The Ten Thousand is a fantasy novel written by Paul Kearney, an Irish fantasy author.
Based on ancient Greek myths, he tells the story of 10.000 Macht mercenaries, soldiers from a warrior-orientated human society, who are employed by a Kefren prince who intends to overthrow his brother’s rule and become Great King of Kuf. The Macht display their superior fighting skills but things go not as planned and the Macht become stranded on a strange and hostile continent.
The story is an combination of epic and low fantasy as it describes massive battles in a world other than our own and different races but does not include no magic (except for the mysterious and somewhat magical black armor that some of the Macht wear). The Macht are humans resembling ancient Greeks. Several other races like the Kefren and the Juthan are described but, although having different traits, no race seems to have any special abilities.
The Ten Thousand is a good book but not a great one. The story is interesting, although it is definitely not revolutionary and plot changes can often are often predictable.
Besides the somewhat predictable story, a major downside of the novel are the shallow characters. I had a hard time connecting to them as they remain either good or bad characters without many complexities and with a predictable and lineair development.
Nonetheless, I was fascinated by the story which is also partly due to the fact that Paul Kearney is a good writer who managed to keep my attention which a colorful but not too elaborative style of writing.
Conclusion: The Ten Thousand is a good read but not one you will remember when you are grey and old. Kearney has planned to write at least two more novels revolving around the Macht. They will not be among the first on my “books I need to read” list but I think I will pick them up in due time.
Tags: Fantasy Books, Paul Kearney, The Ten Thousand
