Assassination’s That Shaped The Ancient World, by Phil Carradice, in this book, we not only get to know those that were assassinated, but there’s even a section on the weapons used for said assassination and the most cases we get the truthful story of what happened. Theres even one case where a man’s choices assassinated his own reign. I really like the way Mr. Carradice, didn’t do like most historians and just wrote about the most popular although those are in here as well I found he picked some very interesting stories from multiple different countries and different sections of the book and it all made for great reading. I love historical nonfiction and this one kept me busy for a while. #NetGalley, #PenAndSwordPress, #TheBlindReviewer,#PhilCarradice, #AssassinationsThatShapedTheAncientWorld,

Unfortunately, I DNF'ed this book at 40 pages. There were a lot of editing errors, but I can get past that with an advanced reader copy. Hopefully more editing will be done before the book is released. The reason I didn't finish the book, though, were due to some logical issues. At one point the author asserted that it wasn't until we discovered DNA were we able to determine when people were poisoned. You don't need DNA; you need chemistry tests. Maybe they didn't have ways to test for poisons in the ancient past, but it didn't take until the Human Genome Project was completed in the 1990s. I kept going after that even though it really bothered but had to stop in the chapter about the Persian Empire. In one paragraph the author stated Emperor Sennecherib was assassinated by his sons and then the next sentence stated the emperor and one son wanted revenge on the death of the other son/brother. Just too many things that didn't make sense.

From the Biblical murder of Abel by his brother Cain, assassination has been a drastic solution carried out by many of the millennia. This book takes a look at some of the pivotal assassinations which were either ordered or committed by the rulers of Greece, Rome, & Egypt, plus the less well-known Hittites & Persians to name a few. Some of them were even victims too.

The book is not linear with regards to timelines so the reader wanders in & out of civilisations sometimes circling back. Many of the assassinations are suspected (i.e. the death of Alexander the Great, & that of several important Romans, etc) but the evidence is suggestive yet equivocal in many cases. To little surprise, ancient Rome takes up quite a bit of the book, ranging across several chapters. My only quibble is that I expected this to be a more interesting read than it turned out to be as it was a little academically dry in places.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword History, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Quick Summary: A non-fiction/history read

My Review: Assassinations That Shaped the Ancient World by Phil Carradice is a 2025 release.

About the Book: "In this new book, Phil Carradice takes a broad sweep at assassinations in the ancient world. Beginning with the Egyptian Empire, it traces the assassin's art through Greek, Roman, Biblical, Chinese, Byzantine and other periods or empires, up to and including the Kings and Emperors of the Dark Ages. The book does not stop there. It examines individual assassinations, motivation and practice and looks at assassination groups such as the thugee of India and the Sacred Band of Thebes."

My Final Say: This book proved to be interesting, informative, opinionated to a degree, and thought provoking. There was so much content to consider and such different perspectives offered on familiar cases that it caused me to want to conduct my own detailed research.

I, particularly, liked the introduction and the chapter one considerations on how the author chose to categorize and/or approach assassinations. I found the inclusion of plots, plotters, methods, and tools to be extremely captivating. The most fascinating mention related to the female assassins from Japan, the assassination bands and sects of India, and the assassination gangs of Thebes. I also appreciated the mention of Teti.

While I liked the writer's attempt to do a broad stroke on assassinations over the course of time, I cannot help but wonder if a more specific temporal based series might have worked better for this type of material. There was a lot of information presented. I would have liked to delve deeper, if possible. Also, the tie in between historical accounts and personal views was very evident.

Because I was reading an ARC, I am unsure as to what the final approved book layout will look like at the time of publication. With that said, I think it would be extremely helpful to disperse the pictures throughout the book versus concentrating them in the back of the book. As it stands, the typed text which is devoid of images, gets monotonous. There were no visual breaks for the reader. After a time, it came to be rather laborious. While this may be a personal preference, it may be the same for other readers.

Other: This would be a good history book club recommendation.

Rating: 3.75/5
Recommend: Yes +/-
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💬

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword History), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to a digital ARC of this title in exchange for an honest critique. The thoughts and opinions I have voluntarily shared are my own. I am grateful for the opportunity.

Assassins have always been kind of cool, from Comics to movies, books and games; The Bride from Kill Bill, Ezio from Assassin’s Creed, Deadshot, Deadpool, Fitz, Margot Fenring, Lady deWinter … the list goes on and on. But what about the real assassins? Is the reality drab and unimpressive, zhuzhed up and made glossy and slick for entertainment? Well, a little yes, a little no.

This book has a wry humor which I appreciated as the author looks into the history of assassins, from the Thuggees to the Sacred Band of Thebes to Hashashins and so many more. Each assassination covered in the book is given context, from the politics surrounding fathers, sons and grandsons to the cities, countries and kingdoms beyond which led to external stresses. Because it’s not just how they die, or who killed them, but how their deaths affected the world they left behind.

Like Darius III, who was — for a time — a postmaster in Persia, overseeing mail. This book shows us how he rose to power and why. Alas for poor Darius, Alexander the Great was on the way up, which meant people like Darius were now on the way down. Scattered in between all the gory and politically motivated deaths are stories from the bible, such as Cain and Abel, or Amnon and Absalom. There are even accounts of female assassins, be it wives who wanted to be rid of a husband or the women of Sarmatian who stood up to Hannibal, or even the Poison Damsels of India.

For all that this is a slightly grim subject, the deaths are handled with respect — if with a little mordant humor at times — and the historical trivia is fascinating. I’m going to be buying a physical copy of this book for my shelves. If you’re interested in history, politics, empires, kings and queens, this book has just enough detail to be int4eresting without being overwhelmed. And, if you’re interested in world building, there are enough evil kings and plots here to fill so many, many books or campaigns.

Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!