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Long War #3
Poseidon's Spear
Arimnestos of Plataea is a man who has seen and done things that most men only dream about. Sold into slavery as a boy, he fought his way to freedom - and then to everlasting fame: standing alongside the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon where the Greeks crushed the invading Persians.
Sometimes, however, a man's greatest triumph is followed by his greatest sorrow. Returning to his farm, Arimnestos finds that his wife Euphoria has died in childbirth, and in an instant his laurels turn to dust. But the gods are not finished with Arimnestos yet. With nothing left to live for, he throws himself from a cliff into the sea, only to be pulled by strong arms from death's embrace. When he awakes, he finds himself chained to an oar in a Phoenician trireme.
And so begins an epic journey that will take Arimnestos and a motley crew of fellow galley slaves to the limits of their courage, and beyond the edge of the known world, in a quest for freedom, revenge - and a cargo so precious it's worth dying for.
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2012
93 people are currently reading
790 people want to read
About the author
Christian Cameron
81 books1,099 followersAka Miles Cameron. Also publishes as Gordon Kent with his father Kenneth M. Cameron.
Christian Cameron was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1962. He grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts, Iowa City, Iowa,Christian Cameron and Rochester, New York, where he attended McQuaid Jesuit High School and later graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in history.
After the longest undergraduate degree on record (1980-87), he joined the United States Navy, where he served as an intelligence officer and as a backseater in S-3 Vikings in the First Gulf War, in Somalia, and elsewhere. After a dozen years of service, he became a full time writer in 2000. He lives in Toronto (that’s Ontario, in Canada) with his wife Sarah and their daughter Beatrice, currently age four. And a half.
Christian Cameron was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1962. He grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts, Iowa City, Iowa,Christian Cameron and Rochester, New York, where he attended McQuaid Jesuit High School and later graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in history.
After the longest undergraduate degree on record (1980-87), he joined the United States Navy, where he served as an intelligence officer and as a backseater in S-3 Vikings in the First Gulf War, in Somalia, and elsewhere. After a dozen years of service, he became a full time writer in 2000. He lives in Toronto (that’s Ontario, in Canada) with his wife Sarah and their daughter Beatrice, currently age four. And a half.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
October 28, 2017
Considering how much I enjoyed the first two books in the series this one was a huge disappointment.
If you took all the things I disliked about the first two books and rolled them into one book, you'd have the third book. After two-thirds of the book read, there still was no hint of any climax at all. No sign of a build up. Nothing that seemed to be leading anywhere at all.
Given how little time I have to read for pleasure anymore, I just couldn't bring myself to spend any more time with this one.
Such a big disappointment!
August 11, 2015
So where can Cameron take us? Arimnestos of Plataea is a grown man now, fully trained and experienced. He has fought in and won one of the greatest battles of the age. But after Marathon, the world has changed, and so has our hero. Life as he has known it has gone.
It is all too wasy for a writer with a series to fall into a rut. Too easy to just keep telling the same story over and over again with minor variations or just to continue to tell a saga in fairly repetitive chunks. A few authors will, once their series is settled, run off at a tangent to explore new ideas and new themes and styles. It can be a gamble, as some readers will always just want more of the same. But if it’s done right it can invigorate and frshen an ongoing series. Sort of like a sorbet palate cleanser between courses. With Poseidon’s Spear, Cameron has done just that.
This is not a tale of war or family. It is not a tale of Greeks and Persians. This is the very spirit of adventure. A series of events conspire to see Ari at sea once more, where he falls foul of the powerful and dangerous Carthaginians and finds himself a slave, tortured and tested to the limit of his endurance. Really, there is too much in terms of twists and turns, changes and stories in this tale to relate them individually, and that would just ruin the book for you. Essentially, once he is freed from the clutches of the unpleasant Carthaginian ‘Dagon’ he sets off on his greatest adventure, collecting new friends on the way, including other former slaves.
The Carthaginians control the trade in tin, which is needed by smiths and armourers across the Mediterranean world, and Ari and his friends soon form a plan to secure tin and make themselves rich. Not through trade with Massalia or Carthaginian Spain, but by going directly to the source: a misty, cold semi-mythical island far to the north that one day will be Britain. Of course, to get there by ship requires that a sailor pass the Pillars of Hercules and sail out into the great western ocean. In those days, with the ships of the Greek world, such a journey was all but impossible and only legendary sailors of myth had done so comfortably.
This begins a journey that will see Romans and Africans and Greeks and Gauls sharing ships, making and losing fortunes, finding and losing loves, all as they journey in search of the source of tin. In the process, Ari will pick up an Illyrian prince (whose own fate forms the last part of the book), become a hunted man and an enemy of Carthage, shed his preconceptions of the non-Greek world and open himself to the great wealth of experience that is the west.
For the reader, seeing the Pre-Roman west through the eyes of a wonder-filled Greek is a fascinating process, and it certainly made me wish I could go back and rewrite some of the Gallo-Roman work I have penned with one eye on this fascinating portrayal of the world.
As always, Cameron’s experiences with the military and reenactment inform his text and give everything a realism and accuracy that few could match. But what came across more in book 3 was the surprising level of knowledge the author seems to have concerning the world of ancient ships and sailing. I can only assume that among his talents and experience, Cameron has also sailed ships somewhat. And I am quite stunned by his portrayal of pre-Roman France, Spain and Britain, considering Cameron’s Canadian residence and American nationality. It feels accurate and immersive.
All in all, a departure for the series, a wonderful palate cleanser, and yet at the same time a great continuation of the saga of Arimnestos of Plataea. Oh, and the conclusion? Well Ari has now a new and great enemy out there somewhere we know will come up again, but also the end scenes come as something of a surprise, and set up the opening of book 4 beautifully.
It is all too wasy for a writer with a series to fall into a rut. Too easy to just keep telling the same story over and over again with minor variations or just to continue to tell a saga in fairly repetitive chunks. A few authors will, once their series is settled, run off at a tangent to explore new ideas and new themes and styles. It can be a gamble, as some readers will always just want more of the same. But if it’s done right it can invigorate and frshen an ongoing series. Sort of like a sorbet palate cleanser between courses. With Poseidon’s Spear, Cameron has done just that.
This is not a tale of war or family. It is not a tale of Greeks and Persians. This is the very spirit of adventure. A series of events conspire to see Ari at sea once more, where he falls foul of the powerful and dangerous Carthaginians and finds himself a slave, tortured and tested to the limit of his endurance. Really, there is too much in terms of twists and turns, changes and stories in this tale to relate them individually, and that would just ruin the book for you. Essentially, once he is freed from the clutches of the unpleasant Carthaginian ‘Dagon’ he sets off on his greatest adventure, collecting new friends on the way, including other former slaves.
The Carthaginians control the trade in tin, which is needed by smiths and armourers across the Mediterranean world, and Ari and his friends soon form a plan to secure tin and make themselves rich. Not through trade with Massalia or Carthaginian Spain, but by going directly to the source: a misty, cold semi-mythical island far to the north that one day will be Britain. Of course, to get there by ship requires that a sailor pass the Pillars of Hercules and sail out into the great western ocean. In those days, with the ships of the Greek world, such a journey was all but impossible and only legendary sailors of myth had done so comfortably.
This begins a journey that will see Romans and Africans and Greeks and Gauls sharing ships, making and losing fortunes, finding and losing loves, all as they journey in search of the source of tin. In the process, Ari will pick up an Illyrian prince (whose own fate forms the last part of the book), become a hunted man and an enemy of Carthage, shed his preconceptions of the non-Greek world and open himself to the great wealth of experience that is the west.
For the reader, seeing the Pre-Roman west through the eyes of a wonder-filled Greek is a fascinating process, and it certainly made me wish I could go back and rewrite some of the Gallo-Roman work I have penned with one eye on this fascinating portrayal of the world.
As always, Cameron’s experiences with the military and reenactment inform his text and give everything a realism and accuracy that few could match. But what came across more in book 3 was the surprising level of knowledge the author seems to have concerning the world of ancient ships and sailing. I can only assume that among his talents and experience, Cameron has also sailed ships somewhat. And I am quite stunned by his portrayal of pre-Roman France, Spain and Britain, considering Cameron’s Canadian residence and American nationality. It feels accurate and immersive.
All in all, a departure for the series, a wonderful palate cleanser, and yet at the same time a great continuation of the saga of Arimnestos of Plataea. Oh, and the conclusion? Well Ari has now a new and great enemy out there somewhere we know will come up again, but also the end scenes come as something of a surprise, and set up the opening of book 4 beautifully.
May 8, 2020
3.5 Stars all the way
Mostly a very good story...... however........ I couldn’t help but feel that the sea voyaging part, as everyone wanna be a Pirate Arrrrrr these days, has all been done before, bar the Bay of Biscay storm, which was fair alarming in its portrayal, and it didn’t really grip me throughout that the high bar of the previous 2 books had. They jus sail around a bit along the lines of all the other tales of the same era so a bit of déjà vu Im afraid. In fact a certain Captain Pugwash kept springing to mind......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3nM2...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqPoA... – the things we used to get away with!
When we get back to land though, its a fair diffo story & the adventures, battles et al pull you along. His time as a slave was good too under the eviiiiil Dagon, his time as a Smith in Sicily sees him grow as a man, the former slaves bonding together, their trip to Alba via the Pillars of Hercules & retrun trip through the mountain passes of the Alps is all good & so for this series I think i’m a land lubber & not a Pirate Arrrrrrrrrrr lover
Mostly a very good story...... however........ I couldn’t help but feel that the sea voyaging part, as everyone wanna be a Pirate Arrrrrr these days, has all been done before, bar the Bay of Biscay storm, which was fair alarming in its portrayal, and it didn’t really grip me throughout that the high bar of the previous 2 books had. They jus sail around a bit along the lines of all the other tales of the same era so a bit of déjà vu Im afraid. In fact a certain Captain Pugwash kept springing to mind......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3nM2...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqPoA... – the things we used to get away with!
When we get back to land though, its a fair diffo story & the adventures, battles et al pull you along. His time as a slave was good too under the eviiiiil Dagon, his time as a Smith in Sicily sees him grow as a man, the former slaves bonding together, their trip to Alba via the Pillars of Hercules & retrun trip through the mountain passes of the Alps is all good & so for this series I think i’m a land lubber & not a Pirate Arrrrrrrrrrr lover
April 26, 2023
4.5 stars
November 1, 2012
Review
As a self-confessed addict of Christian Cameron's books I start to worry about the veracity of my reviews and opinions when a new book is due out, but as ever I will attempt, poorly, to describe his latest book.
Poseidon's Spear is not your normal historical fiction title (but none of his books are) this book goes even further. You don't get the steady build to a final battle, you don't even get a final battle, there are many small skirmishes that feel more real for their instant violence and then return to normality. You dont get the standard flawed man does good. You dont get hero and sidekick. You get something much more real, what you get is one persons personal journey through life, and in the case of Poseidon's Spear though hell and back.
Poseidon's Spear is one mans personal journey through a very dark period in his life. His battle against odds that would kill many a person, a journey through the bowels of the ancient world. A view of the depravity that men could inflict on other men in the ancient world (and lets face it still do).
We see this man, Arimnestos's journey back, we see what true friends are worth and how rich a man truly is with real friends.
We see a man who has regrets and deals with them the same as each and every one of us does.
We see the Resurrection of Arimnestos of Plataea.
I have said since it came out that God of War was the book of the year 2012. I have now been proved a liar.
Poseidon's Spear has now taken its place. I'm not a person to live the emotions of a book, I would normally read and enjoy the plot and style, but its impossible not to get sucked into the emotion of this book as well, to not to have to fight back the tears with Arimnestos, not to feel his pain to suffer along side him.
This was by far the most exhausting exhilarating book I have ever read physically and emotionally.
My highest Recommendation
(Parm)
Other new books by this great author
Tom Swan and the Head of St George Part One: CastillonTom Swan and the Head of St George Part Two: Venice
Tom Swan and the Head of St George Part Three: Constantinople
Description
Arimnestos of Plataea is a man who has seen and done things that most men only dream about. Sold into slavery as a boy, he fought his way to freedom - and then to everlasting fame at the Battle of Marathon where the Greeks crushed the invading Persians. Sometimes, however, a man's greatest triumph is followed by his greatest sorrow.Returning to his farm, Arimnestos finds that his wife Euphoria has died in childbirth, and in an instant his laurels turn to dust. But the gods are not finished with Arimnestos yet. With nothing left to live for, he throws himself from a cliff into the sea, only to be pulled by strong arms from death's embrace. When he awakes he finds himself chained to an oar in a Phoenician trireme. And so begins an epic journey that will take Arimnestos and a motley crew of fellow galley slaves to the limits of their courage and beyond the edge of the known world, in a quest for freedom, revenge - and a cargo so precious it is worth dying for.
As a self-confessed addict of Christian Cameron's books I start to worry about the veracity of my reviews and opinions when a new book is due out, but as ever I will attempt, poorly, to describe his latest book.
Poseidon's Spear is not your normal historical fiction title (but none of his books are) this book goes even further. You don't get the steady build to a final battle, you don't even get a final battle, there are many small skirmishes that feel more real for their instant violence and then return to normality. You dont get the standard flawed man does good. You dont get hero and sidekick. You get something much more real, what you get is one persons personal journey through life, and in the case of Poseidon's Spear though hell and back.
Poseidon's Spear is one mans personal journey through a very dark period in his life. His battle against odds that would kill many a person, a journey through the bowels of the ancient world. A view of the depravity that men could inflict on other men in the ancient world (and lets face it still do).
We see this man, Arimnestos's journey back, we see what true friends are worth and how rich a man truly is with real friends.
We see a man who has regrets and deals with them the same as each and every one of us does.
We see the Resurrection of Arimnestos of Plataea.
I have said since it came out that God of War was the book of the year 2012. I have now been proved a liar.
Poseidon's Spear has now taken its place. I'm not a person to live the emotions of a book, I would normally read and enjoy the plot and style, but its impossible not to get sucked into the emotion of this book as well, to not to have to fight back the tears with Arimnestos, not to feel his pain to suffer along side him.
This was by far the most exhausting exhilarating book I have ever read physically and emotionally.
My highest Recommendation
(Parm)
Other new books by this great author
Tom Swan and the Head of St George Part One: CastillonTom Swan and the Head of St George Part Two: Venice
Tom Swan and the Head of St George Part Three: Constantinople
Description
Arimnestos of Plataea is a man who has seen and done things that most men only dream about. Sold into slavery as a boy, he fought his way to freedom - and then to everlasting fame at the Battle of Marathon where the Greeks crushed the invading Persians. Sometimes, however, a man's greatest triumph is followed by his greatest sorrow.Returning to his farm, Arimnestos finds that his wife Euphoria has died in childbirth, and in an instant his laurels turn to dust. But the gods are not finished with Arimnestos yet. With nothing left to live for, he throws himself from a cliff into the sea, only to be pulled by strong arms from death's embrace. When he awakes he finds himself chained to an oar in a Phoenician trireme. And so begins an epic journey that will take Arimnestos and a motley crew of fellow galley slaves to the limits of their courage and beyond the edge of the known world, in a quest for freedom, revenge - and a cargo so precious it is worth dying for.
October 2, 2012
Starting with Tyrant, C. Cameron has become the preeminent writer of our time for historical fiction set in Classical Greece and he has been getting only better in both style and structure - the research was always there as was the atmosphere and the larger than life characters but the first books had the occasional narrative wall and structural problems like the prophecy that essentially forced Tyrant 2 into a bit narrower narrative space than it should have been.
So Poseidon's spear (3rd Killer of Men novel, following Arimnestos from the Marathon aftermath in 490 till about half way to Thermopyle and Salamis in 480, so till about 485) has been a novel that was simply impossible to put down the first time and one I reread immediately again at leisure, while going back to the eaelier two novels to stay in their universe
It is mostly sea action, though there is land action too, romance, intrigue, slavery and we travel to Sicily, Rome, Etruria, Spain, Gaul, Ilyria and even Britain only to come full circle and prepare the return to Plataea and the war
A full rv on FBC in a week, but a top 25 novel of the year, a great ending to boot and the next installment of this cannot come soon enough!
Updated FBC Rv here:
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com...
So Poseidon's spear (3rd Killer of Men novel, following Arimnestos from the Marathon aftermath in 490 till about half way to Thermopyle and Salamis in 480, so till about 485) has been a novel that was simply impossible to put down the first time and one I reread immediately again at leisure, while going back to the eaelier two novels to stay in their universe
It is mostly sea action, though there is land action too, romance, intrigue, slavery and we travel to Sicily, Rome, Etruria, Spain, Gaul, Ilyria and even Britain only to come full circle and prepare the return to Plataea and the war
A full rv on FBC in a week, but a top 25 novel of the year, a great ending to boot and the next installment of this cannot come soon enough!
Updated FBC Rv here:
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com...
September 30, 2012
It is brilliant :D
To my opinion one of the best- if not the best- novel of Christian Cameron so far.
In this third part of the Long War series Christian Cameron deconstructs the protagonist Arimnestos after the all time high of Marathon,(part 2: Marathon) and then he builds him up again in an epic voyage with a new cast of friends and sworn brothers. And again it's Greeks abroad. One of the things I massively liked about Christan Camerons first two Tyrant novels. This time Arimnestos the Classical Greek Pataean and his sworn brothers venture out to the West beyond the pillars of Heracles into the lands of the Celts and the Ghaul to get themselves a piece of the action on the tin trade. As usual in a Christian Cameron novel- brilliant sea action, sea battles, storms, chases, cat and mouse navigation, but also the voyage of our protagonist into himself- to live with his past mistakes and regrets, and to be true to the teachings in his youth of Heraklitus of Ephesus and Calchas the priest at the thomb of hero in Plataea, (part 1: Killer of Men) and thus making himself more of a man than what he does best: a man of violence, a killer of men, and a pirate.
This novel covers all dimensions, and again it's wonderfully balanced in its storyline. Nothing interferes. Action, Adventure, strange places, stange people, and a credible human component as well. Cameron blends it all seamsessly. Once you start it, you just keep on reading until it's finished. Big up!
No-one can depict the classical Greek world in all its stunning details of everyday life, warfare and shipping like Cameron can. And he can depict a classical greek as a real person within the boundaries of his time- not like a 21 century man. Again Cameron succeeds in his new novel.
To my opinion one of the best- if not the best- novel of Christian Cameron so far.
In this third part of the Long War series Christian Cameron deconstructs the protagonist Arimnestos after the all time high of Marathon,(part 2: Marathon) and then he builds him up again in an epic voyage with a new cast of friends and sworn brothers. And again it's Greeks abroad. One of the things I massively liked about Christan Camerons first two Tyrant novels. This time Arimnestos the Classical Greek Pataean and his sworn brothers venture out to the West beyond the pillars of Heracles into the lands of the Celts and the Ghaul to get themselves a piece of the action on the tin trade. As usual in a Christian Cameron novel- brilliant sea action, sea battles, storms, chases, cat and mouse navigation, but also the voyage of our protagonist into himself- to live with his past mistakes and regrets, and to be true to the teachings in his youth of Heraklitus of Ephesus and Calchas the priest at the thomb of hero in Plataea, (part 1: Killer of Men) and thus making himself more of a man than what he does best: a man of violence, a killer of men, and a pirate.
This novel covers all dimensions, and again it's wonderfully balanced in its storyline. Nothing interferes. Action, Adventure, strange places, stange people, and a credible human component as well. Cameron blends it all seamsessly. Once you start it, you just keep on reading until it's finished. Big up!
No-one can depict the classical Greek world in all its stunning details of everyday life, warfare and shipping like Cameron can. And he can depict a classical greek as a real person within the boundaries of his time- not like a 21 century man. Again Cameron succeeds in his new novel.
December 29, 2018
This thrilling and exciting book by Christian Cameron is the 3rd volume of the "Killer of Men" series.
The story-telling is again of a very high quality, and the author has the ability to bring all his characters, whether real or fictional, vividly to life.
Like it predecessors the book contains a lot of quality historical details, including an informative glossary and also notes on Names and Personages.
The main character of the book and also the narrator of these stories is Arimnestos of Plataea, who after the famous Battle of Marathon of 490 BC, which brought him fame and glory, returns home only to find that his wife Euphoria has died in childbirth.
Out of desperation he throws himself of a cliff into the sea, only to be pulled up and to be placed as a slave to an oar of a Phoenician trireme.
And so a journey begins for Arimnestos which will take him beyond the edge of the known world in a quest for freedom and revenge.
A really great book, one I would like to recommend to anyone, because its a "Fantastic Ancient Greek Tale"!
The story-telling is again of a very high quality, and the author has the ability to bring all his characters, whether real or fictional, vividly to life.
Like it predecessors the book contains a lot of quality historical details, including an informative glossary and also notes on Names and Personages.
The main character of the book and also the narrator of these stories is Arimnestos of Plataea, who after the famous Battle of Marathon of 490 BC, which brought him fame and glory, returns home only to find that his wife Euphoria has died in childbirth.
Out of desperation he throws himself of a cliff into the sea, only to be pulled up and to be placed as a slave to an oar of a Phoenician trireme.
And so a journey begins for Arimnestos which will take him beyond the edge of the known world in a quest for freedom and revenge.
A really great book, one I would like to recommend to anyone, because its a "Fantastic Ancient Greek Tale"!
May 23, 2014
Awesome sequel to already great historical series.
Cameron switches gears and brings us in to the world of naval warfare and adventure during the Classical Greek period.
The reader is immersed in to the fascinating details of difficulties and dangers of sailing very basic and yet highly efficient boats of the time, triremes and merchant vessels. Cameron does a great job demonstrating the life of an ancient sailor and the challenges and perils they would face while exploring the oceans.
It is fascinating and fun to be immersed in culture clash between different peoples of the time and to experience the conflicts and battles through Ari's eyes.
All I want now is to get an aspis and a helmet, hold a heavy spear and stand on the nose of a trireme as it races through the waves.
Cameron switches gears and brings us in to the world of naval warfare and adventure during the Classical Greek period.
The reader is immersed in to the fascinating details of difficulties and dangers of sailing very basic and yet highly efficient boats of the time, triremes and merchant vessels. Cameron does a great job demonstrating the life of an ancient sailor and the challenges and perils they would face while exploring the oceans.
It is fascinating and fun to be immersed in culture clash between different peoples of the time and to experience the conflicts and battles through Ari's eyes.
All I want now is to get an aspis and a helmet, hold a heavy spear and stand on the nose of a trireme as it races through the waves.
December 10, 2013
The third book following Arimnestos of Platea was, I think, even better than the first two. The story takes place during a lull in the wars of Persia and the Greek states - after Marathon but before some other conflicts. I appreciated how the author did not follow the major wars but instead explored the western Mediterranean and even the world beyond - the Atlantic, Gaul and even Albion. I learned a great deal about the tin trade, the Carthaginians, and seafaring in the ancient world. All of this was wrapped in a shell of pirates, epic ship battles and raids. The only downside that I saw was the beginning. It felt a little contrived, but that's OK. The book was still great!
June 30, 2016
After Marathon, Arimnestos goes out of his mind in grief over the loss of wife and child and thus begins a journey of extreme pain and degradation. His struggle to survive the torments and the subsequent saga of returning home makes for an entertaining tale as the author fills in the historical gap between Marathon and Xerxes' invasion at Thermopylae. Meticulous research and well rounded characters are once again hallmarks of this author; it's like reading Patrick O'Brian, only for ancient mariners. The seafaring portions are detailed; the navigation of those days is just plain scary and that my friends is what this book is, a scary and exciting story of survival and revenge. Arimnestos, in the end is once again becoming a killer of men. 4.3 stars...bring it on, Xerxes :-)
August 27, 2023
For me the worst book in the series, but still definitely worth a read! My biggest problem are the characters, basically none of the old ones except Ari appear and there are - typical of the series - too many new names and in this book in particular, most are not really well fleshed out.
Despite that, I respect the decision to bridge the gap between Marathon and Thermopylae by making a book mostly about trade instead of war - it gives a lot more insight into how the world worked in this age.
Despite that, I respect the decision to bridge the gap between Marathon and Thermopylae by making a book mostly about trade instead of war - it gives a lot more insight into how the world worked in this age.
January 9, 2025
Epic adventures through the ancient world, battles on land and sea, politics, famous places and names - ancient history comes to life. It made me really feel that the world back then was full of people - just like now - and that it was a vibrant place.
January 30, 2024
7.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
The continuing life and times of Arimnestos of Plataea enters its most unbelievable phase yet. As in, I literally did not believe it.
Up until now, the existence of Arimnestos has seemed pretty magical. Born as a smith, ushered into the ranks before his teenage years, taken as a slave, sold… on and on it goes. Just the first step on the journey to fame. Or infamy. But this most recent chapter…
Arimnestos, following the greatest victory of his life, has no room for happiness. His young bride, Euphoria, lies dead of childbirth. He sees no reason to go on. And so he torches his house, his forge, and throws himself into the sea—for Poseidon to consume.
Yet the god does not take him.
When he awakens, Arimnestos is a slave once more. Chained to an oarsman’s bench, his is the property of the Phoenicians. But property he will not stay. Not for long.
Yet with nothing to return home to, Arimnestos sets out on his own: building a new crew, taking a new fleet, and sailing off the edge of the known world, to somewhere so far flung it might as well be a myth.
To Alba—for tin.
—
Okay, so here’s the thing: Arimnestos’s journey is nothing short of spectacular. I never—not for one second—thought of abandoning it. There is fame (and often infamy) between these pages. Fame, gold, and glory. Blood, gods, war, and love as well. But once the story travels beyond the bounds of the Pillars of Heracles (if not, if I’m honest, a little beforehand), so does any hope of its realism.
Don’t get me wrong—this was still a fantastic story, an epic worthy of the ages, that the gods themselves may shift and quake in its telling! But it’s just not realistic. One didn’t just pop up to England in 500 BC—for tin. The world was smaller back then. And the Mediterranean was in and of itself the entire world. Even when the Romans conquered near the whole of the world nearly four hundred years later, they didn’t just pop over to Britain. Not that it couldn’t’ve been done, of course. This was very much possible, even in the 5th century BC. It just isn’t at all likely. The improbable life that was Arimnestos of Plataea just ticked over the edge of realism.
But—as I said—it’s still a very readable book. Now, there’s a decent amount of buildup, an adventure to the outer sea and beyond, with no end to the expedition in sight. And an amazing payoff in the end. But between the expedition’s launching and this amazing conclusion… the pacing develops a mind of its own. It’s erratic—often jumping from calm to chaotic and back over the course of one chapter. In fact, doing so many times over in a single chapter, as we weather storms, raids, battles, feasting, sleeping, sex, slavery, philosophy, libations, gods, and more. It’s just that there’s so much going on that it doesn’t always fit together nicely. Like a puzzle that needs an entire roll of tape to be assembled. Or like a mosaic built from a back of random nonsense that turns out to be a masterwork.
TL;DR
It’s a rare book, this one. My rating is determined thusly: realism, three stars; readability, nine stars; pacing and quality of life meeting somewhere in the middle. An amazing addition to the life and times of the Infamous Arimnestos of Plataea—one that I didn’t believe for a second, but was thoroughly entertaining besides. I cannot wait for the next entry in this series, where we travel to Egypt—and where the Battle of Artemisium looms large on the horizon. 480 threatens to be a momentous year, for not only Greece, but the entire world.
The Long War continues with the Great King, Book #4. And, at $5 for an ebook or just over $10 for the audiobook it’s a bit of a no-brainer recommendation from me. Action, glory, and legends of history splashed over the pages of an epic read—if you came for the history, hopefully the fantastical adventure of it all will be more than enough to keep you around, if not hungry for more.
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The continuing life and times of Arimnestos of Plataea enters its most unbelievable phase yet. As in, I literally did not believe it.
Up until now, the existence of Arimnestos has seemed pretty magical. Born as a smith, ushered into the ranks before his teenage years, taken as a slave, sold… on and on it goes. Just the first step on the journey to fame. Or infamy. But this most recent chapter…
Arimnestos, following the greatest victory of his life, has no room for happiness. His young bride, Euphoria, lies dead of childbirth. He sees no reason to go on. And so he torches his house, his forge, and throws himself into the sea—for Poseidon to consume.
Yet the god does not take him.
When he awakens, Arimnestos is a slave once more. Chained to an oarsman’s bench, his is the property of the Phoenicians. But property he will not stay. Not for long.
Yet with nothing to return home to, Arimnestos sets out on his own: building a new crew, taking a new fleet, and sailing off the edge of the known world, to somewhere so far flung it might as well be a myth.
To Alba—for tin.
—
Okay, so here’s the thing: Arimnestos’s journey is nothing short of spectacular. I never—not for one second—thought of abandoning it. There is fame (and often infamy) between these pages. Fame, gold, and glory. Blood, gods, war, and love as well. But once the story travels beyond the bounds of the Pillars of Heracles (if not, if I’m honest, a little beforehand), so does any hope of its realism.
Don’t get me wrong—this was still a fantastic story, an epic worthy of the ages, that the gods themselves may shift and quake in its telling! But it’s just not realistic. One didn’t just pop up to England in 500 BC—for tin. The world was smaller back then. And the Mediterranean was in and of itself the entire world. Even when the Romans conquered near the whole of the world nearly four hundred years later, they didn’t just pop over to Britain. Not that it couldn’t’ve been done, of course. This was very much possible, even in the 5th century BC. It just isn’t at all likely. The improbable life that was Arimnestos of Plataea just ticked over the edge of realism.
But—as I said—it’s still a very readable book. Now, there’s a decent amount of buildup, an adventure to the outer sea and beyond, with no end to the expedition in sight. And an amazing payoff in the end. But between the expedition’s launching and this amazing conclusion… the pacing develops a mind of its own. It’s erratic—often jumping from calm to chaotic and back over the course of one chapter. In fact, doing so many times over in a single chapter, as we weather storms, raids, battles, feasting, sleeping, sex, slavery, philosophy, libations, gods, and more. It’s just that there’s so much going on that it doesn’t always fit together nicely. Like a puzzle that needs an entire roll of tape to be assembled. Or like a mosaic built from a back of random nonsense that turns out to be a masterwork.
TL;DR
It’s a rare book, this one. My rating is determined thusly: realism, three stars; readability, nine stars; pacing and quality of life meeting somewhere in the middle. An amazing addition to the life and times of the Infamous Arimnestos of Plataea—one that I didn’t believe for a second, but was thoroughly entertaining besides. I cannot wait for the next entry in this series, where we travel to Egypt—and where the Battle of Artemisium looms large on the horizon. 480 threatens to be a momentous year, for not only Greece, but the entire world.
The Long War continues with the Great King, Book #4. And, at $5 for an ebook or just over $10 for the audiobook it’s a bit of a no-brainer recommendation from me. Action, glory, and legends of history splashed over the pages of an epic read—if you came for the history, hopefully the fantastical adventure of it all will be more than enough to keep you around, if not hungry for more.
June 14, 2020
There was a lot that was really great about this book! I loved the adventures to Alba and through Gaul, and the descriptions of the storms in the Atlantic were chilling and a little terrifying! But there were moments especially towards the end where it felt like rushing from one event to the next and I wasn't feeling as invested in some of those final "quests"/events. Also a few times the passage of time didn't make sense and kind of took me out of the story a bit. Arimnestos seemed to jump back and forth between certain ages (he jumps between 25 and 27 a couple times for example), and just in general the age jumps at times don't seem to reflect the way the passage of time is described. Also the passing mention of Alexandria when it wouldn't have been founded yet? So yeah, overall really enjoyed this, but a few issues that knocked it down a bit for me compared to the two previous books.
August 28, 2014
Book 3 of the Long War series follows the adventures of Arimnestos of Plataea, the heroic killer of men from the previous two books.
This book was overall far less exciting than the last two, but it had some big redeeming qualities.
My biggest gripe with the book was its nautical theme and slightly repetitive storyline. I felt like the constant cycle of sailing, storms, and boarding actions all started to blend together into one. I've always found that novels taking place mainly on board a ship suffer from feeling very 'samey', as the dramatic options usually seem limited to starvation, getting lost, being in a storm, or pirates.
Arimnestos gives up (for the most part) his soldiering days and becomes a merchant. It's an interesting change, but overall I found it a lot less compelling.
A larger host of supporting characters was nice, and I loved how Arimnestos feels very different than in the previous books. He feels older, more mature, less unkillable, and watching him grow old is a great touch.
The ending was also great. Not totally unexpected, to be honest, but a perfect cliffhanger nonetheless!
This book was overall far less exciting than the last two, but it had some big redeeming qualities.
My biggest gripe with the book was its nautical theme and slightly repetitive storyline. I felt like the constant cycle of sailing, storms, and boarding actions all started to blend together into one. I've always found that novels taking place mainly on board a ship suffer from feeling very 'samey', as the dramatic options usually seem limited to starvation, getting lost, being in a storm, or pirates.
Arimnestos gives up (for the most part) his soldiering days and becomes a merchant. It's an interesting change, but overall I found it a lot less compelling.
A larger host of supporting characters was nice, and I loved how Arimnestos feels very different than in the previous books. He feels older, more mature, less unkillable, and watching him grow old is a great touch.
The ending was also great. Not totally unexpected, to be honest, but a perfect cliffhanger nonetheless!
November 11, 2018
It was cool and all but mostly this story feels like a spin-off or filler episode rather than the next chapter of the Long War Saga. Yes, the real life chronology presents an obvious need to fill the timeline with something between Marathon and Salamis and I guess this will do, but there's a lot of retreading old ground in Arimnestos' character development and the story itself is a shift in genre to heroic adventure novel from the historical theme park ride of the previous two.
The Temeraire-series by Naomi Novik is a fantasy retelling of the Napoleonic Wars with dragon cavalry, which is really cool. However, the series periodically takes sharp turns and leaves the battles of Jena-Auerstedt in order to fuck off to Australia or Peru, which feels like a betrayal from a series about fighting Napoleon with dragons. The same emotions well up in my heart when a series about the Greco-Persian Wars suddenly goes off sailing to the Isle of Wight. Nevertheless, the adventures in Gaul are pretty nice, Carthage is a splendid antagonist, and I've always had a soft spot for Massalia. I will of course keep reading.
The Temeraire-series by Naomi Novik is a fantasy retelling of the Napoleonic Wars with dragon cavalry, which is really cool. However, the series periodically takes sharp turns and leaves the battles of Jena-Auerstedt in order to fuck off to Australia or Peru, which feels like a betrayal from a series about fighting Napoleon with dragons. The same emotions well up in my heart when a series about the Greco-Persian Wars suddenly goes off sailing to the Isle of Wight. Nevertheless, the adventures in Gaul are pretty nice, Carthage is a splendid antagonist, and I've always had a soft spot for Massalia. I will of course keep reading.
October 3, 2018
Be prepared to work at these especially if your Greek/asiatic history is rusty or non-existent. At least hope you recall various gods/goddesses and Kings. Once you establish that you are in the story. That these are not 'histories' in the sense of 3rd person narratives of observer on the world, then you the reader, can relax and see 'this is the experience'.
Instead of an adventurer of modern time experiencing life, which we do as readers most frequently, you will actually be Greek or Macedonian, an Athenian or one of the many pre-Pan-Hellenic nations before and during the Greek wars.
You will have Greek friends, neighbours and adventures. So no Johns, Janes, Traceys or Gregs. Much more difficult than European or British Histories where we somehow feel more familiar with the companions although we are probably no more familiar with a Norman knight than an Athenian hoplite.
Harder work but once 'in the groove' a great learning experience.
Instead of an adventurer of modern time experiencing life, which we do as readers most frequently, you will actually be Greek or Macedonian, an Athenian or one of the many pre-Pan-Hellenic nations before and during the Greek wars.
You will have Greek friends, neighbours and adventures. So no Johns, Janes, Traceys or Gregs. Much more difficult than European or British Histories where we somehow feel more familiar with the companions although we are probably no more familiar with a Norman knight than an Athenian hoplite.
Harder work but once 'in the groove' a great learning experience.
August 13, 2013
Another entertaining page-turner from Christian Cameron. The adventures of his very likeable hero, Arimnestos, continue at a fast pace and he introduces some intriguing new characters. The only thing I can fault is that some Arimnestos's early problems in the story - don't want to include spoilers so avoiding specific details here - were solved in a way that smacked a little bit too much of "with one bound he was free" for my taste: I just couldn't believe anyone could take that much physical punishment and keep on recovering so quickly.
November 13, 2013
Although this was a really good book, I struggled with it at times as the story was largely on the sea and for some reason I can't keep track of the nautical terms and have a tough time picturing the action. However, I know that if this were made into a movie, I would love it like I do Master and Commander, which I could not get through two chapters, even though I desperately wanted to read the series.
April 26, 2018
Some readers dont like the slow start and the seeming detour from the story of Greek-Persian wars. I think it's exactly what the series needed, something new. And I simply can't stop marveling at how vivid and real a picture of ancient Mediterranean Cameron draws. Onto the next book!
December 21, 2016
Fantastic! Five stars! Lots of battles, great story, excellent characters. Bring on the next book.
January 12, 2017
The third in this series fits the description epic journey well. Better than three stars, but maybe more three and a half than 4.
August 7, 2021
After an okay first book with Killer of Men, I figured I'd continue with this series just to see if it gets better. The second book Marathon was a huge improvement and convinced me this will be a series I'll enjoy following. Now Poseidon's Spear has killed my will to continue.
Christian Cameron was clearly constrained by the historical timeline here. What happens between Greece and Persia after Marathon? Not much for about 10 years. Instead of skipping ahead those 10 years, Cameron opts to tell a transitional side story. A transition novel like this needs to focus on setting the stage so the next one can come running out of the gate, or focus on some significant character development. This does neither, and feels completely pointless as a result.
Poseidon's Spear actually started strong with an excellent set of opening chapters following Arimnestos returning to life as a slave oarsman. This risked being repetitive as we've already been through a slave story in the first book, but it was so different and way more impactful this time around. A completely different kind of slavery than what he experienced in Ephesus. Sadly, said slavery arc is just a short setup for the main story to get Arimnestos sufficiently far away from home to begin a new quest.
This quest is for both riches and revenge against their Carthaginian captors. Once Arimnestos and some fellow slaves are free in Syracuse, they make a pact to buy a ship and trade in tin from Northern Europe. They live their lives, work, make friends, and do normal slice of life stuff while amassing funds to build their ship. This is the best part of the novel, as Cameron really knows how to write these cultures and the characters. I was hoping that would be the whole novel.
Then, as must always happen with these types of stories, the action and adventure begins and it falls apart a little. Countless repetitive descriptions of sailing, naval battles, meeting new cultures, and repeat. Naval stories are incredibly difficult to get right even for the best authors. Cameron tries his hardest, but isn't up to the task. There's some great stuff here, before you get used to the pattern and the whole thing falls apart as a series of repetitive events designed to get Arimnestos into fights.
Speaking of repetitive, the character arcs are too. Arimnestos literally repeats his character arc of Marathon. The side characters have some arcs too, but they're all so thinly defined it doesn't really matter. I can remember none of them and I finished this less than two weeks ago.
This is a weird book for me. Everything that isn't to do with the main plot, like the first 100-150 pages of setup and random bits strewn throughout, is great. It's very rarely outright bad, but damn does it get boring. Ideally, this book wouldn't exist because I'd have preferred for Cameron to skip forward 10 years, but there are the bones of a good story here, just one that's maybe 30% shorter.
So far, I've read three books in The Long War series and only one of them (Marathon) has lived up to my expectations. The next few books will clearly focus on the second invasion of Greece, so I'll probably come back to see Thermopylae and Artemisium. Hopefully Cameron can tell a good story once he goes back to documented historical events, otherwise I'm gonna drop this.
Christian Cameron was clearly constrained by the historical timeline here. What happens between Greece and Persia after Marathon? Not much for about 10 years. Instead of skipping ahead those 10 years, Cameron opts to tell a transitional side story. A transition novel like this needs to focus on setting the stage so the next one can come running out of the gate, or focus on some significant character development. This does neither, and feels completely pointless as a result.
Poseidon's Spear actually started strong with an excellent set of opening chapters following Arimnestos returning to life as a slave oarsman. This risked being repetitive as we've already been through a slave story in the first book, but it was so different and way more impactful this time around. A completely different kind of slavery than what he experienced in Ephesus. Sadly, said slavery arc is just a short setup for the main story to get Arimnestos sufficiently far away from home to begin a new quest.
This quest is for both riches and revenge against their Carthaginian captors. Once Arimnestos and some fellow slaves are free in Syracuse, they make a pact to buy a ship and trade in tin from Northern Europe. They live their lives, work, make friends, and do normal slice of life stuff while amassing funds to build their ship. This is the best part of the novel, as Cameron really knows how to write these cultures and the characters. I was hoping that would be the whole novel.
Then, as must always happen with these types of stories, the action and adventure begins and it falls apart a little. Countless repetitive descriptions of sailing, naval battles, meeting new cultures, and repeat. Naval stories are incredibly difficult to get right even for the best authors. Cameron tries his hardest, but isn't up to the task. There's some great stuff here, before you get used to the pattern and the whole thing falls apart as a series of repetitive events designed to get Arimnestos into fights.
Speaking of repetitive, the character arcs are too. Arimnestos literally repeats his character arc of Marathon. The side characters have some arcs too, but they're all so thinly defined it doesn't really matter. I can remember none of them and I finished this less than two weeks ago.
This is a weird book for me. Everything that isn't to do with the main plot, like the first 100-150 pages of setup and random bits strewn throughout, is great. It's very rarely outright bad, but damn does it get boring. Ideally, this book wouldn't exist because I'd have preferred for Cameron to skip forward 10 years, but there are the bones of a good story here, just one that's maybe 30% shorter.
So far, I've read three books in The Long War series and only one of them (Marathon) has lived up to my expectations. The next few books will clearly focus on the second invasion of Greece, so I'll probably come back to see Thermopylae and Artemisium. Hopefully Cameron can tell a good story once he goes back to documented historical events, otherwise I'm gonna drop this.
June 15, 2022
It took me awhile to work out why this book didn't seem to work as well as the previous two. The atmosphere, details, and fight scenes were all there, and we have the bonus of naval warfare, all of which hits with brilliant realism. I think it's because without the backdrop of a major historical event, it lacks the sense of immersion into something that really happened. There are glimpses of that, such as with the fate of oarsmen when an attacking ship manages to shear away the oars, the lot of slaves, or deaths in battle. But in the bigger picture we simply have a man that we know survives telling a story that we know never happened. When there was a real historical event, like the Battle of Marathon in Book 2, we know that while this particular individual never existed, his story must parallel those that did. So the book lacks the tension of the previous two. All this is a structural problem that could not be done differently, assuming that the author needed to set up Arimnestos as a naval captain for the upcoming Battle of Salamis in Book 3. Given that inescapable handicap, the book has succeeded very well.
January 25, 2024
Really enjoyed this book, even more so than its predecessor. Yes, there is no major historical event as the backdrop of the story, nor is there really a major climax at the end of the story. But we are exposed to so much worldbuilding of the Antiquities that I was enthralled from beginning to end.
I'm well aware that for the particular region Ari found himself in, there are next to no written sources so most of it is guesswork of course. But it could have been true. And it was so interesting and so much, well, fun, visiting all these places that I applaud Cameron for the attempt, regardless of the accuracies. I wish more historical fiction with a focus on this period of time was available.
Besides the wonderful worldbuilding, Cameron also managed to do wonders with Ari's personal development and fleshing out. Ari becomes a much more enlightened person in this novel and we follow him through his trials and tribulations.
A boatload of new characters are introduced, but most of them are just side characters. There's only one hero in this story and it is Arimnestos.
Taking a break from the series now to prevent burning out, but I hope to pick up book 4 in March or April.
I'm well aware that for the particular region Ari found himself in, there are next to no written sources so most of it is guesswork of course. But it could have been true. And it was so interesting and so much, well, fun, visiting all these places that I applaud Cameron for the attempt, regardless of the accuracies. I wish more historical fiction with a focus on this period of time was available.
Besides the wonderful worldbuilding, Cameron also managed to do wonders with Ari's personal development and fleshing out. Ari becomes a much more enlightened person in this novel and we follow him through his trials and tribulations.
A boatload of new characters are introduced, but most of them are just side characters. There's only one hero in this story and it is Arimnestos.
Taking a break from the series now to prevent burning out, but I hope to pick up book 4 in March or April.
December 21, 2016
The Third in Christian Cameron's Long War series, Poseidon's Spear picks up directly where Marathon left off, with Arimnestos of Plataea returning home after the battle of Marathon to discover his wife has died in childbirth. Despondant and suicidal, Ari throws himself off of a cliff, only to be rescued and immediately enslaved as a rower on a Carthaginian ship.
Unlike the previous two books, which both worked as coming-of-age stories, Poseidon's Spear works to show much more of the Ancient world from the view of a grown man. Without going into all the various twists and turns of the story, Ari ends up spending time in Africa, Spain, France, and Britain, and much of the book has him working as a tradesman rather than a warrior.
In the end, although the book moved away from the depiction of battles in the Persian war that the first two books focused on, it fleshed our Ari's world, introduced a number of new characters and felt like a really great break before moving back into the main thrust of the series.
Unlike the previous two books, which both worked as coming-of-age stories, Poseidon's Spear works to show much more of the Ancient world from the view of a grown man. Without going into all the various twists and turns of the story, Ari ends up spending time in Africa, Spain, France, and Britain, and much of the book has him working as a tradesman rather than a warrior.
In the end, although the book moved away from the depiction of battles in the Persian war that the first two books focused on, it fleshed our Ari's world, introduced a number of new characters and felt like a really great break before moving back into the main thrust of the series.
November 27, 2017
This third installment charts Arimnestos's continuing story - from the depths of despair over the death of his wife to slavery and sailing to the edge of the known world. It's very engrossing, well-researched and the author does a good job of conveying the state of Ancient Greek knowledge about the rest of the world. They know the Phoenicians trade with distant lands, but getting to them is dangerous - especially when no-one has yet mapped the exact distances, or the shape and dimensions of these rumoured lands! And of course, the Mediterranean world is a hotbed of political and military disputes and intrigues.
Again, the tale is narrated at a later point by Arimnestos himself - which on one hand gives a cosy feel to the narration, but takes away tension when you know he's going to come through it all. He is a complex man, not without his faults and I like that he freely admits those faults from that later perspective. The supporting characters are memorable in their own right, the places and peoples are vivid - I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next one.
Again, the tale is narrated at a later point by Arimnestos himself - which on one hand gives a cosy feel to the narration, but takes away tension when you know he's going to come through it all. He is a complex man, not without his faults and I like that he freely admits those faults from that later perspective. The supporting characters are memorable in their own right, the places and peoples are vivid - I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next one.
March 4, 2023
Arimnestos is brutally enslaved on a Carthaginian galley. Though he escapes, he sails around the Iberian peninsula with a band of warriors through what is now the coast of France and to the British Isles in search of tin. A critical component of bronze, tin is rare at this time and the Carthaginians have a near monopoly on its trade. Traveling by land across France to the Mediterranean, Arminestos proceeds sets up a tin trade and continues to hound the Carthaginians.
I found the first two installments of the Long War stories enthralling. Both are examples of historical fiction at its finest. However, I found Poseidon's Spear less compelling and more repetitive. True, Cameron had to find something for Arimnestos to do in the 10-year gap between the battles of Marathon and Artemesium, but this story just plodded along. Recommended for only readers of the series.
I found the first two installments of the Long War stories enthralling. Both are examples of historical fiction at its finest. However, I found Poseidon's Spear less compelling and more repetitive. True, Cameron had to find something for Arimnestos to do in the 10-year gap between the battles of Marathon and Artemesium, but this story just plodded along. Recommended for only readers of the series.
August 16, 2018
Wow. Just wow
When I read the 1st book in this series, Killer of Men, I was impressed. It was one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read. Then I read the 2nd book, Marathon, and was even more impressed. Usually, after a couple of books, the writer kind of tests on his laurels, and phones in any subsequent books. Not so with Poseidon's Spear. Everything about this book- the action, the character development, the plot, was fantastic. Mr. Cameron has earned a fan, here. And I eagerly anticipate his next masterpiece.
When I read the 1st book in this series, Killer of Men, I was impressed. It was one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read. Then I read the 2nd book, Marathon, and was even more impressed. Usually, after a couple of books, the writer kind of tests on his laurels, and phones in any subsequent books. Not so with Poseidon's Spear. Everything about this book- the action, the character development, the plot, was fantastic. Mr. Cameron has earned a fan, here. And I eagerly anticipate his next masterpiece.
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