Quest of Honour

Eskkar Saga #3

by Sam Barone

At the dawn of history, an epic war is about to begin in the deadly quest for honour. The city of Sumer, ruled by a brutal murderer and his vicious, power hungry sister, is poised to give birth to the mightiest empire in history. No one stands a chance as it brings a bloody war to all those who stand in its way, determined to crush and enslave those on its borders.The little city state of Akkad must prepare its fledgling nation to fight for its very survival. Akkad's warriors are a loyal and courageous brotherhood, but this is not a battle of villages or of roving warrior bands; it is a battle for Empire and a fight to the death...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Ancient History, Ebooks, Fantasy

626 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 4, 2010

Reviews

[Miloš · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pa da pocnemo.
Knjiga mi se svidela, iako nije prva na temu zacetka drzava i civilizacija uopste.
Likovi su dobro opisani i drze se svojih tacno definisanih karakteristika, bez izuzetka, neodstupajuci od njih ni na tren.
Radnja je zapocela, a i zavrsila se bitkom, tako da je to zadovoljilo moju zedj za akcijom, medjutim, ono sto me najvise brine, jeste to da sam tokom citanja iste nailazio na delove knjige kada mi je paznja popustala i predavao sam se snu. Uz neke male korekcije, mozda je i te delove pisac mogao uciniti malo zivljim, i tako zadrzati inace relativno dobar i zanimljiv tok desavanja.
Ono sto bih hteo da istaknem, a pri tom ne bih hteo da potcenim nikoga, to je da mi je malo cudno da su u onom periodu ljudi bili toliko superirorni po pitanju razmisljanja, planiranja, a da ne kazem sprovodjenja u delo onako slozenih vojnih i logistickih operacija. Cak bi se i danas nekim vojnim generalima moglo zameriti da ne bi mogli onako da izvrse vojni pohod, pa cak i sa svim danasnjim tehnologijama.
O tome bih voleo da cujem sta bi pisac imao da kaze. :-)

Pored toga, veoma sam uzivao u ovom romanu i rado bih bi ga preporucio svima koji vole istorijsku fikciju.

Zbog razloga gore navedenih ostajem pri inicijalnoj oceni koju sam dao romanu, to jest 3.5zvezdica.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the empire series and due for release in February 2010.Despite not having read the previous two books I soon became immersed in this story of two ancient kingdoms, both fighting for supremacy. There are some nasty villians and some really exciting characters, both of which gel together really well.
A classic tale of good versus evil, with a smattering of real nastiness thrown in. A good read and great escapism.

[Kira · Rating 2 out of 5]

At over 600 pages long, I've lost interest halfway through and can't continue. I'm not all that interested in battle tactics, slingshots, arrows, horses, spears etc. The premise for the story drew me in, but the boring details have lost me. There is an epic battle brewing, but I can't bring myself to wade through the background to get to it.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I really enjoyed the deep strategy.

I loved the big battle at the end.

I want more!

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This went back to what made book 1 so great and followed Akkad preparing for war. The Akkadians running through the logistics of expanding their army and trying to get an edge over Sumer by making full use of the rivers and developing new tactics and going all out on training their army. I love the whole progressional feel of levelling up every chapter and building Akkad’s ability to wage war which culminates in the great battle at the end of the book.

This book was maybe even filthier than book 2. There seemed to be someone getting blown or a gang bang at the end of each section - not even chapters - for the first half of the book at least. A bit overkill tbh it felt like it slowed it down, I just wanted to hear more about map making, boat building and gold mining.

It took me about 3 years to get around to carrying on with this series. I hated Lani in book 2 and she single handedly brought the book down and it put me off getting to book 3. Thankfully she was only mentioned once in passing!

[Turtushikh Damba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Манай эриний өмнөх 4000-3500 жилийн үеийн месапотамын анхны хот улсууд болох orak (akkad), sumer -ийн хоорондох анхны гэж хэлж болох томоохон дайныг дүрслэн харуулахыг хичээсэн болов уу гэж бодогдлоо. Одоогоос нийт 6000 гаруй жилийн өмнөх түүх дээр суурилсан зохиол гэж бодох тусам сонирхол татаж байлаа. Тэр үеийн хүмүүсийн амьдрал, соёл, аж ахуй, хот болон нүүдэлчид, фарм, дээрэмчид тэдгээрийн амьдралын хэв маяг, хүнд хэцүү харгис хэрцгийг их сонирхолтойгоор илэрхийлжээ. Хамгийн их сонирхол татсан хэсэг бол мэдээж эхлэл болон төгсгөл хэсэгт гарах тулаан байлаа. Дунд хэсэгт хэтэрхий нуршуу бас зарим онц шаардлагагүй гэж хэлэхүйц үйл явдалаар дүүрэн байсан нь миний хувьд бага зэрэг нуршсан санагдлаа. Тулалдааны хэсгийг сайн дүрсэлсэн бодовч зарим хэсэгт хэтэрхий үнэмшилгүй байсны хэлэх хэрэгтэй. Мэдээж түүхийн зохиол, тэр тусмаа тулаант зохиолд сонирхолтой хүнд санал болгохоор ном болжээ.

[Sebastian Hogseth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book follows the formula of the other two books before it. A lot of preparation, and very little action. All though the action parts are very good and detailed. The preparation is good, but you would have to be very interested in war preparations to like 300+ pages of it. About halfway through the book I took a break from it, and picked it up again 6 months later, since I hate not finishing books. So for someone who likes that sort of stuff, I guess it would be a good read. But for me it got a little tedious.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and the characters. For this book I understood they needed to set the scene but it got a bit too long in its setting however still kept you intersted as so many things were changing. What got me was the final battle and how it was expertly told to even a laymen like me. Really fun read and looking forward to the next

[Lincoln Thurber · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The beginning of civilization is fraught with war, invasion, plunder, and rapine." And, so was the middle and so is the current state of civilization. This one might have been the best of the three books in the series. It was a fun romp.

[Viktoriya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the world keeps getting bigger and bigger with each book: in the first book we were only in one village and it's close surroundings; in the second book we were visiting another city; and in this book we are introduced to another Empire. Loved it.

[Wojciech Pawlik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lepsza od drugiej części, trochę słabsza od pierwszej;

ten sam lekki masochizm czytelniczy każe przeczytać Ci książkę :)

[Jeff Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant addition to the Dawn of Empire series.

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book if you're looking for a light, action-focused novel. Perhaps the innovations are made a bit too quickly to be historically accurate, but I wasn't thinking of that.

[Steven Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the battles & the intregue :-)

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Anthony Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable,

Great read and a fascinating look at early warfare/Mesopotamian life. Bit too heavy on the incest tho..

[Speesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very long book about not very much. It all basically leads up to the final, albeit huge, extremely well-written, effective and exciting battle. Not a lot more.

From the start, it's blindingly obvious what's going to happen here, who is going to emerge triumphant, so nothing I say below will 'spoil' it for anyone.

I had no idea this was the third of a series 'The Eskkar Saga', when I started it. But it feels like he thought he would write a trilogy before he started. Then thought of an idea. That might have made a short story. Then had to pad it out. And pad out the padding. Length doesn't necessarily give depth, as this proves. It's only creating the feeling of "Yes, yes. Get on with it!"

It is set around Summeria, some 3,500-odd years ago, concentrating on the conflict between the cities of Summeria and Akkad. Akkad? No, me neither. The main character is Eskkar, the 'King' of Akkad, his cartoon wife who handles the spying and the treachery and is beautiful and all the other cliches you can think of. And the equally cartoon-like "boo, hiss! Oh my goodness, they're brother and sister, eww!" leaders of Summeria. So you can guess whose side we're on here.

And at that distance, with all but surely the most serious of scholars having absolutely no idea of what went on then, it might as well be science fiction about life on another planet. Ok, the rivers Euphrates and Tigris might well ring a bell with some, but not a lot more will as this is set before what most people know of as Greek, Roman or many other historical periods. However, he doesn't even use this to perhaps suggest that here is the beginnings of modern civilisation and here is from where and how the ideas that became modern civilisation developed. Right at the in very end, outside the story, in the afterword, there is a little about the tactics used in the final battle not being so outrageous, given that Alexander used, to similar effect, similar, even more outrageous, tactics later on in history. But this is the only attempt to put the events in any kind of context and it is after the story is finished. Otherwise, even given the fact that it is a thousand years or more (I have no idea of dates for the Greek and Roman periods) before the Greeks and Romans were anywhere near their peak - these are very cultured, very sophisticated, very efficient, very modern and mature military societies. Doesn't fully ring true, though I have very little idea of what level Summerian culture was at at this point, I would have thought that as it is represented here, is a little over ambitious, shall we say.

And saying it is set in and around Summeria, is also a little misleading. As it actually is about competing cities to the north of Summeria. And Summeria is the hated, overbearing enemy here. Odd.

The main body of the book, and it takes a very long time, going into totally - for the sake of a good story - unnecessary length - is more or less the build up to the final battle. Nothing that could have been skipped over, written more concisely and still had the desired effect, or left out entirely. Training, spying, trying to create tension is fine, but length dilutes its effect. I'm sure that a more casual reader will either give up before half way, or just skip through to the last section. And not miss anything.

As i say, the final, epic, battle is worth the price of entry on its own. Clear, precise, tense and very well done indeed. It almost makes up for having to wade through a lot of nonsense to get there. Though, the book really should have ended there, have let us imagine what might have happened in the period afterwards - I thought it would be that the Akkadians became the civilisation we know now as the Summerians, but he doesn't say. He goes on a bit longer, tidying up, as though our imaginations aren't up to it. Diluting the effect of the battle.

I can only rate it as mildly interesting, though I'm going to give it three stars. The battle on its own, is excellently done and should be worth four, but all the preceding guff drags it back to a three. The good bits aren't long enough and the long bits aren't good enough. It's clear he set about wanting to write an epic. And writing endlessly about nothing in particular was how he thought it should be done.

[Hege Fossum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nok en bra bok i serien om Eskkar. I denne boka viser Barone at han kan skrive drivende godt om annet en kamp også. Søket etter gull og mer ressurser til byen er et godt eksempel på dette, samt spionoppdraget. Selv om jeg elsker Barone sine kamper, var det veldig ålreit med innsyn i den tids gruvedrift. Boka har artige detaljer i seg, som blant annet at en stein som koster 20 kroner i dag, var verdt flere menns liv i gamle Sumer - lapis lazuli. Ellers har vi fått lese mer om hva steinene faktisk ble brukt til.
Barone følger opp med finurlige taktiske kampdetaljer i denne boka også. Samtidig fletter han en enkel dydsfilosofi mesterlig og naturlig inn i historien.

Flere aspekter ved godt lederskap dukker opp for hver bok i serien. Denne gangen ser vi et eksempel på hvordan coaching ville artet seg i oldtiden. Trella ville gjort det langt bedre i dagens samfunn enn mange middelmådige ledere med høy utdanning i dag. Det er ganske sikkert. Hvordan hun og venninnen styrer den mektige byen i kulissene... De er uunnværlige. Trella finner ressurser i alle, fra krøplinger til drukkenbolt er, og gir de viktige roller i krigsforberedelsene. Det tilfredsstiller meg langt inn i ursjela når krøplinger og mishandlede eks-slaver tar innersvingen på bedritne adelsfolk som utnytter sin makt.

Deilig lesning!

Denne gangen får vi vite mer om motstanderen og dennes planer også. Vi blir kjent med fiendens hovedpersoner, og det gir fortellingen nok en dimensjon.

Sexscenene i denne boka er spenstige, riktig plassert og ikke for overdrevne.

Jeg har ingenting negativt å komme med, men gir likevel bare fire stjerner. Det er rett og slett fordi jeg synes bok 1 i serien var hakket bedre, kanskje på grunn av spenningsoppbyggingen. Den ga jeg 5, denne får 4!

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel, sequel to ‘Dawn of Empire’ and ‘Empire Rising’ is set in the early Bronze Age. City state, Akkad, on the banks of the Tigris river, is now a wealthy city state facing the threat of conquest. ‘Conflict of Empires’ is an action and adventure story, a kind of Bronze Age Western, and the novel stands alone, you don’t have to read the first books, although it would probably be a richer read if the reader had.

Main character and hero Eskkar, with his wife, Trella, once slave and now mistress of spies and intelligence, face the growing might of city state, Sumer, which aims to control all the Tigris and the region’s other city states. Eskkar, of course, is a mighty warrior in the style of Alexander the Great, defeating the enemy even when outnumbered six to one. He is a likeable hero, with the usual dark secrets, and a band of reliable officers whose loyalty is without question. Trella and her women have a voice at all his councils and Trella’s advice is sought and listened to. I wondered about the influence of the women, the spy network, the making of the map, and the measuring of distances. Nice touches, but I’d have liked an author’s note with the research sources, and his reasons for thinking them feasible.

The plot is one of battles and spies, for the Akkadians refuse to sit at home and wait for Sumer to attack them. Eskkar and Trella prepare for war and then take the battle right to Sumer. It’s a rollicking adventure and yarn, a light enjoyable read, but this is not a period I am familiar with, and I do not feel any more familiar now I’ve read the novel. For me there was an absence of historical setting, I garnered little feeling of place or culture. We could have been in ancient Egypt or ancient Greece. In fact, as often happens in historical novels, the book revealed more about the author’s culture and his beliefs than those of Akkad. Surely the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan loomed large in the author’s mind as he wrote, and some of the characters do seem to think in ‘modern’ concepts.

For people who like historical novels to be about battles, blood and gore, and the hero winning through impossible odds, ‘Conflict of Empires’ is a must read novel. I’d certainly recommend it to while away the time on a long flight.

[Ireney Berezniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quest of Honour, the 3rd novel in the Eskkar Saga, follows a pattern that will now be quite familiar to the readers of the series. Akkad, the city of a precursor of Akkadian Empire that this series is set in 1) faces a military challenge, 2) prepares to meet the challenge under the leadership of chief protagonists, Eskkar and Trella, through the first 60% percent of the novel, and 3) meets the challenge, culminating with a major battle in the remaining 20% or so of the novel.

Despite this formulaic approach -- shared among many military historical or historical fantasy works, by the way -- Sam Barone's skills as a story teller and world builder create an enjoyable adventure that is a worthwhile read for any fan of the genre, or sub-genre, depending on your perspective. Characters are likeable, even if unidimensional, and the story progresses at a fair pace that gradually gains momentum and culminates in the climax of a well written conclusive military engagement, even though is is occasionally interrupted by repetitive inner monologues and plot recaps .

This novel presents itself as historical fiction, but in my opinion this is a stretch. While Akkadian Empire did exist -- early records point to 2500 BC and its founder Sargon -- Sam Barone sets this series 500 years earlier in prehistory, imagining the origins of the city that may have led to the establishment of the first known empire in world's history. Historical details, such us heavy use of cavalry, and composite bows, or development of a standing army strain or even contradict the generally accepted facts. As such, I categorize this more as work of "speculative historical fantasy adventure".

In a sense, this novel marks the end of the trilogy, albeit not conclusively. The author has continued to create novels in this prehistoric world he has created, perhaps encouraged by the reception of the original trilogy, and for good reason. This is the sort of reading that falls into my "guilty pleasure" category, but as long as it is pleasure, I will continue consuming more of it >8)

Rating for this novel: 3.5/5
Rating for the original trilogy: 4/5

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The city of Akkad, having fought off mounted raiders from the steppes and an armed takeover by mercenaries, confronts its most dangerous threat in the rival (and larger) city state of Sumer. Eskkar, guard captain-turned king, and Trella, slave-turned-queen, are an appealing pair. Her intelligence and his force of will and military skill combine to create a plan for the survival of their city. Taken together, the three novels that started with "Dawn of Empire," create what the world of 3600 B.C. could have looked like (amnd oin some ways must have looked like). The historical foundation of the novels build on what we know (limited) and what we can reasonably surmise about what life was like in that chancy world. The characters are cardboard, but they're sturdy cardboard; I found it easy to buy into Barone's vision of the ancient world, and was happy when the third novel got to the US in the form of trade paperback, having waited four years or so for it. Barone isn't Cecelia Holland or George Shipway, the standards for me of historical novel writing, but he is a close second.

[Paul Burnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't know much about ancient Sumer, you’ll learn a lot from the events and some of the characters populating this novel. If you do know a lot about the history of ancient Sumer, you’ll still be entertained by the characters and events in Eskkar’s quest for honor, defending Akkad from the evil intentions and incursions of the rapacious Sumerians. In this novel the two bronze-age cities vie for dominance in the land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates of approximately 2400-2200 BCE. Eskkar is king of Akkad, ruling with his queen Trella, wisely and benevolently the lands north of Sumer, which city is ruled despotically by King Eridu and later his children Shulgi and Kushanna. The events and characters are apparently the stuff of fiction, but rather well-conceived and true to the constants of human nature revealed in every era of our history.

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this - it's a good read. Trella and Eskkar do come across as a bit super-heroish in that they think of everything, and it all works out just as they planned, but that's just part of the entertainment.
Akkad is expanding and beginning to clash with the southern city of Sumer - war is inevitable. Sumer is ruled by a negative equivalent of Trella and Eskkar (boo, villains!) who are quite prepared to bide their time as they build up their forces for the inevitable. Back home in Akkad our heroes are also planning and making preparations... Once the action starts it's non-stop all the way.
It's one big boy's own adventure, an easy and at times exciting read. We all know how things are going to turn out... we think...

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as the first in the series. A brilliantly written final battle scene, although I was disappointed that the enemy rulers weren't brought face-to-face with the hero Eskkar and shown the errors of the ways!

[High Wycombe Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked Quest For Honour" why not try:

Wounds Of Honour by Anthony Riches
Hero Of Rome by Douglas Jackson
Fire In The East by Harry Sidebottom

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, just wish i knew it was book 4 in a series.

Looking forward to the last book being released.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep, another Sam Barone book. Another Eskkar-and-Trella story. This one was more epic, slightly more complex than the others. A fun piece of escapist historical fiction.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empire building in early Bronze Age Mesopotamia (3500 BC). This is the third book in the Eskkar Saga following Dawn of Empire and Empire Rising. Excellent read.

[Oliver Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive start as an author. Hopefully more to come. Great descriptions of life in the bronze age.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

good historical tale with good battles