The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney

[JamesL]

I finished this earlier today. In short, a very good novel. With a number of high profile releases being pushed back to 2009 (Martin, Lynch, Rothfuss, etc) it looked like this year might not be as exciting as last year for new releases, but The Ten Thousand might well prove to be one of 2008's gems.

Here's my review, posted originally at Speculative Horizons:

If you read my feature on The Ten Thousand last month, then you might remember that I was quite excited by the sound of this novel. I'm not sure whether it was the cover art (yet another stunning Solaris cover), the premise (simple, but with real potential) or the prospect of epic battles that sparked my interest. It will suffice to say that something made this novel stand out for me, so when the ARC popped through my letterbox I was eager to see if my expectation was well-founded.

The novel itself is clearly inspired by the historical 'Ten Thousand' - the legendary army of largely Greek mercenaries that marched at the behest of Cyrus the Younger who hoped to seize control of the Persian Empire from his brother, Artaxerxes II. Except instead we have Ten Thousand elite warriors of the Macht, whose services have been hired by a wayward Prince to try and depose his brother, the Great King of the Assurian Empire. The novel follows the story of the Macht, as they leave their own country to fight their way across a vast, hostile Empire. And when things inevitably go pear-shaped, the story focuses on their fight for freedom as they seek to return to their homeland.

The first thing that struck me about this novel was Kearney's writing. I'd never read any of his novels before, and pretty soon I realised what I was missing. Kearney's writing style is very visceral and evocative; I was able to imagine some of the scenes extremely clearly, such was the atmosphere and emotions that were created. Yet he's versatile as well, as skilled at writing a huge battle scene involving thousands as he is writing a love scene. The pacing of the novel is solid and I particularly liked the short chapters, as they helped to emphasize and maintain this pacing. Kearney however is not just a very good writer, but a talented storyteller as well. I'd even go as far to say that there are shades of the great David Gemmell about him, in the way he handles human emotions and other themes like loyalty and courage.

The world of Kuf (not a name I liked at first, though it grew on me) is refreshing in the sense that rather than being influenced by the medieval, it clearly has its roots in the ancient world. The land of the Macht bears some resemblance to the Greek city states of antiquity, while the vast continent of the Assurian Empire - populated by a number of exotic races - is similar in many ways to the Persian Empire, with a geographically diverse landscape and numerous cities. I would have liked to have seen more of these cities and the culture within them, however the nature of the storyline meant that this was not really possible. Still, the world comes through well enough. It's not world-building on the Erikson scale by any means, but Kearney has nonetheless created an interesting, dynamic world with a definite sense of history.

The characters, as always, take prominence and there are a number of interesting figures in this novel. From Rictus, a youth driven on by his troubled past, to Vorus, a man caught between loyalty and his own contrasting beliefs, to Jason, a commander who realises - amid the horror of battle - what he really wants from life. Kearney manages to give each character a motive and avoids the evil-for-evil's-sake problem that so often tarnishes other novels of the genre. Kearney's characters find themselves in many horrific situations, and part of the enjoyment of the novel is watching how they handle the oppression and how their beliefs grow and change. On a greater level, Kearney does a very sound job of portraying humanity, with all its strengths, weaknesses and quirks. There are some powerful moments here, though it's hard to discuss them without spoiling the story. Suffice to say the human lust for gold and its devastating consequences are brilliantly shown.

The battle scenes are another strong point. Kearney manages to portray the fighting in agonising detail, right down to the beads of sweat on the soldiers' foreheads. It's gripping, brutal and horrifically realistic (I could use the word 'gritty' but I'm sick of hearing it). Though as good as the battles are, it was the relationships between the characters and their own personal journeys that I found more interesting.

The Ten Thousand is not without its flaws. The first half of the novel is not as strong as the second and there is a bit of a sense of waiting for something to happen (which is perhaps inevitable given the storyline). When said event did happen, it was like a switch had been flipped: suddenly I was engrossed, whereas before the novel - while holding my attention - was not as absorbing.

I also think that some of the characters could have done with a bit more depth. Gasca in particular was one character who I felt could have benefited from a bit more 'screen time' and at times I wasn't wholly convinced by his relationship with Rictus. Their friendship seemed to develop very quickly, yet I'm not sure we see enough evidence to back this up (with the exception of one or two scenes).

These relatively minor criticisms however don't spoil what is a very good novel indeed. An enthralling tale of epic battles and the strength (and weaknesses) of the human spirit, told excellently by Kearney through his vivid, evocative prose, The Ten Thousand could well be one of the best fantasy novels released this year.

Rating: 4/5

Recommended for fans of: David Gemmell, Steven Erikson

The Ten Thousand is due to be published by Solaris in September.

[Cranky Hamster]

Cool. I'm looking forward to this one; thanks for the review.

As a total noob to Kearney's work, I'd appreciate some pointers as to where it would be best to start reading his books. Should I go with The Ten Thousand first, or one of the others?

[JamesL]

Before reading The Ten Thousand, I'd not read any of Kearney's work either. The Ten Thousand is not related to any of his previous books, so you can definitely start with it. As a stand-alone novel, it might even be a more accessible starting point.

Otherwise, google him and check out his website - there's a detailed bibliography on there.

[Mock]

Blah, I just read this on your blog. It looks really good! I love Ancient Greece. I've been looking into writing historical fiction based in Greece, but none of the wars particularly grab my attention plot-wise. (The Peloponnesian War is not to be underestimated, however!) Maybe I'll just rip off Kearney and Bakker and make a fantasy based heavily on Greece.

Anyway, that's way off topic. I'm looking forward to this . . . He better live up to your Gemmell analogy, or I'm gonna hunt you down and eat your brains.

Amazon lacks an excerpt. That's lame.

Oh, I found one! Hooray for Solaris!

[Werthead]

Excellent review. Paul sent me a very long extract from the book (something like 50% of the whole book, in fact) and it cut off just as things were starting to take off. Hoping to see my own copy soon!

[JamesL]

Mage - if you like ancient history (I seem to remember from your blog that you do) then I think you'll enjoy The Ten Thousand, as there are plenty of historical influences in there. I think the Gemmell comparison is a fair one (which unsurprisingly is why I made it). Kearney does handle human emotion very well and in my mind his storytelling does bring back echoes of Gemmell, which is no bad thing. And you are more than welcome to try and hunt me down to eat my brains if you disagree. You'll find me waiting with a Sword-of-ultra-hardness +5...bring it on!

Wert - glad you enjoyed the review. As I said, the second half is superior to the first. If you liked what Paul sent you, then I'm sure you'll enjoy the rest.

[TooNice]

'Recommended for fans of: David Gemmell, Steven Erikson'


all you needed to say lol

[thrinidir]

Gemmel definitely; closest proximity by far. A bit ofCook too. Erikson I'm not so sure of (like comparing a spartan soldier and Ludwig xiv ).

If we'd search for analogies in SF who could we compare him to? Banks maybe? Morgan with a bit less, arguably so, explicit style? Not the best comparison, I'm sure.

[Pub]

ive read ten thousand and have sort of started on Corvus. Have to say with everything i read about the black company i did not deliver The Ten thousand is everything i expected the black company to be have to get back into Corvus didnt know he had a new one out

[Online Books]

Kearney is definitely one of my favorite fantasy authors. If you haven't read his Monarchy of God series, you should. I think I enjoyed those books more than The Ten Thousand, and that's saying a lot because The Ten Thousand is great stuff. I still need to read Corvus too...