The Wooden Walls of Thermopylae

By Nick Brown

The Athenians have won their battle at Marathon. Now they await the Great King's revenge as he works to assemble a massive army unlike any the world has ever seen. In Athens, a city seething with treachery and intrigue, Mandrocles and his friends live, love and observe-bystanders among politicians and factions fighting for power as the ultimate conflict draws near. The Wooden Walls follows Mandrocles and the greatest figures of ancient Greece as they come to terms with their threatened civilization and the date with destiny at Thermopylae. The fast-paced and meticulously researched sequel to Luck Bringer. "Fascinating and entertaining, makes the reader feel present at the events together with Mandrocles the Luck Bringer". Antonis Mistriotis, author of 507-450 B.C. The Years that Gave Birth to Democracy

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
• Release date: Feb 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781909477629

Reviews for The Wooden Walls of Thermopylae

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Further adventures of Mandrocles: Continuation of his memoirs. His mentor, Miltiades, is no longer in the picture, so Mandrocles is taken under the wing of Themistocles, who wants to defeat the Persians through a massive fleet of ships--the "wooden walls." The whole novel tells of Themistocles's struggle to convince the other allies and Athenians that that is what the oracle had meant when she had said wooden walls would save Athens. We follow Mandrocles as our eyes in stages of the Greco-Persian War, through his participation in sea battles: Aegina and engaging the Persians on the sea near Thermopylae. He has matured and is now the captain of marines on board the Athenian flagship, the "Athena Nike". He and a delegation witness the battle at Thermopylae as it nears its ending. As they return to Piraeus, they witness the burning of Athens.The novel is a slow-burner; much of the first part established personal relationships, including a love interest. The novel really didn't pick up for me until it began to describe storms at sea and the various sea fighting. The "diekplous" maneuver was interesting in how it was used successfully by the Athena Nike. I don't know how accurate the fighting was, but it was certainly exciting. I hope there will be a third novel to wind up the War--Salamis and Plataea still have to be fought--and to put closure to Mandrocles's life. The fact Mandrocles kept addressing the reader of his memoir and as it were, speaking to us, annoyed me. I apologize for erring in my review of [The luck bringer] by confusing Brasidas, the Spartan, and friend of Mandrocles, a completely fictional character, with the historical Brasidas.Recommended.