Arimnestos is a farm boy when war breaks out between the citizens of his native Plataea and their overbearing neighbours, Thebes. Standing in the battle line for the first time, alongside his father and brother, he shares in a famous and unlikely victory. But after being knocked unconscious in the melee, he awakes not a hero, but a slave. Betrayed by his jealous and cowardly cousin, the freedom he fought for has now vanished, and he becomes the property of a rich citizen. So begins an epic journey from slavery that takes the young Arimnestos through a world poised on the brink of an epic confrontation, as the emerging civilization of the Greeks starts to flex its muscles against the established empire of the Persians. As he tries to make his fortune and revenge himself on the man who disinherited him, Arimnestos discovers that he has a talent that pays well in this new, violent world - for like his hero, Achilles, he is 'a killer of men'.
Killer of Men (The Long War)
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Book Description
In the epic clash of Greece and Persia, a hero is forged - the monumental new novel from the author of the Tyrant series.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'll get the very few and minor flaws of this book out of the way early on. The hero Arimnestos or Doru (spear) as he is later to become, sails very close, at times, to the 'too good to be true' trap. And the author's preoccupation with the blushes of young girls was a little irritating. However, despite the above I have been the complete prisoner of this book for the last 4 evenings, with the need for eating, sleeping and working being really annoying distractions from Camerons completely absorbing Greek world.
I read the first of Cameron's Tyrant series and really enjoyed it though found it a little slow. There is nothing slow about this book.
The story is of a Greek warrior who is telling his life story to his daughter and her young maid (she of the blushes). So the action is all in the first person perspective and it is a tale of ups and downs as Doru discovers his gift as a warrior but also has to come to terms with the darker parts of his soul, he is after all a killer of men!
His fortunes swing backwards and forwards and see him become a hero, a slave, outcast and shamed and then struggle to recover his pride and fortune again.
The book has plenty of action but I was as equally gripped by Doru's time as a slave and by the petty politics and power struggles of the warlords and tyrants. Also the historical content is fascinating and a much under visited time period.
It put me very much in mind of another master story teller Steven Pressfield. And whilst it did not actually reduce me to tears as 'Gates of Fire' did, I was very much caught up in this emotional roller coaster of a book.
It seems this (I'm guessing) trilogy is going to climax with the battle of Marathon but I would guess there is a lot more mayhem to come on the way. Already we have had battles between Greek cities, the opening skirmishes of the first Greek/ Persian war and a couple of epic sea battles and We have seen Doru leave his childhood behind him and become a formidable warrior.
I will definately be looking forward to the next in the series but would just urge the author to guard against letting the hero become too perfect, as this does undermine the realism and believability of what is a terrific story.
I read the first of Cameron's Tyrant series and really enjoyed it though found it a little slow. There is nothing slow about this book.
The story is of a Greek warrior who is telling his life story to his daughter and her young maid (she of the blushes). So the action is all in the first person perspective and it is a tale of ups and downs as Doru discovers his gift as a warrior but also has to come to terms with the darker parts of his soul, he is after all a killer of men!
His fortunes swing backwards and forwards and see him become a hero, a slave, outcast and shamed and then struggle to recover his pride and fortune again.
The book has plenty of action but I was as equally gripped by Doru's time as a slave and by the petty politics and power struggles of the warlords and tyrants. Also the historical content is fascinating and a much under visited time period.
It put me very much in mind of another master story teller Steven Pressfield. And whilst it did not actually reduce me to tears as 'Gates of Fire' did, I was very much caught up in this emotional roller coaster of a book.
It seems this (I'm guessing) trilogy is going to climax with the battle of Marathon but I would guess there is a lot more mayhem to come on the way. Already we have had battles between Greek cities, the opening skirmishes of the first Greek/ Persian war and a couple of epic sea battles and We have seen Doru leave his childhood behind him and become a formidable warrior.
I will definately be looking forward to the next in the series but would just urge the author to guard against letting the hero become too perfect, as this does undermine the realism and believability of what is a terrific story.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The best way to sum this novel up is OMG. Its definitely my must buy recommendation to all fans of the historical fiction genre and one that I'm also recommending to a number of fantasy fans who've also enjoyed offerings in the Greek world by people like David Gemmell.
Add to this mix a tale of war, of slavery and of course the events of the ancient world as seen by a warrior in hindsight and its definitely something special. Christian adds great storytelling in an almost campfire tradition backed up with almost unparalleled dialogue and characters that step from the past to the reader of today's imagination and I suspect that it could inspire many a future classical historian.
Add to this mix a tale of war, of slavery and of course the events of the ancient world as seen by a warrior in hindsight and its definitely something special. Christian adds great storytelling in an almost campfire tradition backed up with almost unparalleled dialogue and characters that step from the past to the reader of today's imagination and I suspect that it could inspire many a future classical historian.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Parm
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
This review is from: Killer of Men (Hardcover)
When i started this book i was a little taken aback with the style, it was not what i had come to expect from Chris, that's not to say it was bad, it was just different, it was enough of a change to give me slight pause to think has the man lost it? should he have stuck with a winning formula like the tyrant series?
None of this should make you stop reading, because as you carry on reading you suddenly find your self being pulled into the world or Arimnestos.
Day one of reading this book and before i knew it it was 3 am and i really didn't want to put the book down. By the time i finished the book i had gone through a roller-coaster of emotions alongside my friend Arimnestos, i had lost sleep every night and been left reconsidering quite a few of his actions, what would i do it that situation? am i a good enough man to stand along side him, could i have stood in the storm of Bronze?
This book is a truly brilliant piece of writing, not only is it a great escape from real life it is also a great exploration of the human soul and a sometimes deadlier, some times more civilised more enlightenment time .
The other big authors of the genre will have to work damn hard this year to stop this being my book of the year.
So the challenge has been made Mr's Scarrow, Iggulden and Co can you beat this?
For you the readers...this is a must buy, If Christian does make it to the UK i will do my very best to secure Signed copies, but buy a copy of this book you cannot miss this book.
9/10 (always leave room for improvement no matter how good it is..LOL)
(Parm)
When i started this book i was a little taken aback with the style, it was not what i had come to expect from Chris, that's not to say it was bad, it was just different, it was enough of a change to give me slight pause to think has the man lost it? should he have stuck with a winning formula like the tyrant series?
None of this should make you stop reading, because as you carry on reading you suddenly find your self being pulled into the world or Arimnestos.
Day one of reading this book and before i knew it it was 3 am and i really didn't want to put the book down. By the time i finished the book i had gone through a roller-coaster of emotions alongside my friend Arimnestos, i had lost sleep every night and been left reconsidering quite a few of his actions, what would i do it that situation? am i a good enough man to stand along side him, could i have stood in the storm of Bronze?
This book is a truly brilliant piece of writing, not only is it a great escape from real life it is also a great exploration of the human soul and a sometimes deadlier, some times more civilised more enlightenment time .
The other big authors of the genre will have to work damn hard this year to stop this being my book of the year.
So the challenge has been made Mr's Scarrow, Iggulden and Co can you beat this?
For you the readers...this is a must buy, If Christian does make it to the UK i will do my very best to secure Signed copies, but buy a copy of this book you cannot miss this book.
9/10 (always leave room for improvement no matter how good it is..LOL)
(Parm)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bloodthirsty
Interesting period in history and that is why I bought this book. I didn't like it and will not be reading the next 2 books in the series
Published 1 day ago by John M Myers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and educating
After reading The Mongoliad by Neal Stephenson et al I decided I would try some more historical fiction, so I picked up Christian Cameron's Tom Swan series, which gave me a taste... Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. J. Tysoe
5.0 out of 5 stars
outstanding
What a fantastic novel.Some other reviewers have criticized the first person narrative,but to me it was the perfect medium. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Stephen Parkin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Battles, politics and seafaring Lesbians
I read a lot of historical fiction but hadn't tried Christian Cameron before. Really glad I did as this was a promising start to a new series. Read more
Published 2 months ago by P. Higgins
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first read op Christian Cameron
A little unsure to start with, but soon got into the story. By the end I knew I had to buy the sequel (marathon). Arimnestos is one hard bastard. Long may he reign.
Published 2 months ago by jonboy
4.0 out of 5 stars
good story
good first book but unsure of the wat he is telling the story to an audience, having said that i will buy the next as dont like not reading the series
Published 3 months ago by crumble
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exemplary Historical Fiction
Very simply, Killer of Men and the entire Long War series is top shelf fiction. Mr. Cameron captures the period in vivid detail, the characters are nuanced, and the story is... Read more
Published 3 months ago by C. Nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars
killer story
from the beginning the writer has you griped,the story flows and takes you
there. Marathon is on my buy list
there. Marathon is on my buy list
Published 4 months ago by Joseph Michael Simpson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tremendous
You cant get much better than Mr Cameron when it comes to ancient Greece and bloody battles. If you are looking for a good fast paced read believable characters and enough... Read more
Published 5 months ago by techphobic
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unmissable
I was encouraged to read this book and, as a lover of good historical fiction, I acquired a copy. I was not disappointed and I completed the book in under a week, it was so good. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Chirpy
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