The Ten Thousand

The Ten Thousand is the début novel of Michael Curtis Ford. He's written several other novels since, all set in the classical world. The Ten Thousand is set in ancient Greece just after the ending of the Peloponnesian war and is based on Xenophon's Anabasis. It tells the tale of the march of a Greek mercenary army through the hostile Persian empire. One of the most legendary military feats of the ancient world. Xenophon is not the most objective of historians. He exaggerates, leaves out things that don't suit him and, like any good Athenian of his day, clearly dislikes Spartans. Although Ford clearly strives for historical accuracy he also uses Xenophon's prejudice to tell his tale. Remember that what follows is a description of the book, not necessarily history as you know it.

One of the oddities about the Anabasisis that Xenophon wrote it under the pseudonym Themistogenes of Syracuse. This Themistogenes, or Theo is also the narrator of Ford's version. He is the slave, body servant and squire of Xenophon and grows up with him in the household of the cold but largely absent Gryllus, Xenophon's father. Gryllus is a military man himself and Xenophon grows up to be a fine cavalry officer. By the time he is of age though, the Pelononnesian war, in which Gryllus has made his name, has ended. With the defeat of Athens and her allies by the Spartans in 404 BC a relative peace descends on the Greek city-states. Peace is of course not to everybody's liking and large numbers of Greek warriors offer their services to the highest bidder as mercenaries. One such bidder is Cyrus, half-brother of the King of Persia, who in 401 BC sets out on a campaign.

Xenophon receives an offer from his cousin Proxenus to join Cyrus on this campaign. Xenophon hesitates as joining the mercenary army would almost certainly mean exile from Athens and of course facing a rather upset Gryllus. His teacher Socrates advises him to consult the Oracle of Delphi, where he learns he has already made his choice. Xenophon and Theo travel to Sardes to join Proxenus. He soon finds out Cyrus is not very clear about his objectives but for the right price the mercenaries are willing to take a chance.

As it turns out Cyrus is attempting to take the Persian throne and despite a good performance from his Greek mercenaries Cyrus' ambitions die with him at the field of Cunaxa in modern day Iraq. Without a patron the Greeks try to negotiate a way out of a bad situation only to be betrayed by the Persians. Under the guise of negotiation they lure the Greek generals to a meeting and slay them all. The Greeks elect a new leader, Xenophon. Thus begins the desperate march of ten thousand Greek mercenaries through the lands of hostile Persians, Armenians and Kurds to reach the Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast. An already difficult journey is made even more difficult of Theo when he falls in love with the mysterious and dangerous Asteria. A romance that ends in truly dramatic fashion when the Greeks finally reach the town of Trapezus on the Black Sea coast.

I very much enjoyed reading The Ten Thousand but I have to admit, it is not a miracle of character development. Where World Without End, the first historical novel I reviewed for FBS, leans more heavily on fictional characters, Theo spends many words on the movements of the army, Xenophon's actions and quite a few details on life as a Greek soldier. The Ten Thousandis rich in historical and military detail, Anabasis is probably an inspiration to many a writer of epic fantasy. However if you are not particularly interested in those things the book doesn't have much to offer. Anabasis was a (rather biased) history and so, in many ways, is this book. It is accessibly to anyone though. The Ten Thousand doesn't require detailed knowledge of ancient Greek history but still exposes the reader to many fascinating aspects the ancient world. Very entertaining book but an interest in ancient history is definitely required.

Other Reviews of works by Michael Curtis Ford

The Last King - May 2, 2008