The Ten Thousand
Michael Curtis Ford
(Reviewer - D. H. BROWN)
2001 Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0312269463

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A young philosopher-warrior Xenophon, scion of a noble Athenian family & follower of Socrates, risks all to follow the call of the young Persian prince Cyrus for an enormous mercenary army to wrest control of all Persia, the most powerful empire on earth.

Along with his cousin Proxenus, the war-maddened Spartan general Clearchus, & prince Cyrus' native troops, Xenophon & ten thousand Greek mercenaries depart for the adventure of a lifetime, into the heart of Asia Minor.

Across searing desert, they march a thousand miles into the jaws of death at the threshold of Babylon, only to survive betrayal, murder & defeat. With their supply lines cut, & their route home blocked by the infuriated Persian king, Xenophon leads the devastated Greek soldiers in their escape through Assyria, Armenia & along the coast of the Black Sea back to Byzantium & on home to Athens.

Based on the true first-person account by Xenophon of The Ten Thousand, Michael Curtis Ford has combined his expertise on fifth-century B.C. Greek warfare with explosive page-turning action to give us an epic novel of struggle & savagery, adventure & glory, survival & beauty.

Senior Staff Reviewer D. H. BROWN writes:

As I was browsing the shelves in our local library, my eye was caught by the title The Ten Thousand. As I slipped it out of its place & looked upon its cover, I saw it was a novel of ancient Greece. Historical fiction has never really drawn me, as I have some history myself, & tend to live more in the present than the past.

I almost put it back, until I caught sight of the flyleaf. As I read I realized that Michael Curtis Ford had reached into the past, & pulled out a chapter when men were of mythic proportions. Now don't get me wrong, I've read a lot of history, & even at one time considered becoming a history teacher, back in the days when I still trying to decide what I was going to do with myself. As my bio shows that day never came.

I like reading real history. I like the ebb & flow of the story of our ancestors' lives, & how time has recorded them. But most historical fiction has always made me feel as if embellishing upon the truth, or the history, in some way takes the rough edges off.

Not so with The Ten Thousand! Rebecca always knows when I'm in the grip of a good book, because she can carry on whole conversations with herself, while I participate with “huh-huh,” “Yes dear,” or “Ok,” etc. She tells me that is how I responded during the days it took me to read The Ten Thousand.

I was engrossed, enamored & thoroughly involved in this historical drama! I don't know if Michael Curtis Ford, a native of our wonderful State of Washington, has any more books in him, but I will say that if he does, & they are of this caliber, I will read them, historical fiction or no.

The Ten Thousand puts the dust & the blood of battle in your nostrils, the clamor & sound of engagement, & life in your ears until there's no room for thoughts of our prosaic modern world. If you read only one historical fiction this year, make it The Ten Thousand!

Very, very well done!

More from Michael Curtis Ford:
Gods And Legions
The Last King
The Sword of Attila

Visit www.michaelcurtisford.com

Do catch our Interview with this extraordinary & modest author.
(04/21/02)

D. H. Brown
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Staff Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries.  In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow.  During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN).  While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a  Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam;  day laborer; Director of Security;  Armored Car Driver; Police Officer;  Professional Hunting Guide;  Trapper;  Dog Sledder; Homesteader;  Truck Driver;  General Contractor;  Minister;  Editor; Writer;  Speaker;  Restaurateur;  Movie Producer;  Antique Restoration Specialist;  Personal Care Worker;  PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor;  Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."

He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor, Webmaster and Web Designer among others.
“Always Learning” He says.