Tyrant, the solo fictional debut of Christian Cameron, who with his father writes naval thrillers under the nom de plume of Gordon Kent, is a pretty handy addition to a genre I can best describe as pre-Christian historical military fiction. Fans of the likes of Conn Iggulden's Emperor series, Simon Scarrow's Eagle series or Steven Pressfield's work are likely to enjoy Cameron's tale of Greek mercenaries, fresh from Alexander the Great's campaigns, fighting against impossible odds on the plains of what is now the Russian caucasus. Certainly both the setting and the cast of characters (the latter a mix of Greeks, western European mercenaries and local tribesmen) feel fresh, the historical details feel accurate and for the most part there is enough action to sustain a sense of excitement.
Good though the book for the most part is however, it is by no means perfect. For a start it felt longer than its 400 pages, and at certain points I found it hard to sustain interest in it. This is mostly due to pacing issues during the third quarter of the book where the reader, like the characters, is left waiting for something to happen. Tightening up the narrative and getting rid of some of the flabbier bits of the book would not have gone amiss.
Speaking of flab, my other major gripe is that as the book progresses at times it increasingly veers towards the prentensious. Not only did I find the repeated 'dreams' experienced by Kineas, the central character, an increasingly wearisome plot device, but some of the authors' descriptions of people, places and events tended towards the overly florid and excessive at times.
Despite all this when the action get's going Tyrant remains an enjoyable read. Intended as the first in a series I will be interested to see where Cameron takes Kineas and the other characters he has introduced here. If he or his editors can correct the weaker elements on display in this first book then this could have the makings of a successful series. A good start if not a great one.