Interesting book, and interesting structure.

I found the first couple chapters the strongest, in fact, very, VERY strong - one of the best evocations of the Greek phalanx in battle. Amazingly visceral, awesome writing.

But the book slows down from there. Yes, there is backstory and exposition to... expose. And philosophy to ponder, characters to develop, scenes to set. I found it kinda slow, kinda long-winded. I wish Hanson had tightened up this middle section quite a bit.

We (readers) expected a certain conclusion, but were held off. Nice storytelling that, and the conclusion when it came was satisfying and marvelous.

So, while the first part had me reading till the wee hours and the second part had me struggling to make headway, overall a pretty good book, evoking an interesting period in Greece.