THE TEN THOUSAND - PAUL KEARNEY

[drosdelnoch]

Paul really needs no introduction with being known for his Monarchy of Gods series as well as his Sea Beggar's. Yet here is a new offering from Paul and we'd like to hear what you think about it. So whats your opinion?

[DaveBrendon]

I have had the pleasure of reading The Ten Thousand, and let me tell you, this is an incredible book! The only way I could possibly explain this to fellow fantasy fans would be this: take Leonidas and the 300, and put them on the continent of Seven Cities, during the event (in Steven Erikson's Malazan book, Deadhouse Gates) that saw rebellion break out and an army cross an entire continent while being doggedly pursued by forces that completely outnumber them and that want them all dead. But take those 300 and make of them 10000, and you'll realize how epic and incredible this book is. :-)

Paul's words seemed so easy, seemed to flow without effort, but captured the heart of each struggle that these Macht faced with beauty and intergrity. The battle scenes will make any any warfare buff worth his salt take notice and cheer, the characters are so alive that you'll find yourself wincing and singing and cursing and grieving with them, and by the time you finish the book, you'll be exhausted and the worse for wear, but just as the characters who take us through their journey, you'll know the satisfaction of having done (or in this case) read something incredible, something that is sure to build a legend all its own. :-) This, my friends, is an incredible book, and I dare each member to read it and get lost in it. Well worth not only this award, but many more. Awesome job, Paul!

[Adam Whitehead]

Paul Kearney has been plugging away at writing intelligent, tough fantasy for over 15 years now, but The Ten Thousand may be his strongest book to date. Its grasp of how fighting men think and act is pure Gemmell, his grasp of battle scenes is second-to-none (no-one in modern epic fantasy, not even Erikson or Martin, can hold a candle to Kearney's battles) and its world is vividly described. For me, my choice came down between this and the Abercrombie, but for its conciseness, its laser-sharp focus and its sheer bloody-mindedness, The Ten Thousand just about edges it and will be receiving my vote.

[disrepdog]

Excellent book, well deserved to be on the list. My first Paul Kearney, but definitely not my last.

[Andrew Guile]

Hmmm, fine words - I'm off to Amazon - back soon ...!

[Deborah J Miller - Award Administrator]

Hey - you can order it from right here Andrew! Click on 'Buy the Book; tab (under the Nominees tab)

Mind you, I'm not sure it will link to Amazon France...{off to investigate}

Andrew Guile said:

Hmmm, fine words - I'm off to Amazon - back soon ...!

[ediFanoB]

I bought the book few days ago. Now I need to speed up and read it until 25th in order to build up my mind for voting on 26th of December.

[Deborah J Miller - Award Administrator]

Don't worry EdiFanoB - the voting REMAINS open until 31st March! We just keep mentioning the 26th December to keep the voting in people's minds... so, if you haven't decided by then, you can always wait for a week or two before you vote!

Glad you are so keen though - it's certainly a tough one - so many great books on the list. I'm not allowed to vote of course...

[Andrew Guile]

Right - it's on it's way. Give me a few weeks to read it and I'll be back ...

[ediFanoB]

Deborah,
I know that I don't need to vote on 26th December but I'm keen to vote.

There are more books on the LONGLIST than I read the within this year.
THE TEN THOUSAND is the 5th book from the list I'm reading.
There are eight more books from the list on my shelf at home.

I'm really interested in if there is someone who read all the books.

[Deborah J Miller - Award Administrator]

Hey there, EdiFanoB - our very own Dros Delnoch has read ALMOST all of the books - only a few of the US ones he hasn't caught up with yet!

[ediFanoB]

Deborah,

I raise my hat to DROSDELNOCH.

[ediFanoB]

Today I finished THE TEN THOUSAND. I'm impressed. The description of the battle scenes are so realistic. In this case I was glad that we still don't have books with odours................