But between vicious infighting, unruly locals, and intense battle, both will be tested as the final showdown between two great civilisations begins. As with the previous book, we see the conflict from both sides and the author chooses not to make either one of the sides the “good guys”, the writing pushes you to understand and empathise with both sides and characters on both sides. Thanks to my wife and son and newly arrived baby daughter for keeping me grounded, most of the time. The impact point can be anywhere within 75 yards, and the Crusader will bypass enemies and most obstacles (even some of the impassable terrain and solid walls).

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. Visually the way I see it, the pirate, while falling, would simply hold the sword down in front of them while holding onto it with both hands, almost looking like he's in a kneeling position (Think Sephiroth's famous dive attack on Aeris in Final Fantasy 7).Refers to the practice of some Roman military leaders, who would commit suicide following a devastating defeat by literally falling on the point of their own swords. One empire will rise Flamininus of Rome and Macedonian King Philip’s battle-hardened armies are on the march towards their final, climactic encounter. Each character gets a chapter that provides us with his view of the battle and yet advances the narrative further. Firstly I must say that I have always been a big fan of Ben Kane and have thoroughly enjoyed his previous novels. His accents and storytelling skill brought this already brilliant piece of historical fiction to life.

It could be because of the similarity of character names, place names, or perhaps just too many characters, whatever the reason, you have to go back and re-read a chapter you've just read because you find yourself going "huh? It is equally as gripping as the first part and the narrative, descriptions and adventures within are just as enjoyable and exciting. Crassus, the richest man in Rome, has raised an army to rival Spartacus, and there are murmurings of rebellion in Spartacus' own army. Sure, there are firable offenses that may not be worth falling on a sword for if you didn't participate, but there are times, in work and in life, where falling on a sword and taking the punches when it wasn't your fault is tactful and worth it.Well, I was born in Kenya, courtesy of the fact that my dad was working out there as a veterinarian. Seeker of the Light Set (Set Bonus for 2 items): every cast of Blessed Hammer that hits an enemy reduces the remaining cooldown of Falling Sword by 1 second. Did the usual school thing, whilst becoming an avid reader of just about any genre, but especially military and historical fiction.

One of the problems for a phalanx was that it was vulnerable at the ends, and had to be protected by cavalry and light infantry, so splitting the army doubled the number of "ends". What I particularly like about Ben Kane books though is the fact that because he tells the story from both sides of the conflict, he is able to deliver a truly well rounded and complete history of the events. I really didn’t think that after reading the first novel it could better than that but wow has Ben Kane upped the ante with this book. This would pay homage to other platforming games where jumping onto your opponent was a great way to attack them. What will follow is an action-packed and sublime historical story, where the Romans will fight the Macedonians in a famous battle, causing lot of wounded and deaths on both sides, and where finally the Macedonians threat will be vanquished and the rest of Greece for the taking, while at the same time within the higher echelons of the Roman army political intrigue, blackmailing and backstabbing is always at the forefront.

The ground you fall on becomes superheated for 6 seconds, dealing 310% weapon damage as Fire per second to all enemies who pass over it. The story also follows the leaders, Flamininus and Phillip of Macedon, and it shows the problems our ordinary soldiers had thanks to "onion heads" of NCOs, while Felix also had to put up with getting on the wrong side of the Legatus Galba, who also happened to seriously annoy Flamininus. But, on opposite sides, legionary Felix and Phalanx soldier Demetrios have more pressing concerns: staying alive long enough to taste glory…. The multi POV is something that Ben Kane is a master at, especially in this series, we see top down views from the leaders of each army and also bottom up from the soldiers. The two clear leads were Felix, the Roman legionary who was dishonorably discharged and illegally rejoined, and Demetrios, the Macedonian sailor who became a phalangite and rose through the rankers by his loyalty to King Philip.

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. He has traveled widely and is a lifelong student of military history in general, and Roman history in particular.I purchased this on a whim as I’d exhausted my current selection of Roman historical fiction in my library and I’m very glad I did! My quibble is that, as is typical from authors from the English speaking world, he never bothered to consult Italian historians. Both of the antagonists face their own battles from within their respective camps as well as on the battle field, as well as the comradeship of their friends and family members. The minister fell on his sword after a day that began with senior Tories observing a deliberate silence over Hancock’s future – seemingly to test public opinion in their constituencies – before many later broke ranks to insist he had to go.