There is a fair amount of thoroughly researched detail concerning the military organisation and tactics of the Macedonians as well as the overall period. In reality it is four separate stories being woven into a much broader overall tapestry. There are great action scenes including pitched battles, skirmishes and even drunken brawls. He puts them all to the test and brings us victory and defeat alike. Kane imbues each with their own feelings, hopes and dreams. At the other end of the scale a Macedonian rower dreams of becoming a spearman while two Roman brothers spend most of their time merely trying to survive. A steadfast king faces off against a hugely ambitious Roman politician with both desperate to win at all costs. The multiple viewpoints cover life at both the top and bottom of both sides in this clash of Ancient powers. This was my first time with a Ben Kane novel and I guarantee it won't be my last! This looks set to be a series that will be genuinely epic in nature and scope. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our desktop site. But the sun of Macedon will not set without a final blaze of glory. The Roman wolf has tasted blood, and it wants more. Dreams of the perfect thrust of a 15-foot sarissa spear, of the unyielding phalanx wall, of the glory of Macedon. Thirsty, hungry, burnt by the unforgiving Mediterranean sun, dreams are his only sustenance. Strategist and spymaster, politician and general, Flamininus will stop at nothing to bring Philip V to heel.ĭemetrios slumps on the rowing bench of his Macedonian ship. With Hannibal on the verge of defeat, the as-yet-unconquered Macedon and Greece are ripe for conquest. In Rome, young senator Flamininus is set on becoming one of the Republic's greatest military commanders. Charismatic leader, ruthless general, he will use the unforgiving might of his phalanx to unite Greece and to fend off Rome's grasping fingers. Victory will establish Rome as the preeminent power in the ancient world.īut in northern Greece, Philip V of Macedon is determined to restore Alexander the Great's kingdom to its former glory. On the plains of Zama, Felix and his brother Antonius stand in the formidable Roman legions, ready to deliver the decisive blow. When a new empire rises, and old one must fallĪfter 16 years of bloody war against Rome, Hannibal Barca is on the verge of defeat.

War of empires clash of the best