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The Falling Sword (Clash of Empires)

£9.9£99Clearance
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I really didn’t think that after reading the first novel it could better than that but wow has Ben Kane upped the ante with this book. As a result, the Roman characters are the ones that the reader should care about, empathize with, whatever. Reeling from his defeat at the hands of the Macedonians, Rome’s furious General Flamininus gathers his legions for the final strike on King Philip’s mighty phalanx.

Indeed, even the way that one of them was killed off , seemed almost as if the author had lost interest and could do nothing with him. The result of this change is to give us the utterly unsatisfying ending of having evil triumph over “good”. I’m such a huge fan of this author as his books are always utterly fascinating and gripping, making the history come to life. In these moments, when it is difficult for others to have compassion it's doubly important that we give it to our team members, our family, and our friends.If you're an amateur military historian with a penchant for the classical period like me, this is the series for you. As with the previous book in the sequence, this one tells the story from each side of the conflict, allowing us to explore how Philip and Flaminius saw each other - and their various allies. Even if we accept Herodotus’ claim that the Macedonian king was secretly passing messages to the Greeks, that was at the later battle of Plateia and not Thermopylae and the Macedonians were certainly not fighting alongside the Greeks.

The battles that take place are both detailed and savage but I really did have to stand back and admire the tactics and battle plans of each side. The battles are visceral and bloodthirsty and so are the lives that these doughty foot soldiers lead with all the petty intrigues associated with the rank and file. Parts of the story are told from the leaders’ points of view, General Flamininus and King Philip and the remaining parts are told by two of the army, Felix and Demetrios.Diablo, Diablo 3, Diablo III and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Set against him is the gloriously ambitious and constantly scheming Roman politician / general Flamiminus who weaves an ever more complex web of politics and intrigue as he tries to get his name into the history books. I suppose it would have been more enjoyable if Flamininus had at least been a magnificent bastard type of villain, but he honestly seems more put out and whiny than cool. The structure of the armies are lovingly detailed and the experience of battle is told from a very intimate angle. Lightning strikes random enemies under the cloud, dealing 605% weapon damage as Lightning and Stunning them for 2 seconds. Galba’s closer to filling that archetype, but his presence seems only there to give us sympathy for a man devoid of it.She [Jacqui Smith] may just fall on her sword, or Gordon [Brown] might humiliate her with a demotion to something like the Department for International Development. This really is a complete and well balanced account which any fan of historical fiction should have in their collection.

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