the book than I did this review. Don't get it if you are strongly opposed to graphic violence and language. However, if you enjoy learning about history and like tragic and dramatic plots, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: A great epic full of battle scenes, friendships and honor
Review: The Ten Thousand is a rampaging read of a book. Michael Ford grabs the reader from the opening pages and doesn't let up until the final page. His attention to detail and action-packed fight scenes really keep the book moving.
Rating:
Summary: A detailed recreation of a unknown time
Review: A great novel by Michael Ford. The breadth of characters and a sense of the time are very compelling. The mercenaries' battles were very Sisyphusian.
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