Warriors: The Legendary Tales and Historical Truths of the Most Notorious

by Daniel Mersey

Where does history end and myth begin? In this carefully researched, vividly written book, historian and storyteller Daniel Mersey draws the line between fact and fiction as he investigates both the actual lives and the layers of legends of some of history's most famous fighters, Warrior King of the Geats King of the Britons, Founder of the Round Table Robin Greenwood's Master Outlaw The Transylvanian Vampire Hero of The Iliad Tyrant King of Scotland Deliverer of Nations The Frankish Paladin The Hound of Ulster William Scotland's Braveheart

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Mythology, Medieval

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would've been considerably cooler if they'd had a better editor to catch typos, but nonetheless interesting.

[dist · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite an easy, relaxing read. some spelling mistakes along the way but the facts included were interesting, and I found it to be an enjoyable bedtime book

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mersey's text divides each chapter into three sections: the myth, the history, and the fight. He has taken ten quasi-historical legendary warriors, ranging from the real (Dracula, Macbeth), to the possibly real (Robin Hood), the can't-be-proven (King Arthur, Achilles), and one he feels is almost certainly fictional (Beowulf) and details the story most people know, the actual history behind the story, and how that individual would have really fought his enemies. The first part, the myth, tends to be the least interesting as it recounts things the average reader may already know, especially in the final chapter on William "Braveheart" Wallace, but the rest is highly readable and is recommended for anyone with a casual interest in military history. Of the ten figures Mersey writes of, only one is from a non-Western European background, and Mersey actually takes time to praise him as the best, because Hiawatha was peacemaker, not a warrior, and this to the author was far more impressive.

[Glenn Starkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a good assortment of tales and history. It appeared to be well researched and written. I would recommend it more as an excellent book to use for student or writers research than to read for short story interests. Regardless though, it appealed to me due to my enjoyment of historical facts.

[Beorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise let down by pretty dull and uninspired delivery, including rather a lot of frankly abysmal illustrations from the 'authors personal collection'.

[Chandra Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well narrated and researched. A great introduction to lore.