Paul Kearney is a name that flies under most fantasy
radars. It is undeservingly so. Possessing writing skills that move stories
at a good pace, utilizing typical themes of myth (honor, courage, loyalty,
duty, etc.), writing event-focused storylines with realistic action, and having
perhaps the best ability to layout and describe battle scenes in the genre
today, Kearney warrants more attention than many of the so-called greats of 21st
century epic fantasy. With his Monarchies of God series finished and The Sea
Beggars hanging in publishing purgatory, Kearney set off in a fresh
direction, and recently completed the Macht series. The first book in the trilogy is called The Ten Thousand and is the subject of
this review.
The
Ten Thousand is the story of a mercenary army, the
Macht, and the perilous situation they find themselves in far from home when
their benefactor has the rug pulled out from under their feet. The Macht an indefatigable mountain warrior
society, they have more trouble with tribal in-fighting than threats from the
Kufr who live on the plains and valleys below.
Kufr a vast and wealthy kingdom, one of their nobles, named Arkamenes,
seeks to supplant his brother as ruler and hires 10,000 of the best Macht from
the mountains to storm the capital with his Kufr troops. The problem is, they never get there. Tables turned in dramatic fashion, the Macht
find themselves in for a fight of their lives if ever they are to return to their
beloved homeland again. The Kufr
outnumbering them significantly, death comes early and often as the Macht fight
one battle after another, their lives in the hands of fate. Told through the eyes of the young warrior
Rictus and his commander Jason, the battlefield comes alive.
