Written by: Stephen Bradford Marte
Submitted By: Stephen Bradford Marte
THIS REVIEW SUBMITTED BY THE BOOK'S AUTHOR:
Most people have heard about King Leonidas and the famous last stand of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae. The story comes from ‘The History’ by the father of history, Herodotus. Sadly, recent books and movies only give you tidbits of the real story. For instance, did you know that Leonidas had a twin brother? That Leonidas was one of four brothers that vied for the Spartan throne? Or that his wife Gorgo was the daughter of his brother Cleomenes? Leonidas married his niece to gain favor in the line of succession over his twin brother Kleombrotus so that he could become king after Cleomenes’ mysterious death. Some historians theorize that Leonidas died in the pass at Thermopylae, not to rally Greece, but because the Spartans had learned that he’d had a hand in Cleomenes’ demise and if he went home to Sparta he would have been put on trial for the murder of his own brother.
Though Leonidas is a character in ‘The Wandering King,’ this is not his story. Herodotus has other, more adventurous tales to tell. The book is told from the perspective of Leonidas’ nephew Euryanax, who could have become a king of Sparta, but instead chose the life of a wandering mercenary general. The book begins, “I am called Euryanax and I am a Spartan. In the Dorian tongue, ‘eury’ means wandering, and ‘anax’ means king. The Wandering King. From my name comes my story…”
At the start of the book, Euryanax’s grandfather King Anaxandridas dies and his father Dorieus and uncle Cleomenes both claim the right as the king's successor. The ephors choose Cleomenes and rather than live under his brother's rule, Dorieus leaves Sparta to build a colony in North Africa, where he came into conflict with the Persian Empire. Thirty years before the Battle of Marathon, Dorieus was battling Persia’s allies Phoenicia and Carthage in Libya, a place so far away to the Greeks they considered it the land where the titan Atlas held up the world on his shoulders.
The first book in the ‘The Wandering King’ series follows Euryanax from the Spartan military school called the agoge, to the sands of Libya, then to the city of merchants, Corinth, then to the Delphi where he seeks out the advice of the oracle. Along the way Eury is involved in land battles, sea battles, Olympic-style games and even a little romance.
The second book in the series will venture with Euryanax and his father Dorieus as they fight their way across Italy, where they become involved in the war between Croton and Sybaris – the latter of which was known as the richest city in the Greek world – after which they venture to Sicily where once more they come into conflict with Persia’s allies Phoenicia and Carthage.
If you are interested in the Persian War period of ancient Greek history, like Greek history, or just enjoy reading a rollicking good adventure story, you might want to pick up a copy of ‘The Wandering King.’
