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The Falling Sword
- Clash of Empires, Book 2
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Series: Clash of Empires, Book 2
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure
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Summary
The thrilling follow-up to Clash of Empires - centred around the climax of the Roman invasion of Greece - from Ben Kane, the master of historical fiction.
One empire will rise Flamininus of Rome and Macedonian King Philip's battle-hardened armies are on the march towards their final, climactic encounter.
The other must burn. The outcome will decide the fate of Greece. But, on opposite sides, legionary Felix and Phalanx soldier Demetrios have more pressing concerns: staying alive long enough to taste glory....
The Falling Sword is the gripping follow-up to Clash of Empires from Ben Kane, the master of historical fiction - for fans of Simon Scarrow, Harry Sidebottom, Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell. Ben Kane is the author of nine consecutive Sunday Times top 10 best sellers, with over million copies of his books sold around the world.
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.
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What listeners say about The Falling Sword
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Simon
- 05-05-19
Kane's Raising His Standard!
The second in Ben Kane's 'Clash of Empires' series takes the excellent start he made with the first book and dials everything up another notch. Like a number of writers in this genre he is able to portray great action and what feels like a quite authentic insight into the lives of both the foot soldiers and the generals. And that's what sets this series aside from many of these others. Kane has created a big set of characters and we live with them in the heart of the Macedonian phalanxes with Demetrius and his comrades and we get to stand shoulder to shoulder in the iron-hard lines of the Roman legions with Felix and Antonius. The battles are visceral and bloodthirsty and so are the lives that these doughty foot soldiers lead with all the petty intrigues associated with the rank and file. What's more we see the other end of the scale, Prince Philip, a charismatic but oftentimes ruthless hero king plagued with concerns for his nation and those around him. Set against him is the gloriously ambitious and constantly scheming Roman politician / general Flamiminus who weaves an ever more complex web of politics and intrigue as he tries to get his name into the history books.
Of course if you have an audiobook that requires the portrayal of everything thing from the lowest of cut throats to the haughtiest Roman senator stopping at pretty much all stations in between then there aren't many better skilled at making the leap between arrogant royalty and snivelling toady than Steven Pacey. He's one of my favourite narrators and as this book progressed it became clearer all the time that he is actually the perfect fit for it. And it isn't just his wide-ranging delivery that makes the characterisation here seem quite like Joe Abercrombie's First Law series. It might sound odd to compare historical fiction with a fantasy series but much of the writing is similar between the two . . . in a very good way!
All of this wouldn't be enough without a great storyline and here Kane manages to deliver as well. As the battles unfold, the politics unravel and the petty squabbles of the foot soldiers escalate all of the four story arcs march under the greater set of events. Within this there are some genuinely touching moments but you should note Macedon and its surrounds were deadly places for soldiers and particularly in the later stages there are some genuinely eye-popping moments. I found myself on a couple of occasions thinking, 'did that really happen?' in genuine shock. Now that, is the mark of a good story.
8 people found this helpful
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- Peter
- 04-06-19
Great story, great characters.
Ben Kane writes books that are compelling, informative and entertaining. The characters he creates transport you back in time to witness the historic events unfolding. Ben's attention to the details of life at the time makes reading his books an immersive experience. The Falling Sword is another great Ben Kane book that I cannot recommend highly enough.
2 people found this helpful
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- Paul Duncan
- 15-07-19
not every hero's story has a happy ending ..
at first I didn't like the the storyline, however I have to admit it started to grow on untill I found myself liking it ...
1 person found this helpful
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- Mark
- 13-07-19
fantastic story and historical authenticity
Steven Pacey's performance is unparalleled in the many Audio books I've listened to. His accents and storytelling skill brought this already brilliant piece of historical fiction to life.
1 person found this helpful
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- simpot
- 26-05-19
very good
Another fine addition to tales by BK. Would recommend reading the prequel a forehand. Hopefully, a sequel to follow.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jess
- 18-05-19
Another Ben Kane hit
Really heats up in this second part, the kind of characters and battles expected from Mr Kane! Also, a little cameo appearance makes this a must for any Ben Kane fan !
1 person found this helpful
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- "poibug"
- 16-05-22
great
as always very well done indeed great story , very well read
thoroughly enjoyed it
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- Nelson
- 10-03-22
brilliant
thoroughly enjoyed this well written well read.
hoping that there is more to come
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- Anonymous User
- 16-09-21
Fantastic
I Really enjoyed this fantastic series. Look forward to listening to more of Ben Kane .
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- Tanner
- 17-09-20
Excellent Historical Fiction
Fantastically written and narrated. As good as any audio book that I have listened to. For fans of historical fiction and military history this is a must listen.
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- allen garner
- 23-01-20
Steven Pacey still the best
Great historical fiction story telling. Loved the characters from the first Clash of Empires and really enjoyed this second offering, but seriously, I came here for Steven Pacey. He would make reading law review interesting.
3 people found this helpful
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- 🌟CW_214🌟
- 24-12-21
Excellent
What an impressive series thus far. I can only hope there is more to come. The loss of characters you’ve come to enjoy reading about is tough, but overall a great story.
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- tyrus
- 13-02-21
Ben Kane does it again!
Flew through this book! Ben Kane is a master at historical fiction and the performance by Steven Pacey is phenomenal!
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- Zuka
- 17-09-20
Another Home Run!
Ben Kane, proves his worth, again with this book. The character drama is great, and is a very satisfying listen.
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- Just_Shoppin
- 30-08-20
Book never took off for me.
I love Roman stories but this one just never hit me. Characters, story line it all failed to catch for me. Dropped out after three hours.
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- BVerité
- 01-06-20
Good book, but I lost interest.
I love this writer and the way he creates so many unforgettable, fascinating characters. But I couldn’t keep my attention with this book. Maybe it’s my fault. I will have to try again one day.
Still going to read more Ben Kane. Planning to read the Eagles trilogy very soon. Kane has a fantastic writing style. Narrator very good.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-06-20
Drama and Accuracy
This series is a perfect blend of historical accuracy and high military drama. Its only major shortcoming is the lack of any well-developed female characters, but I'm ready to blame that on their absence in source material, rather than on the author. Narration is very well done, too--the complexity of every character is well expressed in tone and accent. If you're an amateur military historian with a penchant for the classical period like me, this is the series for you. Gimme more, Kane!
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- Israel
- 24-10-19
A perfect continuation
Not as much action as the first. Lots of major things happen. These characters are so well written. I thoroughly enjoyed both books. I teamed up at certain points while at work.
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- Jackson Zimmer
- 27-07-19
Excellent historical fiction
Great portrayal of historical characters and if you like battles this book has plenty of them with vivid detail. Steven Pacey does a great job of narrating. Definitely would recommend.
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- Michael Cabral
- 11-07-19
Fast paced exciting story!
I have spent the last few years reading history’s of Rome. I wanted to take a break from that interest. Still loving Roman History I thought that might explore historical novels. Wow did I catch the bug. Ben Kane hits the sweet spot for me. Steven Pacey is very good at reading . . . a performance really. I really enjoyed the series and I’m happy to recommend all of Mr. Kane’s work.