Heroes & Villains: Inside the minds of the greatest warriors in history

by Frank McLynn

In the history of warfare, an elite group of men have attained almost legendary status through their courage, ambition and unrivalled military genius. But many of these same men possessed deep personal character flaws. In Heroes & Villains, acclaimed historian Frank McLynn focuses on six of the most powerful and magnetic leaders of all Spartacus, Attila the Hun, Richard the Lionheart, Cortés, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Napoleon. How did these mortal men rise to positions of seemingly invincible power? What were the motives, the personal strengths and often weaknesses that drove them to achieve what no one else dared? In six powerful portraits, McLynn brilliantly evokes the critical moments when each of these warriors proved themselves in battle, changing their own lives, the destiny of their people and, in some cases, the history of the world. We discover what drove Spartacus to take on the might of Rome against seemingly impossible odds, and how the young Napoleon rose to power in dramatic fashion at the Siege of Toulon. Heroes & Villains is more than a collection of individual biographies. By examining the complex psychologies of these extraordinary men, McLynn builds up a convincing profile of the ultimate warrior. Accompanying a major BBC television series, this brilliant book takes us into the minds of the greatest warriors in history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, War, Military History, Military Fiction, Historical

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 23, 2007

About the author

Frank McLynn is an English author, biographer, historian and journalist. He is noted for critically acclaimed biographies of Napoleon Bonaparte, Robert Louis Stevenson, Carl Jung, Richard Francis Burton and Henry Morton Stanley.

McLynn was educated at Wadham College, Oxford and the University of London. He was Alistair Horne Research Fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford (1987–88) and was visiting professor in the Department of Literature at the University of Strathclyde (1996–2001) and professorial fellow at Goldsmiths College London (2000 - 2002) before becoming a full-time writer.

Reviews

[Gregory Mcdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an enjoyable and informative read. If you're the type that likes the disinterested author who presents "just the facts" this probably isn't the book for you. Mr. McLynn has very definite points of view on his six subjects: Attilla the Hun,Spartacus,Cortes,Richard the Lionheart,Tokugawa Ieyaso,and Napoleon,and he doesn't shrink from giving it to you.



In brief, he sees Attila as more of a thug(a 5th century B.C. Tony Soprano) that a top flight warrior. Spartacus has his merits,but was crippled by the group of people he was forced to use as his army. Cortes was an often brilliant,always charismatic self absorbed criminal. Tokugawa he judges to have been a much better politician than warrior.



The two bios that interested me most were Richard and Napoleon. Richard's star has fallen much in modern times. When talked about at all it's usualy to discuss his possible homosexuality and whether or not he and the king of France were lovers as well as rivals. Mr. McLynn leaves all that aside and presents Richard as a master of strategy,tactics,and logistics. Duallity sums up his view on Napoleon. He agrees with the sentiment that he had "the richest natural gifts ever recieved by mortal man," but he also believes his faults may have been even greater. Impatience and an internal war between the rational and the romantic are the two that stood out for me.



I'll close the review with Mr. Mc Lynn's own words: "The great warrior must be a master of strategy and tactics,have high military talents,boldness,cunning,self-belief,be lucky,fight in the right circumstances and against an almost equally matched foe."

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

McLynn wanted to examine some of the greatest warriors in history and look at what made them great. He wanted to try and find what makes a warrior a warrior. In doing so, he decided to examine six men from different backgrounds - Spartacus, Attila the Hun, Richard the Lionheart, Hernan Cortes, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Napoleon Bonaparte. He never clearly lists his reasons for selecting these men, but it is nice to read about warriors fighting from such varied backgrounds, in different eras, and in different areas.

The book is nice overview, but at times it falls short. For example, the section on Napoleon is devoted to a single campaign, while Tokugawa Ieyasu gets a more general approach. The chapter entitled "The Warrior Mind" is the weakest chapter of the bunch. McLynn brings up a few points that I think should be fleshed out better (specifically his assertion that "the so-called Guns, Germs and Steel thesis" of why Cortes was able to defeat the Aztecs is not a convincing argument). There are a few errors throughout the text, often with names.

Overall, it is an easy read and certainly an excellent introduction to each of these incredible men. There are maps for each chapter to make the specifics of the battles or movements easier to picture, and also a section with artifacts and paintings. With a little more focus, and an expanded introduction, this book would have received a higher ranking.

[Gregg Shoemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad look at these 6 men of history and what they accomplished and their overall affect on history. The author also does a pretty good job of discussing the psychology of the men and doing a small comparison of them against each other. Nothing spectacular about the book but a great way to spend some time reading a favorite topic, history.

[Katherine Basto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often enjoy books that give a long vignette on famous peoples' lives. It leads me to want to read more on the subject matter. In "Heroes and Villians" Frank McLynn writes about famous warriors of the past, including Spartacus, Attila the Hun, King Richard the Lionhearted and others.
McLynn is clearly an expert on siegecraft and different battles, as well as historical context and what led up to different wars and battles. The different chapter's maps were helpful, clear and useful in understanding the landscape and the time these wars happened.
The reason I'm giving it 4 stars(really 3.5) is that all the author offers at the end of the book is a Selected Bibliography. There's no footnotes or chapter notes. For example, in the chapter on Attila the Hun, McLynn mentions the author Pricus, and that he was the only one who described the Huns and their lifestyle. When I went to look in the back, no books by the author Pricus were mentioned. I had to do my own research to discover that Pricus's writings were lost and only fragments remain. Well, where is the source and explanation for this omission? How frustrating! Readers like to know where the information came from and on these subject matters, the reader deserves far more than just a selected bibliography. At least it would have aided readers to add chapter notes!
Overall, an interesting, at times disjointed read!

[Amarjeet Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A historian's history tells us much about the historian's own era as well as the era they select to tackle. In the 21st century humankind has become an animal with pent-up energy, unable to unleash its aggressiveness and subsequently unable to furnish heroes and anti-heroes of yore who warriors followed through thick and thin and even to the gates of death and beyond unquestioningly.

So who were such heroes or even villains? McLynn selects Cortez, Lionheart, Spartacus, Attila, Ieyasu and Napoleon. The preponderant relationship factor between all six is the infamy attached to their names post-mortem. By carefully charting their rise and fall and the legacy they bequeathed to posterity, McLynn builds a successful case to argue that their psychology and power of will influenced their military careers as much as the fate which thrust them in the limelight. Alongside is the fact that this psychology was similar in each and every case.

Now back to the Carrian premises that you can explore a historian's own era through the history they write of another era. McLynn's arguments establish one thing: we require a consistent supply heroes and villains today to fuel our passions. Maybe this is why we are more prone today to studying the knaves of the past than ever before.

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

"...the greatest warriors in history?" Where're Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, G. Khan, Nelson, and lots of others? Still, not bad a read. The mini-biographies, just over fifty pages each, give good information on the six "warriors" the author selected: Spartacus, Attila, Richard the Lionheart, Cortes, Isyasu, and Napoleon. For myself, I was familiar with Spartacus (not just from the Kirk Douglas movie and Starz show), Attila, and who doesn't know of Napoleon? With the future emperor, McLynn concentrated on the siege of Toulon and that was interesting, also for learning of the younger Admiral Hood; nor was I aware that Cortes' conquest of the Aztecs was a long hard-fought campaign which at one point he almost lost.

What I didn't pick up on was the last chapter on "The Warrior Mind." Maybe you will.

[Christopher Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the last Chapter, McLynn explores what he considers to be the characteristics, motivations and leadership and 'warriorship'. The rest of the book takes a globe-spanning list of 6 representative warriors and while not giving a comprehensive overview of their careers, focuses on one particular battle or campaign in exquisite and readable detail to illustrate their qualities. I particularly liked the section on Attila the Hun if for no other reason that he's almost a household name and yet there is paltry material about him and the real story of the epic changes he brought to Europe and the course of civilization.

An easy read.

[Maxwell Campos · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was not a great deal of being "inside the mind" as I thought there would be.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few bits of interesting information here. This book reads oddly, like it was aimed at the young adult/teen market. The prose was distracting from the information.

[TheMadReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoy Frank Mclyn’s work, especially on Napoleon.

This book is an easy read with tons of knowledge to gain from.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the chapter about Spartacus,but the others even though well researched,seemed to ramble on.but do not let my appraisal put anybody off.

[Vinayak Malik · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Too slanted by the author's opinion

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. McLynn starts off by saying that warriors must, like artists, have a different way of thinking than other people, and to prove it, he charts the military and political careers of six such historic figures: Spartacus, Attila the Hun, Richard the Lionhearted, Cortes, Tokugawa Ieyaso, and Napoleon Bonaparte. All of these men faced challenges beyond the battlefield, and McLynn does a good job of showing that for many, reputation was greater than their actual achievements, and their own flaws were often what brought them down when all was said and done.

[Jwduke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intersting take on warriors. McLynn offers a fresh perspective on six warriors and explains what made them great. Worth the read if you only read one of the following chapters Richard The Lionheart, Attila The Hun, and Napoleon. Those were the chapters I enjoyed the most, and the one I learned the most from.

[Joacelio Moura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neste livro o autor procura traçar perfis psicológicos de 6 grandes guerreiros da história. São descritos detalhes de suas vidas como também várias batalhas nas quais lutaram.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed it if the book were deeper. Mile wide, inch deep. Odd middle ground of informative and assuming you know the stories of their campaigns. Learned a lot but I wanted more.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of six famous warriors and study of warrior mentality. No end-notes--only an annotated bibliography. I would have liked to have seen some historical backup for some of his conclusions.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading it though all were villains by today's standards. Good to compare what they did with talents and options available to them.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A enjoyable examination of 6 luming figures in military history. Excellent!