Great example of historical fiction

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	• Lion of Macedon David Gemmell Del Rey, 2005 - 528 pages average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Bullied youth makes good...

Gemmell's ambitious book takes an intimate look at a name that is associated with Alexander the Great, but not much else is known about him.
He is Parmenion, called the Death of Nations.
This is a very underrated book within David Gemmell's ever-increasing back catalouge. As guessed, it is situated in ancient Greece, several decades before the emergence of the great conqueror Alexander the Great.
We get to meet the main character, Parmenion, when he is just a young boy. He is a half-Spartan who is victimised, bullied, and despised by the Spartans. The Spartans are a warrior race who value military skills above all others. Their prejudice towards outsiders is just as legendary as their prowess on the battlefield.
Will Parmenion be able to rise above this, will he become bitter and twisted, will there be any joy in the life of this sorrowful, but brilliant boy? These are the kind of questions you will ask yourself as you read through the novel. I couldn't put it down! In the best of Greek tradition, the story is essentially a tragedy. Just when you thik good things will happen for our character, they will be just as quickly snatched away.
I think anybody who had a rough childhood would really relate to Parmenion. David Gemmell gives him life through the pages without descending into maudlin sentimentality. The reader can appreciate the motives for his actions, you are swept into his world and will cheer his triumphs against the odds, and you may shed a tear or two when things just don't work out for him.
I loved this book. Read it if you enjoyed the new Troy novel, or the films Alexander or Troy. Or just read it if you want to read about a boy rising past the abuse of his peers to become one of the greatest generals yet known.

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Great example of historical fiction

This and Dark Prince are both some very good reading for any fan of historical fiction. Gemmell really did his homework on Sparta and the Greeks for these couple of books. Reading them both was a great plessure for me. Parmenian is a great lead character and Gemmell finds plenty of other likable characters to further the story. The battles are great as can be expected from Gemmel. Really historical fiction as it ought to be written.

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Historical Fiction

I had put off reading this along with Dark Prince and the Troy series. Even though I was a huge fan of David Gemmell, I never really liked historical fiction. When I heard of his passing, I was sad that I would have no new fiction of his to read ever again, so I went out and picked up the Troy novels, Dark Prince and this one. I am delighted that this is a classic Gemmell tale with a liberal dash of historical names. Though he is historically accurate as far as the end results, how he arrives is entirely his own doing. The story centers around a half Spartan/half Macedonian named Parmenion who grows to be the greatest general of the known world. The story covers the fall of Sparta as the main power of Greece, as well as the rise of Thebes. It ends with the birth of Alexander the Great. It is a very good story with typical Gemmell battles, grand heroes, and the ever present magic of the source. This story is a winner.

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Competant

I usually don't read a lot of historical fiction, but this book was recommended as being quality, and they were right.

The characters are well written and believable, if a bit to "tragic" in the ancient literature sense. I was pleased to see Xenaphon as a character, as I have always been fascinated with the man. I also liked seeing a main character with enough flaws to make him seem believable without being gimped.

The story itself is well written and interesting conjuring images of other stories such as The March Of 10,000 and the movie 300.

I am not a big fan of magic making it's way into my historical fiction, but the way it was used didn't detract to much and was held to the ancient traditions, which worked.

The best part of this story is the history. Gemmell clearly knows his stuff and it shows. Historical fiction focusing on ancient times can be a bit fud, as there are less sources allowing the author to feel more ability to dramatize the history. Gemmell doesn't fall into this trap and the book feels very "real" for me.

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Written Well, But Nothing New...

I absolutely love David Gemmell, but this book was definitely not on par with some of his others. The writing was still crisp and clean, the action excellent, the characters interesting, entertaining, and three-dimensional, but the storyline fell short. I will always recommend any of David Gemmell's writing, but I would recommend some of his others first before the Lion of Macedon.

Parmenion is part Macedonian and part Spartan. Growing up in Sparta, he is never accepted by the other youth. Hate builds in his heart for Sparta and is fully realized after he defeats one of Sparta's best warriors. From then on his mission is to destroy the world's best fighting force. Sparta has never been defeated in battle when they have an equal or greater number of warriors.

Tamis is a seeress that has seen the future and found that there is only one man who can defend the world from the evil that is descending upon it. She ostracizes Parmenion from everything that he loves so he can become the deadliest warrior and general in the world and combat the evil coming.

David Gemmell continues with his excellent writing, but this story has been played out many times. He wrote a book in his Drenai tales that is similar to the Lion of Macedon (The King Beyond the Gate). I still recommend this book to those who love reading about ancient Greece and avid fantasy readers. Enjoy!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Over and again, the aged seeress Tamis scried all the possible tomorrows. In every one, dark forces threatened Greece; terrible evil was poised to reenter the world. The future held only one hope: a half-caste Spartan boy, Parmenion. So Tamis made it her mission to see that Parmenion would before the deadliest warrior in the world -- no matter what the cost.
Raised to manhood in Sparta, bullied and forced to fight for his life every day, Parmenion had no notion of the unseen dimensions of magic and mystery that shaped his fate. He grew in strength and cunning. His military genius earned him the title Strategos in Sparta. His triumphs for the city of Thebes made him a hero. And finally his fate led him to the service of Philip of Macedon.
As Tamis had foreseen, Parmenion's destiny was tied to the Dark God, to Philip, and to the yet-unborn Alexander. All too soon the future was upon them. Parmenion stood poised to defeat evil -- or to open the gate for the Dark God to reenter the world.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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