On the plains of Zama, Hannibal of Carthage is finally defeated by the Roman legions. Precipe Felix kills an elephant during the fight but triumph does not last long and after an error Felix and his brother are dismissed from the army. In Rome Flaminius is looking for power and a defeat to get into the Senate does not stop him - he has his eyes on the conquest of the Hellenic region. Philip of Macedon is running amok over the eastern mediterranean, his troops gaining cities and territory. Lowly Demetrios dreams of becoming a soldier in the phalanx but as an orphan he is merely an oarsman until a chance encounter gives him an opportunity. These four characters will come together as two empires clash.

At his best, Kane is an excellent writer. He manages to put together a fictionalised plot about events in history where fictional characters rub shoulders with known figures. In the first of this new series of books Kane has turned his attention to the Hellenic Wars around 200BC, a period of history not often covered. The research is excellent, the battle scenes bloody and the characters rounded. My only criticism is that I felt the book took a long time to really hit its stride.

A bloody and brutal story of the battle between the republic of Rome and Macedon and Greece. There are disasters and triumphs on both sides. It's an enthralling read, giving you a clear picture of the brutality of the times.

Clash of Empires by Ben Kane

It is 202 BC and Rome’s legions are about to defeat the Carthaginians once at for all at the Battle of Zuma in North Africa. Facing Hannibal’s formidable elephants and army, it’s a chance for reputations to be made, but a handful of Roman soldiers are about to land in a whole heap of trouble. Legionary Felix has not been particularly well named. As for Rome itself, its senators and generals might have thought that they could enjoy the benefits of peace for a while after such a long, bloody war. But King Philip of Macedon has other ideas. Determined to reclaim lands once conquered by his ancestor, the father of the great Alexander, he is stirring up Greece, as well as the cities and tribes of the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean who look to Rome for help against Philip. The wily Senator Flamininus sees an opportunity. If he can lead the Roman army to victory over Philip, there will be no end to his power and influence. Unfortunately, not everyone in Rome agrees with his ambition.

This is Greece’s last chance to put upstart Republican Rome in its place. But Rome is determined to rise and conquer Philip just as it did Hannibal. As the old and new world clash, it’s the ordinary soldiers on both sides who must win the victory, suffer the defeat and pay the price.

Clash of Empires is the first novel in Ben Kane’s new series, which takes us back to a critical time in Rome’s history, to a war that has been overshadowed by the Punic Wars, just as Philip of Macedon has been overshadowed by his illustrious ancestors. A new book by Ben Kane is always cause for celebration and I loved the premise of Clash of Empires. The idea of these two cultures taking each other on, one with a glorious past against the other with a spectacular future ahead, in a great epic showdown is so appealing. This is a period of Roman history that I know very little about and I welcomed the chance to have my eyes opened.

Clash of Empires is a fantastic book. There’s so much going on and nothing in this war is going to be easy. I love the way that the action shifts as we move between ordinary soldiers on both sides as well as between the major players – Flamininus, and his colleagues in the Senate, and King Philip. Flamininus in particular has long-term goals. He’s a strategist, working out the best way in which to achieve them. Soldiers like the Roman Felix and the Macedonian Demetrios have more immediate concerns – when they’ll be able to get some sleep, more food, how not to be afraid, how not to be killed. We’re given reasons to like both men and therefore both sides. I particularly enjoyed being shown how the Greek phalanx worked, their use of the spear, their formation and so on. There are some brilliant fight scenes in Clash of Empires. Ben Kane knows his subject inside out and we’re informed as well as entertained.

There are sequences here that are so exhilarating and thrilling, when our two sides come together, man against man. This is exciting stuff. There are other moments of incredible brutality, particularly in the Roman army. There is one moment in particular that is shocking. Ben Kane writes graphically, we’re not spared the details, and it is all the more compelling and immersive for it. Sometimes we see the same scene from different Greek and Roman perspectives as these two cultures come face to face.

The character of Flamininus is fascinating and through him we’re given an intriguing glimpse into the politics of Republican Rome. I really liked this mix of power politics with the nitty gritty of life and death on the frontline of war.

Clash of Empires is the first in a series and we’re left wanting more. Expect no resolution here. Instead we’re immersed in the beginnings of the final struggle between those two great powers of ancient Europe – Greece and Rome – and it is bloody, with disasters and very few triumphs on both sides. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Ben Kane’s last series, which began with Eagles at War, is superb and a very hard act to follow. Clash of Empires does the job brilliantly.

Other reviews
Hannibal: Enemy of Rome
Hannibal: Fields of Blood
Hannibal: Clouds of War
Spartacus
Spartacus: Rebellion
Eagles at War
Hunting the Eagles
Eagles in the Storm
(with others) A Day of Fire: a novel of Pompeii

Ben Kane again lives up to his reputation as one of the best military history novelists in recent years.

Clash of Empires was full of fascinating detail on ancient weapons and tactics, giving us a grim sense of what it was like to have been a foot soldier in the Roman or Macedonian armies. A very gritty read with quite shocking violence taking place throughout the book. The human condition of greedy, ambitious and ruthless politicians causing such human misery, has gone on through thousands of years.

I liked the fact that the book's main characters were lowly infantry squaddies, serving on differing sides of the conflict. Each having enemies within their own ranks as well as the opposing army.
The leaders, King Philip of Macedonia and Flamininus of Rome, were skilfully shown to be equally ruthless if it suited their political aims. However, Philip is shown to have greater humanity in certain poignant situations.
The plot was well constructed and the seedy Roman political world came dramatically to life in the novel.
To be slightly critical, the ending was too abrupt and could have benefited from an extended historical epilogue. Perhaps this will be the subject of Ben Kane’s next book!
Congratulations on yet another gripping book!

This was a fantastic historical fiction book set around the conflict between the Republic of Rome and Greece and Macedon. It's told using multiple perspective so you get a wider look of the conflict as a whole instead of just one side of this. I really appreciated this although I found the changes a little jarring at first. After a couple of chapters I had got into the flow of the story though. The plot is compelling throughout with a fantastic mix of battles and politics. I don't know much about this time period but Kane does a great job at creating a realistic world. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend checking it out, especially if you enjoy historical fiction.

I love Ben's books, and have devoured them all since I first discovered The Forgotten Legion many years ago. This, I think, is one of his best.

As always, the story is told from all angles. From Flamininus in Rome, trying to bribe his way to make himself consul of Rome. He is hungry for power, yearns to be the man that finally gets to destroy Phillip of Macedon. Phillip himself is well portrayed, a ruthless leader that will stop at nothing to protect his country.

My favourite characters though, are the soldiers in the blood and dust. Roman legionaries Felix and Antoninus were dismissed from the army after the battle of Zama, but have decided to risk enrolling for the new campaign. It's not Macedon they fear, but Matho, their old centurion. Demetrios is a lowly oarsman on a Macedon trading ship. He longs to fight in the phalanx, and finally gets the chance to fulfil his dream. His story is a real 'coming of age', as you watch the boy grow into a young man. He was by far my favourite.

Overall, I found this book brilliantly written and captivating, from the high politics of the Curia in Rome to Phillip's inner circle in Pella, to the bone crunching, blood drenched battle fields, I was engrossed. Bring on book two!

Review

Series five begins for Ben Kane with Clash of Empires, two empires butting up against one another, one a shadow of its once greatness but still with sharp teeth, and the other an Empire on the rise, growing, determined and ravenous for conquest.

Ben Kane’s books are always an annual treat, his ability to tell a tale from each and every side in such a personal fashion has always been the uniqueness that brings me back book after book. Clash of Empires is no different, no matter how low each of the major players can go at some point Ben Kane has you rooting for them, You find sympathy for Flamininus despite his rampant ambition, you find sympathy and root for Philip despite his ruthless streak as king. Ben also lifts the narrative up and down, showing us the heights of power and the machinations of the political climates of both worlds, and then in the next breath takes us down to the dirt where the soldiers abide, to what drives them, what makes them stand in line and die, to the camaraderie and the drive of men with nothing but each other.

Its always easy to say a book is better than the last, because its fresh, its new and both of those things drive that vision of it being better. But in the case of this book its more, its an immersive read, a total absorption into the worlds of both Greece and Rome driving you both one way then the next, splitting your loyalties, despite knowing the history it makes you hope for different outcomes, living with the soldiers of both armies and somehow wanting all to survive and both to walk away winners.

Ben Kane has tapped into a fantastic period of history, one with a rich vein of story, and he writes it so well, this will appeal to fans of both Greek and Roman history and once read they will be hooked for this series…. and his others.

A highly recommended book

(Parm)

Its hard to write this, as I'm such a big fan of Ben Kane, but i really struggled to get into this one.

I normally tear through a new Ben Kane in a day or two - his plots are always gripping, and the writing always flows so well. However this time round i limped to a finish after a week. Now this isnt to say that this is a bad book - far from it. Its an interesting story, a period of Roman & Greek history that has been largely left along by fiction authors. The main characters Felix and Demetrios - on apposing sides as is a staple of Kane's writing - are likeable and enjoyable characters.

It is a good book, an enjoyable book, i just feel like it didnt quite hit the meteoric heights of his latest Eagle series, which was masterful.

Still highly recommended.