Agisaleus :- One of the two Spartan Kings. However he is the first Spartan King to have a deformity (crippled left foot) and wouldn't have been allowed to take position had the general Lysander not spoken for him.

Aida :- High Priestess and Servant of the Chaos Spirit, Kadmilos. It is she who comes to Philip in his dreams promising dreams of grandeur and Olypias to him.

Alexander :- Supposed son of Philip II of Macedon and Olympia. He is Philips heir and was named after Philips brother who was murdered by Ptolemeas. Is actually fathered by Parmenion when Philip was unable to "perform" on the Isle of Sumothrace during the night of mysteries. This was due to him being drugged by Derae. Alexander must also share his body with the chaos spirit, Kadmilos and must fight within himself to stop him gaining control.

Antipater :- One of Philips trusted Macedonian Generals.

Argonas :- A Theban Herbalist who is also a mystic. Has enormous weight is known to be cruel to his servants. It is he who diagnoses Parmenions growth in the brain and recommends the treatment. Dies when Thebes suffers the plague.

Aristotle :- One of the Feragh ( a fact revealed in later Stones of Power novels) A magician and scholar with knowledge of the future that he cannot tell at the present time, only revealing that when Parmenion needs him to seek him out. Aids Parmenion in the Void when they go after Alexanders soul to protect it from the Dark God Kadmilos. Appears in other Stones of Power books as Maedlyn.

Attalus :- Initially an assassin and Captain of the Guard for the Macedonian King but changes sides when Philip murders his uncle in order for his brother to succeed to the throne. One of Philips closest friends. Initially sent to Thebes to return Philip to Macedon.

Bardylis :- The Illyrian King who has survived for too long (in his 80's.) it is his daughter who Philip marries to offset war until he is ready. It is also his army who is the first to suffer defeat from Philips New Macedonian army led by Parmenion.

Derae :- Sister to Leonadis, Parmenions principle enemy and also Parmenions love. She is sent as Cassandra's victim for her betrayal of Nestus with Parmenion. Also takes over as high priestess from Tamis when her powers become known.

Epaminondas :- Friend of Xenephon and where Parmenion is sent after his duel with Nestus. Epaminondas is also the leader behind the Theban rebels who seek to rid the city of the Spartan occupants. When he is captured Parmenion plans the rescue as well as the removing of the Spartans from the city.

Hermias :- Parmenions only friend from childhood, suffers a near fatal injury when some youths attack him thinking him Parmenion. Parmenion rescues him and Derae unconsiously uses her powers to heal him. Dies protecting the king when the Spartans attempt to retake Thebes.

. Kadmilos :- An immortal ram horned Chaos Spirit known also as the Dark God. It is he who shares Alexanders body and whom seeks to kill Alexander before he is born so that he may have complete control of the incarnation.

King Leonidas :- The Spartan King who led his personal body guard of 300 warriors against Xerxes at Thermopylae and died protecting the other greek armies who voted to leave the field. In the Void it is Leonidas and his 300 who raise ranks to protect Parmenion and Alexander

Leonidas :- Parmenions greatest enemy during his youth. After the defeat of the Spartans by the Thebans it is to Leonidas that Parmenion returns his prized trophy from his youth and organises the return of the Spartan dead.

Mothac Parmenions Companion, taken on when he attempted to kill parmenion as after taking money to do the deed. Parmenion liked him and offered him the choice to become his servant/companion instead.

Olympias :- Daughter of Neoptelemus and Alexanders mother.

Parmenion The Lion of Macedon and The Death of Nations. During his youth he is known as Savra (lizard) due to his ability to scale walls and escape his enemies. The one who is to be as Tamis called him and shaped his future so that he would protect the world from the chaos spirit. Half Spartan and half Macedonian he was an outcast in his youth due to his mixed blood. His dreams of raising Sparta to the ground are realised when he becomes the greatest general of the age (after the aledged death of his love Derae) leading Philip II of Macedons troops to glory after glory. He hides a secret that has kept him close to Macedonia. He is Alexanders true father for when Philip couldn’t perform the deed required at the appointed hour due to being drugged by Derae it was Parmenion who took his place. During his youth he won the General games and became the true Strategos (military mastermind)

. Pheadra :- Parmenions wife and maidservant to Olympias who had mystical talents. Seeing a vision of Parmenions first born being one of the greatest men she gives herself to the general not knowning that Alexander is his first born believing that she is going to be the mother of such a man.

Philip :- Macedonian Prince and hostage in Thebes at 13. When Attalus returns him to Macedonia it is Philip who aids his brother to become king by murdering his uncle who had in turn murdered his father. When his brother dies Philip in turn becomes king and recruits Parmenion as his general.

Tamis :- A Seeress who seeks to prevent the birth of Kadmilos any way she can. It is she who manipulates the events around Parmenion in order to attempt to shape his future as the saviour of mankind. It is also she who recruits Derae for when the battle was to be fought she knew that she would be dead so she needed a successor.

Xenophon An exiled Athenian General who led a combined Greek army into Persia. Now living in Sparta he trains Parmenion in the art of warfare and strategy at the request of Tamis.

My Views

The first part of the Grecian tales of which Dark Prince follows up, here we enter the world of a warring Greece with each state trying to get the upper hand to lead the united peoples against the Persian empire, this novel takes the reader through the last days of a split greece into the united times of Phillip II of Macedon and ends with the birth of his son Alexander the Great.

Although Magic does feature within the novel the greatest part about it is the concentration to not only tactical analysis of battles but also giving a greater belief behind the characters and how thier upbringing shapes thier futures and destinys also showing how one womans meddling can change the fate of all. Here again we also see a love theme develop but it is the twists and turns of the novel that keep the reader wondering how the tale will unfold.

Yet again a different style to Gemmell but something there for all fans and perhaps as an interesting start point into the Gemmell world.

Others Views