Storytelling is excellent, and where Christian Cameron excel in describing famous battles and picturing these landmarks, Conn Iggulden excels in describing human emotions interwoven with great dialogue, so that all characters come vividly to life within this amazing story. The book opens to a map of the region, as well as a pronunciation guide – which I usually love. Who doesn’t love a book with a map?

Lion by Conn Iggulden | Waterstones Lion by Conn Iggulden | Waterstones

PRAISE FOR CONN IGGULDEN: 'Brings war in the ancient world to vivid, gritty and bloody life' ANTHONY RICHES Pericles is a young man and isn't allowed a responsibility as he is deemed too young until he is 30 years old. But, his friendship with Cimon grants him access to meetings. The two form a formidable friendship and when needed they will support each other.I liked it because it is nicely written in a style that only Conn Iggulden can employ. So, for some, especially if you are not passionate about history, Greek wars, battle description etc., you might find it a bit boring and long. To me, it sets the scene for what is coming, and it helps the main character (Pericles) grow for an in-depth re-creation of who this man was and what he did to remain a hero in Greek history. The Dangerous Book for Boys, byConnand Hal Iggulden, is aguidebookpublished byHarperCollins, aimed at boys “from eight to eighty.” It covers around eighty topics, including how to build atreehouse, grow a crystal, or tell directions with a watch. Also included are famous quotes, stories, historical battles, and phrases that “every boy should know.” With Cimon as the leader of the Athenian League and with him are Pericles, Epikleos, Zeno, Anaxagoras, and the annoying Ephialtes and his guard dog, Attikos, and they will certainly bring Athens very much to the forefront with ferocious battles, political debate and plays during the Festival of Dionysus. The sights, sounds and smells of Athens bring history to life with gripping brilliance Daily Mirror Lion covers the ten or so years following the withdrawal of the Persians from Greece. Its heroes are the young Athenian general Cimon and Xanthippus’ son Pericles, beginning to make his way in public life. It is a well written, generally exciting adventure story, achieved without major insult to the historical record.

Conn Iggulden - Penguin Books UK Conn Iggulden - Penguin Books UK

We follow Pericles through his early adulthood, as he seeks to carve himself out a reputation to match his fathers in Athens. He fights in the fleet under the command of Cimon, a man who is both a friend and a rival to him. Together they capture the island of Cyprus, a bitter contest in which Pericles is wounded. But even during times of peace, the threat of Sparta - Athens's legendary rival - looms large on the horizon. When a sudden catastrophe brings Sparta to its knees, Pericles sees a golden opportunity to forever shift the balance of power in his city's favour. Speaking of Attikos, why didn't anyone kill that old c*** already!? I absolutely adore how Iggulden create the villains in Lion. The worst kind of villains are wimps and fools who don't know their limitations. Never fail to get me frothing in the mouth. Nearly burst a vein or two at Attikos and Ephialtes. I'll be sure to read book 2 just to see them either get killed or redeem themselves (no hopes for Attikos, but Ephialtes might yet be saved, like Pericles - they're not entirely different, I think).Iggulden released a four-book series, the Wars of the Roses series, [7] starting with Stormbird in 2013, Margaret of Anjou [8] (called Trinity in the United Kingdom) in 2014, Bloodline [9] in 2015, and Ravenspur [10] in 2016. Lion focuses mainly on the Athenian front of things instead of the Persian. But there indeed were several points where we get to experience the war from Artabazus or even Xerxes' perspective. I was alright with that up till the death of Xerxes. We're shown the event from the Persian perspective, but I just don't feel connected. I know too little about Persian politics to even make sense of what's happening and why it's happening, let alone be emotionally connected to the scene. A better choice may be to tell Xerxes' death from the Athenian perspective, e.g. Cimon hearing about the death of Xerxes from some hoplites and that the king seemed to have died by his own guards' hands. That way Xerxes' death could be a bit more of a mystery and that could be pretty intriguing and realistic given how bemusing things can be during wartime. Genghis Khan is dead, but his legend and legacy have not yet left the plains. Ogedai, his son, has built a white city on a great plain which becomes the capital of a new nation. During this time, new enemies are coming together to find out which Genghis has the strength of a Khan. Bones of the Hills (2008, ISBN 978-0-00-720179-2) (titled Genghis: Bones of the Hills 2010, ISBN 978-0-385-34280-3)