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Clash of Empires #1
Kampf der Imperien
Rom gehen Makedonien - Kampf der Imperien
Rom, 200 vor Christus. Gerade hat Rom Hannibal geschlagen und zum Friedensschluss von Kathargo gezwungen. Doch im Osten wartet bereits ein neuer Feind: Philipp V. von Makedonien, Herrscher über Griechenland. Als er seine Hand auch nach Pergamon und Rhodos ausstreckt, greift Rom ein. Ein neuer Krieg entbrennt und bringt die Römer bald an den Rand ihrer Möglichkeiten. Haben sie zu viel riskiert? Wird ihr Imperium untergehen? Oder kann der ehrgeizige Feldherr Flaminus das Blatt noch einmal wenden?
Der Bestsellererfolg aus England - endlich auf Deutsch!
Rom, 200 vor Christus. Gerade hat Rom Hannibal geschlagen und zum Friedensschluss von Kathargo gezwungen. Doch im Osten wartet bereits ein neuer Feind: Philipp V. von Makedonien, Herrscher über Griechenland. Als er seine Hand auch nach Pergamon und Rhodos ausstreckt, greift Rom ein. Ein neuer Krieg entbrennt und bringt die Römer bald an den Rand ihrer Möglichkeiten. Haben sie zu viel riskiert? Wird ihr Imperium untergehen? Oder kann der ehrgeizige Feldherr Flaminus das Blatt noch einmal wenden?
Der Bestsellererfolg aus England - endlich auf Deutsch!
593 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2018
556 people are currently reading
1468 people want to read
About the author
Ben Kane
49 books1,106 followersBen Kane is a bestselling Roman author and former veterinarian. He was born in Kenya and grew up in Ireland (where his parents are from). He has traveled widely and is a lifelong student of military history in general, and Roman history in particular. He lives in North Somerset, England, with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
July 19, 2021
7/10, pero comparada con su saga de La Legión Olvidada, que me gustó muuuuuuucho, no puedo sino dejarlo en tres estrellas.
Va de la lucha entre romanos y macedonios (que no griegos) y se narra desde 4 protagonistas: Filipe, líder Macedonio, Flaminino, líder romano, Demetrios, un soldado de la falange Macedonia y Felix, soldado romano.
Los capítulos de los lideres Romano y Macedonio son bastante coñazo, datos sobre ciudades aliadas y de geopolítica. Los de los soldados están mejor sin ser la bomba tampoco.
Lo mejor sin las batallas, pero ya me cansa un poco ese tema, prefiero el rollo personajes y ambientación. Y en personajes bien sin ser tampoco maravillosos y ambientación poquita salvo el tema de ordenamiento en batalla.
Resumiendo, que me quedo con su saga de la
Legión olvidada y que, comparativamente, este me ha defraudado un poco.
Va de la lucha entre romanos y macedonios (que no griegos) y se narra desde 4 protagonistas: Filipe, líder Macedonio, Flaminino, líder romano, Demetrios, un soldado de la falange Macedonia y Felix, soldado romano.
Los capítulos de los lideres Romano y Macedonio son bastante coñazo, datos sobre ciudades aliadas y de geopolítica. Los de los soldados están mejor sin ser la bomba tampoco.
Lo mejor sin las batallas, pero ya me cansa un poco ese tema, prefiero el rollo personajes y ambientación. Y en personajes bien sin ser tampoco maravillosos y ambientación poquita salvo el tema de ordenamiento en batalla.
Resumiendo, que me quedo con su saga de la
Legión olvidada y que, comparativamente, este me ha defraudado un poco.
December 12, 2019
7,75/10
Novela bastante entretenida sobre la guerra entre el Imperio Romano y Macedonia. Se centra sobre todo en aspectos militares, por lo que si uno busca una novela con un trasfondo muy profundo y centrada en el modo de vida de estas sociedades, obviamente le va a saber a poco. Por el contrario si busca una novela con acción, bien narrada y en su cantidad justa, centrada en los aspectos militares de ambas naciones, sin llegar a ser tampoco monotemática, con un ritmo narrativo alegre y una prosa fácil de seguir, creo que disfrutará bastante con Guerra de Imperios.
Además de la trama bélica, los personajes no desentonan para nada, los diálogos cumplen más que bien y todo el tema histórico parece estar tratado con bastante mimo, en especial si atendemos al apéndice final donde su autor nos explica muchas cosas sobre esta guerra.
Resumiendo, buena novela histórica, recomendable para aquellos que les guste toda la temática militar, o las historias basadas en imperios clásicos.
Novela bastante entretenida sobre la guerra entre el Imperio Romano y Macedonia. Se centra sobre todo en aspectos militares, por lo que si uno busca una novela con un trasfondo muy profundo y centrada en el modo de vida de estas sociedades, obviamente le va a saber a poco. Por el contrario si busca una novela con acción, bien narrada y en su cantidad justa, centrada en los aspectos militares de ambas naciones, sin llegar a ser tampoco monotemática, con un ritmo narrativo alegre y una prosa fácil de seguir, creo que disfrutará bastante con Guerra de Imperios.
Además de la trama bélica, los personajes no desentonan para nada, los diálogos cumplen más que bien y todo el tema histórico parece estar tratado con bastante mimo, en especial si atendemos al apéndice final donde su autor nos explica muchas cosas sobre esta guerra.
Resumiendo, buena novela histórica, recomendable para aquellos que les guste toda la temática militar, o las historias basadas en imperios clásicos.
July 5, 2018
This is the first time I have read a book by this author and it certainly won't be the last.
I have never read a book covering this era in history and it was brilliantly written and researched.
Would give ten stars if I could. Very highly recommended.
I have never read a book covering this era in history and it was brilliantly written and researched.
Would give ten stars if I could. Very highly recommended.
June 24, 2020
Superb. Ben Kane writes such wonderful Roman military history I feel as though I am watching an action movie in my head. I especially like that I am learning about that time period - 200bc - as well. The wars involving Carthage, Macedonia, Asia Minor and Rome. Also the major figures involved and how they strategise.
June 21, 2018
This fantastic book is the 1st volume of the "Clash of Empires" series from the author Ben Kane.
The historical details, which you can find at the end of the book in the Author's Note, concerning this wonderful story are very well researched and documented, and these details are superbly implemented within this great historical tale, and besides that there's also a well explained Glossary.
At the beginning of the book you'll notice two well-drawn maps of the Kingdom of Macedon and of Asia Minor and the Propontis, both in 202 BC, and besides that there's a short note from the author himself about the two maps at the end papers of the book, front Latin and back Greek.
Story-telling is as ever of a superb quality, for the author brings the Ancient World to us in a most delightful fashion in which all his characters come vividly to life and the atmosphere of these brutal and turbulent times come very much to the forefront.
The book starts with a very interesting prologue situated in the year 215 BC, before the book, which is divided into 4 parts, begins to flourish into a magnificent story that starts in the year 202 BC and will end in the year 198 BC.
Parts 1 and 2 are divided into 4 main streams; the first one being King Philip V of Macedon, who's trying to emulate his forebears King Philip II and his son Alexander the Great, by recapturing all of Greece and beyond; the second being Demetrios, after having been a rower in the army of King Philip is now due to a lucky encounter with Simonides a phalangist in that same Macedonian army; the third being Senator Flamininus, who's doing all he can to become Consul and win glory for himself by defeating Philip and the Macedonians; and finally fourth the brothers Felix and Antonius, who after having defeated the Carthaginians at Zama are dishonourably discharged after falling asleep on sentry duty, and now they've enlisted themselves with the Legions who will invade Greece and will be fighting the Macedonians.
In parts 3 and 4 we find King Philip V of Macedon and his Macedonians, with Demetrios in their midst, in war in Greece against the Roman legions, lead by Consul Flamininus, and with Felix and Antonius in their midst, where battles will be fought to the death, causing lots of casualties, but for the moment its a stalemate and only time will tell what will happen next.
Highly recommended, for this historical novel is really a treasure to read and I look very much forward to its sequel, and because of that I would like to call this book: "A Most Superb Beginning"!
The historical details, which you can find at the end of the book in the Author's Note, concerning this wonderful story are very well researched and documented, and these details are superbly implemented within this great historical tale, and besides that there's also a well explained Glossary.
At the beginning of the book you'll notice two well-drawn maps of the Kingdom of Macedon and of Asia Minor and the Propontis, both in 202 BC, and besides that there's a short note from the author himself about the two maps at the end papers of the book, front Latin and back Greek.
Story-telling is as ever of a superb quality, for the author brings the Ancient World to us in a most delightful fashion in which all his characters come vividly to life and the atmosphere of these brutal and turbulent times come very much to the forefront.
The book starts with a very interesting prologue situated in the year 215 BC, before the book, which is divided into 4 parts, begins to flourish into a magnificent story that starts in the year 202 BC and will end in the year 198 BC.
Parts 1 and 2 are divided into 4 main streams; the first one being King Philip V of Macedon, who's trying to emulate his forebears King Philip II and his son Alexander the Great, by recapturing all of Greece and beyond; the second being Demetrios, after having been a rower in the army of King Philip is now due to a lucky encounter with Simonides a phalangist in that same Macedonian army; the third being Senator Flamininus, who's doing all he can to become Consul and win glory for himself by defeating Philip and the Macedonians; and finally fourth the brothers Felix and Antonius, who after having defeated the Carthaginians at Zama are dishonourably discharged after falling asleep on sentry duty, and now they've enlisted themselves with the Legions who will invade Greece and will be fighting the Macedonians.
In parts 3 and 4 we find King Philip V of Macedon and his Macedonians, with Demetrios in their midst, in war in Greece against the Roman legions, lead by Consul Flamininus, and with Felix and Antonius in their midst, where battles will be fought to the death, causing lots of casualties, but for the moment its a stalemate and only time will tell what will happen next.
Highly recommended, for this historical novel is really a treasure to read and I look very much forward to its sequel, and because of that I would like to call this book: "A Most Superb Beginning"!
December 18, 2020
Llegué a este libro buscando una novela de romanos en la que hubiera acción, batallas...en definitiva chicha, que fuera divertido. Y como iba a romanos contra macedonios me dije "olé, esto va a ser un no parar de pim pam pum!".
Resulta que no es exactamente eso, no es tan palomitero como esperaba que fuera un libro de este estilo y sin embargo he quedado satisfecho.
El libro está bastante bien, me ha gustado sobre todo el que esté contado a través de gente de los dos ejércitos y además desde punto de vista (en ambos casos) de personajes con poder y soldados rasos. Estos 4 personajes a través de los cuales se desarrolla la acción proporcionan una visión del conflicto muy rica y variada.
No me ha gustado tanto el que en algunos momento la narración me ha parecido confusa, sabía lo que estaba pasando de forma general pero los detalles me ha dado la impresión que estaban poco claros.
Por lo que tengo entendido tiene una segunda parte en la que concluye la historia, ya que este libro no cierra del todo, así que antes o después habrá que leer qué es lo que pasa con esta gente.
Ah! La nota no es muy alta porque la novela histórica no es de mis géneros favoritos, pero si a ti sí te gusta, seguro q este libro lo disfrutas!
Resulta que no es exactamente eso, no es tan palomitero como esperaba que fuera un libro de este estilo y sin embargo he quedado satisfecho.
El libro está bastante bien, me ha gustado sobre todo el que esté contado a través de gente de los dos ejércitos y además desde punto de vista (en ambos casos) de personajes con poder y soldados rasos. Estos 4 personajes a través de los cuales se desarrolla la acción proporcionan una visión del conflicto muy rica y variada.
No me ha gustado tanto el que en algunos momento la narración me ha parecido confusa, sabía lo que estaba pasando de forma general pero los detalles me ha dado la impresión que estaban poco claros.
Por lo que tengo entendido tiene una segunda parte en la que concluye la historia, ya que este libro no cierra del todo, así que antes o después habrá que leer qué es lo que pasa con esta gente.
Ah! La nota no es muy alta porque la novela histórica no es de mis géneros favoritos, pero si a ti sí te gusta, seguro q este libro lo disfrutas!
April 15, 2018
A thrilling and action-packed novel which takes a look at the conflict between the Republic of Rome and Macedon and Greece. This is the final struggle between those two great powers of ancient Europe - Greece and Rome - and it is bloody, with disasters and very few triumphs on both sides. We follow soldiers on both sides and what a life they led.... the brutality is horrifying. I always love Ben Kane's books and it's great to welcome the start of a new series. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
July 25, 2020
Mr. Kane is quickly ascending my ladder of ‘favourite authors’. Stunning battle scenes coupled with likeable (and believable) characters makes for an enjoyable read.
August 18, 2019
I’ve never read one of Ben Kane’s books before. If this is anything to go by that was a mistake. I found the book to offer a very compelling take on a little-seen era. The Roman conquest of Greece has received surprisingly little attention in fiction and it is wonderful to see such a pivotal event treated with the proper respect.
I really appreciate the dual perspectives here. We get to see the war from both the Roman and Macedonian perspective. And it isn’t a superficial duality either. I wouldn’t class either side as the chief protagonist. Probably the most likeable character is Demetrius, the down-on-his-luck sailor who’s been given the chance to become a proper phalangite in the Macedonian army. His shadow on the opposing side is Felix, a Roman legionary dishonorably discharged (whatever that means in a Republican context) after the Battle of Zama but reenlisted with his brother to fight in Greece since that is the only way they can make enough money to start up their new life. These are joined with the commanders of the two armies: Titus Flamininus and Philip V of Macedon. Philip is rather a wonder. He’s often portrayed as an unscrupulous and destabilizing, but here he seems oddly noble as a warrior king permanently struggling to secure his throne and power base. I think this was very much as he was: a fighter not prone to hiding his ambitions who was loyal to his army but not averse to atrocities when it benefitted him.
I have to say that I’m not overly fond of the glee with which the book treats the horrors of the ancient world. It’s an approach I associate with grimdark Fantasy, and not one I can easily understand. I mean, I appreciate that the book doesn’t sugarcoat things (honestly, the loyal, well-treated, and docile slaves owned by the heroes in so many Roman novels sicken me) and the willingness to dive right in without apology or restraint is probably for the best, but I can’t for the life of me understand why the book seems to enjoy atrocity so much. And no, it isn’t “just the way things were.” The ancient world was full of suffering sure, but all books pick and choose where their focus lies and this book regularly directs us towards the worst examples of human cruelty. I suppose some people will look at this and go ‘wow, this book is badass’ and for them all this horror merely makes the heroes’ achievements the more impressive. For myself, I just find it repellant.
I also found his take on Flamininus repellent, although this seems intentional. He’s a loathsome power-mad traitor with no redeeming virtues. It’s funny: I recently finished a book, Of Merchants & Heroes, which I found far too flattering to Flamininus. I even said that “I’ve never heard anyone claim he didn’t genuinely want to free Greece from Macedonia”. Well I’ll never say that again… What really gets me is that I can’t see where this vision of a brutal monster comes from. Flamininus was treated favorably by all our sources, and while authors certainly don’t have to follow their sources’ viewpoints this particular example seems to require us to disregard everything ever said about his personality. And career. Rather than a middle-aged man struggling to catch up to the pack he was one of the youngest consuls ever. As near as I can tell, Kane is such a knee-jerk cynic that he views people claiming to act for altruistic motives as worse than those who honestly admit to pursuing their own self-interest since they’re secretly doing the same thing but lying about it. He also despises career politicians in a way he doesn’t despise military dictators. Oh, there’s much to dislike about his treatment of Flamininus, but for me the biggest sin about it is that it makes the Romans utterly unlikeable. I believe this book intends to present both sides as approximately equal in positive/negative traits, but the Macedonian characters are far and away the most likable.
Historically, I’d say the book is mostly excellent. The description of military equipment and practices seems much better than many over-modern accounts. And it follows the mid-Republican hastati-principes-triarii divide. On matters of locations, customs, and other practices the book is also very good. With one exception. The depiction of the consular election is one of the most flawed I’ve ever read. The consuls are treated as a modern president/vice-president, with each consul having a co-candidate who campaigned with him. In reality, the two candidates with the highest number of votes were appointed consuls with equal powers. Every man was in competition with every other, which often resulted in two diametrically opposed candidates (see Caesar and Bibulus) serving at the same time. Worse still, this election is depicted as being done entirely by senators. In reality, these were public elections with every citizen casting their vote by block. This system was still stacked in favor of the nobility (who voted first and had more voting blocks) but it wasn’t a blatant oligarchy like we have here. Oddly, the book does get the Centuriate Assembly right when it comes to the declaration of war. I don’t get why it skipped over this when dealing with elections.
So basically, while the book is very good at what it does and manages to capture the feel of army life in the ancient world very well it’s the sort of book I can appreciate more than I love. I did like it, I liked it a lot, but the issues it deal with also left me rather cold. Or perhaps it just needed something a little extra to bring me fully onboard. I had hoped for a full on culture clash as the treacherous Greeks faced the Roman barbarians (as each side saw it). But while there are certainly differences between the two civilizations they’re more structural than cultural. We get very little of any cultural/political/religious details for that matter. I found the narrow focus on warfare a bit limiting. Is that all kings do? Or Roman senators for that matter? I know it’s military fiction, but Kane seems positively uninterested in anything outside the army and I find that this makes the world they live in feel very narrow. When we got to see a theatrical production, for example, it didn’t seem to belong to the same universe. Unlike, say, Bernard Cornwell’s books I never felt that there was a whole complex world operating outside the confines of this story.
Yet that military aspect worked very well indeed. The battles were thrilling and felt like the face of war that Roman and Greek soldiers would have experienced. I found this element so compelling that I couldn’t put the book down at several points. Fans of military fiction will undoubtedly embrace it more eagerly than me. So while I have mixed feelings about it, I do believe that this is an excellent book. It’s just one that’s not fully my kind of thing.
I really appreciate the dual perspectives here. We get to see the war from both the Roman and Macedonian perspective. And it isn’t a superficial duality either. I wouldn’t class either side as the chief protagonist. Probably the most likeable character is Demetrius, the down-on-his-luck sailor who’s been given the chance to become a proper phalangite in the Macedonian army. His shadow on the opposing side is Felix, a Roman legionary dishonorably discharged (whatever that means in a Republican context) after the Battle of Zama but reenlisted with his brother to fight in Greece since that is the only way they can make enough money to start up their new life. These are joined with the commanders of the two armies: Titus Flamininus and Philip V of Macedon. Philip is rather a wonder. He’s often portrayed as an unscrupulous and destabilizing, but here he seems oddly noble as a warrior king permanently struggling to secure his throne and power base. I think this was very much as he was: a fighter not prone to hiding his ambitions who was loyal to his army but not averse to atrocities when it benefitted him.
I have to say that I’m not overly fond of the glee with which the book treats the horrors of the ancient world. It’s an approach I associate with grimdark Fantasy, and not one I can easily understand. I mean, I appreciate that the book doesn’t sugarcoat things (honestly, the loyal, well-treated, and docile slaves owned by the heroes in so many Roman novels sicken me) and the willingness to dive right in without apology or restraint is probably for the best, but I can’t for the life of me understand why the book seems to enjoy atrocity so much. And no, it isn’t “just the way things were.” The ancient world was full of suffering sure, but all books pick and choose where their focus lies and this book regularly directs us towards the worst examples of human cruelty. I suppose some people will look at this and go ‘wow, this book is badass’ and for them all this horror merely makes the heroes’ achievements the more impressive. For myself, I just find it repellant.
I also found his take on Flamininus repellent, although this seems intentional. He’s a loathsome power-mad traitor with no redeeming virtues. It’s funny: I recently finished a book, Of Merchants & Heroes, which I found far too flattering to Flamininus. I even said that “I’ve never heard anyone claim he didn’t genuinely want to free Greece from Macedonia”. Well I’ll never say that again… What really gets me is that I can’t see where this vision of a brutal monster comes from. Flamininus was treated favorably by all our sources, and while authors certainly don’t have to follow their sources’ viewpoints this particular example seems to require us to disregard everything ever said about his personality. And career. Rather than a middle-aged man struggling to catch up to the pack he was one of the youngest consuls ever. As near as I can tell, Kane is such a knee-jerk cynic that he views people claiming to act for altruistic motives as worse than those who honestly admit to pursuing their own self-interest since they’re secretly doing the same thing but lying about it. He also despises career politicians in a way he doesn’t despise military dictators. Oh, there’s much to dislike about his treatment of Flamininus, but for me the biggest sin about it is that it makes the Romans utterly unlikeable. I believe this book intends to present both sides as approximately equal in positive/negative traits, but the Macedonian characters are far and away the most likable.
Historically, I’d say the book is mostly excellent. The description of military equipment and practices seems much better than many over-modern accounts. And it follows the mid-Republican hastati-principes-triarii divide. On matters of locations, customs, and other practices the book is also very good. With one exception. The depiction of the consular election is one of the most flawed I’ve ever read. The consuls are treated as a modern president/vice-president, with each consul having a co-candidate who campaigned with him. In reality, the two candidates with the highest number of votes were appointed consuls with equal powers. Every man was in competition with every other, which often resulted in two diametrically opposed candidates (see Caesar and Bibulus) serving at the same time. Worse still, this election is depicted as being done entirely by senators. In reality, these were public elections with every citizen casting their vote by block. This system was still stacked in favor of the nobility (who voted first and had more voting blocks) but it wasn’t a blatant oligarchy like we have here. Oddly, the book does get the Centuriate Assembly right when it comes to the declaration of war. I don’t get why it skipped over this when dealing with elections.
So basically, while the book is very good at what it does and manages to capture the feel of army life in the ancient world very well it’s the sort of book I can appreciate more than I love. I did like it, I liked it a lot, but the issues it deal with also left me rather cold. Or perhaps it just needed something a little extra to bring me fully onboard. I had hoped for a full on culture clash as the treacherous Greeks faced the Roman barbarians (as each side saw it). But while there are certainly differences between the two civilizations they’re more structural than cultural. We get very little of any cultural/political/religious details for that matter. I found the narrow focus on warfare a bit limiting. Is that all kings do? Or Roman senators for that matter? I know it’s military fiction, but Kane seems positively uninterested in anything outside the army and I find that this makes the world they live in feel very narrow. When we got to see a theatrical production, for example, it didn’t seem to belong to the same universe. Unlike, say, Bernard Cornwell’s books I never felt that there was a whole complex world operating outside the confines of this story.
Yet that military aspect worked very well indeed. The battles were thrilling and felt like the face of war that Roman and Greek soldiers would have experienced. I found this element so compelling that I couldn’t put the book down at several points. Fans of military fiction will undoubtedly embrace it more eagerly than me. So while I have mixed feelings about it, I do believe that this is an excellent book. It’s just one that’s not fully my kind of thing.
November 29, 2021
First time reading this author and I was blown away. Thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book. Riveting storylines with interesting cast of characters. I finished in one day because I simply couldn’t put it down. Excellent story telling with superb narrator made it perfection. I wouldn’t change a thing. Looking forward to the next.
June 17, 2018
A pretty good action packed novel based on the greek and romans at war. Multiple character arcs from both sides, both from the war/fighting perspective as well as the political pov. The action scenes were alot of fun, and quite graphic. I think the overall plotting was a little too character driven. There were alot of characters to follow and it jumped from one scene to the next too quickly for my liking. I guess this could be a part of a trilogy.
February 11, 2021
This is the first book I’ve read of Ben Kane’s and it’s a very solid and interesting novel as he has chosen a period in Rome’s rise to greatness which hasn’t received as much attention as, the fall of Carthage or the conquest or Gaul, for example.
Macedonia and Rome were both famous for their military prowess and Kane goes into great detail regarding the structures, weapons and tactics used by each side in equal detail.
The Roman legions weren’t, at this point in history, organized into the more “classic” square testudos we automatically think of when we think of a Roman army and Kane gives a new picture of an earlier version of the Roman military.
He also introduces us to the Greek phalanx, the strengths and weaknesses of it and throughout the novel both sides trade victories and defeats.
Kane uses four main characters, two Roman and two Macedonians to tell the story evenly, not only from both sides, but also from different classes which is a refreshing change.
An ambitious Roman politician, a Roman legionary, Macedonia’s King and a Phalangist show all aspects of the conflict and political intrigue during the period.
Fans of Iggulden, Cornwell and Scarrow will undoubtably enjoy the book like myself.
Macedonia and Rome were both famous for their military prowess and Kane goes into great detail regarding the structures, weapons and tactics used by each side in equal detail.
The Roman legions weren’t, at this point in history, organized into the more “classic” square testudos we automatically think of when we think of a Roman army and Kane gives a new picture of an earlier version of the Roman military.
He also introduces us to the Greek phalanx, the strengths and weaknesses of it and throughout the novel both sides trade victories and defeats.
Kane uses four main characters, two Roman and two Macedonians to tell the story evenly, not only from both sides, but also from different classes which is a refreshing change.
An ambitious Roman politician, a Roman legionary, Macedonia’s King and a Phalangist show all aspects of the conflict and political intrigue during the period.
Fans of Iggulden, Cornwell and Scarrow will undoubtably enjoy the book like myself.
January 21, 2023
This novel is set in the time of the Second Roman- Macedonia wars around 200 BC. King Philip V of Macedonia is one of the 4 POVs along with Roman consul Titus Quinctius Flamininus' POV. The other two POV are fictional characters who are soldiers in the Roman and Macedonia armies. The political intrigue is kept to a minimum as the book spends most of its time in the eyes of the lowly soldiers who fought in these wars. POV Felix is a disgraced veteran of the Hannibal wars who jumped at the chance to be a soldier again with his brother when hostiles with Macedonia turned into war. Demetrios was a shepherd boy until the wars killed his father and stole their flock. His story goes from thief to an elite member of the Macedonian army. The story has a nice pace to it with lots of personal battles along with the battles that made it to the historical record. On to the second book in this series The Falling Sword.
January 7, 2023
This was the first Ben Kane work I'd read but it certainly won't be the last. This was just what I was looking for: exciting historical fiction with a great storyline, nicely developed characters, and several interwoven plots. Really looking forward to book two.
June 30, 2020
This was a really great story, and as pointed out by other reviewers, a fairly untouched period of history where it comes to representation in fiction. Through the extrapolation of the ancient sources and human nature Ben Kane has crafted a gripping tale of an up and coming superpower and a fading superpower clashing through the eyes of protagonists on both sides. The change in povs is handled well, and the characters are well realised. I particularly like Phillip as a character, he is mercurial and brilliant, but facing a tough situation when the Romans want plunder and glory.
Can’t wait to read more.
Can’t wait to read more.
March 7, 2018
Review
Series five begins for Ben Kane with Clash of Empires, two empires butting up against one another, one a shadow of its once greatness but still with sharp teeth, and the other an Empire on the rise, growing, determined and ravenous for conquest.
LInk to full review: https://parmenionbooks.wordpress.com/...
Series five begins for Ben Kane with Clash of Empires, two empires butting up against one another, one a shadow of its once greatness but still with sharp teeth, and the other an Empire on the rise, growing, determined and ravenous for conquest.
LInk to full review: https://parmenionbooks.wordpress.com/...
January 12, 2022
1. Steven Pacey is just an amazing narrator. For most of November and December, I have just followed him around Audible. He’s fantastic as usual reading this one.
2. Super interesting to learn about Macedonia. I’d never really heard of the phalanx and their fighting style before, so that was a nice surprise.
Overall, an enjoyable book and I’ve already downloaded the sequel!
2. Super interesting to learn about Macedonia. I’d never really heard of the phalanx and their fighting style before, so that was a nice surprise.
Overall, an enjoyable book and I’ve already downloaded the sequel!
May 26, 2023
Aunque es un libro atrapante y muy bien escrito, comparado con otros libros de él, merece "solo" 4 estrellas.
Cuenta la historia del comienzo de la guerra Romana con Macedonia posterior a la derrota de Aníbal.
Muy atrapante el relato, por lo que inmediatamente comenzaré con la segunda parte: Fulgor de espadas.
Cuenta la historia del comienzo de la guerra Romana con Macedonia posterior a la derrota de Aníbal.
Muy atrapante el relato, por lo que inmediatamente comenzaré con la segunda parte: Fulgor de espadas.
April 22, 2018
I love Ben's books, and have devoured them all since I first discovered The Forgotten Legion many years ago. This, I think, is one of his best.
As always, the story is told from all angles. From Flamininus in Rome, trying to bribe his way to make himself consul of Rome. He is hungry for power, yearns to be the man that finally gets to destroy Phillip of Macedon. Phillip himself is well portrayed, a ruthless leader that will stop at nothing to protect his country.
My favourite characters though, are the soldiers in the blood and dust. Roman legionaries Felix and Antoninus were dismissed from the army after the battle of Zama, but have decided to risk enrolling for the new campaign. It's not Macedon they fear, but Matho, their old centurion. Demetrios is a lowly oarsman on a Macedon trading ship. He longs to fight in the phalanx, and finally gets the chance to fulfil his dream. His story is a real 'coming of age', as you watch the boy grow into a young man. He was by far my favourite.
Overall, I found this book brilliantly written and captivating, from the high politics of the Curia in Rome to Phillip's inner circle in Pella, to the bone crunching, blood drenched battle fields, I was engrossed. Bring on book two!
As always, the story is told from all angles. From Flamininus in Rome, trying to bribe his way to make himself consul of Rome. He is hungry for power, yearns to be the man that finally gets to destroy Phillip of Macedon. Phillip himself is well portrayed, a ruthless leader that will stop at nothing to protect his country.
My favourite characters though, are the soldiers in the blood and dust. Roman legionaries Felix and Antoninus were dismissed from the army after the battle of Zama, but have decided to risk enrolling for the new campaign. It's not Macedon they fear, but Matho, their old centurion. Demetrios is a lowly oarsman on a Macedon trading ship. He longs to fight in the phalanx, and finally gets the chance to fulfil his dream. His story is a real 'coming of age', as you watch the boy grow into a young man. He was by far my favourite.
Overall, I found this book brilliantly written and captivating, from the high politics of the Curia in Rome to Phillip's inner circle in Pella, to the bone crunching, blood drenched battle fields, I was engrossed. Bring on book two!
June 4, 2019
Ben Kane has become a confident and passionate writer of excellent books. I bought this as it was released and then sat on it for a year without reading. Why? Well, I knew it would be good, and I knew the follow up would be a year away and I very much wanted to read them as a pair. Nothing worse than getting into a book and then having to wait a year for the next bit.
Anyway, I digress. Clash of Empires is, of course, an excellent novel. We’d all be surprised if it wasn’t. Set about 202 bc this is about the battle for “Greece” between Rome and Philip of Macedon. The author positions the story from the perspective of both sides and further from both ruling level and grunt level on each side.
The conflict is about two great powers but the difference is the allegiances and loyalties of the land and cities help and much of the strategy was to keep what you hold while claiming what you don’t.
All the characters are vividly brought to life, on the Roman side the view is of political manoeuvrings and for Philip, his rule was about loyalty and the brutality needed to keep his position.
It is page turning stuff and now I can turn straight to the next book and carry straight on.
Anyway, I digress. Clash of Empires is, of course, an excellent novel. We’d all be surprised if it wasn’t. Set about 202 bc this is about the battle for “Greece” between Rome and Philip of Macedon. The author positions the story from the perspective of both sides and further from both ruling level and grunt level on each side.
The conflict is about two great powers but the difference is the allegiances and loyalties of the land and cities help and much of the strategy was to keep what you hold while claiming what you don’t.
All the characters are vividly brought to life, on the Roman side the view is of political manoeuvrings and for Philip, his rule was about loyalty and the brutality needed to keep his position.
It is page turning stuff and now I can turn straight to the next book and carry straight on.
January 25, 2020
Schade eigentlich, denn aus der Geschichte hätte was werden können, wenn der Autor die handelnden Figuren nicht gar so blass und einfarbig angelegt hätte. Auch den geschichtlichen Kontext fand ich durchaus interessant, aber wer römische Geschichte nur ein bisschen kennt, weiß natürlich, wie die Sache schlussendlich ausgeht, auch wenn dieses Buch Teil 1 von ? ist.
Damit reißen es für mich nur gute Figuren heraus, wo ich wissen will, wie ihr weiteres Schicksal aussieht, aber das hat der Autor wohl zugunsten mehrerer Schlachten- und Kampfszenen (die ich schon in Filmen, wenn sie ewig lang dauern, nur langweilig finde) aufgegeben. Das macht das Buch nicht automatisch schlecht, nur mein Fall ist es eben nicht ...
Reinhard Kuhnert schafft es da mit seiner markanten Stimme leider auch nicht, das Hörbuch auf ein besseres Level zu heben, denn er liest dieses Hörbuch mit genau demselben Stil, den er schon auch den "Game of Thrones"-Hörbüchern aufgedrückt hat. Wer diese kennt, wird wissen, was ich meine.
Damit reißen es für mich nur gute Figuren heraus, wo ich wissen will, wie ihr weiteres Schicksal aussieht, aber das hat der Autor wohl zugunsten mehrerer Schlachten- und Kampfszenen (die ich schon in Filmen, wenn sie ewig lang dauern, nur langweilig finde) aufgegeben. Das macht das Buch nicht automatisch schlecht, nur mein Fall ist es eben nicht ...
Reinhard Kuhnert schafft es da mit seiner markanten Stimme leider auch nicht, das Hörbuch auf ein besseres Level zu heben, denn er liest dieses Hörbuch mit genau demselben Stil, den er schon auch den "Game of Thrones"-Hörbüchern aufgedrückt hat. Wer diese kennt, wird wissen, was ich meine.
May 27, 2019
Set around 202 BC or should it be BCE? This is a novel the first in a series and follows Philip, King of Macedonia, Demetrios the son of a shepherd who seeks to become a soldier, Flamininus a minor Roman politician who seeks to be a Consul and the General of an army and Felix a soldier in the legions. The mix looked good and it is a period of some interest but unfortunately the story line is far to predictable and fanciful to be realistic when set in such barbaric times when disease and slaughter where the common persons lot and politicians trod a precarious knife edge.
A book that seems aimed at the mass paperback market which did not live up to expectations for me. Could easily have given up on this one.
2 stars only from me but note that others have enjoyed it more. I, however, will not be reading more of the series.
A book that seems aimed at the mass paperback market which did not live up to expectations for me. Could easily have given up on this one.
2 stars only from me but note that others have enjoyed it more. I, however, will not be reading more of the series.
May 9, 2018
So pleased to have won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
It's not usually a book that I would normally read, but was surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. It certainly makes a change to read something different and based upon this book, I shall be looking out for more books by this author. Recommended.
It's not usually a book that I would normally read, but was surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. It certainly makes a change to read something different and based upon this book, I shall be looking out for more books by this author. Recommended.
February 21, 2020
Plenty of juicy details from ancient warfare, like siege weaponry, details on formations employed by roman legions and macedonian phalanx.
I like that the book gives a strategic overview of the conflict between Rome/Greece and Macedon/Greece, something which is missing in a lot of historical war-fiction.
Engaging writing. Most of the characters are simple but effective.
I like that the book gives a strategic overview of the conflict between Rome/Greece and Macedon/Greece, something which is missing in a lot of historical war-fiction.
Engaging writing. Most of the characters are simple but effective.
February 27, 2020
I really liked this book. The cover put me off a little bit at first, but the way they portrayed Philip V as well as life in the legions on the "brothers" side was very realistic seeming. Life was brutal, and the final "showdown" was well worth the wait.
I do with there had been some interaction between the rank and file characters....but maybe book 2?
I do with there had been some interaction between the rank and file characters....but maybe book 2?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2020
Weak characterization and poor use of point-of-view (including many blatant view-point errors) make this a 3 star read. The setting, battles, and audiobook narrator made it worthwhile, but I’m not sure I’ll pick up the sequel.
February 6, 2024
Before I started reading this, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it but to my surprise I found it not only interesting but also enjoyable.
Whichever characters pov it was, I found myself routing for that side.
Whichever characters pov it was, I found myself routing for that side.
July 5, 2018
Nothing on scarrow
Was a struggle at times with too many characters hard to like and no ending to seemingly random story lines.
Was a struggle at times with too many characters hard to like and no ending to seemingly random story lines.
April 14, 2019
De mis autores preferidos, de los que no defrauda. Una historia muy bien contada que aunque conozcamos en qué acaba por cultura general no deja de sorprender la forma de contarla.
June 8, 2019
very good book
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