A worthy follow on to the Athenian series as a “League” is formed to face a common enemy. Set during the Greco-Persian Wars and after noteworthy battles previously won against the odds the new Greek coalition ( The League but without Sparta! ) enhances its control of the sea and neighbouring islands. Whilst I felt the book sagged a little in the middle the rise of the next generation and it's inspirational figures carried it through to a fitting end……… for the time being!

A slow start as usual but great to catch up with several of the characters from the last book. I love the way the author brings history to life by weaving real events into the lives of his characters and stories. Yet another excellent tale by this talented wordsmith.

This is, I think, the best of the three Athenian novels Conn Iggulden has written so far. The first two lacked a personal touch, very little dialogue, not much investment in the characters. This felt much more rounded, more engaging.

We follow Pericles through his early adulthood, as he seeks to carve himself out a reputation to match his fathers in Athens. He fights in the fleet under the command of Cimon, a man who is both a friend and a rival to him. Together they capture the island of Cyprus, a bitter contest in which Pericles is wounded.

We see Pericles grow as a man and as a leader. He marries, a decision he comes to regret, and even uses his family wealth to back a up and coming production in Athens, hoping to build his reputation further.

The story climaxes with a fierce battle on Persian soil. Once more with the fleet, Pericles and Cimon discover a vast Persian force, being readied in secret, and immediately launch an attack, seeking to nullify their enemy before they can sail on Greece. Pericles makes a rather strange decision in the aftermath of the battle (won't spoil it here!) but there seems little reason for it. It jerked a bit as a reader, as it didn't seem it fit his character arc, and I felt left a bit of an odd ending. That being said, I will gladly read the next instalment.

I absolutely devoured the previous books, The Gates of Athens and The Protector, and this carries on from those two, even though it is described as book one of a new series, The Golden Age. Bring it on!!
I didn’t do Classics at school, but thanks to these books, I am beginning to feel confident and at ease with these fascinating characters. I must admit that the pronunciation guide at the front brings a great deal of amusement to my husband, when I am attempting to use it!! It was lovely to start this novel and know the main characters, Pericles, Pausanias, Cimon, Xanthippus and the battles that they became famous names in.
Ancient Greece is vividly brought to life, I feel like I am an observer of the tactics used at sea and on land, I felt the excitement at Scyros, the island where Theseus died, and his tomb being discovered, and the determination of all present to return the body to Athens for re burial.
The titular Lion is Cimon, a man who is more at home on the sea than the politics of Athens, and describes how he defeats the Persian King, Xerxes, by destroying his Navy in a fierce and well planned attack. Xerxes was later killed by his own troops, punishments and justice was severely dealt with.
This story deals with the formation of the Delian League, whereby the Greeks set up an alliance of like minded states against any future action by the Persians. Each member state paid a set tribute towards a war chest of money. This was made up of silver talents, worth a few million pounds in today’s money, and ensured that an attacked state could rely upon other members coming to their assistance in their hour of need.
There are further details that show how much research is done to make these novels so thrilling and exciting. The details about armour and the honour of wearing it, the training and weapons in use in these times, and the various Gods and Goddesses of that time, so amazing!!
I really want to go to Athens and experience all I have read about, but for now, I will do some more research of my own and wait in hopeful anticipation of being lucky enough to read the next book in this new series, that will be a wonderful treat.
My grateful thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I have happily given this a five star rating. I will leave reviews to other outlets later.

This historical novel focuses on the struggle for power among Persian, Spartan and Greek opposites with the main character an Athenian named Pericles. Well researched this is an enjoyable story.

The book is based on the facts of life of famous Greek politician Pericles and other influential people of Athens, Persia and Sparta. The author tried to add some fictional characters and events to make the story alive, but I found it very sketchy. Every new character and event was appearing like from nowhere just trying to explain the situation and it was difficult to understand thosę people's motivation and meaning in the book and generally in history.

The third in a series set during the Graeco-Persian wars, The Lion depicts the triumph of Cimon, the man most responsible for the defeat of Persian king, Xerxes. The story covers the formation of the Delian League (the alliance of Greek states set up to combat the Persian threat), the hostility of Sparta to Athenian leadership, and the first fracture in the alliance caused by the rebellion of Thasos.

Interestingly, though, the narrative is told mostly from the point of view of Pericles, the future leader, as he begins to emerge into maturity. We watch him struggle to balance the competing claims of the war at sea, his new -and by no means submissive - wife, his family, and his friends, including the playwright Aeschylus and the philosophers, Zeno and Anaxagoras.

Ultimately, this is a story about identity – on the one hand, the beginnings of Hellenic identity and on the other, the development of Pericles’ sense of himself and his purpose. As I read it against the backdrop of the current conflict in Ukraine, it seemed to me that Iggulden had done exactly what a good writer of historical fiction should: brought to life a remote chapter of the past and shown how it resonates with the present.

A cracking read, if, for me, a little slow to get the characters to breathe, and become real.
Would I buy this with my hard earned money, yes 100%.

The story follows a young Athenian trying to step out of his fathers shadow and make a name for himself in Athens. We see many sides of this young man’s personality as he completes different stages of his life achieving different successes and companionships.
I love the way in which the story follows a historical time line, with characters, events and details mainly drawn from previous literature. A really enthralling read and I can’t wait for the next instalment!

As a reader who has not read the previous Iggulden Athenian books I had no trouble at all getting engrossed in this new series.

This is the third in the “Athenian” series and readers would be advised to read “The Gates of Athens” and “The Protector” first.
As usual with Conn Iggulden books, the story is woven into actual historical events. It encapsulates the birth of democracy, the making of military alliances and the demise of the great Persian empire. At the heart of the book is the cultural and political nuances of Athens, its parallel easily demonstrated in modern day USA. A strong nation binding the future of smaller “equal nations” to a cause for the greater good, the defeat of Xerxes’ Persian army.
Many of the characters existed at the time and Iggulden treats these characters as real people, chronicling their lives and those of the fictitious characters into a story that is hard to put down and I found myself finishing the book in the space of two days. The story is incomplete and I am really looking forward to the fourth book in the series.

Book Review - The Lion by Conn Iggulden

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With thanks to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC.

Lion is the first in Iggulden's new Golden Age series, though it follows on from the Athenian series. This follows young Pericles after the Greek victories of Salamis and Plataea as he tries to make a name for himself and step out of his father's shadow.

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As you know, I love all things ancient history so this was exactly my cup of tea. Conn Iggulden is one of those authors who you can rely on telling a great story, weaving fact and fiction seamlessly - and this is no exception. He brings ancient Greece to life and the battlescenes are BREATHTAKING. There is a great balance with character / plot development and the political machinations are well explored, adding an extra layer.

There was a pronunciation guide and who's who at the beginning of the book - honestly, I am one of those pedantic people who will sit debating with myself on how to pronounce words in my head for far too long, so this was much appreciated 🤣🤣

This is out on 26th May.

Action packed and fast paced, this will be a must read for fans of the author’s earlier works. I have largely enjoyed this series but there’s always something missing for me personally. I think the way Igguldon – like many hist fic authors – sketches over things like rules of engagement (warfare had rules such as ‘we don’t attack at night or in the rain’ and what women were actually doing – in many areas women were actually the lead political influence) always irritates me. However I do understand the desire for a streamlined story. I just wish that didn’t mean continuing this idea that it was all about fit young men in battle and cantankerous old men in forums. Because that’s the slenderest slice of what was going on.

An epic piece of historical fiction. This book was wonderfully intriguing; but it was the emotion in the story and the quality of the writing that sang out to me.

Following the battles of Platea,Thermopylae and Marathon, the Athenians know that the Persians will be back in force.

The city states of Greece meet on the holy island of Dalos to swear an alliance of the Hellenic League. To pay annual tribute and form a pact to defend each other.

A mighty fleet is  formed under Cimon, son of Militiades with his friend Pericles to support him.

The death of Pericles' father Xanthihippus forces him to take a greater part in Athens' politics and become a leading citizen.

This book adds as a bridge between "Protector" and Iggulden's new Golden Lion series in a genre he can  now call his own.

A riveting read for all fans of historical fiction and another success for Mr Iggulden!

A great historical read. Iggulden sets the atmosphere and battlefield up perfectly. This is gripping and left me wanting more.

In this third book of Iggulden’s series, we follow the early career of Pericles, son of Xanthippus. Much of it is imagined as little is known of Pericles’ early life and many of the events of this period were unrecorded until much later. His generation followed in the footsteps of those who fought at Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis and sought to emulate their heroes.

As always, I enjoyed learning a little more about life in Ancient Greece, particularly about theatre and The Festival of Dionysus. As before, the battle scenes are exciting and are seen from both sides of the field. The horror of what soldiers faced in the days of hand to hand combat is drawn in enough detail to appreciate it without being too gory, thankfully. No doubt, the fourth book of the series will follow Pericles in his later life and I will look forward to that.

After the Gods. After the Myths and Legends came the World of Men.

In their front rank stood Pericles. He will rise - and an Empire will be Born.

Conn Iggulden is one of the most successful authors of historical fiction writing today. He has written four previous bestselling historical series, including Wars of the Roses, which was truly outstanding - I devoured that series in no time at all and it placed Conn Iggulden as one of my favourite historical authors ever.

‘Lion’ is the first book in a new series and I am super hyped for the release of this so that everyone can share in the brilliance of this author. His books are always packed full of action and regardless of what historical period he is writing about, his books draw you in completely and you are there, experiencing everything so vividly. ‘Lion’ is gripping, full of mystery and intrigue and of course, epic battles. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and also anyone who enjoys a thrilling book written by a master of the genre.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

How do you come back down to earth after having read a Conn Iggulden book? Lion does not disappoint! Having read all of Mr Iggulden’s books I feel he is most at home when relating the adventures of the Greeks and Persians! I have been there on the battlefields of Thermopylae, Marathon and Plataea, I saw Xanthippus, Aristide’s and Themistocles and now I have watched Cimon, son of Miltiades and Pericles, the surviving son of Xanthippus grow together to become living legends as their fathers before them! Superb writing, if I was a history teacher I would want my pupils to all read these books! The sequel cannot come fast enough!

Another informative and absorbing story about the wars between the Persians, Athenians and Spartans. Non stop action and intrigue. A great cast of characters, even if of a bloodthirsty mien. The Historical additions at the make it all real. I look forward to the finale.

I have read and greatly enjoyed this author's War of the Roses series. I have also read a great deal of ancient Greek stories told from the female perspective in the last couple of years (Natalie Haynes, Madeleine Miller, Jennifer Saint, Pat Barker etc), and found this book rather more heavy-going. At times it felt more like a text book, with seemingly more emphasis on the technical aspects than the characters. It just didn't catch my imagination and is not one I would necessarily recommend.