The Gates of Athens: Book One in the Athenian series

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From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: In het eerste deel leerde ik de democratie van Athene beter kennen en ik heb het gevoel dat we in dit boek vooral veel ontdekken over de Sparten. En de onderlinge relatie tussen beiden rijken, die nog recht tegenover elkaar zullen komen te staan.

I never thought I would find these ancient Greek wars so immersive, but Iggulden has a talent for writing battle scenes and political intriges that will get you on the edge of your seat. He published Dunstan in 2017, a historical fiction book that focused on a tenth century monk and his life. He followed this up with the 2018 novel The Falcon of Sparta, which was about Prince Cyrus’s goal to become the king of Persia.It focuses on a mighty Mongol conqueror and Genghis Khan tries to unify an entire continent under his rule… A Mongol warrior, surrounded by his sons, brothers and tribesmen came from over the horizon winning each and every battle. His legend together with his ambition grew and ranks of his horsemen swelled. This is the second novel in the Athenian series of Conn Iggulden, telling the tale of the Persians Wars and the Peloponnesian War. I did enjoy ‘the gates of Athens‘ that ends with the fantastic first part of the battle of Salamis. Protector continues the story of this battle and I was immediately drawn into the action.

Protector is the second novel in the Athenian series by Conn Iggulden. This book focuses on two huge battles and one warrior who lives without fear. Well, I did not plan to read this for quite a while, at least until I quashed some other books that I need to read soon. But, The Gates of Athens had different plans. It was just too good. Too good to not read the sequel as soon as I could. It was one of my favourite reads of 2021, so of course I had to dive into the sequel. stars. Protector starts where The Gates of Athens ends. The Athenians have evacuated to Salamis and are watching their city being torched by Persian troops. Offshore, the sea battle rages, the Greeks greatly outnumbered by the Persian fleet. How can the Athenians possibly survive this onslaught? In this book we follow for the main part the resourceful leader of Athens of that time being, Themistocles, the one with his cunning and dare will be victorious against the Persians at salamis, where at first he'll be celebrated as a hero but later on will be treated as an outcast, with close associates by the name of, Xanthippus, Aristides and Cimon also important during this Battle, also in attendance are Agariste, wife of Xanthippus, and their children, Ariphron, Eleni, and a young man to remember, Pericles, while Epikleos is always by Xanthippus's side as a faithful friend.

Iggulden] has outdone himself on the tension and suspense he has created with these characters and this story' 5***** Reader Review I also liked how the first novel offered insight into the democracy in Athens, whereas this one learns you more about Sparta. You can feel the differences between both realms that will bring them to the other side of the battlefield in the future (I believe the Peloponnesian War will be the topic of the next book in this series?). The historical fiction author is known for his Emperor series as well as his Conqueror series. He also wrote The Dangerous Book for Boys with Hal Iggulden, his brother, which was adapted into a 2018 Prime Original television series. He also became the first person to reach the top of the non-fiction and the fiction charts in the United Kingdom at the same time.

He has an Irish mother and says that from the time he as young he would tell him about stories and include dates from history. He says that he supposes that telling stories must be in the genes somewhere, since his great-grandfather was a Seannachie. Conn says that his father flew in World War II and taught math and science after. He says that his father loved telling good stories and poetry. The author recalls that when he started teaching, classes were told that girls were the only ones good at English. The battle of Plataeae is the ‘piece the resistance’ of the novel. My favourite character is Aristides and I loved to experience the battle from his perspective. I also enjoyed the ending, it offers already some closure. There is a new generation coming up for the next book(s). The characterization of Pericles is promising. A gripping read from the master historical storyteller. This swords-and-sandals epic brings the clash of empires between Greece and Persia to life' DAILY EXPRESS Currently, he lives in Hertfordshire, England. He is married and is a father of four. He has also written poems and short novels. He has written amazing Book Series such as Conqueror. Emperor, Wars of the Roses and Dangerous Books for Boys. The Gates of Rome Conn Iggulden has the gift of making ancient history come alive - from the battles of Salamis, Plataea and Mycale, ultimately battles to save the Western world from becoming part of the already massive Persian Empire, to the politics of Athens and Sparta. The main characters’ names are legendary - Themistocles, Xanthippus, Cimon, Kings Alexander of Macedon and Xerxes of Persia. This is quality historical fiction, well researched, brought to life, and with an excellent end note by the author which adds further detail.Featuring two of the most famous battles of the Ancient World, The Gates of Athens is a bravura piece of storytelling about a people driven to preserve their freedom at any cost. Conn Iggulden is no stranger to me. Many years ago I read the books on Rome, and then the books about Genghis Khan. The author knows history and writes well. I will continue to read his books until there are no more. The time is 490 B.C., and two large empires are on the brink of going to war. Athens and Sparta are about to have a huge conflict, and the struggle between the rival powers and political systems is destined to last from 431 to 404 B.C. for a total of twenty-seven years. For all the excitement of the action scenes, Protector struggles to provide the same emotional impact as the first book. The problem is twofold. The first is the small amount of time we get to spend with any of the characters. The nature of the story means that it is necessary to use multiple perspectives, but there’s also a good deal of head hopping, which makes it harder to connect to any of the characters. This was somewhat of an issue in book 1, but the focus on Themistocles and Xanthippus in particular allowed the reader to feel like they really understood them, even if neither was an easy man to like. For the most part, Protector relies heavily on the emotional links built up in the first book, but it does little to reinforce them. This feeds in to the second problem. To get in all the important moments means jumping around a fair amount. Without the impactful characterisation, the narrative feels bitty, especially when it comes to wrapping up certain stories at the end. The history means that having an entirely satisfying ending was unlikely, yet finding out what happens to the main characters is anti-climactic at best. This book had bled out all my care for them and that was more disappointing than anything else.