Customer Reviews

Tyrant: Funeral Games

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

They say that history is written by the victors, and with the pure joy that Christian brings to his novels I can forgive some reinterpretation of the facts to aid in the telling of the tale.

As usual with Christian's work it is a sheer delight as it speeds its way through each of the events within, the writing is sparse in description which only goes to add to the enjoyment from the tale. With characters that you really want to not only get to know but spend your time with.

Add to this that if you want BC (that's BC as in Before Christ not Bernard Cornwell) then there really is no one out there writing this time period better. Cameron is not only a name to watch but one that is fast becoming the name to set your standard by.

I is rather rare to have a series where book three is (almost) as good as the two previous ones, which, in my view, merit five stars each. This one is a very good read and rather exciting: a real page-turner. The characters are well drawn. The book is well written. The author is generally well documented but here comes the catch: for the purpose of this novel, Chris Cameron has, for once, taken a few liberties with history. This is especially the case in the second half of the book, with the campaign culminating in the battle of Gaza. Some are the author's interpretations, made for the purpose of the novel.

One such is the idea that Antigonos' real intention in 312-311 was to conquer Egypt and that his movement with the larger part of his army towards Europe was just a feint. The opposite seems to have been the case, with Demetrios' role being to hold Syria and Palestine against Ptolemy. As a matter of fact, Ptolemy's army at the battle of Gaza seems to have been LARGER than that of Demetrios who certainly did not have 20000 heavy infantry (only 11000). There was no native egyptian phalanx, whether hoplites or sarissa-armed at the time. This is an anachronism (at least according to the sources): native egyptians (as opposed to Greco-Macedonian colonists or mercenaries) were only sarissa-armed for the battle of Raphia in 217 by one of Ptolemy's sucessors. The battle itself was not a climax. It was mainly a cavalry fight and the phalanxes do not even seem to have engaged with each other. Losses were slight, mainly cavalry (about 500 each side out of 4000 on each side). Demetrios fled the field once his left wing cavalry had been broken and 8000 of his heavy infantry surrendered almost without a fight, once they were surrounded by ennemy cavalry. Ptolemy, short of manpower, took them over (they were not sold off as slaves).

Another comment: what happens to Banugul after Herakles is captured by Stratokles? She seems to vanish from the story...

Despite this (and a few other) minor inaccuracies, Chris Cameron does a very good job in making this rather complex (but fascinating) period come to life. Many of his secondary characters are in fact real, such as Stratokles, the scheeming Athenian, or Herakles, who did present himself as the son of Alexander (and of Barsine, not of Banugul).

A really good read so far, it is keeping me entertained so I will read the series right the way through from start to finish. But being even handed like other books of this period type sometimes they dwell on the politics a bit too much for me, but that's just me as I enjoy the military side more.

It really is easy to write a review for Christian's books..."Bloody Great...Go buy it".

But if that's was all it took then why would we all bother doing this?
None the less the statement is as accurate as can be, I have not read a single poorly phrased chapter, or paragraph the man has written.
The period is very underwritten, so he has a chance to stand out and shine.
I think his brilliance stems from his obvious Love of the period, he being a re-enactor as well as a writer, and I think that it's this re-enactment passion and experiencing so much of what his characters would have gone through that makes the books come to life.
If a man can really live and breathe his passion its Christian Cameron, and I feel privileged by the end of the book to have shared that experience. Because the passion shines through in every single character shaped with care attention and love, I don't know if they are based on people he knows and cares about, or just people he wishes he knew, but they are so well rounded they are alive by the time you have read the book, and any death is keenly felt.

Read the book enjoy the ride. Experience the History
(Parm)

This was the best Tyrant novel yet. Kineas' children find their world turned upside down and are thrown into a desperate struggle for survival. The novel was the most action-packed of the three Tyrant novels, including a huge phalanx-eye view of a battle. As usual, Cameron's writing fully involves the reader in the historical era. He has definitely become my favorite historical fiction author.

I purchase these books by this author for my husband he loves reading them as soon as a Christian Cameron book comes out I buy them

This book lived up to my expectations. As good as the rest of the series. Definitely one to keep and re-read.

I read a lot of reviews about this series and gambled on buying it. Disappointed as several characters had such similar names that I was constantly questioning the author's reasoning for this. The writing had several weak points before reaching stronger points. I have been reading several trilogies lately and have found better ones out there.

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 historical reference to put you right in the middle of the ancient world I would recommend you take up the Tyrant series or indeed the Long War series. I eagerly await the next installment.

Great read.Although you can't take this book on its own the first book is a must,then everything makes sense.Already reading the third book.