Access Today The Fire Of Ares (Spartan Warrior, #1) Planned By Michael Ford Made Available In Hardcover

pleasantly surprised at this fun read, Lysander, a Helot boy in ancient Sparta possesses a pendant called The Fire of Ares, Because of this, an Ephor, Sarpedon, reveals himself to be the boy's grandfather, One of his sons is Lysander's father and his mother is a Helot woman, Lysander and his ailing mother are now taken under the protection of Sarpedon and Lysander enrolled in the agoge, the Spartan educational system.
Lysander undergoes brutal treatment as a mothax half Helot/half Spartiate sponsored by someone and finds out who his friends and who his enemies are through bitter experiences.
He overcomes bullying and prejudice with the aid of his friends, We see him grow from boy to man and also, his developing selfconfidence, Soon after reading, I boghut this for myyearold grandson for his birthday,

Written for young people, this novel gives a glimpse into Spartan society and scattered all through are facts on that culture.

I liked the fact there was a moral: through his speech to Helots, Lysander puts down a Helot revolt without bloodshed.
The wrestling match and the Games were exciting, I don't care if the novel was probably clichéd: the underdog overcoming horrendous odds, the sick mother.
it was still worthwhile reading,

Highly recommended. It's easy to mistake this book for a cheap Percy Jackson knockoff, but it's actually a pretty good modern work of historical fiction.

One of the first good thing I noticed was that I really cared about the protagonist, Lysander.
He's working especially hard to earn food for his really sick mother, even taking a whipping from his sadistic overseer for her.
His friend Timeon is supportive and loyal and quite likeable, As the book goes on, Lysander finds out more about his father's family who he's never met there's some really good character development.
Even the bully characters have redeeming features,

The story is fairly intriguing and the drama and twists really surprised me, The description was fairly good, I've read a bit of Henry Treece and classics like his are hard to live up to when it comes to the writing, but with the Mediterranean setting you get a fairly nice picture in your head anyway.
That said, when the author describes a character's appearance he does it quite well, On top of that, the fight scenes were pretty wellwritten, Reading them, I winced because there was a surprising amount of blood and brutality, it SOUNDED painful!
If you're a parent, don't let that put you off.
There is a lot of educational value, The author used to write nonfiction history books, so there are no big inaccuracies,

If I had to find fault in it, Timeon could have had an interesting character arc, but he did seem a little bland.
Also, the The Fire of Ares's ending lost a bit of its brutal realism and rather let it down.
There was a big reveal and a really good dramatic climax between just two characters, but then a big uprising got squeezed in at the last minute and ended with a big "two wrongs don't make a right, make peace" speech.

To be honest though, I'd rather have an unrealistic ending than a bad beginning or a mundane middle.
It's a really good middlegrade book, better than Alex Rider, I got more than what I paid for and I want to try out some of Michael Ford's other books.
Give it a read. Well paced good read for YA the end is firmly grounded inst century values, AMAZING! I could really feel what was going on and I knew how all the characters felt.
Especially when Lysander's mother died, I could feel the emotions swelling inside me and it made me realize I wouldn't be able to live without my mother, let alone my mother AND father.
I also found anger swelling inside me both when Diokles nearly stomped on Lysander's head and when he gave Drako one hundred lashes across the back.


This would definitely be a great HistoricalFiction book for anyone, It has a very good

plotline and I learned a lot about Sparta that I had never known before.


This book is also a book I would read again, Definitely a mustread for any agetype, though elementaryaged kids should be wary, Some violence does appear, though it is not entirely graphic, Thoughts on the Overall Book: Go Sparta! Okay, first off, I couldn't pick this book up without thinking of the Horrible Histories Spartan School song, but apart from that, I thought it was a pretty good book, and was a good look into the Spartan lifestyle.
I really liked how the reader is presented with 'both sides of the story' about the Helots the slaves and the Spartans who are their masters.
I like stories where boundaries in rank are crossed and this was interesting to me, I don't know a lot about Spartan history though I have always enjoyed learning about them and I imagine the author did a good amount of research into it and that there really were half Spartan, half Helot warriors.


Characters: Lysander Love that name! was a good protagonist, I liked him, The reader can sympathize with him, I also liked Timeon, his Helot friend and Orphus, his Spartan friend, The bully characters were good too, realistic and I imagine it was quite natural to have nasty bullies in Spartan school I also liked Sarpedon quite a bit though you don't get to see him a lot.
I'll not give his role away because of spoilers, but I did enjoy him as a character.
I'm also curious to see if the young Prince Leonidas in this is the famous leaderwhich I suspect is likely true.


Writing Style: There's nothing really special about the writing style, It doesn't stand out to me, but neither was it bad, It was third person from Lysander's perspective which is good because you need to get the feel of his inner thoughts.
It could have been first person, but I have no problem how the author wrote it.


Problems/What bothered me: I did have a few technical problems with this book.
The story itself was good, but I think it could have been longer and gone on to explain some things more.
Some parts seemed a little hurried, though not so much that they are a distraction, The one thing that really bothered me that the author seemed to do on several occasions was that there was to me a few timing problems.
It seemed in parts that a week or two must have passed, but yet, it is mentioned that only two or three days have.
I don't know if this was just misunderstanding on my part which, not to sound bigheaded or anything, doesn't happen a lot or the author might have pieced bits of the story together after editing wrong or something.
Especially given all the times Lysander was wounded, it would seem to me that he would need a few more days of recovery than he was alloted to be able to do what he did within a day or so.
Even if he was a Spartan,

Conclusion:stars. I enjoyed this book. It wasn't the best I have read, but it was a good quick read and I look forward to reading the others in the series.
It reminded me a bit of Simon Scarrow's YA novel sitelinkFight for Freedom

Recommended Audience: I'd say it's a guy read more than a girl read unless for girls who enjoy guy reads It's geared more towardage range but older teens would enjoy it as well.
Anyone who liked Historical adventure stories would like it,
Lysander,a young helot slave,who has a shiny,and mysterious jewel called the Fires of Ares.
His mom,who is very ill,told him to keep and defend the pendant, When Lysander finally knows about its worth and he loses it,he must find and claim back the pendant.


This book was an interesting book to me because it was about twelve year old boy who was trying to find out about the mysterious pendant the his mom gave to him when he was a little baby,and Lysander goes on a lot of interesting adventures.
I would recommend this book to people who like how it was in the past,or people who are ingested in Sparta.
I saw this book at the library and picked it up for myyear old who is obsessed with all things Greek since it wasn't the tween section, I thought I would read it before I suggested it to him.


For a tween book, it was a fast read with few surprises for those of us familiar with the comingofage archetype.
Still, the historical aspects were fun and the future King Leonidas even makes a cameo "This is Sparta!" I'm sure my son will love it, as will most young readers.
As a plus, I think it could be a good bridge to historical fiction for those who love Percy Jackson.
Lysander, a young Helot slave, knows little about the mysterious pendant he wears round his neckthe Fire of Ares.
When after a chance meeting, he learns that he is of noble heritage, the pendant takes on new meaning as the link to his father's life and death.
Suddenly Lysander is thrust into the life of a Spartan warrior and must struggle to prove himself worthy.
But when the pendant is stolen, he must fight to retrieve it, and fulfill its powerful destiny before it is too late.


This action packed tale of honor, glory and epic battles in Ancient Greece will appeal to even the most reluctant readers, and Lysander's rise from slave to Spartan warrior will leave them thirsting for more.
This book was fast moving, interesting and with a wealth of historical detail, Aimed at younger readers, I nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed it, The story is fast enough and action packed enough to satisfy the demands of its intended audience too.


Set in the glory days of ancient Sparta, the story follows a boy born of a Helot mother and Spartan father, who gains the opportunity to leave his life of drudgery for the hard Spartan warrior education.
His friendship with a certain prince Leonidas will suggest where this series is heading to students of history, but for anyone else, read it for the moment.
Perfect action adventure. Action:.
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Struggling Reader Score.

All scores out of a possible

The grass is not always greener on the other side, especially on the dusty plains of Sparta where there isnt much grass anywhere.
Lysander, a young Spartan slave, not only must fulfill his own obligations as a slave, or helot as they are called, he must somehow earn enough extra rations to care for his ailing mother as well.
Ford does an excellent job of showing just how miserable a Helots life can be when Lysander must choose between being whipped mercilessly for the overseers enjoyment or a reduction in his rations.
In this brutal caste system where helots are the lowest possible rung, life offers little aside from misery and suffering.


Fortunately for Lysander, he soon discovers that even though his mother is a helot, his deceased father was a Spartan warrior.
He enters into the academy to begin his training to become a Spartan warrior like his father.
A few humiliations and several beatings later, Lysander quickly learns that his new life isnt any easier than his former one.
With one foot in both worlds, he no longer truly belongs to either one, Alone, facing challenges he never knew possible, he must draw on his strength as a helot to pull him through.
Will he go on to achieve the greatness of his father Or will he disappear into the mountains never to be heard from again, like the only other halfbreed ever to enter the academy before him

The Fire of Ares is a very quick read with loads of gory action.
This is an engaging tale that sets the reader into the brutal existence of first a Spartan slave and then a Spartan warrior.
The characters are strong, and the setting is richly drawn, It is the classic underdog/ fishoutofwater tale with a strong and likeable protagonist, There is much to enjoy here, If it werent for the ending, I would give this story a much higher rating, Since I do not want to be a spoiler, all I will say is that the books Disnified ending felt ridiculous when set within the savagery of the Spartan culture that the author has just spent an entire book developing.


Still, boys will enjoy this book, as will anyone with an interest in the historical side of ancient Greece and Sparta.
This is especially true for those who crave a less fantastical tale than Rick Riordans latest offerings.

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