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The Oxford Handbook of Maximus the Confessor

Bronwen Neil and Pauline Allen

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Maximus the Confessor (c.580-662) has become one of the most discussed figures in contemporary...

I am I Between Worlds and Between Shadows

Kalliopi Lemos

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During the last decade, the work of Greek-born artist Kalliopi Lemos exposed the wounding of human...

The Market as God

Harvey Cox

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The Market has deified itself, according to Harvey Cox's brilliant exegesis. And all of the world's...

A Loeb Classical Library Reader

Loeb Classical Library

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This selection of lapidary nuggets drawn from 33 of antiquity's major authors includes poetry,...

David McK (3425 KP) rated Lion of Macedon (Greek series #1) in Books

Jul 7, 2020

Lion of Macedon (Greek series #1)

David Gemmell | 1990 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.5

(2 Ratings)

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The first of David Gemmell's forays into ancient Greece, followed up by Dark Prince, with Gemmell returning to the setting (if not the characters) towards the end of his life with his Troy series (Lord of the Silver Bow, Shield of Thunder and Fall of Kings - the latter being completed by his wife following his death in 2006).

Unlike the Troy books, however, this is set (much) later in the ancient Greek world, even well after the battle of Thermopylae, and follows the life and times of the half-Spartan/half Macedonian Parmenion - the actual Lion of Macedon of the title - of whom little is apparently known, other than that he was an actual Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon (who doesn't even appear in this until about 2/3rd of the way through the book): the father (or was he?) of the most famous Macedonian of all: Alexander. As in Alexander the Great.

I add the 'or was he' question to the above as this novel provides an alternative patronage. It also, unlike his later Troy series, mixes on some of Gemmell's more 'fantastical' elements (I hesitate to even use that word), with the philosopher Aristotle reimagined and the inclusion of the Stones of Power (aka the Siptrassi Stones - as an aside, I'm not sure where these novels were written in relation to those?), albeit not to the extent of Dark Prince. The themes of redemption, honour, courage and Good (the Source) Vs Evil are as strong as any other in his oeuvre!