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Eskkar Saga #1
Dawn of Empire
Three thousand years before the birth of Christ and the world is dominated by savage tribes of barbarians who despise the first farmers and townsfolk trying to settle the land.
In the Tigris Valley, the first primitive farmers attempt to bring civilization to a dark world. But every few years Barbarians sweep in raping, killing and burning. This time the people of Orak are going to fight, but their military commanders flee as the enemy army approaches, leaving only Eskkar a lowly lieutenant in charge. But Eskkar has one advantage: he understands the barbarians better than anyone: he was once one himself but fled a vendetta.
Eskkar is given Trella, a slave girl as a reward for his loyalty. They form a partnership forged on mutual desire and courage; he with his ability to command men and his military expertise, she with her insight into the minds of the townsfolk. Together they rally the people. What follows is an orgy of battle, bloodshed and sex that is simply unputdownable.
In the Tigris Valley, the first primitive farmers attempt to bring civilization to a dark world. But every few years Barbarians sweep in raping, killing and burning. This time the people of Orak are going to fight, but their military commanders flee as the enemy army approaches, leaving only Eskkar a lowly lieutenant in charge. But Eskkar has one advantage: he understands the barbarians better than anyone: he was once one himself but fled a vendetta.
Eskkar is given Trella, a slave girl as a reward for his loyalty. They form a partnership forged on mutual desire and courage; he with his ability to command men and his military expertise, she with her insight into the minds of the townsfolk. Together they rally the people. What follows is an orgy of battle, bloodshed and sex that is simply unputdownable.
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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1723 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
November 8, 2011
I guess I am the only one who got about 100 pages in and realized that he was romanticizing the rape of a child. If the book was historically accurate, it would have been different - but the fantasy of the slave woman who just needs a man with the right moves to find her hidden sexual desires is 100% Penthouse Forum. Making her 14 was just gratuitous.
The fact that so few people were horrified should not surprise me. I wish I could bleach the image from my brain.
Beyond that, the writing is clunky. This is not well researched historical fiction for fans of the genre. It is just a fictional setting with a real name. The characters have no cultural identity, they could exist anywhere, and the lack of cultural context made it seem smutty to me rather than historically relevant. I think 5 minutes of research into the effects of forced sexual servitude on women might have been worthwhile.
The fact that so few people were horrified should not surprise me. I wish I could bleach the image from my brain.
Beyond that, the writing is clunky. This is not well researched historical fiction for fans of the genre. It is just a fictional setting with a real name. The characters have no cultural identity, they could exist anywhere, and the lack of cultural context made it seem smutty to me rather than historically relevant. I think 5 minutes of research into the effects of forced sexual servitude on women might have been worthwhile.
July 30, 2011
Hmm. A book I would never read unless I was stuck in a remote Irish cottage with no television and dodgy internet with the only other choices left by previous holidaymakers being Jeffrey Archer, some Jack Higgins, one PD James and some stuff in German.
And yet... I didn't hate it. Certainly, I finished it and found myself almost gripped.
On the other hand, it is numbingly repetitive in many ways, and so many things are explained to the n-th degree that I started wondering if perhaps the author just assumed all his readers are complete morons.
I didn't hate it but... do you see me running to get the following novels? No, but if I turn up in a remote Irish cottage with no television and dodgy internet and they're on the shelf, I might consider them.
And yet... I didn't hate it. Certainly, I finished it and found myself almost gripped.
On the other hand, it is numbingly repetitive in many ways, and so many things are explained to the n-th degree that I started wondering if perhaps the author just assumed all his readers are complete morons.
I didn't hate it but... do you see me running to get the following novels? No, but if I turn up in a remote Irish cottage with no television and dodgy internet and they're on the shelf, I might consider them.
June 2, 2017
Defense against the siege of a town on the banks of the Tigris by its inhabitants led by a mercenary solder, Esskar, and his [almost too] wise slave, Trella. Interesting novel of Bronze Age times, how farmers defended against nomads. Not "historical" except in broad outlines. Too much sex for my taste--not offensive but I was overwhelmed by how much there was. Was this a male novelist's sexual fantasy? Will only read sequel if is library discard, as this was.
May 31, 2011
The thing I loved about this book is that is both Epic in scale but also highly detailed.
The author paints a vivid scene of despair and hopelessness, with the 'dirt-eaters' (the early farmers of bronze age mesopotamia) who live in rudimentary settlements, accepting their role as sword-fodder for the warbands who still roam the country hunting for food and pillaging for treasure.
I felt engaged really quickly with the protagonist, Eskkar, as he struggled against his own demons and against the stubborn townsfolk who resisted his pleas to make a stand against the raiders. But Eskkar is not alone, he has a slave girl, Trella, who is as cunning and calm as Eskkar is bold and aggressive. The pair dovetail really nicely without ever coming across as infallible.
The story builds neatly, taking you on the adventure and builds towards a hectic and unforgettable ending.
A must for hist fic fans.
The author paints a vivid scene of despair and hopelessness, with the 'dirt-eaters' (the early farmers of bronze age mesopotamia) who live in rudimentary settlements, accepting their role as sword-fodder for the warbands who still roam the country hunting for food and pillaging for treasure.
I felt engaged really quickly with the protagonist, Eskkar, as he struggled against his own demons and against the stubborn townsfolk who resisted his pleas to make a stand against the raiders. But Eskkar is not alone, he has a slave girl, Trella, who is as cunning and calm as Eskkar is bold and aggressive. The pair dovetail really nicely without ever coming across as infallible.
The story builds neatly, taking you on the adventure and builds towards a hectic and unforgettable ending.
A must for hist fic fans.
August 17, 2017
So this book has the bones of a good story if the author had any idea how history works. There are countless inaccuracies in weaponry, warfare and much of the sail life in general. I applaud the efforts in trying to make a different kind of story but it came off lacking in too many areas. Also the love interest of Esskar was a bit unnecessary with the lady being the age she was. I do understand that people were married at that age in the time period but the way she went from hated companion to lover overnight was exaggerated.
Some of my biggest irritants was weaponry. While bronze was the metal of choice in weaponry the author has some difficulty explaining its weaknesses in use. For example when his woman bought him a long sword made of bronze (red flag bronze wasn't a very effective metal for sword making in that way I'll explain in a few) and he tried it out on a post, splitting it in two (from horseback!!). First off while bronze is much stronger than copper it doesn't not have the power behind it to cut through wood in the way described. It would flex or break from the force. Most weapons in that day were axes and spears smaller weapons with weight not having to worry about the strength of the metal to get the job done. Second with bronze swords still being brittle they were generally made into a more sickle shaped weapon with a curved spine to increase rigidity. Long swords didn't really come into existence until iron was smelted and formed into weapons by the ancient Hittites. Also the idea that his warriors rode and fought on horseback in that time period is just unequivocally wrong. They just don't have the knowledge or the idea then. Most mobile troops, other than foot soldiers, came in the form of war chariots that in that time were manned by oxen and only the wealthiest/elite individuals could even afford the technology.
Lastly my biggest irritants was the continuous talk of gold coins. In the beginning you basically said that the gold was from only a few families and that is fine. But you started saying how much each family had in specific numbers. Had you just said this family had more had more money than another family that would have been fine but by putting a number to the wealth of a family it threw off everything else. Let me explain. When you start saying that one of the lowest families has 1100 gold coins compared to another that had I believe was 1700? You betray how much money you have to spend in the story. The reason this is an issue is it means you have a finite amount of that resource and the amount you use gets noticed quickly. When you have soldiers doing a task for 10 gold pieces, per soldier you are taking away how much is left from your world. You do this multiple times. Then you brake down how much you spend on weapons, food and salaries it again shrinks how much you have to pay out and in the end you actually overshoot the amount of money spent to what you originally had. Also coins weren't invented until many hundreds of years later. Everything was bartered in that time period. I want a pair of sanders? I trade 7 loaves of bread for them, that type of thing. There are so many errors in the book that it is hard to touch each and every one of them but you get my point. I was very excited by the idea of the story, but found it lacking. In fact I didn't even finish the book I actually threw away my copy which I can't remember a time I threw away a book.
All said the book was poorly written and had too many flaws to name. .5 stars.
Some of my biggest irritants was weaponry. While bronze was the metal of choice in weaponry the author has some difficulty explaining its weaknesses in use. For example when his woman bought him a long sword made of bronze (red flag bronze wasn't a very effective metal for sword making in that way I'll explain in a few) and he tried it out on a post, splitting it in two (from horseback!!). First off while bronze is much stronger than copper it doesn't not have the power behind it to cut through wood in the way described. It would flex or break from the force. Most weapons in that day were axes and spears smaller weapons with weight not having to worry about the strength of the metal to get the job done. Second with bronze swords still being brittle they were generally made into a more sickle shaped weapon with a curved spine to increase rigidity. Long swords didn't really come into existence until iron was smelted and formed into weapons by the ancient Hittites. Also the idea that his warriors rode and fought on horseback in that time period is just unequivocally wrong. They just don't have the knowledge or the idea then. Most mobile troops, other than foot soldiers, came in the form of war chariots that in that time were manned by oxen and only the wealthiest/elite individuals could even afford the technology.
Lastly my biggest irritants was the continuous talk of gold coins. In the beginning you basically said that the gold was from only a few families and that is fine. But you started saying how much each family had in specific numbers. Had you just said this family had more had more money than another family that would have been fine but by putting a number to the wealth of a family it threw off everything else. Let me explain. When you start saying that one of the lowest families has 1100 gold coins compared to another that had I believe was 1700? You betray how much money you have to spend in the story. The reason this is an issue is it means you have a finite amount of that resource and the amount you use gets noticed quickly. When you have soldiers doing a task for 10 gold pieces, per soldier you are taking away how much is left from your world. You do this multiple times. Then you brake down how much you spend on weapons, food and salaries it again shrinks how much you have to pay out and in the end you actually overshoot the amount of money spent to what you originally had. Also coins weren't invented until many hundreds of years later. Everything was bartered in that time period. I want a pair of sanders? I trade 7 loaves of bread for them, that type of thing. There are so many errors in the book that it is hard to touch each and every one of them but you get my point. I was very excited by the idea of the story, but found it lacking. In fact I didn't even finish the book I actually threw away my copy which I can't remember a time I threw away a book.
All said the book was poorly written and had too many flaws to name. .5 stars.
January 13, 2022
Two maps!
You know a book means business when there’s more than one map. You can never have enough maps.
I absolutely love the setting of this book and I’ve been wanting to get round to reading it for years and so glad I finally did. Ancient/pre historical periods are my favourite eras and so it has been an absolute treat reading some HF set in this time period.
SB really brings 3000BC to life with this story by going into detail about village life which is really interesting and well written so it never felt slow. Even got a few farming and economics lessons in there which were great!
If you like well written battles and exciting sieges then definitely give this a try. The action is written well and I never once felt lost during those fast paced moments whilst trying picture any of the scenes. I found myself fully engrossed in the action scenes. They were all extremely captivating and fun to read. It’s not all battles battles battles though as there’s some solid political intrigue stuff in there too.
One area I felt that could have been developed more though was some of the characters. It would have been nice to have them fleshed out a bit more, especially some of the side characters to make even more of a connection with the story. I felt like the main two characters were just calling out for a little more depth. Maybe seeing things from a few more POVs would’ve been nice too.
A good, fun solid read. Excited for book 2!
You know a book means business when there’s more than one map. You can never have enough maps.
I absolutely love the setting of this book and I’ve been wanting to get round to reading it for years and so glad I finally did. Ancient/pre historical periods are my favourite eras and so it has been an absolute treat reading some HF set in this time period.
SB really brings 3000BC to life with this story by going into detail about village life which is really interesting and well written so it never felt slow. Even got a few farming and economics lessons in there which were great!
If you like well written battles and exciting sieges then definitely give this a try. The action is written well and I never once felt lost during those fast paced moments whilst trying picture any of the scenes. I found myself fully engrossed in the action scenes. They were all extremely captivating and fun to read. It’s not all battles battles battles though as there’s some solid political intrigue stuff in there too.
One area I felt that could have been developed more though was some of the characters. It would have been nice to have them fleshed out a bit more, especially some of the side characters to make even more of a connection with the story. I felt like the main two characters were just calling out for a little more depth. Maybe seeing things from a few more POVs would’ve been nice too.
A good, fun solid read. Excited for book 2!
December 7, 2019
The concept is brilliant. This is an epic imagining of the first city siege in history. A burgeoning farming village on the banks of the Tigris makes a stand against a tribe of nomadic raiders who kill or enslave everyone they encounter. This is how author Sam Barone envisions the birth of the Akkadian civilization.
Dawn of Empire is a page-turner written in a prose style fraught with tension, calling to mind popular novels about natural disasters, military tactics and technothrillers etc. Unfortunately many characters are painted in heinously broad strokes and the villain Thutmose-sin in particular is a caricature straight out of a 1980s Schwarzenegger movie.
Barone's depiction of the ancient Mesopotamian world is relatively well-researched and rich with details, but there are many oversights with the phonetics, proper names and lack of differentiation among various cultures in the region that drew me completely out of the narrative at times.
Dawn of Empire is a page-turner written in a prose style fraught with tension, calling to mind popular novels about natural disasters, military tactics and technothrillers etc. Unfortunately many characters are painted in heinously broad strokes and the villain Thutmose-sin in particular is a caricature straight out of a 1980s Schwarzenegger movie.
Barone's depiction of the ancient Mesopotamian world is relatively well-researched and rich with details, but there are many oversights with the phonetics, proper names and lack of differentiation among various cultures in the region that drew me completely out of the narrative at times.
August 4, 2015
A thumping good read! Probably not historically accurate and I found the romantic portrayal of Eskkar and Trellas relationship quite hilarious but I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read the rest of the series. You do have to suspend disbelief a bit. The main hero goes from drunken soldier to leader of a city in 5 months. What would have taken hundreds of years to develop and understand: moving from nomadic culture to one of settled farmlands, gives rise to the need for protection. The main character literally realises over night that what is needed is a walled city, flooded fields, a fully operational army- all to be achieved in 5 months (which it is!). Don't let that out you off! It's an entertaining story. The style is a cross between Simon Scarrow and Kate Quinn, if you can imagine!
May 7, 2012
what a brilliant idea, i cant think of anyone else writing in this time period.
Ok so the characters take a little time to develop, but they do develop, and i think thjats the charm, this whole book the whole plot the characters everything, its all about the begining, and development, turning wanderers into a civilisation.
Its a great paced story though and runs the reader along, and you find yourself easily caught up in the plot, you become a warrior defending the walls, a villager building the walls, a member of the council planning the walls.
I highly reccomend this book, not because its the best written around, but because its different and it does have potential and growth.
(Parm)
Product Description (From back of book)
Three thousand years before the birth of Christ and the world is dominated by savage tribes of barbarians who despise the first farmers and townsfolk trying to settle the land. In the Tigris Valley, the first primitive farmers attempt to bring civilization to a dark world. But every few years Barbarians sweep in raping, killing and burning. This time the people of Orak are going to fight, but their military commanders flee as the enemy army approaches, leaving only Eskkar a lowly lieutenant in charge. But Eskkar has one advantage: he understands the barbarians better than anyone: he was once one himself but fled a vendetta. Eskkar is given Trella, a slave girl as a reward for his loyalty. They form a partnership forged on mutual desire and courage; he with his ability to command men and his military expertise, she with her insight into the minds of the townsfolk. Together they rally the people. What follows is an orgy of battle, bloodshed and sex that is simply unputdownable.
Ok so the characters take a little time to develop, but they do develop, and i think thjats the charm, this whole book the whole plot the characters everything, its all about the begining, and development, turning wanderers into a civilisation.
Its a great paced story though and runs the reader along, and you find yourself easily caught up in the plot, you become a warrior defending the walls, a villager building the walls, a member of the council planning the walls.
I highly reccomend this book, not because its the best written around, but because its different and it does have potential and growth.
(Parm)
Product Description (From back of book)
Three thousand years before the birth of Christ and the world is dominated by savage tribes of barbarians who despise the first farmers and townsfolk trying to settle the land. In the Tigris Valley, the first primitive farmers attempt to bring civilization to a dark world. But every few years Barbarians sweep in raping, killing and burning. This time the people of Orak are going to fight, but their military commanders flee as the enemy army approaches, leaving only Eskkar a lowly lieutenant in charge. But Eskkar has one advantage: he understands the barbarians better than anyone: he was once one himself but fled a vendetta. Eskkar is given Trella, a slave girl as a reward for his loyalty. They form a partnership forged on mutual desire and courage; he with his ability to command men and his military expertise, she with her insight into the minds of the townsfolk. Together they rally the people. What follows is an orgy of battle, bloodshed and sex that is simply unputdownable.
December 16, 2013
It's weird. I know Barone is some kind of Arizona neo-con who dedicates his books to Bill O'Reilly and is merely a competent writer (as opposed to an actual good one) but I am completely hooked on this series. Maybe it's a dearth of decent, non-religious Bronze Age fiction but something about this book just grabbed me the first time I read it and wouldn't let go. I keep it on my "brain candy" shelf here, which is exactly what it sounds like (terrible for you, no "nutritional" value but still occasionally fun). Like, I know the "history" is terrible. I know the names are mostly stupid. But I still really enjoyed the experience. I think I finished it in less than two days, which at the time was pretty rare for me. Basically, it's not a book I'd recommend unless you have an interest in ancient Mesopotamia, but if you are it might be just your thing. For something with actual literary merit, I'd recommend Like Mayflies in a Stream and The Last Days of Jericho, or if you like Egypt check out Pauline Gedge, in particular her outstanding Lord of the Two Lands series.
January 4, 2014
This book was a 2.5 star book for me. I was hoping for bronze age historical fiction, what I got was fantasy but not nearly as exciting as the normal fantasy fair. The characters seemed way too modern in their thoughts and actions, and the book really dragged in places. That said there was enough action in parts that I kept reading. It could do without the gratuitous sex, I'm not a prude but I don't really think it did that much for the story to describe the sexual interactions in detail, although to give the author credit as the story went on he left more details to the reader's imagination. I would have liked more details on bronze age society, and something that actually tried to capture what life was like in the third millennium B.C.. I think the author could have set this story in a purely fictional world and he would have had much more license, instead he was constrained by history without actually delivering historical accuracy. Sure the high level details matched historical fact, but the citizens of Orak felt more like medieval peasants than the bronze age denizens they were supposed to be. Not sure if I'll read the next book or not, I love the idea of historical fiction set in this time period enough that I might delude myself into believing this is what I'll actually get.
December 5, 2008
I read DAWN OF EMPIRE just when I was getting into historical novels and boy, am I glad I did! It's an absolutely fantastic tale, based thousands of years ago and detailing the clash between barbarianism and society.
At its heart, DAWN OF EMPIRE is a stunning Boy's Own adventure. Siege stories have always been a favourite of mine, and this one does everything right: the action is very well drawn, characters larger than life, the story fast paced with lots of twists and turns. The novel is similar in scope to the equally brilliant WOLF OF THE PLAINS, by Conn Iggulden, and they make a good pair.
At its heart, DAWN OF EMPIRE is a stunning Boy's Own adventure. Siege stories have always been a favourite of mine, and this one does everything right: the action is very well drawn, characters larger than life, the story fast paced with lots of twists and turns. The novel is similar in scope to the equally brilliant WOLF OF THE PLAINS, by Conn Iggulden, and they make a good pair.
June 12, 2015
Paused because of the high amount of historical inaccuracies. I might decide to read on, but I would have to treat it as fantasy.
November 30, 2018
A satisfying read despite the incessant sexual exploitation of a pubescent POV. Yea, I know. A lil fucked up!
January 20, 2022
This is a rare one, not many books are out there that's set in this time. The story is about a village called Orak in what is now modern day Iraq. Every 20 years a huge barbarian clan in the steppes comes down to raid. The village employs a barbarian named Eskkar to help them defend and fortify Orak from the impending barbarian horde.
The book is very well paced, great set of characters that you will love and hate. Action aplenty, love and romance. But the thing that stands out in this book is the siege of Orak, very well described and its an exhilarating read. This is one of my favourite books of all time, I never read a book twice but this is definitely worth a few reads.
The book is very well paced, great set of characters that you will love and hate. Action aplenty, love and romance. But the thing that stands out in this book is the siege of Orak, very well described and its an exhilarating read. This is one of my favourite books of all time, I never read a book twice but this is definitely worth a few reads.
May 19, 2020
2.5 stars.
Being no historian, I can't speak to the historical accuracy of the novel, but overall it was "ok" for a genre I rarely dive into, though the writing was a bit tedious and overbearing on the details. I got some Inheritance Cycle vibes from this (probably from all the long-winded descriptions of battle tactics, training, etc.), and Eskkar is like Eragon, but older and far more level-headed to a point. Things to note:
Eskkar and Trella were way too perfect that it got boring. First, they're borderline overpowered characters--especially Trella. She's just that beautiful, strong, smart, everybody either admires her or wants to bed her. Of course, she only has eyes for Eskkar, who is equally perfect and godly, except compared to Trella he seems almost human. I was pretty squicked out by their relationship, though. There's some really creepy romanticizing of underage sex (Eskkar being 31 and Trella only 14 in the beginning), that is made worse by all the "excuses" meant to absolve Eskkar of the creepiness: For example, in Trella's POV, she kept reasoning that Eskkar was kind and respectful to her, compared to X, Y, Z who all treated her like dirt. I mean, that's fine, but this gets brought up at least FOUR times throughout the beginning, as if we need to be reminded constantly that they have a proper relationship. Unfortunately, it just comes off as unintentional "covering the bases" so the romance isn't so icky and unbalanced. Nice try, but not working for me.
Also on the topic of absolving Eskkar, maybe it was only me who was bugged by his sociopathic slip-ups. There was this constant demonization of all the male characters who posed a threat to Eskkar because they wanted Trella: Every time any male character hints at being a threat, Eskkar fantasizes killing them, cuz that's totally normal for heroes to do, right? I understand he's human and flawed like the rest of us, but this just doesn't sit well with his characterization of being a perfectly good and moral hero, which is how we're supposed to view him. Protagonist morality strikes again!
Last point: there were no stakes in the story. The outcome of the battle was extremely predictable, for one. The list of characters got longer and longer yet no one was developed beyond that of stock character status, though I liked a few of Eskkar's comrades-in-arms and worried for their safety (unlike Eskkar and Trella, they didn't have the luxury of Plot Armor). Luckily, everything got resolved fairly well, though the ending was extremely underwhelming.
Not great, but passable.
Being no historian, I can't speak to the historical accuracy of the novel, but overall it was "ok" for a genre I rarely dive into, though the writing was a bit tedious and overbearing on the details. I got some Inheritance Cycle vibes from this (probably from all the long-winded descriptions of battle tactics, training, etc.), and Eskkar is like Eragon, but older and far more level-headed to a point. Things to note:
Eskkar and Trella were way too perfect that it got boring. First, they're borderline overpowered characters--especially Trella. She's just that beautiful, strong, smart, everybody either admires her or wants to bed her. Of course, she only has eyes for Eskkar, who is equally perfect and godly, except compared to Trella he seems almost human. I was pretty squicked out by their relationship, though. There's some really creepy romanticizing of underage sex (Eskkar being 31 and Trella only 14 in the beginning), that is made worse by all the "excuses" meant to absolve Eskkar of the creepiness: For example, in Trella's POV, she kept reasoning that Eskkar was kind and respectful to her, compared to X, Y, Z who all treated her like dirt. I mean, that's fine, but this gets brought up at least FOUR times throughout the beginning, as if we need to be reminded constantly that they have a proper relationship. Unfortunately, it just comes off as unintentional "covering the bases" so the romance isn't so icky and unbalanced. Nice try, but not working for me.
Also on the topic of absolving Eskkar, maybe it was only me who was bugged by his sociopathic slip-ups. There was this constant demonization of all the male characters who posed a threat to Eskkar because they wanted Trella: Every time any male character hints at being a threat, Eskkar fantasizes killing them, cuz that's totally normal for heroes to do, right? I understand he's human and flawed like the rest of us, but this just doesn't sit well with his characterization of being a perfectly good and moral hero, which is how we're supposed to view him. Protagonist morality strikes again!
Last point: there were no stakes in the story. The outcome of the battle was extremely predictable, for one. The list of characters got longer and longer yet no one was developed beyond that of stock character status, though I liked a few of Eskkar's comrades-in-arms and worried for their safety (unlike Eskkar and Trella, they didn't have the luxury of Plot Armor). Luckily, everything got resolved fairly well, though the ending was extremely underwhelming.
Not great, but passable.
March 14, 2010
Thanks owed to What's the Name of That Book??? for finding this book based on my poor memory of what it was about when I read it the first time years ago.
Dawn of Empire delivers on its promise of an action-filled battle for survival against barbarians from the steppes. The strategy that goes into designing defences for Orak, from its crucial wall to the ditch in front and the archers behind, is impressive. Also impressive is the inherent conflict in the ideologies of the steppes people and the villagers. Sam Barone gives us a wonderful sense of the stark contrast between these two societies, and why the way of life of one is anathema to the other. In that sense, Dawn of Empire fulfils its purpose of depicting the rise of walled cities and the subsequent empires.
Try as I might, I could not engage with the characters. All of the antagonists are flat, with one-dimensional motivations, particularly those within Orak. Drigo's son and Nicar's son, for instance, are both the definition of "hormonal irrational adolescent" and attack Eskkar without really considering the consequences (although Caldor goes about it in a more underhanded manner, I'll grant him that). And everyone is black and white: supporting Eskkar or against Eskkar.
While I quite enjoyed Trella's character and her relationship with Eskkar, how many times did Barone need to tell us they had sex? Apparently before the Internet came around, that was the only way two people could express affection for each other. Eskkar and Trella spend so much time in their bedroom that I'm surprised she doesn't get pregnant sooner. Indeed, the book itself comments snarkily on their bedroom habits. So the romance subplot here isn't so much "romantic" as it is "he sleeps with her, she falls in love with him, he kills anyone who threatens her." Which, I suppose, some people might find romantic.
It's the lack of realism in these pedestrian details that interrupts my enjoyment of the book more so than any potential historical inaccuracy. Firstly, Dawn of Empire gets a lot of leeway in this area, because it is set in the third millennium B.C. Our conception of events and civilization in that era is weak at best. Secondly, historical fiction by its definition will be inaccurate . . . perfectly accurate historical fiction would just be history, and who wants that?! Unrealistic antagonists, relationships, and personal conflicts, on the other hand, undermine the story itself. Such problems transcend genre.
If the setting and premise of this book interest you, then I would recommend it. Although long and not without flaws, you could definitely eke enjoyment from Dawn of Empire. If, however, you're looking for historical character drama and/or romance, then keep looking. Dawn of Empire is strong on strategy, weak on characterization, and satisfactory in its use of setting, if not style.
Dawn of Empire delivers on its promise of an action-filled battle for survival against barbarians from the steppes. The strategy that goes into designing defences for Orak, from its crucial wall to the ditch in front and the archers behind, is impressive. Also impressive is the inherent conflict in the ideologies of the steppes people and the villagers. Sam Barone gives us a wonderful sense of the stark contrast between these two societies, and why the way of life of one is anathema to the other. In that sense, Dawn of Empire fulfils its purpose of depicting the rise of walled cities and the subsequent empires.
Try as I might, I could not engage with the characters. All of the antagonists are flat, with one-dimensional motivations, particularly those within Orak. Drigo's son and Nicar's son, for instance, are both the definition of "hormonal irrational adolescent" and attack Eskkar without really considering the consequences (although Caldor goes about it in a more underhanded manner, I'll grant him that). And everyone is black and white: supporting Eskkar or against Eskkar.
While I quite enjoyed Trella's character and her relationship with Eskkar, how many times did Barone need to tell us they had sex? Apparently before the Internet came around, that was the only way two people could express affection for each other. Eskkar and Trella spend so much time in their bedroom that I'm surprised she doesn't get pregnant sooner. Indeed, the book itself comments snarkily on their bedroom habits. So the romance subplot here isn't so much "romantic" as it is "he sleeps with her, she falls in love with him, he kills anyone who threatens her." Which, I suppose, some people might find romantic.
It's the lack of realism in these pedestrian details that interrupts my enjoyment of the book more so than any potential historical inaccuracy. Firstly, Dawn of Empire gets a lot of leeway in this area, because it is set in the third millennium B.C. Our conception of events and civilization in that era is weak at best. Secondly, historical fiction by its definition will be inaccurate . . . perfectly accurate historical fiction would just be history, and who wants that?! Unrealistic antagonists, relationships, and personal conflicts, on the other hand, undermine the story itself. Such problems transcend genre.
If the setting and premise of this book interest you, then I would recommend it. Although long and not without flaws, you could definitely eke enjoyment from Dawn of Empire. If, however, you're looking for historical character drama and/or romance, then keep looking. Dawn of Empire is strong on strategy, weak on characterization, and satisfactory in its use of setting, if not style.
December 4, 2009
I FINALLY finished this book. The positive points is the fun of getting into the mentality of the ancient way of life before cities were able to survive. How a broken arm on the battlefield can be a death sentence, the role of women and men, and the structure of different classes of people (from roaming clans to farming clans). The negative, there is WAY TOO much talking in the book. First the characters talk about what they're going to talk about, then they talk about it, then they talk about how the talk went and figure out new things to talk about and plan for. That was the first 3/4 of the book. Very slow read. Hard to get into the character swhen they're talking about social classes and buiding plans and warrior training. Interesting read but would be hard to pick up and read again. Excellent time period to base a book on and good research by the author.
November 17, 2014
Set in Mesopotamia some 5,000 years ago, the overarching theme of this first novel is transformation -- of a frequently drunken barbarian warrior fallen on hard times into a innovative and charismatic war leader, and of a modest farming village on the banks of the Tigris (ruled by argument among the five leading families) into the first walled city ruled by a beneficent autocrat. It’s also the story of the beginning of the decline of nomadic marauders in favor of a settled, civilized culture. Thutmose-sin, chief of the Alur Meriki, is determined to conquer and destroy the town of Orak, justifiably fearful that the population explosion among the “dirt-eaters” will threaten the very existence of his own people and their way of life. Eskkar, who was once a member of the tribe but escaped when his clan was destroyed for political reasons, has been a wandering sword-for-hire ever since and has now fetched up at the village. He wants revenge against those who used to be his own people, but by himself he would be unlikely ever to get it. But he acquires a young female slave named Trella, daughter of a local chief in the south, near the Persian Gulf, who has been trained as an advisor to rulers herself, and through passion, love, and cold-blooded manipulation, she begins the make-over of Eskkar until the man doesn’t even recognize himself, until his mode of thought has evolved to something approaching wisdom, until he has learned to plan and organize -- until, in fact, his personality has changed into something all the townspeople can follow. Because Orak is going to attempt something no other village has ever managed: It’s going to resist and perhaps even defeat the barbarians when they arrive. To do this requires a tall, thick wall and a much expanded, thoroughly trained fighting force. And Orak will eventually expand to become the city of Akkad. Barone leads the reader (very slowly) through the process in a way that might remind one of Robert Heinlein or Arthur Clarke, and he’s not shy about lusty sex scenes between Eskkar and Trella or about the gory reality of Bronze Age warfare. The style is a bit stilted -- common for a first novel -- but the action is so well paced and the characters so well developed, you won’t notice that for long.
More questionable are the numerous anachronisms. First, there was no cavalry (in the sense of horse-mounted fighters) in the Bronze Age; horses weren’t yet large enough to carry a man and his armor and equipment far enough or fast enough to matter. Light chariots were the thing -- but even they weren’t being invented until roughly the period in which this story is set. Second, coinage didn’t appear for at least another 2,000 years (whether in Lydia, China, or India is immaterial); before then, symbolic-value metals took the form of ingots of different shapes, but which were always of high value for use in inter-tribal trade (think of a $1,000 bill), not the pocket change described here. Eskkar would have been acquiring weapons through barter, not purchase with gold and silver coins. Third, the recurved composite (laminated) bow the author’s horse nomads use also didn’t appear until maybe a thousand years later -- being primarily of use only to mounted archers, not foot soldiers. Finally, I have a bit of problem with that name, “Thutmose.” It’s Egyptian, derived from the god Thoth, and especially popular during the 18th Dynasty, around 1,500 BC. Is Barone saying the proto-Egyptians came from Mesopotamia? (No, they didn’t.) Or is he thinking of the Hyksos? (But the Hyksos rulers were defeated by Thutmose III.) At least Barone gets the beginning of the Bronze Age more or less right. Actually, you shouldn’t let the anachronisms get in the way of your enjoyment of the story. If it helps, think of this as an “alternate history,” or as a fantasy novel. However you approach it, it’s a lot of adventurous fun superficially, but it also has something to say at several deeper levels.
More questionable are the numerous anachronisms. First, there was no cavalry (in the sense of horse-mounted fighters) in the Bronze Age; horses weren’t yet large enough to carry a man and his armor and equipment far enough or fast enough to matter. Light chariots were the thing -- but even they weren’t being invented until roughly the period in which this story is set. Second, coinage didn’t appear for at least another 2,000 years (whether in Lydia, China, or India is immaterial); before then, symbolic-value metals took the form of ingots of different shapes, but which were always of high value for use in inter-tribal trade (think of a $1,000 bill), not the pocket change described here. Eskkar would have been acquiring weapons through barter, not purchase with gold and silver coins. Third, the recurved composite (laminated) bow the author’s horse nomads use also didn’t appear until maybe a thousand years later -- being primarily of use only to mounted archers, not foot soldiers. Finally, I have a bit of problem with that name, “Thutmose.” It’s Egyptian, derived from the god Thoth, and especially popular during the 18th Dynasty, around 1,500 BC. Is Barone saying the proto-Egyptians came from Mesopotamia? (No, they didn’t.) Or is he thinking of the Hyksos? (But the Hyksos rulers were defeated by Thutmose III.) At least Barone gets the beginning of the Bronze Age more or less right. Actually, you shouldn’t let the anachronisms get in the way of your enjoyment of the story. If it helps, think of this as an “alternate history,” or as a fantasy novel. However you approach it, it’s a lot of adventurous fun superficially, but it also has something to say at several deeper levels.
December 25, 2025
Há livros que são deveras impressionantes. Uns são impressionantes no bom sentido, isto é, os autores conseguem apresentar-nos uma história coerente, interessante e gratificante, muitas vezes confrontando-nos com situações, realidades e perspectivas que nunca antes nos havia ocorrido ou que nunca antes experenciámos; obrigando-nos durante a leitura a reavaliar o nosso conhecimento sobre determinado assunto e os nossos próprios valores sobre uma determinada questão. Outros são impressionantes, mas no mau sentido, ou seja, em vez de nos estimular o pensamento de forma crítica, apenas parecem contribuir para a perda dos nossos neurónios. Possivelmente as minhas palavras soarão a muitos mesquinhas e pretensiosas, no entanto não sou capaz de encontrar melhores palavras para descrever a experiência que tive com este livro.
Como tantas outras pessoas, eu própria gosto de obras (sejam elas em formato de livro ou audiovisuais) que não são propriamente a arte mais inovadora de sempre, aquilo que, hoje em dia, é referido como guilty pleasure: obras que criticamente sabemos serem más/péssimas, mas que, por algum motivo que nos transcende, possuem um alto grau de entretenimento. Infelizmente para a minha sanidade mental, O despertar do império de Sam Barone não é uma dessas obras. Vendido como uma obra épica de ficção histórica, O despertar do império é tudo menos ficção histórica - com ênfase no histórico - ou épico.
Para início de conversa, este livro em particular não pertence ao meu espólio pessoal. Desde que me lembro, sempre tivemos este livro nas nossas prateleiras aqui em casa e sempre fiquei intrigada. Porém, como era um livro que havia sido adquirido há muito tempo atrás, nunca me atrevi sequer a folhear, pois (e com uma certa razão) achava que seria um daqueles livros que apenas adultos poderiam verdadeiramente compreender todas as suas nuances. Portanto, nunca mexi. Até agora. Dada a minha formação académica na área de História Antiga, achei que finalmente estava na posse de todas as ferramentas para poder ler o livro, uma vez que a sua sinopse afirma ser uma ficção histórica ambientada na Mesopotâmia. Assim, comecei a ler o livro incautamente.
Como já afirmei, este livro é um livro de ficção sim, mas não de ficção histórica. Barone tenta enganar os seus leitores, apresentando-lhes uma história acerca do surgimento das primeiras cidades nos inícios da Idade do Bronze. Sejamos claros e factuais por um momento: na divisão da História, a Idade do Bronze surge imediatamente a seguir ao Calcolítico, um dos períodos que marcam a Pré-História. Tal como o nome sugere, é durante este período que a Humanidade se apercebe do valor dos metais e começa a descobrir como os misturar, formando diferentes ligas com diferentes propriedades. É durante este período que surgem então as primeiras grandes civilizações, como seja a civilização egípcia, a civilização suméria, a civilização minoica, entre muitas outras. O foco de Barone está então na Mesopotâmia, naquilo que são os primórdios da civilização suméria e do surgimento das grandes cidades. Pelo menos, era isso que o autor dava a entender. Do meu ponto de vista, um dos problemas mais gritantes é a falta de pesquisa que se torna demasiado evidente ao longo do texto. Em primeiro lugar, as personagens e os próprios lugares que são descritos e da forma como são descritos simplesmente não têm qualquer correlação com aquele que era o contexto cultural da Mesopotâmia na altura em que a história é narrada. Aliás, muitos nomes possuem uma maior correlação com inspirações fantasiosas do Império Romano do que com a civilização suméria. Em segundo lugar, as cenas de combate (que são um dos grandes atrativos da narrativa) apresentam extremas discrepâncias. Estas não são de todo verosímeis, uma vez que estamos (ou estaríamos) a falar de armas de bronze, notoriamente reconhecidas por arqueólogos, historiadores, ferreiros e outros especialistas por serem de qualidade inferior às armas de ferro. Contrariamente às armas de ferro, as armas de bronze partem-se e amolgam-se com uma facilidade extrema, ou seja, são relativamente mais frágeis em questão de durabilidade. Quanto às tácticas utilizadas no livro, não posso opinar muito, visto não ser especialistas em História Militar. Contudo, não posso deixar de assinalar a estranha semelhança entre os Alur Meriki (os antagonistas do livro) com os relatos conhecidos dos Hunos. A primeira vez que a tribo surge na narrativa fiquei um tanto confusa, dado serem uma clara cópia daquilo que é a nossa percepção dos Hunos - percepção essa que foi moldada pela visão dos Romanos.
Assim sendo, O despertar do império trata-se mais de uma fantasia de um autor do sexo masculino. Esta questão é bastante premente na forma como a personagem feminina principal é descrita e no tipo de relação que se estabelece entre ela e a personagem principal, Eskkar, um homem. Antes que alguém comece a atirar pedras injustamente, a relação entre Trella e Eskkar não chega a assumir contornos tóxicos, todavia é uma relação extremamente rasa, focando-se mais na sua componente sexual. Poderia falar da gritante diferença de idades entre as duas personagens como sendo igualmente problemático, contudo esse deve ter sido o único aspecto no qual o autor se manteve factual. Ainda assim, o pesado foco na componente sexual da relação acaba por ser agravado por esse pequeno pormenor, o que me deixou bastante desconfortável. As restantes personagens pouco ou nada acrescentam, simplesmente formando uma fileira de nomes que vão e vêm consoante a sua necessidade para a narrativa.
Destarte, O despertar do império é deveras um livro impressionante na sua ruindade. O mais intrigante será porventura o rótulo de ficção histórica, quando, a bem da verdade, se trata de um livro fantasioso que pega emprestado o cenário mesopotâmico, embora nunca chegue a utilizá-lo de facto.
Como tantas outras pessoas, eu própria gosto de obras (sejam elas em formato de livro ou audiovisuais) que não são propriamente a arte mais inovadora de sempre, aquilo que, hoje em dia, é referido como guilty pleasure: obras que criticamente sabemos serem más/péssimas, mas que, por algum motivo que nos transcende, possuem um alto grau de entretenimento. Infelizmente para a minha sanidade mental, O despertar do império de Sam Barone não é uma dessas obras. Vendido como uma obra épica de ficção histórica, O despertar do império é tudo menos ficção histórica - com ênfase no histórico - ou épico.
Para início de conversa, este livro em particular não pertence ao meu espólio pessoal. Desde que me lembro, sempre tivemos este livro nas nossas prateleiras aqui em casa e sempre fiquei intrigada. Porém, como era um livro que havia sido adquirido há muito tempo atrás, nunca me atrevi sequer a folhear, pois (e com uma certa razão) achava que seria um daqueles livros que apenas adultos poderiam verdadeiramente compreender todas as suas nuances. Portanto, nunca mexi. Até agora. Dada a minha formação académica na área de História Antiga, achei que finalmente estava na posse de todas as ferramentas para poder ler o livro, uma vez que a sua sinopse afirma ser uma ficção histórica ambientada na Mesopotâmia. Assim, comecei a ler o livro incautamente.
Como já afirmei, este livro é um livro de ficção sim, mas não de ficção histórica. Barone tenta enganar os seus leitores, apresentando-lhes uma história acerca do surgimento das primeiras cidades nos inícios da Idade do Bronze. Sejamos claros e factuais por um momento: na divisão da História, a Idade do Bronze surge imediatamente a seguir ao Calcolítico, um dos períodos que marcam a Pré-História. Tal como o nome sugere, é durante este período que a Humanidade se apercebe do valor dos metais e começa a descobrir como os misturar, formando diferentes ligas com diferentes propriedades. É durante este período que surgem então as primeiras grandes civilizações, como seja a civilização egípcia, a civilização suméria, a civilização minoica, entre muitas outras. O foco de Barone está então na Mesopotâmia, naquilo que são os primórdios da civilização suméria e do surgimento das grandes cidades. Pelo menos, era isso que o autor dava a entender. Do meu ponto de vista, um dos problemas mais gritantes é a falta de pesquisa que se torna demasiado evidente ao longo do texto. Em primeiro lugar, as personagens e os próprios lugares que são descritos e da forma como são descritos simplesmente não têm qualquer correlação com aquele que era o contexto cultural da Mesopotâmia na altura em que a história é narrada. Aliás, muitos nomes possuem uma maior correlação com inspirações fantasiosas do Império Romano do que com a civilização suméria. Em segundo lugar, as cenas de combate (que são um dos grandes atrativos da narrativa) apresentam extremas discrepâncias. Estas não são de todo verosímeis, uma vez que estamos (ou estaríamos) a falar de armas de bronze, notoriamente reconhecidas por arqueólogos, historiadores, ferreiros e outros especialistas por serem de qualidade inferior às armas de ferro. Contrariamente às armas de ferro, as armas de bronze partem-se e amolgam-se com uma facilidade extrema, ou seja, são relativamente mais frágeis em questão de durabilidade. Quanto às tácticas utilizadas no livro, não posso opinar muito, visto não ser especialistas em História Militar. Contudo, não posso deixar de assinalar a estranha semelhança entre os Alur Meriki (os antagonistas do livro) com os relatos conhecidos dos Hunos. A primeira vez que a tribo surge na narrativa fiquei um tanto confusa, dado serem uma clara cópia daquilo que é a nossa percepção dos Hunos - percepção essa que foi moldada pela visão dos Romanos.
Assim sendo, O despertar do império trata-se mais de uma fantasia de um autor do sexo masculino. Esta questão é bastante premente na forma como a personagem feminina principal é descrita e no tipo de relação que se estabelece entre ela e a personagem principal, Eskkar, um homem. Antes que alguém comece a atirar pedras injustamente, a relação entre Trella e Eskkar não chega a assumir contornos tóxicos, todavia é uma relação extremamente rasa, focando-se mais na sua componente sexual. Poderia falar da gritante diferença de idades entre as duas personagens como sendo igualmente problemático, contudo esse deve ter sido o único aspecto no qual o autor se manteve factual. Ainda assim, o pesado foco na componente sexual da relação acaba por ser agravado por esse pequeno pormenor, o que me deixou bastante desconfortável. As restantes personagens pouco ou nada acrescentam, simplesmente formando uma fileira de nomes que vão e vêm consoante a sua necessidade para a narrativa.
Destarte, O despertar do império é deveras um livro impressionante na sua ruindade. O mais intrigante será porventura o rótulo de ficção histórica, quando, a bem da verdade, se trata de um livro fantasioso que pega emprestado o cenário mesopotâmico, embora nunca chegue a utilizá-lo de facto.
October 25, 2009
I seriously doubt how closely it fits with a realistic vision of ancient history. I know I'm not an expert on ancient history, but there are too many things in the book that seem to be ahead of their time from how I understand what life must have been like in 3000BC (bronze being so commonly used for everything, Eskkar inventing much of castle warfare for the next 4000+ years over a period of 6 months,...). Whatever the case, as I was reading the book, I did not feel part of another time period as I did with Pillars of the Earth or Last of the Wine. Perhaps if the setting were 2000BC it would have seemed more realistic.
Having said that, for the most part I did enjoy the book. Sam Barrone has a wonderful way of describing battles unlike anything I've read before. I didn't find it long and dragged out like many of the other critics found it.
Having said that, for the most part I did enjoy the book. Sam Barrone has a wonderful way of describing battles unlike anything I've read before. I didn't find it long and dragged out like many of the other critics found it.
March 7, 2018
Not historically accurate at all. Not accurate in terms of the weaponry, economics and technology available at that time. Not accurate as to how warfare was waged at that time. Not accurate as to how society in that particular area was organized or functioned at that time. Distasteful in it's depiction of the relationship between the two protagonists (one is in her young teens, the other in possibly his late 20's to early 30's), which may be accurate for the time period but doesn't sit well with me for our modern one.
That being said, its still a fairly entertaining read. Just don't think too hard about the details.
That being said, its still a fairly entertaining read. Just don't think too hard about the details.
June 18, 2014
In the year 3158 BCE barbarians destroy the small village of Orak. When Orak rebuilds itself, years later, the barbarians decide to return to Orak to keep them from growing too strong. In the meantime, Orak prepares for the barbarian invasion and hopes to repel the invaders.
Dawn of Empire has plenty of heroic action, and great characters. The story follows Eskkar and Trella as they must help the village prepare for its defense in a way the world has never seen.
This is a great book if you are interested in early Bronze age civilization and warfare.
Dawn of Empire has plenty of heroic action, and great characters. The story follows Eskkar and Trella as they must help the village prepare for its defense in a way the world has never seen.
This is a great book if you are interested in early Bronze age civilization and warfare.
May 16, 2010
A little bit unexpectedly I liked this one - the story of Eskkar who rises from a "renegade barbarian mercenary" to the one hope of his adopted settled people against his former steppes tribe and of Trella a young slave of noble origins who teaches Esskar how to lead in peace and not only in war. Exquisite world building and great characters
June 1, 2016
Eskkar, Go. Eskkar, Go!
Five Stars are really way too few for this book. What an amazing debut novel. Many authors say they write books they'd like to read. In my case I read books I only wish I could write. This book is a homerun, and the best thing is, he's written many more books to enjoy. A fabulous writer truly does justice to a wonderful subject.
Five Stars are really way too few for this book. What an amazing debut novel. Many authors say they write books they'd like to read. In my case I read books I only wish I could write. This book is a homerun, and the best thing is, he's written many more books to enjoy. A fabulous writer truly does justice to a wonderful subject.
August 15, 2013
Not so long since I was reading about Uruk, one of the very early cities in Mesopotamia. Eventually Orak becomes Akkad and the socity becomes the Akkadians.It was fascinating to see how the development of farming altered the way in which people lived, and how society changed.
August 5, 2016
Apesar de algumas incoerências históricas e de um excesso de "diálogo" entre os dois principais personagens, gostei da construção dos mesmos, desde a bebedeira inicial de Eskkar até...ao fim.
A. Batalha final está muito bem descrita e é excitante.
A. Batalha final está muito bem descrita e é excitante.
June 29, 2021
This is a very good 1st try novel. Actually it's also very good even if he hadn't already finished writing half doesn't novels. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to read a novel Written mainly in the early 2000s' and having a number of more modern concepts Inter-woven within the novel itself.
The author starts In a spot that is rather interesting because it's the 1st book he wrote, but time wise within the series A book he wrote later is really the prequel to this. He handle that quite well I thought.
His characterizations are quite good if a little bit obvious when considering what history was like and how men and women from the general populace treated and thought about as far as their capabilities to govern are considered. Which means a much greater prevalence is given to a very intelligent woman and who is capable of handling a lot of issues that Rebound to Her mail partner as being his contribution. In some respects it doesn't ring true, but it does allow the modern mindset to come in and be a grasping point for today's young people.
Its a little too long and important things are left out that would connect and make it more logically understandable. Somewhat predictable as the plot moves forward. Let's see how the next book goes.
The author starts In a spot that is rather interesting because it's the 1st book he wrote, but time wise within the series A book he wrote later is really the prequel to this. He handle that quite well I thought.
His characterizations are quite good if a little bit obvious when considering what history was like and how men and women from the general populace treated and thought about as far as their capabilities to govern are considered. Which means a much greater prevalence is given to a very intelligent woman and who is capable of handling a lot of issues that Rebound to Her mail partner as being his contribution. In some respects it doesn't ring true, but it does allow the modern mindset to come in and be a grasping point for today's young people.
Its a little too long and important things are left out that would connect and make it more logically understandable. Somewhat predictable as the plot moves forward. Let's see how the next book goes.
January 1, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. Don't remember reading any other novels set in the Bronze Age, so the excitement level was up. I wish that the narrative was a little more atmospheric, it didn't always feel like I was in that time frame. As far as main characters...It is very hard to believe that Trella is 14 years old and yet so wise and smart. Or does it mean that everyone else around her, all adults, nobels, etc are soo stupid that a 14-year old is the smartest one? Eskkar, on the other hand, has a mentality of a horny teenager, despite being 25-years old (considering the life expectancy of that time, that makes him a little older than middle age). Half of the time I was rolling my eyes that he, being a born warrior, can't think of the simple things when it comes to fighting, weapons, and soldiers. Thank God he had little Trella with him who showed him the ropes and taught him everything about everything.
It is strange, you'd think a book about building a wall with annoying main characters would be boring, but surprisingly, it wasn't.
It is strange, you'd think a book about building a wall with annoying main characters would be boring, but surprisingly, it wasn't.
July 13, 2017
Jeg tror jeg akkurat skaffet meg en ny favorittforfatter!! Dette er noe av det beste jeg har lest på lenge. Jeg elsker historisk fiksjon, og selv om noen hevder at ikke alle detaljer stemte med tiden det var satt inn i, tenkte ikke jeg så mye over det, siden jeg ikke er så bevandret i Mesopotamia på denne tiden fra før. De fleste vil nok ikke synes det ødelegger spesielt for leseropplevelsen.
Jeg likte svært godt hvordan jeg som leser ble satt godt inn i strategien, planleggingen og ikke minst lederskapet til Trella og Eskkar. Boka burde i grunnen vært obligatorisk for alle ledere! Jeg elsket skildringen av den kloke slavejenta og hvordan hun klarte å bli respektert blant mennene. Til inspirasjon for mange av dagens kvinner.
Fordi jeg ble så godt satt inn i byggingen av muren, treningen av krigerne, og planleggingen av forsvaret, ble kampene ekstra spennende. Da var det vanskelig å legge boka fra seg for å gå på do!!
Anbefales!
Jeg likte svært godt hvordan jeg som leser ble satt godt inn i strategien, planleggingen og ikke minst lederskapet til Trella og Eskkar. Boka burde i grunnen vært obligatorisk for alle ledere! Jeg elsket skildringen av den kloke slavejenta og hvordan hun klarte å bli respektert blant mennene. Til inspirasjon for mange av dagens kvinner.
Fordi jeg ble så godt satt inn i byggingen av muren, treningen av krigerne, og planleggingen av forsvaret, ble kampene ekstra spennende. Da var det vanskelig å legge boka fra seg for å gå på do!!
Anbefales!
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