My Dad sent me this, saying it was the best book he'd ever read. It's the story of 10,000 Greek mercenaries in the employ of Cyrus, a rival to the Persian throne, who marched against his brother, Artaxerxes, in an attempt to become the emperor.
It all goes Pete Tong, with Cyrus killed in a battle near Babylon, which leaves the Greeks without a benefactor, deep inside enemy territory. Xenophon becomes the unlikely leader of the Greek army, and the rest of the story recounts their epic journey home, via modern-day Turkey, Armenia and Iraq, beset by harsh conditions, hostile natives, and a constant battle for supplies.
It's an excellent book, really easy to pick up and understand, and I read it in 4 days.
It's also the inspiration for the 1965 book (and subsequent cult film) The Warriors.
It all goes Pete Tong, with Cyrus killed in a battle near Babylon, which leaves the Greeks without a benefactor, deep inside enemy territory. Xenophon becomes the unlikely leader of the Greek army, and the rest of the story recounts their epic journey home, via modern-day Turkey, Armenia and Iraq, beset by harsh conditions, hostile natives, and a constant battle for supplies.
It's an excellent book, really easy to pick up and understand, and I read it in 4 days.
It's also the inspiration for the 1965 book (and subsequent cult film) The Warriors.