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The Bow of Heaven #3
Blood of Eagles, A Novel of Ancient Rome
Book III of The Bow of Heaven series.
"Alexandros has escaped the worst death the ancient world could devise. Swept away into the desert, forced to abandon his wife, he is wanted on both sides of the Euphrates. Now, the war he could not prevent is upon him. The world’s two greatest empires, Rome and Parthia will meet in one of the most savage encounters of the late Republic. Alexandros and Livia will both be thrust into the bloody heart of the battle. On opposite sides.
In the dramatic climax of the award-winning “Bow of Heaven” trilogy, brutal acts of treachery, betrayal, torture and murder all conspire to destroy the bonds of friendship and love. Silver-tongued Alexandros can talk his way out of almost anything, but who will listen when mindless war begins its rampage?"
"Alexandros has escaped the worst death the ancient world could devise. Swept away into the desert, forced to abandon his wife, he is wanted on both sides of the Euphrates. Now, the war he could not prevent is upon him. The world’s two greatest empires, Rome and Parthia will meet in one of the most savage encounters of the late Republic. Alexandros and Livia will both be thrust into the bloody heart of the battle. On opposite sides.
In the dramatic climax of the award-winning “Bow of Heaven” trilogy, brutal acts of treachery, betrayal, torture and murder all conspire to destroy the bonds of friendship and love. Silver-tongued Alexandros can talk his way out of almost anything, but who will listen when mindless war begins its rampage?"
605 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2014
6 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Levkoff
7 books31 followers_______________________________________________________________________
The Other Alexander, book one in The Bow of Heaven series has won the 2012 Readers Favorite Silver Award, Historical Fiction, the 2011 Gold Award for Historical Fiction presented by eLit Book Awards, and in 2014 was shortlisted for the Historical Novel Society's Indie Award
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Andrew Levkoff grew up on Long Island, New York, got a BA in English from Stanford, then put that hard-earned degree to dubious use in the family packaging business. After a decade of trying to convince himself to think 'inside' the box (lots of them), he fled to Vermont where he attempted to regain his sanity by chopping wood and shoveling snow off his roof for 8 years. Like a fine cocktail, he was by then thoroughly chilled; what could be better after this than no sunshine for 13 years. That's right - Seattle.
Since 2005 he has been taking the cure in Arizona, where his skin has darkened to a rich shade of pallid. Here it was that he finally realized, under the heading of hopefully-better-late-than-never, that he needed to return to his first love - writing. Andrew lives in Phoenix with Stephany and their daughter, Allison, crowded into close proximity by hundreds of mineral specimens they have collected while rockhounding. "They're just a bunch of rocks," says Allison. Ouch.
The Other Alexander, book one in The Bow of Heaven series has won the 2012 Readers Favorite Silver Award, Historical Fiction, the 2011 Gold Award for Historical Fiction presented by eLit Book Awards, and in 2014 was shortlisted for the Historical Novel Society's Indie Award
______________________________________________________________________
Andrew Levkoff grew up on Long Island, New York, got a BA in English from Stanford, then put that hard-earned degree to dubious use in the family packaging business. After a decade of trying to convince himself to think 'inside' the box (lots of them), he fled to Vermont where he attempted to regain his sanity by chopping wood and shoveling snow off his roof for 8 years. Like a fine cocktail, he was by then thoroughly chilled; what could be better after this than no sunshine for 13 years. That's right - Seattle.
Since 2005 he has been taking the cure in Arizona, where his skin has darkened to a rich shade of pallid. Here it was that he finally realized, under the heading of hopefully-better-late-than-never, that he needed to return to his first love - writing. Andrew lives in Phoenix with Stephany and their daughter, Allison, crowded into close proximity by hundreds of mineral specimens they have collected while rockhounding. "They're just a bunch of rocks," says Allison. Ouch.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 15, 2019
I found, despite the massive changes in timescale and direction, that the second book in this trilogy was very similar to the first one. Given the events of the last book it should not be a surprise that number three is far more different. One way that’s different is that the characters are split, so Alexander is no longer telling everything from his own POV. Instead, all scenes that take place while he was absent get narrated through the accounts of side characters, a classic example of telling not showing. Gone (mostly) is the rumination on slavery and all the contradictions it entails. Gone, or at least greatly diminished, are the Romans we’ve gotten to know in the household of Crassus. Gone, indeed, is the focus on the Romans and Classical civilization more generally. As these were my favorite parts of the previous book this is a bit of a sting.
Gone also is the often intense realism. This book has dived headfirst into mysticism and heroism. Even superheroism at times. At the forefront of that shift are Melyaket and Hami, two men on a mission from God to save their village by putting on the greatest jazz performance since... No, that’s the Blues Brothers. These guys only want to perform a miracle and end the war quickly, i.e. by letting the Romans win. These two are... not overly believable. They’re always quick with a witty one-liner and are both superhumanly fast and able. They’re also supernoble and dealing with issues of far more universal application than stopping one man from making a mistake. In short, they feel more like epic heroes out of some Fantasy novel than characters inhabiting the ancient world. In fact, I’d have little difficulty placing any of the Parthian characters into a Fantasy novel.
All this is very disorienting. Alexander is a very rational man so he’s the odd man out here. And I found that, once divorced from the Roman context that was keeping it grounded, the story starts to float into flights of fantasy. But the curious thing is that it still works. Not in the same way or to the same degree, but the story of three odd men out wandering the Mesopotamian desert is kind of compelling. A lot of the Mithraic mysticism is fascinating if not particularly easy to follow. The larger-than-life behavior and characterizations are entertaining. I liked the idea that Melyaket is a rare and dangerous type of person: the kind whose prayers the gods actually do listen to. Oddly, what this put me in mind of was a rather less gloomy Apocalypse Now. The lead character is forced to leave civilization and wander into the wild, and the further he gets from civilization the less his rational world seems to have any place. It’s a world of gods and madmen.
And then we get to the Parthian court and split even this new band up. This was probably the least interesting part of the book. I don’t care much for his Parthians and their political squabbles are boring. Actually, Alexander himself is somewhat boring when removed from what makes him interesting: his complicated relationship with Crassus. His relationship with Surena’s not half as interesting. He’s not a slave but a valuable informant. And nothing else. If we had skipped over Alexander’s entire journey in this book and stuffed Carrhae into the end of that book I don’t think we would have missed anything.
And speaking of Carrhae, the big battle itself is, frankly, a mess. Levkoff is great with social subtleties and inner thoughts. He’s not half so good at action scenes. It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on half the time and even when you know it feels less like a battle and more like a series of individualized personal combats. The first-person storytelling loophole he found really burns here as everything that happens outside Alexander’s POV (and it’s a lot) gets related to us as a story told by someone else. And those stories aren’t rushed either, as you might expect during battle. Nobody really acts afraid (would you waste time bantering as your end closed in around you?) and, while Levkoff’s as ruthless at killing off likable characters as ever, their deaths don’t really tie in to the battle as a whole. But most aggravating of all is the ease by which Alexander flits back and forth between the Roman and Parthian camps and everyone’s A-Ok with this. The whole thing feels painfully artificial.
It is also oddly difficult to find a theme through it. I had been absolutely certain that the books had been setting up an epic punishment for hubris. Crassus’ arrogance and blindness would lead him to underestimate an enemy who outthought and outfought him. But as depicted here, the battle’s outcome is less due to hubris and more random chance. It seemed as much a surprise to the Parthians as to the Romans, which rather rules out the idea that Crassus was simply outsmarted by a superior opponent as well. There seems, in fact, no real reason behind what happens. Is that the point? Thematically it feels like it could work. Those who presume to know destiny never realize the uncertainties of fate. But if this was meant to be the theme it doesn’t really bite. And it seems oddly out of keeping with the last book.
It’s not that the book is devoid of charms. Alexander is still drolly cynical and the short-lived epic heroes journey was more enjoyable than it had any right to be. Levkoff does know how to turn a phrase. “Melyaket’s warning to stay close was as necessary as flirtation in a brothel” was one that particularly stuck with me. But we do get rather fewer opportunities for witty one-liners.
Normally, when a series goes somewhat off the rails like this I shake my head and mutter about the author running out of steam. But it’s obvious (certainly in retrospect) that the series was intended to end this way from the beginning. There are some things I can point to as poorly executed (the tell-not-show POV issues for example) but on the whole my biggest criticism is that I don’t care much for the way the series chose to end. The first book had a clear theme running through it. The second book dialed that theme up to eleven and threw in a dose of madness for good measure. This book really just exists to end the series. It neither resolves any of those themes or introduces a consistent new one. As a result, what should have been the dramatic climax of the series is instead a damp squib. Alexander deserved better. Crassus too.
Plot: 4 (Unfocused and implausible)
Characters: 7 (Still good, but not used to their full potential)
Accuracy: 7 (Roman stuff good, Parthians mixed, the feel often wrong)
Gone also is the often intense realism. This book has dived headfirst into mysticism and heroism. Even superheroism at times. At the forefront of that shift are Melyaket and Hami, two men on a mission from God to save their village by putting on the greatest jazz performance since... No, that’s the Blues Brothers. These guys only want to perform a miracle and end the war quickly, i.e. by letting the Romans win. These two are... not overly believable. They’re always quick with a witty one-liner and are both superhumanly fast and able. They’re also supernoble and dealing with issues of far more universal application than stopping one man from making a mistake. In short, they feel more like epic heroes out of some Fantasy novel than characters inhabiting the ancient world. In fact, I’d have little difficulty placing any of the Parthian characters into a Fantasy novel.
All this is very disorienting. Alexander is a very rational man so he’s the odd man out here. And I found that, once divorced from the Roman context that was keeping it grounded, the story starts to float into flights of fantasy. But the curious thing is that it still works. Not in the same way or to the same degree, but the story of three odd men out wandering the Mesopotamian desert is kind of compelling. A lot of the Mithraic mysticism is fascinating if not particularly easy to follow. The larger-than-life behavior and characterizations are entertaining. I liked the idea that Melyaket is a rare and dangerous type of person: the kind whose prayers the gods actually do listen to. Oddly, what this put me in mind of was a rather less gloomy Apocalypse Now. The lead character is forced to leave civilization and wander into the wild, and the further he gets from civilization the less his rational world seems to have any place. It’s a world of gods and madmen.
And then we get to the Parthian court and split even this new band up. This was probably the least interesting part of the book. I don’t care much for his Parthians and their political squabbles are boring. Actually, Alexander himself is somewhat boring when removed from what makes him interesting: his complicated relationship with Crassus. His relationship with Surena’s not half as interesting. He’s not a slave but a valuable informant. And nothing else. If we had skipped over Alexander’s entire journey in this book and stuffed Carrhae into the end of that book I don’t think we would have missed anything.
And speaking of Carrhae, the big battle itself is, frankly, a mess. Levkoff is great with social subtleties and inner thoughts. He’s not half so good at action scenes. It’s hard to say exactly what’s going on half the time and even when you know it feels less like a battle and more like a series of individualized personal combats. The first-person storytelling loophole he found really burns here as everything that happens outside Alexander’s POV (and it’s a lot) gets related to us as a story told by someone else. And those stories aren’t rushed either, as you might expect during battle. Nobody really acts afraid (would you waste time bantering as your end closed in around you?) and, while Levkoff’s as ruthless at killing off likable characters as ever, their deaths don’t really tie in to the battle as a whole. But most aggravating of all is the ease by which Alexander flits back and forth between the Roman and Parthian camps and everyone’s A-Ok with this. The whole thing feels painfully artificial.
It is also oddly difficult to find a theme through it. I had been absolutely certain that the books had been setting up an epic punishment for hubris. Crassus’ arrogance and blindness would lead him to underestimate an enemy who outthought and outfought him. But as depicted here, the battle’s outcome is less due to hubris and more random chance. It seemed as much a surprise to the Parthians as to the Romans, which rather rules out the idea that Crassus was simply outsmarted by a superior opponent as well. There seems, in fact, no real reason behind what happens. Is that the point? Thematically it feels like it could work. Those who presume to know destiny never realize the uncertainties of fate. But if this was meant to be the theme it doesn’t really bite. And it seems oddly out of keeping with the last book.
It’s not that the book is devoid of charms. Alexander is still drolly cynical and the short-lived epic heroes journey was more enjoyable than it had any right to be. Levkoff does know how to turn a phrase. “Melyaket’s warning to stay close was as necessary as flirtation in a brothel” was one that particularly stuck with me. But we do get rather fewer opportunities for witty one-liners.
Normally, when a series goes somewhat off the rails like this I shake my head and mutter about the author running out of steam. But it’s obvious (certainly in retrospect) that the series was intended to end this way from the beginning. There are some things I can point to as poorly executed (the tell-not-show POV issues for example) but on the whole my biggest criticism is that I don’t care much for the way the series chose to end. The first book had a clear theme running through it. The second book dialed that theme up to eleven and threw in a dose of madness for good measure. This book really just exists to end the series. It neither resolves any of those themes or introduces a consistent new one. As a result, what should have been the dramatic climax of the series is instead a damp squib. Alexander deserved better. Crassus too.
Plot: 4 (Unfocused and implausible)
Characters: 7 (Still good, but not used to their full potential)
Accuracy: 7 (Roman stuff good, Parthians mixed, the feel often wrong)
April 2, 2016
I will always remember the chapter about the elephants in the circus maximum, the part where you descried the innocents of the elephants (animals so loving and caring to humans when they are fed) until they realized they were being lured and the fear kicked in and they were slaughtered for the amusement of citizens of Rome.
I feel shame as a human for the cruelty our species inflicts in the world. However that is the way of life.
At the same point I understood why Rome slaughtered these animals from a world domination stand point. To make it clear they were as powerful to slaughter elephants, lions and tigers imported from Africa.
I will never forget how the richest man in Rome; blinded by anger and revenge lead to his demise with gold being poured in his mouth to death (some say after death, doesnt matter the principle lesson is the same).
As a professional martial artists, I have know how anger can blind your vision. At the same time though anger strength and taking action (tyrant style) can get you pretty far.
I feel shame as a human for the cruelty our species inflicts in the world. However that is the way of life.
At the same point I understood why Rome slaughtered these animals from a world domination stand point. To make it clear they were as powerful to slaughter elephants, lions and tigers imported from Africa.
I will never forget how the richest man in Rome; blinded by anger and revenge lead to his demise with gold being poured in his mouth to death (some say after death, doesnt matter the principle lesson is the same).
As a professional martial artists, I have know how anger can blind your vision. At the same time though anger strength and taking action (tyrant style) can get you pretty far.
December 12, 2020
Crassus goes to war
Crassus funds his own army of 7 legions to go to Parthia.
Alexandros tries to talk him out of it. So does Melyaket. Both of them try to effect a cessarion of hostilities on both sides. Evenrually, they fnd another couple of allies.
Felix is with Tertulla, as is Hanno/Hannibal. Tertulla is not 9ne to stay put.
Crassus does some odd things with his army. Livia, a fullly trained medicus, superior to any man in the group, is treated badly & inadvertently, Crassus makes it worse in trying to make it better. Livia makes 2 very talented Egyptian friends during a storm at sea.
Women shine in this book, from the talented & resourceful thief to the most recent wife of a Parthian noble, along with Livia & her new friends.
Something hidden is at long last revealed. Caesar gets his, but not the way Crassus wanted it to happen. Marcus Crassus, the elder 9fnthe 2 sons, is never mentioned again, which I find sad.
There is much unnecessary loss and sadness that extends beyond Crassus and his army, but most of it is a result of that army, and it traces back to Caesar.
But, of course, it has always been so with love and war both.
Well told conclusion to the trilogy and continues the 2nd book's hyperlinked definitions of Latin terms.
Crassus funds his own army of 7 legions to go to Parthia.
Alexandros tries to talk him out of it. So does Melyaket. Both of them try to effect a cessarion of hostilities on both sides. Evenrually, they fnd another couple of allies.
Felix is with Tertulla, as is Hanno/Hannibal. Tertulla is not 9ne to stay put.
Crassus does some odd things with his army. Livia, a fullly trained medicus, superior to any man in the group, is treated badly & inadvertently, Crassus makes it worse in trying to make it better. Livia makes 2 very talented Egyptian friends during a storm at sea.
Women shine in this book, from the talented & resourceful thief to the most recent wife of a Parthian noble, along with Livia & her new friends.
Something hidden is at long last revealed. Caesar gets his, but not the way Crassus wanted it to happen. Marcus Crassus, the elder 9fnthe 2 sons, is never mentioned again, which I find sad.
There is much unnecessary loss and sadness that extends beyond Crassus and his army, but most of it is a result of that army, and it traces back to Caesar.
But, of course, it has always been so with love and war both.
Well told conclusion to the trilogy and continues the 2nd book's hyperlinked definitions of Latin terms.
November 21, 2025
the complete series is something between 3.0 - 3.7 stars. The second book in the series is the only one that deserves 4 stars.
March 14, 2015
Pride goes before the fall
This is the last of "The Bow of Heaven" trilogy, and that means (sadly) that Alexandros's scrolls come to an end. For this novel, I do think it helps to read the previous installment, although there are some brief explanations along the way for readers who are picking up the story of Alexandros for the first time. He is the chief slave of Marcus Crassus, who, bent on vengeance and to prove his military mettle, has set out to subdue Parthia and rob its riches. With overwhelming numbers on his side, his hubris ends up being his undoing. Alexandros tries to be the voice of reason in this tale and has an uncanny way of negotiating both sides of this conflict.
It is not possible to give 4 1/2 stars, or that would have been my rating, because this book was a compelling read. The part that I personally would have preferred is if the author had spent just a little less time on military tactics and given a more comprehensive view of what happens to Alexandros after Parthia instead. I don't know if it is because I am a female reader, and therefore more interested in the machinations of the household and the private lives of Alexandros and the other characters than in the military exploits, but that is where my personal preferences lie.
Nevertheless, this was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and leaves me thinking of Alexandros and his friends for some time! I hope Levkoff will write further novels set in ancient Rome, because he has a talent for bringing it to life for his readers.
This is the last of "The Bow of Heaven" trilogy, and that means (sadly) that Alexandros's scrolls come to an end. For this novel, I do think it helps to read the previous installment, although there are some brief explanations along the way for readers who are picking up the story of Alexandros for the first time. He is the chief slave of Marcus Crassus, who, bent on vengeance and to prove his military mettle, has set out to subdue Parthia and rob its riches. With overwhelming numbers on his side, his hubris ends up being his undoing. Alexandros tries to be the voice of reason in this tale and has an uncanny way of negotiating both sides of this conflict.
It is not possible to give 4 1/2 stars, or that would have been my rating, because this book was a compelling read. The part that I personally would have preferred is if the author had spent just a little less time on military tactics and given a more comprehensive view of what happens to Alexandros after Parthia instead. I don't know if it is because I am a female reader, and therefore more interested in the machinations of the household and the private lives of Alexandros and the other characters than in the military exploits, but that is where my personal preferences lie.
Nevertheless, this was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and leaves me thinking of Alexandros and his friends for some time! I hope Levkoff will write further novels set in ancient Rome, because he has a talent for bringing it to life for his readers.
January 16, 2015
Great story
I've been waiting for this book to come out. The first two volumes in the trilogy were excellent, so I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. The saga of Alexander and Crassus came to a fitting end. Alexander makes a good narrator for the failure of the Parthian campaign, perhaps because as a Greek he understands the meaning of hubris. I read the book on my kindle fire and the illustrated glossary worked well and was greatly appreciated. Thank you, Andrew Levkoff.
I've been waiting for this book to come out. The first two volumes in the trilogy were excellent, so I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. The saga of Alexander and Crassus came to a fitting end. Alexander makes a good narrator for the failure of the Parthian campaign, perhaps because as a Greek he understands the meaning of hubris. I read the book on my kindle fire and the illustrated glossary worked well and was greatly appreciated. Thank you, Andrew Levkoff.
January 20, 2015
This one was great too.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews