- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Macmillan; First UK Edition edition (3 Oct 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0230530656
- ISBN-13: 978-0230530652
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 312,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Lost Army
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'There can be few better escapes from economic misery and the British winter than a sword-and-sandals romp through ancient times'
--Sunday Express
--Sunday Express
Product Description
The next searing adventure from the bestselling author of THE LAST LEGION
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
A Lost Classic - What happened to the sons of the 300 and how 1 woman changed their fate.
16 Nov 2008
Format:Hardcover
Love and War are two classic themes which are skilfully woven into Manfredi's take on the journey of 10,000 Greek mercenaries whose ancestors were the 300 who defended the Fiery Gates under Leonidas . These are the infamous Red Cloaks who fight to win a battle in 401 BC with consequences they could not foresee.
Abira is a beautiful, young village girl, who is literally swept off her feet by the soldier scout and army chronologist Xeno. She knows he is her ticket out of the Village of the Belt where she could marry a boy chosen by her family & remember with regret this stranger or she could seize her chance ...
So how does this girl cover thousands of kilometres with the Red Cloaks, across extreme terrains, become a pivotal part in this herd of soldiers return only to be stoned & left of dead?
I was given this book as a gift & what an enlightening gift this proved to be. For whatever reason, historic tales have never featured much in my reading lists - however this book may change that! In my naivety, I didn't realise this was story grounded in real events, it matches any Hollywood sword and scandal epic & makes the story all the more enthralling.
Take this book away with you on holiday if you`re crossing difficult terrains or need to immerse yourself in a different battle from your daily commute and let its pace engulf you.
Abira is a beautiful, young village girl, who is literally swept off her feet by the soldier scout and army chronologist Xeno. She knows he is her ticket out of the Village of the Belt where she could marry a boy chosen by her family & remember with regret this stranger or she could seize her chance ...
So how does this girl cover thousands of kilometres with the Red Cloaks, across extreme terrains, become a pivotal part in this herd of soldiers return only to be stoned & left of dead?
I was given this book as a gift & what an enlightening gift this proved to be. For whatever reason, historic tales have never featured much in my reading lists - however this book may change that! In my naivety, I didn't realise this was story grounded in real events, it matches any Hollywood sword and scandal epic & makes the story all the more enthralling.
Take this book away with you on holiday if you`re crossing difficult terrains or need to immerse yourself in a different battle from your daily commute and let its pace engulf you.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have not read any of the author's other books but wanted a change. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, yes the translation is a bit hit and miss at times, it drags in places and hurries in others...but is perfect escapism, every time I picked it up I was transported from the doom & gloom of recession and awful weather to a story rich in romance, history(however loosely based) and a gripping tale of triumph over adversity.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Ostensibly narrated by a female camp follower, this book portrays the katàbasis (return) of the Greek mercenaries of Xenophon's famed 'Anabasis' ('Journey Up-country'). The Ten Thousand was not a single homogeneous uniform community, and Manfredi addresses the fact that life in the Greek army was mainly formed by a collection of groups, e.g., the informal companionship of the suskenia (mess) is contrasted with the military unit and loyalties of the lochos (company) and realistically informs the narrative text. But, oh dear! Manfredi does dwell on the casualties and cruelties of battle, and then some ... However, it is notable the writing style - or, to be accurate, translated writing style - has improved somewhat since the earliest novels, although an impression persists that the reader is perusing a 'film treatment' rather than a novel per se. Some sections of the novel are almost Homeric in their descriptive power, but the dialogue between the characters does not live up to these. Manfredi has also invented an imaginary scenario / hypothesis that Sparta meant the 10,000 to either win or disappear which, given the reputation of the Spartans, is not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility. In the context of The Lost Army he also frequently refers back to the ultimately useless sacrifice of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, as if for some reason the triumph of the 10,000 was revenge for the past.
Ultimately the straggling army reached the shores of the Black (Euxine) Sea, hailing it in a famed shout of joy: 'thalatta, thalatta' (the sea, the sea!), where they erected a trophy monument to their achievement. However, if you want to know the 'real' Xenophon, go to the original 'Anabasis': apart from the surprisingly easy-to-read original Greek for classics students, there are several excellent translations on the market.
Ultimately the straggling army reached the shores of the Black (Euxine) Sea, hailing it in a famed shout of joy: 'thalatta, thalatta' (the sea, the sea!), where they erected a trophy monument to their achievement. However, if you want to know the 'real' Xenophon, go to the original 'Anabasis': apart from the surprisingly easy-to-read original Greek for classics students, there are several excellent translations on the market.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wow what a journey
Wow what a journey and to think it might have happened this way. And there was a lost army that made this journey. A story of survival, love and struggle. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jeanne Lee
very bad translation
If I were being generous I'd say Manfredi was let down by his translator, but I suspect the book is a turkey in any language. Read more
Published on 18 May 2010 by Simon A. Wright
Lost in the trilogy
Book arrived in pristine condition within two days.Fascinating book within the trilogy, very well written, difficult to put down.
Published on 21 April 2010 by History lover
ChrisJ
I am an avid reader of ancient history and a fan of Valerio Massimo Manfredi hence the purchase of The Lost Army. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2010 by Mr. C. P. Johnson
Manfredi...not as his best
Not much to say really, the book wasn't as gripping as some other of V.M. Manfredi's novels. The ending especially was a bit... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2009 by Bucsa Oana Maria
Great story, not helped by translation (or editor)
Great story - can't really go wrong with a novel based on Xenophon's adventure - but the translation seems a bit woody and some rather ponderous sentences that could have done with... Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by J. Ogden
The Lost Army
Bought as a present for my husband who loved it, said he couldn't put it down.
Published on 16 Feb 2009 by Mrs. J. Lester
The Lost Army
Enjoyed his Alexander books and particularly The lost Legion, but since then its been a downward spiral, Will not be purching any more of his books and didn't finish this one!
Published on 30 Jan 2009 by S. Fahey
slow hard read
not a book that i wanted to pick up agen. Its slow and not that thrilling. Good for one read.
Published on 29 Jan 2009 by Peter Brinkworth
Brilliant epic story
This is a terrific novel. Manfredi has made the main narrator a woman who travels with the army and falls in love with one of its generals. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2009 by Gary O'Reilly
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