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  • Clash of Empires

  • Clash of Empires, Book 1
  • By: Ben Kane
  • Narrated by: Steven Pacey
  • Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (296 ratings)
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Clash of Empires

By: Ben Kane
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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Summary

When a new empire rises, and old one must fall 

After 16 years of bloody war against Rome, Hannibal Barca is on the verge of defeat. On the plains of Zama, Felix and his brother Antonius stand in the formidable Roman legions, ready to deliver the decisive blow. Victory will establish Rome as the preeminent power in the ancient world. 

But in northern Greece, Philip V of Macedon is determined to restore Alexander the Great's kingdom to its former glory. Charismatic leader, ruthless general, he will use the unforgiving might of his phalanx to unite Greece and to fend off Rome's grasping fingers. 

In Rome, young senator Flamininus is set on becoming one of the Republic's greatest military commanders. With Hannibal on the verge of defeat, the as-yet-unconquered Macedon and Greece are ripe for conquest. Strategist and spymaster, politician and general, Flamininus will stop at nothing to bring Philip V to heel. 

Demetrios slumps on the rowing bench of his Macedonian ship. Thirsty, hungry, burnt by the unforgiving Mediterranean sun, dreams are his only sustenance. Dreams of the perfect thrust of a 15-foot sarissa spear, of the unyielding phalanx wall, of the glory of Macedon. 

The Roman wolf has tasted blood, and it wants more. But the sun of Macedon will not set without a final blaze of glory. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our desktop site.

©2018 Ben Kane (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group Limited

Critic reviews

"Who is the rising star of historical fiction? I say Ben Kane." (Wilbur Smith)

What listeners say about Clash of Empires

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Kane Is More Than Able!

This was my first time with a Ben Kane novel and I guarantee it won't be my last! This looks set to be a series that will be genuinely epic in nature and scope. The multiple viewpoints cover life at both the top and bottom of both sides in this clash of Ancient powers. A steadfast king faces off against a hugely ambitious Roman politician with both desperate to win at all costs. At the other end of the scale a Macedonian rower dreams of becoming a spearman while two Roman brothers spend most of their time merely trying to survive.

Kane imbues each with their own feelings, hopes and dreams. He puts them all to the test and brings us victory and defeat alike. There are great action scenes including pitched battles, skirmishes and even drunken brawls. In reality it is four separate stories being woven into a much broader overall tapestry. There is a fair amount of thoroughly researched detail concerning the military organisation and tactics of the Macedonians as well as the overall period.

The narration is by the excellent Steven Pacey, the material is possibly not as perfectly suited to him as some of the other books I've heard him doing but being the master he is he delivers it superbly.

Just one point to mention, during the foreword it's strongly recommended that the listener consult a pdf that should have been included. It is said to contain maps that help understand the geography of the story with the nations being so different to what we know today. I contacted the author and he said he was unaware of the issue but he would ask the publisher about it. I also asked Audible who also said that the publisher hadn't provided it. It didn't feel like it spoiled the story for me but I do hope they add it to the package. In the meantime I did find what seemed like serviceable maps online to give me at least a broad overview.

That nit aside this is an excellent start to this series. As it's my first from the author I can't compare it to what he has done before but to me this flew by like a Javelin from a Roman legionary. Sometimes I find there is a certain amount of drag in multiple viewpoint stories but Kane has made each of his lead characters very human and compelling, albeit it in very different ways. Bring on Book 2!

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not for me

It's 95% battle line conflicts and 5% storyline.
It doesn't really go anywhere and none of the characters have much effect on events. It's well written in fairness , which is why I struggled on with it , but the points at which you're interested in what's happening are few and far between.

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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OK

I enjoy historic novels and have read many. I found this book didn't grip me in the same was as Iggulden or Scarrow do.

I was an interesting story and some of the characters were likeable, or hateable but, I didn't get absorbed into the characters or the story - it was OK.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

Loved the story and as you will know, its vital that you have someone reading who's believable. I thought Steven Pacey was fantastic.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Would rather read than listen.

Good story, that ties in the history well. But the voice acting was a struggle. Welsh sound romans, and Irish sound Macedonians just didn’t sit right. And honestly made it a big of a hard listen.

Also I am Welsh so I feel ok in saying the welsh accent was the worst. 😂

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Far from the best work of Ben Kane

I am a big fan of Ben Kane but the Clash of Empires books I found to be his worst work. I found the books difficult to get through and hold my interest. I didn't care for the Kings motives or even really understand why I should care. The main Characters too were pretty uninteresting and I felt we have done the new recruit joins the army and has a tent mate that hates them many times before. Unlike Ben's other writing I didn't feel like I learnt anything about that time period or the fairly uneventful battles.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The fight scenes alone make this book a must

This book really demonstrates that Ben Kane is a passionate historian of the real life gritty details of Roman and Hellenic history and in particular the people and culture (the good, the bad and the peculiar). It is that passion and deep subject matter knowledge that enables his books to be as immersive as they are. This one is no exception. He has a particular skill of placing you on a battlefield and in the ranks feeling each spear thrust, loss and elation. His battle scenes are truly superb. The only thing I disliked about the audio book is that some of the accents were, in my view, suspect! Two Roman brothers, one with a neutral accent and the other with a Welsh accent.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

Loved every minute of it
A real gripping tale from both groups
Romans and Greeks
Would recommend it

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Absolutely gripping historical military fiction

We can never really know what ancient warfare was like, but listening to this book I wondered if I might not be hearing something close to the experience a soldier had in a more barbaric, tragic, but heroic time. Telling his story through both the leaders and common soldiers of the Roman and Macedonian armies, Kane is clearly a fan of ancient military tactics and what the reality might have been, and doesn't shy from describing ancient combat from a personal, detailed point of view. He paints every element of the battles in his book, from the daunting advance into enemy, the devastating artillery fire of the catapults, the choreographed changes in formation, the bitter struggle of discipline vs terror, and indeed every thrust of the Sarissa and crash of the shields. There is plenty of deft characterization, and the greater plot and theme of the Roman republics rise to domination i the Mediterranean, but really I think this is a book about the nitty gritty of ancient warfare. It is detailed but action packed and never feels like lecturing - I loved it.

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Brilliant story, characters of depth and expertly narrated.

I didn’t want it to end! Fantastic story, plots and sub plots and full of real characters. Steven Pacey brought it all to life with his expert narration and characters, one of the best narrators for me. Can’t wait until May 2018 for the second book. Thank you.

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