Customer Reviews

The Ten Thousand

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you read my feature on The Ten Thousand last month, then you might remember that I was quite excited by the sound of this novel. I'm not sure whether it was the cover art (yet another stunning Solaris cover), the premise (simple, but with real potential) or the prospect of epic battles that sparked my interest. It will suffice to say that something made this novel stand out for me, so when the ARC popped through my letterbox I was eager to see if my expectation was well-founded.

The novel itself is clearly inspired by the historical 'Ten Thousand' - the legendary army of largely Greek mercenaries that marched at the behest of Cyrus the Younger who hoped to seize control of the Persian Empire from his brother, Artaxerxes II. Except instead we have Ten Thousand elite warriors of the Macht, whose services have been hired by a wayward Prince to try and depose his brother, the Great King of the Assurian Empire. The novel follows the story of the Macht, as they leave their own country to fight their way across a vast, hostile Empire. And when things inevitably go pear-shaped, the story focuses on their fight for freedom as they seek to return to their homeland.

The first thing that struck me about this novel was Kearney's writing. I'd never read any of his novels before, and pretty soon I realised what I was missing. Kearney's writing style is very visceral and evocative; I was able to imagine some of the scenes extremely clearly, such was the atmosphere and emotions that were created. Yet he's versatile as well, as skilled at writing a huge battle scene involving thousands as he is writing a love scene. The pacing of the novel is solid and I particularly liked the short chapters, as they helped to emphasize and maintain this pacing. Kearney however is not just a very good writer, but a talented storyteller as well. I'd even go as far to say that there are shades of the great David Gemmell about him, in the way he handles human emotions and other themes like loyalty and courage.

The world of Kuf (not a name I liked at first, though it grew on me) is refreshing in the sense that rather than being influenced by the medieval, it clearly has its roots in the ancient world. The land of the Macht bears some resemblance to the Greek city states of antiquity, while the vast continent of the Assurian Empire - populated by a number of exotic races - is similar in many ways to the Persian Empire, with a geographically diverse landscape and numerous cities. I would have liked to have seen more of these cities and the culture within them, however the nature of the storyline meant that this was not really possible. Still, the world comes through well enough. It's not world-building on the Erikson scale by any means, but Kearney has nonetheless created an interesting, dynamic world with a definite sense of history.

The characters, as always, take prominence and there are a number of interesting figures in this novel. From Rictus, a youth driven on by his troubled past, to Vorus, a man caught between loyalty and his own contrasting beliefs, to Jason, a commander who realises - amid the horror of battle - what he really wants from life. Kearney manages to give each character a motive and avoids the evil-for-evil's-sake problem that so often tarnishes other novels of the genre. Kearney's characters find themselves in many horrific situations, and part of the enjoyment of the novel is watching how they handle the oppression and how their beliefs grow and change. On a greater level, Kearney does a very sound job of portraying humanity, with all its strengths, weaknesses and quirks. There are some powerful moments here, though it's hard to discuss them without spoiling the story. Suffice to say the human lust for gold and its devastating consequences are brilliantly shown.

The battle scenes are another strong point. Kearney manages to portray the fighting in agonising detail, right down to the beads of sweat on the soldiers' foreheads. It's gripping, brutal and horrifically realistic (I could use the word 'gritty' but I'm sick of hearing it). Though as good as the battles are, it was the relationships between the characters and their own personal journeys that I found more interesting.

The Ten Thousand is not without its flaws. The first half of the novel is not as strong as the second and there is a bit of a sense of waiting for something to happen (which is perhaps inevitable given the storyline). When said event did happen, it was like a switch had been flipped: suddenly I was engrossed, whereas before the novel - while holding my attention - was not as absorbing.

I also think that some of the characters could have done with a bit more depth. Gasca in particular was one character who I felt could have benefited from a bit more 'screen time' and at times I wasn't wholly convinced by his relationship with Rictus. Their friendship seemed to develop very quickly, yet I'm not sure we see enough evidence to back this up (with the exception of one or two scenes).

These relatively minor criticisms however don't spoil what is a very good novel indeed. An enthralling tale of epic battles and the strength (and weaknesses) of the human spirit, told excellently by Kearney through his vivid, evocative prose, The Ten Thousand could well be one of the best fantasy novels released this year.

a novel that comes in the sub category of fantasy novels known as epic fantasy. such stories are set in fantasy kingdoms, usually with no magic or fairy creatures in sight [as is the case here] and they are worlds where destiny and the future is being decided on the battlefield as fighting tears the world apart. Kings, generals, and ordinary people will usually be the viewpoint characters, all caught up in the great struggle. a struggle in which the harsh brutality of war will be shown, and some may find themselves.

All of which applies here.

In this particular fantasy kingdom the king is being challenged for the throne by his brother, and the latter puts together an army the bulk of which are ten thousand mercenary soldiers from the macht, a race of people to whom fighting is pretty much everything. they are very good soldiers.

running 465 pages subdivided into three parts, with a ten page glossary at the end to explain some of the words used, the book is a novel that stands entirely on it's own and isn't part of any series or trilogies so you don't need to read anything else to understand what goes on here.

the main viewpoint character is rictus, a young man whose first experience of battle does not go too well, and whose resulting life in the chaos of a destroyed homeland becomes nothing but fighting as he and a man called gasca whom he befriends on his travels join with the macht.

early parts of the book cover this and the macht then joining with the rebel army and the resulting campaign. the prose is good and readable, the characterisation solid, and the depiction of war uncompromisingly realistic. this and adult language and brutal moments mean it's not a book for the young.

All this is good and engaging but it's never quite unforgettable. It's good writing but not brilliant writing. then midway through the book things do not go accoridng to plan, and the macht have a fight on their hands to survive.

the writing really does click into gear at this point and the resulting problems and struggles the macht face do rather grip and will have you wondering if they, and in particular the viewpoint characters, can survive.

like real wars things are resolved not with last minute daring assaults but events happening elsewhere and fighting gradually ending. which leaves the question many of the characters have to answer of what happens next? This leads to an emotional ending that will linger in the mind for a while. If you find yourself caring about what happens to a character, and you will on several occasions here, then that's good writing.

4.5/5 for the first half of the book, but the rest does bring it up to five star level. the annals of heroic fantasy have a fine new entrant

I recommend the 10.000 to anyone, even those who , like me, had to to take High School tests on Xenophon's classic.Better yet, give it as a present to a teenager too steeped in heroic fantasy and drop a hint: he/she may start to learn that real history is much more complicated and fascinating than any well designed plot set in a surreal world.

A few months back I noted The Ten Thousand as being one of my hot tips for 2008. Reading a lengthy preview that the author sent me a while back reinforced this feeling, and now reading the complete novel has confirmed my initial guess. Probably the most underread author in epic fantasy has delivered his strongest novel to date.

The Ten Thousand is based on The Anabasis, the best-known work of the Greek writer Xenophon. In that book Xenohpon relates how a Greek mercenary force of ten thousand warriors was hired by Cyrus the Younger, a Persian prince seeking to supplant his brother. When Cyrus was killed, the Greek army had to fight its way out of the now-hostile empire and find its way home.

In this novel the setting is the world of Kuf, which is divided between two humanoid species: the Macht and the Kufr. The Macht live in a mountainous peninsula made up of feuding city-states (reminsicent of Greece), whilst the Kufr inhabit the vast Assurian Empire to the south-east which dominates a huge continent. Many of the most famous mercenary companies of the Macht are summoned to the capital where a vast host is being assembled to sail across the sea and join the armies of the Assurian pretender Arkamenes, who seeks to usurp his brother, Ashurnan. Amongst these are Gasca and Rictus, two young warriors who join up for very different reasons, the former to see the world and fight, the latter to forget the horrors of the destruction of his city and family. As the story proceeds we meet other characters: Jason, the young and charasmatic commander of one of the mercenary companies; Vorus, a Macht living amongst the Kufr who is an advisor to Ashurnan; and Tiryn, Arkamenes' consort.

The story unfolds similar to the events of history, with the Macht fighting their way into the very heart of the Empire where Ashurnan awaits them with a vast host. There, at the Battle of Kunaksa, the hinge of the world will turn, with dire consequences for everyone involved.

As normal, Kearney anchors the story on his characters: Rictus, the young warrior lost in his grief and rage who finds opportunity and responsibility thrust upon him; Jason, the popular commander who doesn't know what he wants from life until, amidst the blood and mud, he finds it; Vorus, the exiled warrior who finds his loyalties and admiralties torn; Ashurnan, a ruler desperately trying to be a great king but not knowing how, whilst his brother believes he is great and worthy and doesn't realise the truth; and Tiryn, whose own preconceptions and believes are put to the ultimate challenge. They are flawed people, but the reader cannot help empaphising with them and the increasingly harsh challenges they face.

Kearney has previously attracted the reputation of doing battle sequences better than almost any other writer in the genre, better than Bakker, Martin or Erikson, with perhaps only Gemmell and Cornwell at the very height of their powers challenging him. The battles here are hard, brutal affairs but they are also used to make the characters change and grow, with every engagement also reflecting some revelation or advancement in the characters. It is an excellent device, perhaps not a conscious one, but handled superbly.

In this one novel (The Ten Thousand is a stand-alone, although Kearney does not rule out other works set in the same world) Kearney successfully encapsulates all of his strengths as a writer, making for his tighest, most satisfying novel to date, and may possibly have just given us the best epic fantasy of 2008.

The Ten Thousand (*****) is an engrossing, superb novel of war and its impact on humanity with a fitting ending.

well what to say. firstly this is not an amazing or great book. it is a good book enjoyable but it will not stick out in your mind as one of those wow i have to get his other works books. this is the equivalent of an action movie kills the time and puts a smile on your face. there arnt to many charectors he dosnet try and develop them deeply and the story line is safe. it baisicly about a greek style phalnx army being hired as mercinarys to help in a coue in a persian style empire. nice blood and killing nice action good story line and worth the read.

I loved Paul Kearney's two Sea Beggars books, so picked up the Ten Thousand with a good deal of eagerness. Hmm. It's a very different read, but then Paul always is. It's about a mercenary army that is hired to ravage the empire that rules the continent next door. They are hopelessly outnumbered, etc, but invariably triumph through their remorseless bloody-mindedness. It becomes a tale about the futility of war and humankind's desperate search to find meaning. It's all more than a little bit brutal and gritty.

I have a bit of a mixed reaction to this book. I like how it's brave enough to do something different - it never shuns the difficult bits. At the same time, however, the reader never becomes that attached to any of the characters and it all becomes a bit 'so what' - although, ironically, that's entirely in keeping with the themes of the book. The reader becomes desensitized and inured to all the violence themselves.

Overall, I'm not sure about it. I'll mull it over for a few more months - which is usually the sign of a good book, eh? I'll definitely pick up Paul's next book, but I might hesitate if it's another installment of the Ten Thousand. In summary, I think the book's definitely worth a look if you like lots and lots of fighting

Based loosely on Xenophon's Anabasis, a tale of not-Greek mercenaries trapped in another's land, this fantasy novel is a lot better than most. The concerns here aren't so much monsters or magic as the nature of war, how individuals are bound together and pulled apart by adversity and human ambition.

Much more than the result of putting Bernard Cornwall and R E Howard into a blender this is definitely worth a gander.

I was not impressed with the author's previous trilogy, but Kearny is certainly the King of Gritty Fantasy, and this is a return to form. He has a historical realism that I haven't read since Gemmell, and I would very much love to see more of this. A fine and fearless writer.

I read this on a recommendation - the exact words being "he writes the best battles in all of fiction" - and this might very well be true. The book had a pretty slow start (or rather the bit after the first chapter) and there is precious little humor in it, which i felt was needed to balance out its many dark moments.

Also the feminists will have a field day with this book - every single women you read about has either been raped, is in very real and imminent danger of getting raped or she's a whore - though the levels of violence are so high that even the pretty men are in danger of getting raped.

A very very gritty book, maybe even twisted - i guess i'll give it a 7.5/10.

The other review says it all really but neglects to mention that this book can be read in a long night. Succinct prose, no waffle, straight to the point sort of stuff. It is a bit too obviously drawn on Greek/Persian history (influenced by Gemmell perhaps) but really this is how this sort of thing should be written. Good stuff!