Spartan: A Novel - Softcover

"Entertaining and historically informed."

-- San Jose Mercury News

"An intelligent, knowledgeable and entertaining story, as much an education as an entertainment."

-- Bernard Cornwell, New York Times bestselling author of Heretic

"Manfredi is a masterful storyteller."

-- Publishers Weekly

"Plenty of action, passion, and drama underscore this authentically detailed historical adventure."

-- Booklist

According to Herodotus, not all of the three hundred Spartan warriors perished during the Battle of Thermopylae: Two were spared.Spartan is their story.

This is the epic tale of a noble Spartan family shattered by the law of the land, which forces them to abandon one of their two sons -- Talos, who was born crippled -- to the elements. Brithos, the strong and healthy son, is raised in the caste of the warriors, while Talos is saved by a Helot shepherd and raised among peasants. They live out their story in a world dominated by the brutal, relentless clash between the Persian empire and the city-states of Greece -- until the voice of their blood and of human solidarity unites them in a thrilling, singular enterprise.

Full of passion, courage and magic, Spartan is an enthralling novel of the ancient world.