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Title: Strategos
Subtitle: Born in the Borderlands, Strategos 1
Author: Gordon Doherty
Narrator: Nigel Carrington
Format: Unabridged
Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins
Language: English
Release date: 06-10-15
Publisher: Gordon Doherty
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 55 votes
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Publisher's Summary:
When the falcon has flown, the mountain lion will charge from the east, and all Byzantium will quake. Only one man can save the empire ... the Haga!
1046 AD. The Byzantine Empire teeters on full-blown war with the Seljuk Sultanate. In the borderlands of Eastern Anatolia, a land riven with bloodshed and doubt, young Apion's life is shattered in one swift and brutal Seljuk night raid. Only the benevolence of Mansur, a Seljuk farmer, offers him a second chance of happiness.
Yet a hunger for revenge burns in Apion's soul, and he is drawn down a dark path that leads him right into the heart of a conflict that will echo through the ages.
Members Reviews:
Absolute Must Read/listen!
What made the experience of listening to Strategos the most enjoyable?
Amazing blend of history, suspense, intrigue, and story telling
What was one of the most memorable moments of Strategos?
I really didn't have a most memorable part, I loved it from start to finish. If I had to choose, it was when Apion left to join the Timur and overcame the tragic wound he received when his parents were murdered.
What does Nigel Carrington bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?
Nigel Carrington is a legend in narration matched with a great book! Nigel provided first class entertainment to a very busy book lover.
Who was the most memorable character of Strategos and why?
Without a doubt, Apion. The author was masterful in his articulation of the Apion's tragic life and how he rose above it to meet his destiny. Can't wait for the next in the series.
The cost of war
This is a multi-layered novel set in the borderlands of the Byzantine Empire (a modern appellation, since the Byzantines, although by this time thoroughly Greek, considered themselves the true Roman Empire and honored those ancient Western roots, in nostalgia if not practice. Although I know far less about this place and time than I do others, the history seems impeccably accurate, and the depth and specificity of detail lead me to believe that this book was thoroughly and intelligently researched.
Ill admit to having a bit of a hard time reading it, had to read it in bits but not because it was boring or uninteresting, or sloppily written. Just the opposite is true, actually. It was almost too detailed, too rich to absorbing, and I found that I couldnt just read it I had to stop, assimilate, consider, and let my mind range through its reactions to each of the multiple layers.
First, there is the setting. It is so vividly portrayed and placed in its time, that I responded to it with all senses. I could *feel* the grit and the heat. I could *hear* the battle horns, the shouts, and the other terrible noises of war. I could *smell* the warm bread and the less pleasant scents of any Medieval city ..and the stench of the battlefields. I could *taste* the drink made from almonds and yogurt and honey, and the wine, and the honey cakes, and I could *touch* everything. In other words, this setting is a sensual feast, and a banquet of rich experiences, indeed.
Then there are the characters. Each of them, on both sides of this terrible centuries long conflict is not just well drawn, but intensely human, even the villains and the bit players.
