The Bright Foundation of Liberty

by John P. Nordin

How did a few small cities hold off the largest empire in the world – not once, but twice? This novel takes you back to ancient Greece and the beginning of self-government. In a story that sweeps across 20 years and two invasions Athens and Sparta repel the Persians against long odds. But it isn’t just Marathon and Thermopylae, it’s also the war ships – rowed not by the elite but by the ordinary Athenians, and commanded by the narrator’s father.Behind those battles is the slow emergence of the Assembly – the place where people for the first time began to find a way to lead themselves without a tyrant.

301 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2013

Reviews

[Diane Cranson]

A good book about the 20 year conflict between Persia and Greece, beginning with the Ionian revolt and ending after Plataea, and showing how it was instrumental in the birth of what we call democracy, particularly in Athens. The author's knowledge of the historical background is masterful, and his writing is good, often beautiful. The book is longer than it would appear at 296 pages, because it's a larger format paperback using a smaller font. I couldn't understand until I worked that out why it was taking me so long to get through it.

I think it's self published, so all power to the author. If it's ever republished, I believe it would benefit greatly from a good editor, particularly one familiar with the classics, as there are far too many typos, and varied spellings of names.

I learned a great deal of the detail of this period, the conflict and the nascent democracy from the book, and I'm glad to have persevered with it.