Overall a good story although slightly confused with the tale of Pausanius who gets killed off. Whilst setting up part of the story line it seemed out of contestants the main storyline in my opinion. However an enjoyable read with sufficient pull to make me want to read the next book.

Conn Iggulden makes you feel like you really are on that battlefield. Following Perecles this story will fully immerse you in the ancient Greek world and the battles which took place. Always a pleasure reading anything from this author.

I was so pleased when I started reading Lion as I realised straight away I was going to enjoy it. It’s been a long time since I read anything set in Ancient Greece, so a lot was new to me, including the characters as well as the historical setting. This is the first book in Conn Iggulden’s Golden Age series set in the 5th century BCE. I thoroughly enjoyed it which surprised me as generally speaking I’m not keen on reading battle scenes and the book starts and ends with battles. But I had no problem with following the action of the battles between the Greeks and the Persians, and was able to visualise what was going on without any difficulty. The characters’ names took me a little while to get clear in my mind but I soon got used to them.

The two main characters are both young men, Cimon the older of the two has more authority than Pericles, the younger man. Lion is the story of their early careers. Iggulden covers the capture of Eion under Cimon’s leadership of the Delian League, an alliance of Greek states, and of Scyros where Cimon found the bones of Theseus and returned them to Athens. He then captured Cyprus and destroyed a Persian fleet on the Eurymedon River. Below the age of thirty little is known of Pericles’ life, but the likelihood is that he was with Cimon for these events.

The middle section of Lion forms an interlude between the battles and is about Pericles’ marriage to Thetis, and his involvement in the theatre in Athens and the Festival of Dionysus. Pericles was the ‘choregos’ (producer) of Aeschylus’ plays made up of three tragedies and a ‘satyr’ play. I found this part of the book just as fascinating as the battle scenes.

This is an ambitious historical novel that ultimately falls short of expectations. It tells the story of Pericles, a young man who rises to power in Athens during the 5th century BC. Despite its ambitious scope, the book fails to capture the reader's imagination and struggles to keep them engaged.

Pericles is followed in the novel as he grows from a young man to an adult. He is the son of a powerful and influential family, and his father fought against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon. When his father dies, Pericles inherits his estate and is bound to it. He still has a strong attachment to the sea, and the story follows him as he strives for more.

Although the writing is descriptive and vivid, the pacing is slow and the plot is weak. The characters are unmemorable, and the dialogue is frequently stilted. The author does an excellent job of bringing Ancient Greece to life, but he fails to pique the reader's interest.

Overall, The Lion of Athens is a bold novel that struggles to keep the reader interested. Despite the descriptive and vivid writing, the pacing is slow and the plot is weak. Though fans of Iggulden's work may enjoy it, it is not a particularly memorable read.

Review not posted anywhere else

Everytime a new Iggulden book is released, I pick it up expecting t to be swept away like I used to be with his Roman and Genghis books. And sadly everytime now I come away disappointed. I don’t really now what it is, not good for a review I know, it’s something I can’t put my finger in. But something doesn’t feel right with these books any more.

The characters aren’t memorable, the plot feels weak. Even now writing this I can’t really think of a detailed plot review, it kind of passed in a blur.

I’ll probably still pick up next years book in the hope that it’s a return to form, but I’m not sure if that will be the case.

Anything by this author is always a great read and this didn't disappoint although the amount of characters with similar sounding names could be confusing at times. Which you can't really blame the author for as it's based on real history, people and events. Iggulden really brings history to life!

Full disclosure: I'm a big fan of Conn Iggulden's previous books, but I just couldn't get engaged by this one. I thought that the plotting was rather pedestrian, the characterisation weak, and the assumption of historical background knowledge on the part of the reader (unless there's a glossary in the finished book) was a hindrance to a smooth and enjoyable read
DNF, sadly.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Conn Iggulden's work. It's so researched and engaging but I'm sorry to say this one just didn't hold my interest at all. I honestly can't pinpoint what it is. It seemed slow paced, especially in the middle. A real shame as normally I rate Iggulden's novels 5 stars.

A distinctly odd book this. The Lion of Athens is Pericles, a man who helped shape the culture and direction of Athenian politics. But we are presented more with Athens as the central character, the development of a fleet to take battle to the Persians and the excitement of a city that was the centre of almost everything. Pericles is presented as a young man finding his feet and love of culture and the more interesting character is the General, Cimon.
This tells an interesting story of Athens but it does lack the pace of the author’s other novels. I feel I did learn from the author’s meticulous research and knowledge but I wasn’t excited by the book which would be my normal default position with the author.

The first in a new series 'The Golden Age'. A young Pericles making his mark in Athens, first as a choregos and later on the battlefield. Thanks to Netgalley.

I was swept away to a dry and arid politic Greek world, dwelling on land, as well as sailing and undergoing battle at sea. The world building was vivid with strong battle tactics and clear fight scenes with the Persians. I could feel the heat, smell the surroundings, and was roused by inspirational speeches, such was the effortless descriptivism.
There are 2 main protagonists, Cimon, the son of an influential and wealthy family: a strong young leader of the Naval forces. With Pericles in his early adulthood, also the son of an influential father, albeit not the most favoured one.
The Greeks secure an alliance amongst all the ruling islanders to create a large naval defence against the Persians. Albeit the Spartans do not form part of this. Told from Pericles perspective, it captures his thoughts, reservations, maturing character and emerging career.
There is a very good balance of descriptions and dialogue, with good character development. Cimon is a very astute leader and Pericles a good likeable character. It did lose its momentum in the middle, so I had to persevere rather than indulge in the story for a little while. I also found myself a little disappointed with the transformation of Pericles wife, albeit I suspect she had postnatal depression, but I so wanted to see her start to bounce back to her feisty self! Despite this middle dip, it was an extraordinary immersive historical read & highly recommended.

This is the first Iggulden book I have read. I did not realise it was part of a series. This book only covers half of Pericles career so I will look out for the sequel. I enjoy historical novels but had not read anything in this period. I really enjoyed it and, as a woman, liked Iggulden's portrayal of the female characters. The writing is very descriptive so one can visualise the scenes.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

Normally I love Conn Iggulden’s books and I,leapt at this one looking forward to many hours of enjoyment. I’m afraid I got bogged own very quickly and found myself not returning to carry on. He is a brilliant reader but I found too much detail - personal problem for me but it’s not a light read. For lovers of his work I suggest you make up your own mind and I will try again another time.

When I pick up a book by this author I know I am going to be in for a treat. The Lion is fabulous reading and takes the reader back to 5th Century Ancient Greece. This era is one people are most like aware of given the films such as The 300, I mention this as it is in a similar timeline to the story and his son, Pleistarchus features at the beginning of the story. While Sparta played its part in past battles, it stands apart for a few years. Athens, with other city-states, created the Delian League at Delos, a central island in the Aegean Sea,

The main characters in this story are Cimon and Pericles. They are childhood friends and their fathers had fought in the battles at Marathon against the Persians. The Persians have gone quieter of late, but that does not mean there is no danger. The city-states of Greece come together to form the Delian League, they amass a fleet that patrols the Aegean to keep a look out for potential Persian threats.

Pericles is a young man and isn't allowed a responsibility as he is deemed too young until he is 30 years old. But, his friendship with Cimon grants him access to meetings. The two form a formidable friendship and when needed they will support each other.

Pericles takes over his father's estate after his death. This means he is bound to the land, but his heart still yearns for the sea. He has different responsibilities from Cimon, but when he is needed Pericles will join back with Cimon.

This story is a brilliant one from start to finish. The author manages to create such a wonderful and action-packed story from history. As I read this I had to remind myself I wasn't watching a film as the imagery the author creates with his words is exceptional. He really does bring history to life in the pages.

The battles of the past are still fresh in the memories of the current, this helps to fuel the need for a fleet and to have people with experience around those in control. There are politics that come into play, but this is not a main part of the story. Ancient Greece without its politics just wouldn't be right! The author brings the characters to life with decisions, friendships, battles and pretty much from the point of Pericles who will have a larger role in history.

This is more the story of Pericles, his decisions and his thoughts as he makes the transition from a young man into an adult and all the responsibilities that come with it. His family, his personal life and made it a more character-based story. There are plenty of other characters but focusing on just one gave a brilliant insight into one of history's figures.

This author will probably already be known to you if you like your ancient history. It is a brilliant read and one that I would definitely recommend.

Conn Iggulden works his customary magic on more stories from Ancient Greece. Although this is far from the first novel where the author has borrowed from the much-told adventures of heroes from the wars in what we refer to as present day Greece, this is my first encounter with the author’s re-telling of these tales of heroism, treachery and violence. However, in the same way that his novel, Dunstan, breathed new life into old tales, ‘Lion’ introduces the reader to characters from history and does not hesitate to invest them with the details of real lives that the historical record has not passed down to us. In ‘Lion’, we see the final stages of the war between Greek states and the Persian Empire, with the casual mention of the great battles from history - Salamis, Plataea, Marathon and Thermopylae - anchoring the novel in the period after these contests between mighty opposing armies and navies. ‘Lion’ provides us with an intriguing, if invented, account of the formative years of the great Athenian statesman Pericles in the period before his activities found their way into the historical record, ending shortly after the defeat of Xerxes and his death at the hands of his own guards.
Recommended as a stand-alone adventure but, in particular, as an introduction to a fascinating period of European history.

I am confused! Whilst I have always loved Mr Iggulden's work I still do not know if it is the first in a series or third?

The book is based on the life of the ancient Greek politician/fighter Pericles in and around Athens, Persia and Sparta. The author seemingly loves this era and locations and for educational history purposes he does a good job, making it all really interesting. The fight scenes are terrific, but all in all I was disappointed. There are many characters too and I needed to cross reference too many times.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the chance to read and review.

I really enjoy Conn Iggulden's books and this was no exception. This appears to be the start of a new series looking at the world of Ancient Greece, following on from the great battles of Thermopylae, Plataea and Salamis, taking in it's city states, characters, and conflicts. It follows primarily the stories of Cimon and the young Pericles, but has a cast of great and memorable characters. The story has a great pace generally, although slightly slow in the middle, but overall I found it a gripping tale and very absorbing. I felt he managed to get a good mix of action and the politics of the day, as well as effectively getting across the often very different world views involved, in particular the differences between Athenians and Spartans. As with any good historical fiction, it made me want to look up the real history behind events and characters, and I am looking forward to the next in the series.

I always love Conn Iggulden’s books - I remember the first review I wrote of one of his Genghis Khan books and all I said was that he is a consummate storyteller, which sounds a lot simpler than it actually is- but when I read his books I completely immerse myself in them and when I finish I feel like I know loads more than I did and I also completely lost myself for a while in his world. Such a skill! I trust him to research his subject and entertain me with fully rounded characters and exciting narrative.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by Conn Iggulden and this story threw me right into a different world. I wasn’t aware that there are earlier titles in this series, but it does work as a standalone. I’ve probably missed out on some character development with recurring characters, but the plot alone holds up.

Iggulden is certainly a gifted storyteller. He’s able to bring the period to life in every way. There are bloody battles which read like a film epic, political intrigues and I really felt as if I’d dropped back into a vivid and very different time. That’s the skill of the writing. The story has a huge cast of characters and centres on Pericles, now a young warrior out to prove his worth as a soldier and leader. There’s a lot of military strategy, but as it’s something I know little about, I found it interesting. The strife between Greece and Persia is the setting and I found this an enjoyable and totally immersive read. I’ll be catching up on earlier titles on the strength of this read.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Conn Iggulden’s new title is the penultimate book in the series set in ancient Greece. It is a continuation of Xanthippus’s story in a way. It centres around the early career of Pericles, Xanthippus’ son remaining, as he struggles to establish himself against the backdrop of the Persian invasions threatening all the states of Greece and his father’s legacy. Once again Iggulden has produced a masterpiece of historical literature.

The book is jam packed with military clashes, political manoeuvring and characters we have watched grow and change. Cimon has matured from the useless drunk into a formidable military commander. Pericles works hard to no longer remain in his brother or his father’s shadow and strikes out on his own. He risks everything to sponsor a play in the aim of making a name in Athenian politics, backing a man who stood alongside his father at Marathon.

Conn Iggulden is a master of historical fiction -he has woven the many threads of this story into an extremely compelling read. I am looking forward to the final book in the series to see what will come to Pericles, Cimon and Athens.