Funeral Games

Tyrant #3

by Christian Cameron

An action-packed tale of betrayal and revenge set amid the war between Alexander the Great's generals and climaxing in the most spectacular battle of the ancient world.

Satyrus and Melitta, twin heirs to a rich kingdom on the Black Sea, become desperate fugitives when their mother, the Scythian warrior-princess Srayanka, is cut down in a savage act of betrayal. Accompanied by their tutor, the Spartan Philokles, they must make a perilous journey west, pursued by ruthless assassins, to find sanctuary with the army of their father's closest friend, Diodorus.

But Diodorus is caught up in the tangled web of alliances, betrayals and intrigue that followed Alexander the Great's death, as his generals fought over the huge empire he had created - and soon the twins will have their first taste of real battle as two Macedonian warlords clash. In this violent and unstable world, they must choose sides carefully, as Antigonus One-Eye, and his brilliant son Demetrius, prepare to take on the might of Ptolemy's Egypt, and the forces gather for the biggest and most spectacular battle the world had ever seen - Gaza.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Greece, War, Fantasy, Military Fiction

575 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2010

About the author

Aka Miles Cameron. Also publishes as Gordon Kent with his father Kenneth M. Cameron.

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.

Reviews

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Read in Spanish] -- [Reseña en español más abajo]

This is the third part, and I have to say that so far it is my favourite one. I will not spoil anything, but I couldn't imagine what would happen after the end of the second part, and actually this book exceeded all expectations. Very good!
The reason why I rated it with 4 starts and not 5 is because sometimes the book felt a bit too long. For a book with more than 600 pages, it wouldn't be bad to reduce maybe 100 pages to stay in 500. Sometimes it was a bit tedious, it went through some "blanks", notnothing horrible, of course.
The last 100 or 150 pages of the book was the best according to me (same thing with the previous two parts of the saga). I like the characters, the ones from the previous books and also the new ones that appear here. I like the twins, they are a good duo.
Lastly, I want to mention the note Cameron's note saying that he has some discrepancies with some historical facts and his explanation why that is. It was very interesting.
I completely recommend thisbook, even though it is a bit too long. I am really looking foward to reading the 4th part. I'll see what the new adventures are.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Esta es la tercera parte, y debo decir que hasta ahora ha sido mi favorita. No haré ningún Spoiler, pero no imaginaba qué podía pasar después del final de la segunda parte, y la verdad es que este libro superó mis espectativas. ¡Muy bueno!
El por qué tiene 4 estrellas y no 5 es porque el libro a veces se estira mucho. Para un libro de más de 600 páginas, no le vendría mal reducir unas 100 para quedar en 500 páginas. A veces se hacía un poco tedioso, pasaba por algunas lagunas, pero nada horrible, la verdad.
Las últimas 100 o 150 páginas del libro fue lo mejor según yo (lo mismo que con las dos partes anteriores de la saga).
Me gustan los personajes, tanto los que venían de las entregas previas como de los que aparecen recién aquí. Me gustan los gemelos, hacen buena dupla.
Y por último, quiero destacar la nota Cameron al decir que discrepa con algunos antecedentes históricos y su motivo por ello. Lo encontré bastante interesante.
Libro totalmente recomendable, aunque un poco largo. Estoy muy ansioso de leer la parte 4. Veremos qué nuevas aventuras vienen.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assuming you read the blurb so you have an idea about what the novel is about I strongly recommend this as even a better starting point than Tyrant 1 since it deals with the children of the heroes there, takes place some 12-3 years later and all needed back-story appears, while the novel is more exciting, lighter in some ways, much more adventure oriented and without the sense of doom that pervaded the first duology; I would not say it's YA despite that the main heroes start at 12 (twin girl/boy) and it's really fun.

The same compelling narrative, attention to detail and strong characters as in the original duology and a strong A, almost an A+ and the best of the series so far.

I loved the Tyrant series and those two books I could not put down when I got them (plus all the qualities mentioned above - excellent research, pitch perfect 328 BC atmosphere, great characters, action, intrigue...)but the duology starting with the strong foreshadowing for its ending - foreshadowing that repeats, is amplified... quite a few times - was sometimes too "burdened" by that and I felt that overall it subtracted a bit from the appeal - maybe added some power, but not enough

Here once we escape the foreshadowing, the new series - which may go 3 more - juts soars from the first pages and it's much more enjoyable; events are still brutal, main characters still get killed and there is no real wish-fulfillment either but I think the more adventure oriented narration benefits the new series a lot

[Shane Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple words like brilliant, remarkable, stupendous or sublime do not do this author’s work justice.

[NekroRider · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5-ish - This was another interesting novel in this series. I was another great one but also quite markedly different from the first 2 books in the series. I will list some thoughts here but please read with caution. I don't actually know what to consider spoiler vs non-spoiler in talking about this series since it depends whether or not a reader is aware of where this series goes ahead of time or not (some seem to know and others not). I have tried to use spoiler tags appropriately, but what they spoil or don't spoil is again depend on what you know about the series past the first 2 books.

1. Cameron definitely took a chance with this book. Funeral Games featured a rather huge pov shift that changed the narrative and type of story. There were 2 main povs in Funeral Games, the twins Satyrus and Melitta, though Satyrus's pov takes more of the spotlight. They are youths in this book which gives it a Bildungsroman feeling as they grow up among generals of different cultures and face their first battles.

2. Along with the nature of a pov shift mid-series, I think switching to younger povs was also a bit of a risk on the author's part. Since we go from an experienced adult hipparch to teenagers experiencing things as "mundane" as puberty and changing social expectations to also facing larger obstacles like death, the brutality of the battlefield, and growing responsibilities in the face of that reality. At times they are as annoying as most teenagers can be, while at other times they are forced to mature and take on adulthood.

3. The politics in this book were extremely interesting. This book is ultimately about the Diadochi/Successor wars that took place following Alexander the Great's death and particularly Antigonus and Cassander's desire to take Alexandria. Leaders like Ptolemy of Egypt, Antigonus and his son Demetrios, Cassander in Macedon, and Eumenes - and the countless other minor players trying to get a piece of the pie - all vying to take control of Macedon's crumbling empire. But within these are stories of survival for the old Greek states like Athens and Sparta wanting to break free from Macedonian tyranny - not to mention the political complexities of the city of Alexandria and Egypt itself. States beyond "the empire" also trying to secure themselves and profit, like the Euxine cities trying to monopolize the grain trade with Athens. The complexities of politics and identity probably made its biggest stamp on this book.

4. As always the battles are great with Cameron. The final battle in the book is the Battle of Gaza as the Alexandrian army takes on Demetrios's forces. What can I say? This battle was well written from the strategic side and accuracy in portrayal of actual combat, as well as the emotional side of those on the ground. I find with Cameron there is always a perfect balance between the "heroism of the Iliad" and the brutality, devastation, and stupidity of war. The glorification of the Iliad and hero worship of Achilles by Greek youths is an ongoing theme, which Cameron always juxtaposes with the brutal reality. He shows heroism in the astounding physical feats and courage in the face of terrifying situations, but also the very real cost.

Philokles is one of my favourite characters throughout the series for this reason. He is a Spartan philosopher who suffers with severe depression and alcoholism because of what he's done in battle and his desire to die a moral man, taking an oath never to kill another person again. War is the ultimate tyrant, he believes. And yet he also understands the reality of the tyranny of men - that upholding such an oath may be impossible in some situations and in making such a decision there is no ultimate truth or "right decision". Whatever you decide there will always be consequences that you can't outrun. He might actually be my favourite character of the whole series.

This book is "odd" for me in the sense that I wasn't as attached to Satyrus and Melitta as I was with Kineas, but at the same time there was a lot historically, politically, and philosophically that this book expanded on very well in my opinion.

[Ozymandias · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not every day you find a series that kills its lead character off in book two and then continues on with his children. I have to say that since I knew this was a longer series I did not see that coming and assumed the heavy foreshadowing was wrong or at least referring to some future event. Well huh.

This book is excellent and very human. Kineas was a likeable enough character but he was already well set in his ways when we met him. Satyrus and Melitta start off at about twelve here and we see them grow up from princes/ses into fugitives. That's a story that's rather easy to relate to. It also means we're less in military adventure mode and more in action/adventure. Two scions of royalty seeking to reclaim their throne. What's not to like?

We also get to see more of Philokles and although he remains frustratingly enigmatic we do get enough inside info to see that he's a Pythagorean! No wonder he was kicked out of Sparta! But that still leaves so many questions unanswered, and by this point I don't think we're ever going to be told.

The only issue I have with this book is the timing of it. First off, by skipping twelve years ahead of the last book we miss out on an awful lot of fun diadochi stuff - like Alexander's death and the initial splitting of his successors. Second, a bit less than halfway through we jump forward another four years and they go from being preteens to full teens. Not that I dislike the second period, it just felt like an unnecessary time jump since we basically resume the plot where we left off. It seems, in fact, that the only reason we followed them as preteens was so we could see the fate of Eumenes and the Silver Shields. Something interesting indeed, but rather thrown in and not plot essential.

This book feels like it belongs in a separate series from the last one. Like the last two books formed a duology and this is a sequel series. But once you get used to that idea and the new tone it becomes a very engaging read. Cameron's one of the best writers of historical fiction out there and this is one of his most popular series. Strongly recommended.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exciting and astonishing novel is the 3rd volume of the thrilling and impressive Tyrant series.
Once more the book has been historically very well researched and described in the author's and historical note at the end of the book, and not to forget you will find great maps and a well defined glossary at the beginning of the book as well.
The storytelling is as usual of a top-notch quality, for the author has certainly the ability to bring in his own wonderful and entertaining fashion vividly to life the brutal and beautiful Ancient Greek world.
This book starts off in the year 316 BC, twelve years after the death of Kineas of Athens at his kurgan on the Tanais River, until the year of 312 BC.
In this year 316 BC we find the twins Melitta and Satyrus with their mother Srayanka and their tutor Philokles the Spartan at their father's kurgan, when Srayanka announces that she has to make a jouyrney to meet Heron/Eumeles, and with Ataelus at her side and some of their best warriors she sets off to meet him, but when she arrives there she's ambushed by this same Heron/Eumeles and an unkown Athenian and finally murdered.
What should also have been achieved by Heron/Eumeles, The Greek Boy, and this Athenian is the murder of the twins Melitta and Satyrus, but Ataelus manages to escape with his warriors to warn the twins and Philokles the Spartan of the immediate danger to their lives.
Melitta and Satyrus with Philokles the Spartan have to flee west with assassins on their heels in the hope to reach the safe haven of Ptolemy's Alexandria, and hope to find sanctuary there amidst a growing storm of violence and fighting.
What will follow is a gripping and intriguing tale of treachery, plots and counter-plots, where Melitta and Satyrus have to choose wisely who their friends and/or enemies are, and that same story will build towards one final monumental confrontation between Antigonus One-Eye and his son Demetrius against the formidable Ptolemy of Egypt at the spectacular Battle of Gaza.
Highly recommended, for this is "An Astounding Historical Tale"!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this some time ago but for some reason still had it in my to read section and not my read section.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kineas’ journey might have ended in the last book when he passed away as a legend, defeating Alexander the Great, but his story lives on through his and Srayanka’s children; the twins Satyrus and Melitta. The twins’ mother was slain by the order of the treacherous Heron who was one of Kineas’ comrades in the previous book. Christian Cameron cleverly built the world as it was in his previous volumes to prepare us for his next tetralogy after Kineas’ duology, that is the story of Satyrus and Melitta as the future monarch of the kingdom of Bosporus.

But their inheritance of the Bosporan kingdom will have to wait as right now they were hunted all over the place by Stratokles, a crafty Athenian politician, who did Cassander’s and Heron’s bidding to get rid of the twins so the latter could usurp the Bosporan throne and thus control the grain trade. Their runaway route from the original steppe homeland, along the Pontic coast, through the Anatolian landscape, and finally ending in Aegypt is full of bravado and heroism. But the actual growing up, the preparation of the twins to become what they were destined to be, happened at sea. Due to Stratokles’ political maneuvering, the twins were exiled and given tasks to leave Aegypt and took the circular voyage in an armoured merchant ship. Even at sea, Stratokles’ agent hunted the twins and what happened during the naval battles, of killing enemies to survive and losing valuable mentors, changed Satyrus and Melitta from within.

Christian Cameron did a pretty good job weaving the heroic tale of Satyrus and Melitta although he clearly neglected Melitta’s characteristic growth storyline. Since Cameron told the story in a straightforward manner, like a soldier-man jotted down reports of past battles, he didn’t give much thought to the melodrama of modern historical fiction. It suits Satyrus’ role in the book because Satyrus is a young boy learning to be a man and a responsible future king but it felt odd seeing Melitta in this story. She seems like a prop and her story doesn’t have the growth of a main character should be. While Satyrus seems to be growing through trials, Melitta stays as a girl and seems to be treated just like a girl. While Satyrus became wiser and courageous, Melitta seems to compensate for being neglected (by her tutors and colleagues in the story and to some extent by the author too) by being brash, even arrogant. I still have no idea if this is the way Cameron intended her story to be and perhaps there’s a reason behind the lack of narrative around Melitta? Perhaps in the next volume I will see more of Melitta becoming a woman and not a girl who loves to complain about being treated like a little girl? Or it’s to highlight that when you neglected a child solely because of their gender, of course they became what you prejudiced all along; no thought, wisdom, and maturity.

Battle of Salamis by Andrew Howat. Imagining Satyrus’ and Melitta’s battle in the sea against the men who hunted them.

Anyway, I really liked the little trivia in this book. Makes me learn so much about the ancient world such as the ancient town of Gorgippia which exclusively produced fish sauce (Garos in Ancient Greek and Garum in Latin), Kykeon—the drink of Greek heroes of old which has ties with the Eleusinian Mysteries festival dedicated to the goddess Demeter, the valuable cargo of Aegyptian’s emmer wheat which all the Greek city-states seek to buy, and Nabatean drink called the qua-veh (qua-veh is the ancient word of coffee and Nabatea is an ancient Arabic civilization dominating present-day Jordan) that was offered to Satyrus by his Jewish friend’s father. It makes the world of Satyrus and Melitta so much richer although I can’t wait to see them back on the sea of grass as Sakje (or Scythian).

In terms of my favourite character in this book, surprisingly, I liked Philokles a lot. A Spartan philosopher—once Kineas’ closest friend and comrade—now the tutor of Satyrus and Melitta is full of wisdom despite being the incredible fighter that he is. Coming from a place that people often associated with all things military and the importance of physical strength (ex.: Leonidas who stood against the overwhelming Persian army in Thermopylae and young boys in Sparta raised separately from their family and undergoing rigorous training in the Agoge), Philokles sounds odd and interesting. Here is a Spartan who knows how to fight as a Spartan yet thinks like an Athenian philosopher and speaks convincingly like a skilled orator.

‘…I have spent a lifetime reading and listening and studying and hating war, and what it makes me become - and all I can say is that life is a choice, an endless series of choices. Men can choose to think or not to think. They can choose to lead or to follow. To trust or not to trust. You may choose not to take life - even not to fight. That choice is not cowardice. But that choice has consequences. Or you can choose to kill - and that choice, too, has consequences. When the blood fills your lungs and the darkness comes down, all you have is what you did - who you were, what you stood for.’

I love that speech by Philokles. It’s because he knows about war that he has the wisdom to see the reality of it as it is, no glorifying and no sulking about the unfairness of the deeds. Well, Christian Camerons’ Funeral Games is certainly the start of an interesting series.

Postscriptum :
I found three different recipes of kykeon, each according to how it’s used. The kykeon that was drunk by the Greek heroes of old and present in the Illiad and also retold in this book was made of barley flour, red wine, and aged goat cheese. The kykeon that was drunk during the Eleusinian Mysteries festival was made of barley flour, water, mint, and pennyroyal (some type of psychedelic substance). Whereas the kykeon that was used by Circe to poison her guest was made of barley flour, dry red wine, firm’s goat cheese, honey, and datura (a plant of the nightshade family). This datura can induce lasting delirium, strong hallucinations, and ingesting too much could cause a fatal overdose. One thing for certain, kykeon is a common drink in ancient Greece and can be used as an energetic drink, hosting guests, and even poisoning enemies.

Scene of Initiation into the Cult of the Mysteries of Eleusis.

[Robin Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really is easy to write a review for Christian's books..."Bloody Great...Go buy it".

But if that's was all it took then why would we all bother doing this?
None the less the statement is as accurate as can be, I have not read a single poorly phrased chapter, or paragraph the man has written.
The period is very underwritten, so he has a chance to stand out and shine.
I think his brilliance stems from his obvious Love of the period, he being a re-enactor as well as a writer, and I think that it's this re-enactment passion and experiencing so much of what his characters would have gone through that makes the books come to life.
If a man can really live and breathe his passion its Christian Cameron, and I feel privileged by the end of the book to have shared that experience. Because the passion shines through in every single character shaped with care attention and love, I don't know if they are based on people he knows and cares about, or just people he wishes he knew, but they are so well rounded they are alive by the time you have read the book, and any death is keenly felt.

Read the book enjoy the ride. Experience the History
(Parm)

[Sue Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what made me pick up this book. I think I wanted some historical fiction and the inside cover story sounded good. It certainly didn't disappoint me, I did enjoy it immensely! I do wish I had started at the first of the series! I have a thing at starting a book with the first one!

That being said, for starting in at the 3rd, I didn't feel like I had trully missed alot - the central characters being young and probably not part of the previous 2 book to any great extent. (I guess it's kind of like watching Star Wars without knowing the pre-quels!) It was well written and I felt it didn't exaggerate any circumstances or events. My biggest issue was keeping the names and the myraid of characters straight! I'm also thinking, that if I had had the first 2 books under my belt, I might have also had a better sense of the political chaos and economical urgencies that Christian Cameron tried to present in this story. Anyways, it was good none the less and I would recommend it as an entertaining read!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

c2010: FWFTB: kingdom, betrayal, perilous, assassins, sanctuary. Absolutely stirling writing, pace and characterisation. From my point of view, I found it harder to connect to the twins as much as I did to Kineas. However, that is more of a content/plot issue than any for of criticism. Philokles the Spartan continues to play a large role! Recommended. "But desperate men make poor choices.

[Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I shed a few tears at the end. Great characters, great writing, great time period, great book!

[Miguel Angel Pedrajas · Rating 5 out of 5]

El último libro que he leído en este maldito 2020. Pero a su vez, un año lleno de oportunidades para disfrutar de la lectura y que ha sido más que fructífero en ese sentido. Y creo que con este libro de Christian Cameron no lo he podido terminar de mejor manera.

Cameron ha conseguido crear una obra muy entretenida, interesante y con un ritmo apabullante. Podría decir que su saga “Tirano” es una epopeya grandiosa, en un momento histórico poco conocido, pero en el que la novela se encuentra cómoda flirteando con personajes muy importantes y en los que nada está afianzado. Los giros argumentales, la evolución de los personajes, las escenas tan brutales y emocionantes que guardan las páginas de “Juegos funerarios” se quedarán para siempre.

Como ya comenté en anteriores reseñas de la saga, llegué a ella buscando ese momento histórico tan belicoso como las guerras entre los sucesores del gran Alejando Magno, los diadocos. En las dos primeras novelas hay muy poco de eso, siendo la figura de Alejandro la de un antagonista lejano. En esta tercera novela, 12 años después de la anterior, estamos en los primeros momentos de esos “juegos funerarios” que disputan varios candidatos, pero principalmente cuatro de ellos. Aun así, ellos no serán los protagonistas. Los verdaderos protagonistas están atrapados en medio de unos y otros, siendo testigos y tomando posición según sus propias motivaciones. Y Cameron utiliza esa libertad para llevarnos por una odisea desafiante que cruza varias veces el Mediterráneo, nos lleva por varias batallas épicas, persecuciones frenéticas, conspiraciones, envenenamientos, política, secuestros, escenas navales de película… que deja poco tiempo para la calma. Cuando uno se ha dado cuenta, muy atrás quedaron los acontecimientos de pocas páginas anteriores y no puedes parar de leer.

Hasta el momento, me parece la más rica e interesante de las tres primeras novelas de la saga. Y una cosa muy atractiva es que puede leerse perfectamente sin haber leído las anteriores. Aunque el lector se perderá el origen y el trasfondo de algunos personajes veteranos y la historia que hay detrás de ellos. Y eso yo no me lo perdonaría. Porque algunos de estos personajes nos abandonarán para siempre y, solo conociendo sus vidas, entenderemos el gran drama y dolor que supone su pérdida, teniendo momentos sumamente emocionantes.

Abro este pequeño párrafo de SPOILERS (sáltatelo si quieres leer esta novela):
Uno se pregunta al concluir la novela anterior (Tirano: Tormenta de Flechas), cómo puede continuar la saga tras la muerte de su protagonista y héroe: Kineas. Y es que la trama continua justo 12 años después, con una dramática escena nada más empezar y que lleva a conocer y seguir las vidas de Sátiro y Melita, los mellizos de Kineas y Srayanka. Ellos serán los nuevos protagonistas, veremos cómo se van convirtiendo de niños a adultos pasando por mil y una situaciones. Lo vemos reflejado en los títulos de los seis actos que componen la novela, que referencian el forjado de una espada. Y poco a poco, nos daremos cuenta que son una evolución reconocible de los caracteres de sus padres, la viva imagen de sus miedos, su carisma y su fuerza. Contarán con aliados como los antiguos amigos y compañeros de su padre, destacando a Filocles, el espartano filósofo, que se convierte definitivamente en un personaje importantísimo para esta novela y la saga en general.

Una novela muy recomendable, divertida, entrañable y emocionante. Ideal para los ávidos de novela histórica antigua y de la acción, de personajes carismáticos y que disfruten con escenas épicas. Cameron tiene buen ritmo y espero poder disfrutándolo en el resto de novelas de la saga.

[Clay Kallam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled into this six-book series by way of one of my favorite recent fantasy series, the Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron. I noticed that, for some unknown reason, Cameron also wrote under the name of Christian Cameron, and had a series set in the time of Alexander the Great.

As one who knows way too much about that Hellenistic time period, and one who loved Cameron’s previous work, I was all in from the moment I started volume one, Tyrant. And as this is a connected series that really needs to be read in order to be appreciated, this review is of all six books considered as a whole, rather than a review of each book (though parenthetical notes will be appended for each).

The story covers about 30 years of ancient history, ending in 301 BCE at the Battle of Ipsos. Now if you already know who won the Battle of Ipsos, you will be a little too far ahead of the game, for much of the suspense of the series (which includes other historical events) will be lost – and you will also be surprised by some revisions Cameron makes in order to tell the story the way he wants to.

But the basic premise is this: Cameron inserts fictional, high-ranking characters into the complicated weave of Hellenistic history, and has them participate in events both major and minor. For the most part, this works extremely well, as Cameron’s grasp of the minutiae of Hellenistic life and his gritty sense of the bloody, painful and horrific cost of ancient warfare is superb. He is also an excellent writer, so the story moves along at a brisk pace, flagging only momentarily in the later volumes.

There are issues, of course. Like Star Trek, Kineas and Satyrus, the two main protagonists, are in the front lines way too often to be believed, especially in the later books, and their interactions with the major historical figures seem unnecessary, as if the editors insisted that somehow Kineas and Alexander are in contact, and so are Satyrus and various Hellenistic leaders.

Cameron, though, is perfectly willing to kill off major characters, and in sudden and unexpected ways, which adds a tremendous amount of tension to battle scenes and assassination attempts (unlike Star Trek). There’s also some magical realism thrown in, but any attempt to explain the plot would require much more patience than any reader of this review is likely to have.

But in short, Kineas, Satyrus and his woefully underutilized twin sister Melitta (why wasn’t she more prominent in the narrative?), all represent what we now consider Southern Russia, at the north of what we call the Black Sea. In those times, it was the place where the steppe nomads and expanding population of farmers and colonizers crossed paths, and it became a crucial part of the Hellenistic game of thrones given its ability to produce grain that the Mediterranean cities desperately needed to feed their people.

So Cameron tosses these characters, their soldiers and their grain into the Hellenistic mix, and in the end, comes up with a wonderful series that I enjoyed from start to finish. Then again, I love excellent historical fiction, and this is my favorite period, so I’m hardly unbiased. But I will say this: If you have even a passing interest in the world of Alexander the Great after his death, the Tyrant series is for you. I just wish there were more than six volumes.

* * * * *
This volume is a serious shift of gears, and as such, takes time to build momentum. And new characters come onto center stage, and the suspension of disbelief they bring with them asks a lot. But Cameron settles back into the flow by book's end.

[Jose Marquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tercera entrega de la saga Tirano en la que Christian Cameron me mantiene a la expectativa de lo que va a suceder en esta historia que recambia personajes aunque mantiene algunos pocos desde la primera obra, esto dota la saga de dinamismo y autenticidad. No llevo más de algunos minutos de haber terminado esta obra y ya quiero sacar de la biblioteca el próximo libro de la saga para comenzar a leerlo: Tirano posee narrativa adictiva aunque algunos tramos son lentos, dado la cantidad de personajes de cada libro de la saga, he requerido elaborar lista de ellos en una Dramatis Personae para orientarme en el contexto de la lectura, algunas veces consultando la de obras anteriores.
Estoy convencido que toda novela no sólo del género histórico que me gusta debe incluir el Dramatis Personae para comodidad y consulta del lector.
Como he comentado de otras obras de Christian Cameron, hacen falta gráficos del desarrollo de las batallas, pues a mí modo de ver, en la traducción en lengua castellana las descripciones de estas son confusas y complicadas de entender.
Le doy cinco estrellas porque a pesar de las falencias mencionadas, está saga me mantiene cautivado en la intriga del destino de los personajes y de los hechos que van apareciendo.
No había leído antes una novela que larga de las últimas campañas de Alejandro y trate sobre las consecuencias colaterales de las acciones de los diodocos tras su fallecimiento.

[Kirk Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing to work my way through a list of Ancient Greece in 36 Historical novels, I hit #32, Christian Cameron's 2010 novel Tyrant: Funeral Games. This was actually the first time in the entire list where I was being asked to read volume three in a series, so of course I quickly read one and two.

Tyrant Mini-Review
This 2008 novel follows a Greek mercenary called Kinneas and his interactions with the Scythian people during the reign of Alexander the Great. The book was a lot of fun, showing a little known corner of the era.

Tyrant: Storm of Arrows Mini-Review
This 2009 novel follows Greek mercenary Kinneas and his battle with a Macedonian army led by one Alexander the Great's generals. A lot of action, as well as an interesting look at Alexander himself in the latter days of his reign.

Ok, so back to Funeral Games. The novel follows the children of the leads from the first two books as they navigate the collapsing Macedonian Empire after Alexander's death. Twins Satyrus and Melitta begin the novel around age twelve and allow the reader to examine how nobles from different cultures viewed gender, roles, and responsibilities against a backdrop of action, intrigue, and adventure. I think it's fair to say that this list very nicely led me to two great authors, Mary Renault and Christian Cameron.

[Paul Convery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back to Christian Cameron's Tyrant series and I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, with how book 2 Storm of Arrows ended I knew we had lost a great character and that Funeral Games would bring a change of focus.

I didn't need to worry though, while this is only my third book of Cameron's that I've read, he gives his characters so much depth and the details that he goes into for the setting are just exquisite!

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written story with interesting young heroes but 1. the actual wars were so complex, it was impossible to follow what was happening in the big picture
2. I always go on about maps being essential to understand what is going on. This book actually included a map of the eastern Mediterranean but most of the places mentioned in the story were missing so it did not help.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be honest, the idea of 12-year-old warriors seemed a bit far-fetched to start with, but it gets more plausible as the book goes on and the twins age. It can be a bit confusing keeping track of who is who from the previous books in the series, but I remembered the key players which is the main thing. Overall, it's a decent read.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toda la saga Tirano es muy buena. En este vemos la transición entre una historia anterior y la que sigue, entre una generación y su sucesora, y es una transición muy bien llevada por el autor. Extrañamos a algunos personajes, nos vamos encariñando con otros y convertimos a unos terceros en leyendas.

Un buen (gran) nuevo impulso a la historia, recomendable.

[Erv Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

El cambio de protagonistas no le sentó bien a la serie y el ritmo trepidante que intenta inyectar al inicio le fue imposible sostenerlo por el frágil desarrollo de varios de los personajes que introduce en esta tercer entrega.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another phenomenal entry in the series! Thoroughly enjoyed the ride with Satyrus, Melitta, and of course: the fat Spartan, the philosopher warrior, and my favorite character, Philokles! Excited for the next installment of Tyrant!

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satyrus and Melitta seek refuge in Egypt as the succession to Alexander heats up.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything Cameron writes is always great!!! This book and series is as well great, recommend this author to anyone, depending on the historical period he is writing about.

[John Somers · Rating 4 out of 5]

15/20.

[Christy Lené · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional

[Amzon_Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Attrition grinds on, scheming, spying & some pumpy!

I’ll keep it very simple: A great instalment in the series.

Battles on Land, Battles at Sea, & Battles of the Mind!

[Nils Loland · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in the Tyrant series is just as good as the two first. A great historic novel about the power struggle in the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great.

[Luis Sagi-Vela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tercer libro de la serie Tirano.

[Rick M · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF / not enough about Alexander.