Marathon

by Doug Dandridge

The date is 490 BC, the place, the Plains of Marathon, a day's march from Athens. Here has come the fleet of the invading Persians, to be met by the citizen soldiers of Athens and their few allies. Part of the Athenian Army is the playwright Aeschylus and his brother, Cynegeirus. And a stranger by the name of Akakios, a curious man who seems interested in anything and everything. Here will be decided the future of civilization. Tyranny or democracy.A short story from The Prometheus Saga.INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHORQ - What is The Prometheus Saga?A - In The Prometheus Saga, twelve authors unite to interpret how an alien presence would interact with the human condition over a time period that spans from the dawn of man to the present. The stories cross genres and genders, allowing for entirely different narratives and insights on historical events and the human experience.Q - Where should a reader start when selecting a short story to read in The Prometheus Saga?A - Each story is self-contained and can be read in any order. The reader is free to select any of the stories at random to begin their experience. Each short story has a different setting in history. The book description will explain the time period setting for each particular story.Q - What is this alien probe?A - An alien civilization landed a probe on Earth at the dawn of mankind. This probe, a form of artificial intelligence, can morph into any human form, take on any human identity, either male or female. Its life spans hundreds of thousands of years. Its mission is to report everything it can about us to its home planet. What this humanoid observes and learns over centuries of human existence will be interpreted through each short story in the saga. The alien probe is as mythic as Prometheus, the Greek Titan who was said to have brought fire to mankind. About the AuthorDoug Dandridge is the author of over twenty self-published books on Amazon, including the very successful, Empires at War series, the Refuge techno-fantasy series, The Deep Dark Well Trilogy, as well as numerous standalone science fiction and fantasy novels. His Exodus series had consistently hit the top ten in Space Opera, Military Science Fiction, and Space Fleet on both Amazon.US and Amazon.UK. In a two year period as a self-published author, Doug has sold over one hundred thousand ebooks, plus numerous copies of paperback and audio books. He has amassed over 1,600 reviews across his books on Amazon, with a 4.5 star average. He served in the US Army as an infantryman, as well as several years in the Florida National Guard in the same MOS. Doug, who holds degrees from Florida State University and the University of Alabama, lives with his five cats in Tallahassee Florida. He is a sports enthusiast and regularly attends local university sports, including football, soccer, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.

Genres: Science Fiction

44 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2015

About the author

Doug Dandridge was born in Venice Florida in 1957, the son of a Florida native and a Mother of French Canadian descent. An avid reader from an early age, Doug has read most of the classic novels and shorts of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as multiple hundreds of historical works. Doug has military experience including Marine Corps JROTC, Active Duty Army, and the Florida National Guard. He attended Florida State University, studying Biology, Geology, Physics, and Chemistry, and receiving a BS in Psychology. Doug then studied Clinical Psychology at the University of Alabama, with specific interests in Neuropsychology and Child Psychology, completing a Masters and all course work required for a PhD. He has worked in Psychiatric Hospitals, Mental Health Centers, a Prison, a Juvenile Residential Facility, and for the his last seven years in the work force for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Since March of 2013 he has worked as a full time writer. Doug has been writing on and off for fifteen years. He concentrates on intelligent science fiction and fantasy in which there is always hope, no matter how hard the situation. No area of the fantastic is outside his scope, as he has completed works in near and far future Science Fiction, Urban and High Fantasy, Horror, and Alternate History.
Doug has published 34 books on Amazon, with over 230,000 sales with 5,000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. He will be publishing his first traditionally published book in 2018, followed by the second book of the contracted series. Also in the planning stages are post apocalyptic and alternate history series.

Reviews

[Bria Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playwright Aeschylus fights alongside his brother during the battle of Marathon. A stranger comes to their aid, and Aeschylus keeps a close watch on the almost superhuman abilities of this man. Could he be the god Prometheus, freed from Zeus' curse? Although outnumbered by the Persians, those hordes are no match for the honorable and well-trained Greeks that stand against them, willing to die for their country. An inspiring and action-packed tale of bravery in the face of a monstrous adversity.

[Charles Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greek mythology is rich with tales of Gods and Titans. Their myths and legends were the underpinnings of early civilization. City-states could be either democratic or iron-handed, and were in a near perpetual state of war with each other. Philosophers were playwrights as well as warriors. But who among them could claim to be as immortal as the Gods? History comes alive in Doug Dandridge's 'Marathon' as an otherworldly presence witnesses a battle where legends were born.

[Ken Pelham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dandridge takes us right into the camps of the rival armies on the fields of ancient Greece, bringing to life the strategies and fears of both sides, and caps it with a stirring battle scene. Detailed, thoroughly researched, and peopled with skillfully drawn characters, it's sure to get your blood pumping.

[Poli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, just as I like it when it comes to shot stories, simple.
Here the character which links all the books from Prometheus saga remains true to itself and the author takes great care on recreating the battle scene, even though he has to do it in just a few pages.

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

History told in an enjoyable way, with a seamless blend of fact and fiction. Loved the way the alien probe of this Prometheus Saga came by its name.