Just Finished Reading: The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney

After being defeated in battle and seeing his city destroyed by the enemy, young Rictus makes his way to the capital city of Machran to join one of the mercenary bands recruiting there. Once in the city he finds a soldier clad in the black armour of a curse-bearer – armour whose origin was shrouded in myth and mystery, armour that cannot be penetrated by any known weapon forged by man. Directed to the training fields outside the city walls Rictus joins a unit awaiting orders. Being without armour himself he is allocated to the auxiliaries, the Running Dogs, who will be scouts and skirmishers for the army amassing before his very eyes. Only on the day of departure are they told their destination and their new employer – they are marching into the Asurian Empire in the pay of the Great Kings brother who is determined to gain the throne himself. But as the Macht army – the largest and most renowned army even seen - batters its way ever deeper into enemy territory it dawns on Rictus that if anything goes wrong that it’s going to be a very long and hard fight every mile of the way home.

I think that the author was quite clearly channelling Greek history when he wrote this book. Although I’m not exactly certain of the details this does remind me of a Greek mercenary army fighting for the King of Persia who had to fight there way back home after he was defeated in battle. I might also be thinking of Alexander’s wanderings in Persia and India and the return of his men after he died somewhat mysteriously – but the point stands. However, the possible lack of originality takes nothing away from this excellent fantasy novel – inevitably the first book in a trilogy. The characterisation was suitably heroic and gritty. These where real soldiers who had grown up in a world with death as a constant companion – indeed Death was personified as a major god in their pantheon. There was a wonder sense of mystery surrounding the black armour some of the men wore. It was indestructible but only 500 sets existed in the whole world. Its origin was as much a mystery as its means of manufacture. I’m hoping that that’s one mystery the later books answer. My particular idea is that they were made by the original human settlers who realised that their superior technology wouldn’t last forever so made the armour in the hope that future generations would survive because of it. The non-human characters were as well drawn as the humans with very different, but understandable, motivations. Although the humans thought that they’d always been on the world in question – Kuf – the non-humans seemed to see them as newcomers which threw up a whole new set of questions. Finally the battles themselves were awesome – very up close and personal with spears and swords being primary weapons. This is the kind of battle where you smell your enemies bad breath as you kill him and his emptied bowls afterwards – it’s not pretty and it’s not something you forget in a hurry. This is, above all else, a very adult fantasy novel. There is death in abundance, sex (not always in a good way) and a fair amount of swearing. But more than that it has a realism – despite being a fantastic tale – that grips you and puts you in the front lines of the Macht phalanx as they push into the enemy lines and start killing. It felt to me how you would imagine ancient Greek or Roman battles to be fought. I was most impressed so highly recommend it to all fantasy readers or to anyone who wants to be blown away by some really impressive storytelling.