Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Former fighter Alexanor leaves battle behind to join the priesthood and learn to be a healer. When a wounded soldier Philopoeon arrives at the sanctuary Alexanor saves his life and the two become friends. As the Greek army fights, Alexanor is asked to join the king as a personal healer and his path crosses with that of Philopoeon again, a man destined to become a hero of legend.
Cameron is certainly adept at capturing the heat and frenzy of a battle but sometimes the scenes in between are a little woolly. For fans of sword and sandal spins this is great but it's not the best of the genre.

What a fantastic book. You can tell that the author is an expert on the subject as his knowledge is weaved through the story. His writing really conjures up the period and it is easy to picture the characters and situations.

I found it really immersive, and really liked that the main character Alexanor was a man of peace.

What an incredible story!
This is a fabulous novel of a little-known period in Greek history. Taking the reader on a wonderful adventure from the first page to the last, Christian Cameron has woven a tale that it's impossible to put down until the very last.
It is hard to put your finger on what exactly makes this novel the perfect story. It has all the ingredients off a gateway novel between its pages. An epic story of ancient Greece. The vivid scenes of battle and action combine with a intriguing political machinations. The comradeship and friendship of the two leading protagonists, Philapaemen - the New Achilles of the title - and Alexanor, his friend - a doctor and a priest - make this a wonderful story of comrades-in-arms. And the interspersing of love, loss and some clever, intelligent female characters - who are more than just the muses of the men - makes this the perfect story. Christian Cameron recreates the Greek world with a skill and passion that cannot be underestimated, transporting the reader to a time long gone as of you were in a time machine itself.
Cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is an adventure not to be missed! One of the best books I've read this year!

The New Achilles is crammed full of action scenes (including a pirate attack in the very first chapter) that really come alive on the page. It’s also full of detailed information about clothing, weaponry, armour, religious practices and social customs of the time that are obviously the result of extensive research. (The glossary at the end of the book is much needed.) The detailed and often lengthy battle scenes, although undoubtedly exciting, were of less interest to me than the exploration of the interesting relationship between Alexanor and Philopoemen. ‘We’ve boxed and we’ve argued. Are we not brothers?’

Alexanor is variously doctor, therapist, confidante and sparring partner to Philopoemen, whom he accompanies on his journeys to different theatres of war from what we now know as the mainland of Greece to Crete and back again. It’s a complex political situation with shifting allegiances and a multitude of city states and their leaders competing for power and influence – ‘the game of kings’, in fact. In his Author’s Note, Christian Cameron likens Greece at the time to modern Syria with all the big players fighting over her.

Alexanor and Philopoemen are united by the trauma of loss in their personal lives but although both have chosen a life of action as the means to silence their demons, Alexanor has opted for priesthood and healing whilst Philopoemen has chosen success on the battlefield.

Philopoemen, the so-called ‘new Achilles’, is a charismatic leader, master tactician and accomplished, and seemingly tireless, fighter with miraculous powers of recovery. As imagined by the author, he is somewhat of a radical visionary too, arguing the case for gender equality and an end to slavery among other things. As he says, ‘I don’t want to conquer the world, I want to make it better.’ He’s a bit of a politician as well, keenly aware of what is required of a leader. He states knowingly at one point ‘No one fancies a hard-working Achilles. It has to appear effortless’.

The New Achilles is a book for readers who like their historical fiction to come with a soundtrack of the clash of swords, the thunder of hooves, the swish of arrows and javelins, the glugging of wine and the earthy language of soldiers in battle.

In his Author’s Note, Christian Cameron states, ‘This book is a novel, and a great deal of it, especially the details, is made up. But Philopoemen really lived. And he really was so great a man that everyone, friends and enemies, honoured him when he was dead.’ Fans of The New Achilles will be pleased to know that Philopoemen’s story doesn’t end here.

Bone weary with blood and death, Alexanor has fought until his father’s sword is a mere bloody stump and had enough.

Realising that he is the last of his training school, and he has done his military service, he turns his back and enters the temple of Apollo’s son , Asklepios to become a healer.

Learning from the legendary Chiron, he has to put aside pride and arrogance in thinking that he can rebalance the scales by saving lives instead of taking them. In an age where men are used up and worn out by war and death, the once glorious honour of death in battle is now seen as an everyday fodder for gods that people of Greece are not venerating as maybe they should.

Although Alexanor has chosen to hide away from the world, the world does not owe him a duty to leave him there and trouble follows him. His place in the upcoming battles for Ancient Greece is as a trainer for the one whom he believes will not only save them all, but who will restore the people’s beliefs in the mighty gods of Olymous-the time has come for a new hero to save them, and that hero is believed to be Philipoemen.

At once, Philipoemen becomes a symbol of resistance, and restoration of the values of kleos and the story becomes something much more complex and deeper than one might expect. This is not ‘Game Of Thrones’, Greek style, this is about honour, place and time and the individual and collective responsibility to these concepts.

Vividly rendered, you journey on the ships with Alexanor,you smell the blood and visceral innards, you share his frustrations in casting aside old values for new, you are there with him in his visions and are swept along with his training of Philopoemen. It’s a very, very real, bloodthirsty, honest and searing depiction of the time period in Ancient history, that recalls to mind the battle scenes of the ‘The Iliad’ and Thucydides’ epics.

It must be remembered that Greece, as a country, was then a series of small islands all ruled by different kings with many many battles being fought between east and west, king against king so the values of honour and kinship were vitally important between this fragmented country.

And that is so well conveyed, it’s a book that will please those who love classical history for all the Easter egg nods, yet is absolutely accessible to anyone who is unfamiliar with this time or place-Christian Cameron pitches himself squarely between both camps and announces ,’Come, let me tell you a story’.

And so, we gather and we listen.

Hugest thanks to the always amazing Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers, Orion and the author, Christian Cameron for taking me back to a place in time which resonates so much for this reader!

The New Achilles is an absorbing, thrilling read which really brings history to life. I’m a huge fan of Greek history but hadn’t read anything about this particular part of their history before. It’s definitely an exciting and intriguing period with lots of political changes which cause allegiances to change continually which helps make the read very gripping.

Philopoemen is a fascinating main character who I couldn’t help but like. I so enjoyed learning more about him and his brave exploits on the battlefield which were very admirable. He has surprisingly modern ideas for the time believing that women should have citizen rights like men and that slaves should be freed. He was a great character to get behind and I found his journey very interesting. I found that I wanted him to succeed and wanted to keep reading to find out what happens.

The historical detail is amazing and helps bring the period to life very vividly. I felt that I was right there next to the characters watching everything unfold . This was especially true of the battlefield scenes which were incredibly gripping and detailed so that the reader can almost smell the sweat and the blood of the soldiers. Some of the action had me on the edge of my seat, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the fighting which just shows how well the scenes are described.

Think is an incredibly gripping and absorbing book which I thought was just brilliantly written. It’s a must read for any historical fiction fan especially if Ancient Greek history interests you. The author definitely knows how to bring history to life and make if very interesting.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

I have always had a fascination with Ancient Greece and Rome, and studied classics at A Level, and The New Achilles fed into this fascination.  228BC Alexanor has turned away from war and fighting to become a priest and healer at Epidauros, a place where family and status don't matter, everyone is equal.  Into this sanctuary comes a group of soldiers from Megalopolis, with their leader Philopoemen who is badly injured.  In him, Alexon recognises a great soldier  and leader, and as as he treats Philopoemen they become friends and Alexon travels with him in his many battles and victories.

The New Achilles had me gripped from the opening chapter where the ship Alexon is travelling on is attacked by pirates.  This opens the way for a book that is action packed, full of historical detail and wonderful characters.  The book is set during an interesting period of classical history; a time of political intrigue and allegiances constantly changing due to the constant wars.  At this time the main players were Sparta, Macedonia, Egypt and the Achaean League for whom Philopoemen fights. This can all be complex to follow with the changing allegiances and leaders of the different factions, but Christian Cameron makes this easy to  comprehend with his detailed prose and there are notes at the back that you can check if you need to.

Philopoemen is an interesting character.  His prowess on the battlefield is admires by many and it is this that earns him the time of the 'New Achilles' by his fellow soldiers; they see him as the saviour of Greece and in particular the Achaean League.  He was also quite forward thinking in that women could be made citizens like men and have rights and even considers the emancipation of slaves, both very controversial in the patriarchal society at the time. In him Alexon sees a fellow soul, with similar ideas and military prowess.  Alexon may have turned his back on war, but he is a confident and advisor to Philopoemen and is useful in his healing capacity.

The New Achilles is a fascinating read that takes you back to the Classical world of heroes, wars and amazing settings.  Christian Cameron packs in the action and Greek military history, whilst a the same time making it accessible and enjoyable.  I thought this a fabulous read, with wonderful characters and I learnt quite a lot about that period which is always a plus for me. A brilliant read!

Wow, so I have just finished this mammoth book and I have now to try and find the words to formulate some review to get you excited by this book. I do not think, go buy this book will do it (although you should!).

This is not a book you can skim or take lightly. You have to concentrate on the wealth of information you have in front of you. Thank god I was reading this on my kindle because quite frankly I did not have a scooby what some of the words meant and so a lot of word pressing was going on and Google was my friend. I am blown away with how amazing this book is, although honestly, I did not have a clue what was going on for the first 20% of the book. You have so many characters, places, words, regions to get your head around, but I did not care that I didn’t understand half of it, because the storytelling of Alexandor and his life from “coward” to Priest was immense.

So, I am completely kicking myself as I have basically all of Mr Cameron’s books on my Kindle, along with Ben Kane and Simon Scarrow, because this is a genre I am completely fascinated with but have not had the chance to sit down and experience. I savoured the words on the page and I want more. I will be opening that Kindle and first chance I get, reliving more stories of the Spartans, Greeks and Romans to name the big few.

I loved getting to know Alexandor and Philopoemen, The New Achilles. We see both men, ravished by their past, both broken from these events, and both grown in well-respected men in their different areas. I do feel like there is potentially more to come from them.

This book was intense too when we had battles scenes, the night attacks, assassinations, I felt like I was there witnessing it, heart in my throat. I was never sure how these things would play out. I could not speed my way through the book to find out either, I had to sit back and watch the formations flank the enemy, I had to listen to the arrows flying through the air, all the while trying to find our heroes in the midst of battle, and hope they made it safely away.

I have been rewatching Spartacus on TV lately, so it was easy to envision the characters from the show in the book, Craig Parker (Glaber) or Simon Merrels (Crassius) could easily be Nabis!

I just have to reiterate that the knowledge of Mr Cameron is immense and it truly shows. It was also refreshing to have the main character as a healer, not a ‘barbarian’ of war. Not bloodthirsty, but one to shy away, Alexandor has some candid views on the world around him but naive at the same time. Between Philopoemen, who wants the glory without saying it, and Phila, the woman that Alexandor is drawn to, opens his eyes to what truly is in ahead of him.

So I refer back to my first comment, GO.BUY.THIS.BOOK!

Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

To be perfectly honest, this isn't usually the kind of book I pick up as I'm not super into the sword-and-sandals-with-male-lead genre but, I'm a sucker for anything related to Ancient Greece so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

The story starts by introducing us to Alexanor, an ex-soldier who leaves his past behind to become a Healer at the temple of Epidauros. One day an injured young man, Philipoemen,  is brought to the temple. He is "The New Achilles" of the title and plays a key role in the events that follow.

I really liked Alexanor's character in particular and I found myself getting rather attached to him. It was refreshing to have a quieter, more subtle kind of hero as opposed to the dyed in the wool military types that usually head up these kind of novels. I was also surprised how much I liked some of the female characters that made an appearance. There was more to their characters than simply dying or being raped in order to make the main character feel sad, which is often their fate in similar novels.

In the Foreword for this book it's mentioned that the author is a military historian. This is clearly apparent throughout the book and the man clearly knows his stuff. Both the battle scenes and observations about life, society and culture are detailed and immersive and the Ancient Greek world has been effectively portrayed. The Glossary at the end was handy too, particularly for military lingo.

I found the narrative quite hard to follow at certain points and I sometimes lost the thread of who was fighting who or who was saying what. Perhaps unsurprisingly there are a LOT of battles in this book and if you aren't hugely into military stuff then you may find these pages drag a bit. If you are into it, you'll be in hog heaven. Some of the dialogue also felt a bit too modern sometimes. I personally liked the quieter, character driven parts of the novel best.

Overall, I enjoyed this. An Ancient Greek historical fiction novel with enough detail and charm to elevate it above similar books.

The New Achilles is a triumphant return to ancient Greece for Christian Cameron. His 'Tyrant' and 'Long War' series are two of the best, if not THE best historical fiction series around, so to see him return to the period filled me with excitement.

It doesn't disappoint. As I've come to expect from Cameron, in no matter what period he writes, be it ancient Greece, Medieval Italy or a mad up fantasy realm, his attention to detail and knowledge never ceases to amaze. His prose is beautiful, he writes with such skill and panache, the words flow of the page like a libation of wine to the marble floor.

What i love most about this book however is the way he weaves philosophical debate and discussion throughout. There's a depth to the writing that goes beyond just storytelling - you can grasp Cameron's passion for philosophy and for essence of what it is to be a man - and especially in this book - a woman.

A stunning book, don't miss out.