About book The Ten Thousand: A Novel Of Ancient Greece (2002)
The Ten Thousand: A Novel of Ancient Greece - Michael Curtis FordBetween 401 BC and 399 BC, a Greek army (consisting of the wayward cast-offs of the Peloponnesian War) marched its way into the heart of the Persian Empire (current day Iraq, ironically enough), supporting a contender for the Persian throne. When their employer had an unfortunate (and fatal) encounter with a Persian sword and the army's supply train was ravaged by the Persian cavalry, the Greeks found themselves stranded and alone in the midst of the Persian Empire, surrounded by enemies, cut off from the sea.This then is the famed tale of the Ten Thousand, The Anabasis, by Xenophon, an Athenian exile of noble blood, who helped lead the beseiged Greek army in an epic march across Persian and Armenia to the Black Sea and the safety of the Greek colonies.I doubt anyone can read The Anabasis and not wonder at the Greeks horrific and epic struggle to reach safety, or not feel a tingle down their spine when they cross that last range of mountains and wearily raise their eyes to the spy the far blue of the sea...it is a tale indeed.The Ten Thousand goes to great (and mostly worthy) efforts to retell the same tale as Xenophon, as told by his slave (later freedman) Theo. The characters are well-drawn, particularly the war-ravaged and acid-tongued Spartan general leading the Greek mercenary army but I found my interest flagging shortly after the long journey out of Persia began. Despite efforts by the author to dress it up with a side-story romance between Theo and a beautiful Persian concubine, the journey of The Ten Thousand becomes much like the journey of the Greeks - long, difficult, somewhat tedious, and intermittantly exciting. The first half of the book, leading up to the events of the Ten Thousand's March were (I thought anyway) far more interesting as it gave you a glimpse into the life in Athens, Spartan politics and the chaos that followed the long Peloponnesian War. It is not bad, but it is not great.I suppose if you haven't read The Anabasis previously, The Ten Thousand may be a more fresh and exciting story - but for my money, read Xenophon himself instead. There is less hand-holding and it is, as with many classical stories, written in a style that is sometimes stiff and archaric to modern readers, but...it is permeated with the beliefs and thoughts of its writer and participants, and so you get a direct sense of how the Greeks fought, thought and died, how they debated and made decisions, guided by both reason and omens from the gods. A better book set in ancient Greece is Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, telling a vivid (and bloody) account of the Battle of Thermoplye and the 300 Spartans. I highly recommend this book.If you are interested, you can grab the complete text of Xenophon 's Anabasis from Project Gutenberg. You can even download it onto your PDA...There's something rather kicky about reading a text written more than 2,000 years ago on a 21st century device, even if you do prefer paper.
When I finish a book I ask myself two questions. Do I want to re-read it in the future and do I want to read more from the author. I really wanted to put this in the re-read category, but no. I will venture into another effort by MCF, in time, but unless I delve into the original book, this story will rest. That's not to say it isn't a good story. Battles, blood, gangrene and all the other aspects of a brutal campaign were certainly peppered throughout the book, but in terms of story telling, character is revealed through action, and thinking is action; not the action of the chaos surrounding the characters. I won't go into the story, there are plenty of other, much higher quality reviews that detail the characters and plot. The biggest problem for me with the book was the ending. I wanted more from the characters. I needed the story arcs brought to a close, characters reconciled in some way. I was reminded of the old soldiers of Pickett's Charge re-enacting some many years later and the old Union soldiers leaving the fence to met them on the field to hug them. A sense of closure for the immense loss. This is what was missing. Do the old Greek soldiers meet up to talk about the adventure? Do any go back to find the camp followers who were most likely put into slavery (wives and children)?It was a good story, with what could have been mighty, heroic figures, but in the end this reader did not connect.
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“I have 3 books by M C Ford..... :) Fiction set in ancient Greece now. Xenophon â�� a true legend whose adventure 2000 years old & still inspires many great fictional stories on the same. A follower of Socrates from Greeceâ��s affluent & powerful family, goes into hiding thanks to the rule of the 30 tyrants after Athens defeat at Spartaâ��s hand. Moves to the Army of Persian satrap Cyrus who wants to overthrow his elder brother Artaxerxses to succeed the throne of Persia. Unfortunately as in real life Cyrus gets killed in the fight he was winning. He leaves behind a 10,000 strong Greek mercenary army miles & miles away from home. The general Clearchus gets killed by deceit and finally Xenophon stands in as the General of this mercenary army of 10,000 and gets them back to Greece. All throughout the Persian army numbering 10 lakhs are following them and trying to subdue them from escaping. Itâ��s a fantastic story which Xenophon actually pens down himself. The same narrative is a inspiration for Alexander to invade Persia and he has this copy with him during the Campaign. This book is the Fictional rendition of the same story. Itâ��s well written and I find that the way facts blend with fiction itâ��s impossible to tell where exactly. Thus makes the whole read a very believable story. Good book for Historical fiction buffâ��s. ”
—Masen Production
"The Ten Thousand" is an historical novel, a re-telling of "The Anabasis" with embellishments and dialogue, some romantic interests, etc. It's based on the first-hand account by Xenophon of the "march upcountry," where ten thousand Greek mercenaries--betrayed by their Persian "allies" who kill the Greek's leaders--decide not to surrender but instead to head north from Baghdad to reach safety on the shores of the Black Sea. The Persian kings and princes are corrupt and devious, and their soldiers will fight only when forced to, but the Greeks are disciplined and determined. They elect Xenophon their leader based on his abilities, and eventually, after fighting their way through hostile territory, reach the Greek colonies on the Black Sea. This book is based on, "The Anabasis" (march upcountry) a classic of ancient history told as a first-person account by Xenophon, who wrote his memoir late in his life. He's considered one of the first true historians. There are also contemporary political parallels here as the Greeks are considered the progenitors of democracy while the Persians evolved into the Iranians, whose national character was formed during this period of early history (c.400 bc). I'd recommend to anyone interested in this period of classical history to first read "The Anabasis" itself--it's a rewarding read.
—Gary Quien
A very detailed story based on the writings of Theo, a former Greek slave who earned his freedom by saving the life of his master's son. He remains loyal to the son throughout a campaign in ancient Persia and the resulting horrendous trek the Ten Thousand undertook in an effort to get home through completely hostile lands after battling the Persians in 400 B.C. This novel chronicles that journey and what a trip it is. The descriptions of the land, tribes and weather that were constant deadly obstacles in their path is written in a way that had you on the road with the Hellenes. Well done.
—Bobby
