Arimnestos of Plataea was one of the heroes of the Battle of Marathon, in which the heroic Greeks halted the invading Persians in their tracks, and fought in the equally celebrated naval battle at Salamis.
But even these stunning victories only served to buy the Greeks time, as the Persians gathered a new army, returning with overwhelming force to strike the final killing blow.
For the Greeks, divided and outnumbered, there was only one possible strategy: attack. And so, in the blazing summer of 479 BC, Arimnestos took up his spear one final time at the Battle of Plataea.
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.
This fantastic book by Christian Cameron is the 6th and final volume, or maybe not which is something I very much hope, of the very thrilling and exciting "Killer of Men/Long War" series. At the beginning of the book it contains as usual a well documented expansive glossary, as well as an informative piece of Note on Names and Personages, and not to forget a well drawn map of the battlefield of the Battle of Plataea. While at the end of the book you'll find a superb documented historical introduction of the Battle of Plataea of 479 BC, as well as an informative Author's Note and Acknowledgements to end this fascinating book. Storytelling is as ever of a top-notch quality, for this author is one of the best or maybe the best in this genre of historical fiction at the moment, for he manages again to grip you with this tale from start to finish, and all his characters come again to life in a most fantastic fashion, whether they are real historical people or fictional ones. This book is set mainly in the years 480-479 BC, with at its centre of course the great Battle of Plataea, followed by the final Battle of Mycale, and at the heart of the book once again our main real historical character and narrator of this series, Arimnestos of Plataea, who's also our main central fighter of this Greek fight for survival and freedom against the Persians, and the book ends with a warm reminiscing chapter that is situated in the year 477 BC. The story itself is about the building-up towards and finally the great Battles of Plataea and Mycale themselves, as the main important features of this book, and these brutal battles will have to be fought to keep Greece save, and thus survival for it sons and daughters for the time to come, and all this pictured and told by the author in a most wonderful splendid way. The Battle of Plataea as well as the Battle of Mycale are beautifully described in heroic words and superb actions, so much so that the blood and gore, destruction and survival, sacrifice and heroism come off the pages in a most enthralling and captivating fashion. Very much recommended, for this is Greek historical fiction at its very best, and that's why I call this book, "A Fantastic Conclusion Of Great Series! Or Is There More To Come?!
One of the few (and sadly getting fewer) books that I had to get on release even though i was swamped by stuff so had little time to devote to it until a few days later; as usual the first person narrative of Arimnestos is so absorbing that once you start the book, you cannot put it down; we know how things turned out at Plataea and Mycale (and with Arimnestos as he tells the tale some 18 years later to his daughter and her friends) , but the author still makes it suspenseful, not to speak of highly atmospheric and educational
A great conclusion to the Long war series though of course the adventures are not finished and lots that could follow (India, Africa, back to the tin islands, not to speak of the tale of Arimnestos becoming a minor king in the Bosphorus when he is telling the tale) if things work out
Overall i would say that Long War is Christian Cameron's best series to date, worth rereading from book 1 again and highly recommended
A much needed recap of the series so far starts us of & I’m amazed at how much our hero has “got about” in his 20 years so far, he’s 35 going on 36 at the start of this chapter of his life & has travelled much of the known world & taken part in the greatest battles of the age. It really was an epic time for heroes of battle & war, some may say an exciting period but that’s only reserved for the survivors & the yoof in the tales.
For those that have followed/read the series you’ll know its an historical retelling of the Greco-Persian conflicts C499-478BC with the renowned battles of Lade, Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis covered in glorious detail to date. Cameron being a re-enactor gives real insight into the combat of the time both on land & at sea with the battle at Marathon being my favourite by far to date; it’s simply breathtaking in its detail & ferocity.
We pick up the story in 479BC after the battle of Salamis, both sides wintering / licking their wounds & with as always the Greeks divided & all pulling in different directions to support their own positions or egos instead of working together to defeat the invaders. It always amazes me how the Greeks actually managed to unite their factions with all their petty squabbling & posturing. As you might expect the Spartans & Athenians are represented & a new addition that of the Ionians who previously sided with the Medes at Lade.
Politics of the Athenians & Spartans is covered in fine detail where in the end the Spartans are FORCED to fight alongside the Athenians which then brings everyone else to the fore. The infighting between the Greeks is incredulous at times & you wonder how they became great in this period, reminds me very much of how the Danes were when defeated by the Anglo-Saxons as they couldn’t get along/agree.
A main part of the story is given to the Battle of Plateau which is truly brilliant..... you sometimes imagine that battles are all aligned & ready to go & battle wont commence until that point but not here...... the Persian cavalry goes on the attack looking for weaknesses in the Greek line as they align their forces & the battle starts in this way with our hero A in the midst of it running his little part of the battlefield, the main strategos completely oblivious to the events as they unfold, the battlefield slowly breaking down into microcosm with individual generals making telling decisions with their command. Its breathtaking in its detail & was enthralled by it all, the author gives you a very vivid picture of what is happening & what both sides are trying to achieve. Then they part & that is only day 1 of a great battle in the bag, its really a war, one of attrition, one of tactics between two amassed armies. When the fighting for real starts on day 12, tens of thousands are brought to battle & it’s bloody..... by no means a gore fest in it’s telling but being hit in the flank by a phalanx is brutal stuff as the attackers simply slaughter those of the opposition that are pinned in place by the crush of their comrades, powerless to resist as they are scythed through like wheat. A horrific experience fighting a foe whose bloodlust is up & you have no-where to run......
Those that know there history will know the result but..... I shall refrain from saying anymore about the battle except it is simply breathtaking.
The epilogue contains the real history too which is good to read about.
Has to be one of my favourite historical fiction series, never disappoints & overall I would give the series a 4.5 with this final chapter scoring a five.
Mind-blowing ending to the series with the Battle of Plateae and Mycale in which (spoilers!) the combined Greek forces beat the Persians.
Gripping from beginning to end, although to be fair at times the non-stop fighting told from the same perspective got a bit repetitive. At times like this you feel a different POV at times would make it even better than it already is, if only to prevent the repetition.
Cameron is an accomplished and experienced reenactor of the Greek Battles and it shows in his retellings of these massive battles.
I enjoyed this series immensely and Cameron is hereby catapulted into my list of favorite (military) historical fiction writers and I cannot wait to read more of him. I think I will be reading his Chivalry books later this year in Fall.
Nobody tops Cameron when it comes to writing about ancient Greece and especially its battles. Like his previous books this one is a perfect mix between action, great characters and history, bringing the story of Arimnestos of Plataea to a worthy end (for now).
"And to all the shades of all the men who died at Lade and Marathon. May they dine with Achilles and Hector and walk forever in the Elysian Fields."
Ari, Ari, my favourite Greek hero, well he did it, ladies and gentlemen! God-like Arimnestos Killer of men fought as if it was the last time and alongside his friends, they freed the Greeks!
The rage of Are, my friends. Bah. It should be the blackness of Ares, the sorrow of Ares, the emptiness of Ares
This series was simply phenomenal. If you love historical fiction that takes you there and characters you grow to love (and despise) and a storyline that was simple breathtaking at times, look no further. This author is incredibly gifted. The effort is beyond impressive. Before reading this series, I knew little to nothing of this time in history. Christian Cameron takes you into the hearts and minds of his characters giving me a whole new appreciation and understanding of what life may have been like during that time. We all favor certain types of stories. Personally I’m drawn to “war stories” and any other way of portraying humans at their best.. and worst. This series covers that and more.
This book was fantastic like all the previous ones. I really liked how it stayed open for more books in the future, if readers want it. Ari was one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. If this is the end of his story it was beautifully done. I’m sad it’s over, though. Time for wine, neat.
I can say with certainty that this has been the best ‘non-fantasy’ series I have ever read! The ending is ambiguous and suggests there may be more stories about my favourite Greek hero. Books (or series) like this cause you to feel pity for the next couple books you will read. Cameron is without a doubt - a master of storytelling.
Love this whole series and sad to come to the end. This book moved slower for me until the final battle parts, but I didn't want to leave the characters so the pacing was never a problem for me. Ancient Greece is brought to life by Cameron, in a way no other author can do it.
Peak historical fiction. It took me some years and a two re-starts to finally finish this series, and I'm still not sure why as most of the books are great and even the worst one was still enjoyable
And now I just learned that maybe it was good that it took me so long because in the meantime a 7th book has come out 🥳
I could apologise in advance for any fan boy nature that may follow in the rest of this review….. but i wont, the book is just excellent, so it deserves it.
This is the sixth and (for now) final book in the Long War series. The book is about the build up to the battle at Plataea, and also near Lade, but more it is about the people of Greece and how their way of life survived by the skin of its teeth. As always Christian provides a careful educational and entertaining approach to the battle, mixing daily life and frustrations with the machinations of power and the repeated points of near disaster for the Greeks. Highlighting just how balanced the whole war was, as he often states, the war is won by the side who makes the least mistakes.
Satisfying conclusion to this excellent series. The only low point in this one is the excessively long synopsis of the rest of the series at the beginning of the book. I can only assume that the publisher has pushed for this so readers can pick up the story without having to read the earlier books if they don't want to. My advice is skip it, it's tedious but the rest of the book is great.
Once more, the latest Christian Cameron book is full of intense battle scenes and a deep understanding of the way people thought and fought in Ancient Greece. The book, and furthermore this series, is a must read for anyone interested on the subject.
Hands down the best series I have ever read. Christian Cameron is a master and the best at what he does. I can not recommend this series enough. Please for the love of all that is holy continue this series. I want to know about Africa, India and Thrace!!!!
Sorry thugater, yet another half-read and abandoned novel from me.
This time the perpetrator of the offending article is dear ol' Christian Cameron. O.k this is not the sacriledge that I commited on the great Stephen Baxter's latest, but there will be fans of this author - and this series - who probably won't understand why I ditched this one in the briney at the halfway mark.
Well I'm not sure really. In my defence I have read all the others in this series and too a degree enjoyed them well enough.
But this is turgid stuff. Told in laconic style as usual by our old friend Arimnestos of Plataea this drones on along evidently heading towards the exciting battle of Plataea. There's a naval action in there somewhere which is just as dull as ditchwater and I never made it to the main event. And the map of the battle in the front of the book looked so exciting.
After yet another of Arimnestos' interminable thoughts on god-knows-what, the sheer volume and crushing weight of those unpronouncable names just got too much. I mean, a dozen or so, yes fair enough. Sure, it was a while ago I read this novel's predecessor but there are just names in here that could not have been in past books. It was just exasperating. I had neither the strength neither the inclination to grind on with this one, and should have heeded the advice of my brother (an expert in this field of history) to give this one a wide berth.
I didn't even read the author's 'hysterical' (historical) note at the end, if indeed there was one. If I want the history facts I'll look up the battle of Plataea on Wikipedia , it's a lot less hassle.
The act of reading the final volume in any series is always a little bittersweet for me; I know I can go back and reread any of the books at my own pace, but this will be the last time I get to visit with these characters for the first time. As I've been working my way through a list of historic fiction set in Ancient Greece, I've since passed the Persian and the Peloponnesian Wars and am nearly onto books focusing on Alexander the Great. While working my way through the main list however, I've been able to return again and again to the life of Arimnestos in Christian Cameron's Long War series, returning to the Persian War for another look at just how a war lasting so long affects any group of people.
Rage of Ares takes the battlefield right back to Arimnestos' homeland Plataea, for the final battles of the war and does a really great job wrapping everything up. I'm still not a fan of the Glossary appearing at the front of the book, but the author's notes, and in this specific case, a technical look at the battle by a historian, added a number of really interesting details to the series which began back in Killer of Men.
Well worth the read and yes, I'll probably revisit the series again, but next up for me will be Cameron's books focusing on Alexander the Great.
The final part of the Long War series brings things to a satisfying conclusion. Again, it is thoroughly researched to bring the era vividly to life and by now the regular characters feel like old friends. Given that he has been narrating the series, you know Arimnestos surivives and that takes away some of the tension, but of course you worry for the other regulars. I especially liked how it looks at the psychology of the war, both in personal terms and the wider ideologies and aims of the various Greek city-states compared to how the Persian Empire worked.
It's been a good series and I recommend it to fans of historical fiction and anyone with an interest in Classical Greek history. There are a few typos in this hardback edition, but I presume those are corrected in the paperback version.
A suitably bombastic ending. The battle scenes are marvelous and the tension is on point. Only the finale felt a bit lacklustre and odd. Five books of this long war, a huge climactic battle, and then quickly another other one that awkwardly shoehorns the protagonist's girlfriend in and culminates in a lame standoff with some random guy the reader knows nothing about other than "he likes the colour red and was pretty polite the only other time he visited the narrative." It just bugs me a little. At least Cameron didn't take the chance to murder the shit out of half the supporting cast at the end. The sequel hooks in the epilogue felt a bit cheap as well, didn't like that, even though a sequel series could be nice. The world of Arimnestos is extremely comfy when people aren't getting stabbed, and I want to visit it again.
What more can one say about a terrific writer of the Greek and Persian wars who makes you feel as if you are there. You feel you understand what it must have been like to fight in bronze armour, to run and march in it, to rely on your friends keeping close beside and behind you as you all manoeuvre in a phalanx. Cameron's descriptions are excellent not only of battle plans and confrontations but also of co-operation, manipulation and leadership. Through his characters you experience the jubilation of unexpected victories, the terror of hand to hand fighting and the devastation of war. Sadly, this is the end of the Long War series, so now on to the Ill Made Knight and the Green Count!
Another excellent book in the series, happily not the last? I'm looking forward to re- reading the lot as I found catching up on all the characters after several years interval between books to be, initially, a bit of a chore (is it something in the Greek language that gives every one such complex nomenclature?) What amazes me is if this account is historically accurate, as I believe it is, the our whole Western civilisation and culture could have been so very different today had the Greeks failed to win battles which at best were knife edge and had the Great King prevailed? Perhaps there's a lessen for us all in this with Western Civilisation again under threat?
What a great and very epic conclusion to this series! Was gripping from front to back, and felt so in the story and so "close" to Arimnestos that I could feel his exhaustion, the loss, the joys, every shock or resignation to fate through each page. Its always something special when you feel like you're sharing a characters exhaustion and despair. What a great final book! Will be continuing to slowly make my way through Christian/Miles Cameron's other books.
What can I say, an absolutely amazing series, well done Christian, a master stroke full of colour and detail, so well written you can almost smell the sea, the land, the blood and the bronze, an epic of ancient Greece brought to life by a man who knows how to write a story. I really love the way the story is told by the hero himself at an older age and as I listened to this one on audio I have to give praise to Peter Noble who I have to say is a master of his own art, Thanks again and keep em coming ;)
To me, Christian Cameroon is the best author of novels set in ancient Greece. His Long Wars series have been wonderful, and 'Rage of Ares' is perhaps the best. Arimnestos of Platea (now one of my favourite literary characters) is once again brought to life in flesh and blood, and the battle scenes are fully and gut-wrenchingly described. You feel that perhaps you can sense a little of what it must have been like to be there. More (hopefully!)