Battle For Empire

I hope a written copy is available someday, as this book is just too good to have it on Kindle where I might lose it. I seem to enjoy each book in this wonderful series even more than the last one, until here comes the next one which is even better. I don't know how Mr. Barone can make each book he writes better than the one before. One is easily addicted to them, I find myself often going back and starting over from the first. How long will we have to wait until the next one??

For a saga of ancient warriors, this story has a modern theme, that of a teenaged son rebelling against his father. His father happens to be the King of Akkad, but it's easy to relate to their communication problems. And you can't help but cheer for Sargon as he comes into his own. A good read, all in all.

The series just keeps getting better and better. Bernard Cornwell is a master at writing historical fiction, and I place Sam Barone on that same high plateau. His books are THAT good! What I like in particular, about reading his books, is that they are uplifting. When you finish reading Battle for Empire, you will feel good, and you will feel like reading the book a second time! The main characters learn things and grow, which I like. There is nobility in many of the characters that are dedicated to the destruction of Eskkar, Trella, and Akkad illustrating that there is good even in the villainous (by today's standards). Some enemies begin to see that to survive means changing with the times, and they put aside their animosities for the greater good and become allies and almost friends. Speaking for myself, this book and all of Sam Barone's books hit me positively on many levels, and I think that what is true for me, may be true for others who reads this post.

Once again. Sam Barone knocks it out of the park. He superbly mixes history with fiction and creates a story that you cannot put down. If you have not yet read his first four novels in the Eskkar and Trella saga, I suggest you do so. Like its predecessors this delivers on every level. Equal parts of adventure, suspense, romance, and drama. Thanks Sam!!! Keep writing, we are all waiting for book six in the spring!

When I was transferred back to 30000 BC and followed Jean Auel's epic adventures of Ayla a beautiful but orphaned Cro-Magnum child adopted by the lowly Neanderthal clan, I was sorry when the last page was turned on the 6th and final book in the "Earth's Children" series ... I can now unequivocally state that Sam Barone's to date 5 novel Empire series circa 3300BC, depicting the dawn of civilization behind protective walls and subsequent development of other city- states under the guidance of Trella, the slave girlborn to be a Queen, and Eskkar her barbarian husband and Soulmate who together give birth to the dawn of civilization in the Fertile Crescent. As much as I eagerly await the release of the final novel "Clash of Empires", I know I will be saddened as I was with Jean Auel's novels, when I turn the last page on this remarkable work...Yes it's that good! Thank-you Mr Barone! Sincerely, Jack

OK, this is a saga - there will always be some books better than others - this third one is OK, personally I prefer the other two. It starts with the beginning of a new saga, then the books evolves into another one, completely different and unrelated (so far), surely to attract the reader's apetite for the next book - a little not too subtle, but I assume the writer wants to promote the interest in the next coming book. Apart from it, the battle scenes are a little confusing, there are long explanations of almost unrelated issues, but in general, is an entertaining book.

I wanted to jump into my kindle and throttle the little punk. How could this poor excuse have possibly been sired by Eskkar and Trella? OK. Spoiled really rotten. So, now what? How do you fix it? Send him into the military, of course. And so, Sargon finds himself in the Bronze Age version of boot camp in Parris Island. And, lo and behold, there are the makings of a man within. In fact, Sargon begins to display what we'd expect.........the battle skills of Eskkar and the situational and people skills of Trella. Very nice character development. You've done it again, Sam. We know from the prologue that there is at least one more untold story. Keep them coming.

I've read all of Sam's books and really enjoyed how be brings an important era to life. He seems to have done solid research (at least I didn't spot anything glaringly wrong)and he really makes his characters come to like. I recommend the entire Eskkar series.

After a sluggish start to set the scene, the book increases pace and takes unequivocally back into Eskkar’s saga with a vengeance. As the rest of the saga’s books, it was hard to put it down. Looking forward to reading the sixth book!

A very well written book... Kept me engrossed till the end...literally unputdownable....can't wait to read the next part of the book.

Another great story in this excellent series. Sam Barone knows how to bring ancient history to life with believable characters, authentic background and fine action sequences. He matches or surpasses any of the other historical novelists, and deals with a time and place (ancient Mesopotamia) which receives far less attention than ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The quality of writing has never dropped - highly recommended for anyone interested in the ancient world. Each book is self-contained, but it's probably best to start with "Dawn of Empire" and work through the books in sequence.

This is yet another well-written and engaging story in the Eskkar saga. The plot primarily focuses on Eskkar's wayward son, Sargon, and develops the story of the years following Akkad's rise. The storytelling is well paced and yet doesn't feel rushed, and it's an easy and enjoyable read. My one complaint with the book is that it opens with one storyline which then leads immediately into a retrospective retelling of Sargon's early life, which forms the basis of the entire book. The last chapter / epilogue then returns to the original plot line which opened the book, but without having made any real progress. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but was left feeling that it was tangential to the Eskkar/Akkad storyline, as if the author became distracted after the first chapter and ended up writing a totally different book to the one intended, and only remembered in time for the epilogue. This essentially means that the original storyline is not just undeveloped, but in fact it feels like the whole book is just a lead up to the next book, instead of simply being valued as a standalone story about Sargon. Unfortunately that has left me feeling like the first and last chapters were hastily tacked on to try and justify this book in the continuing series about Eskkar / Akkad, which is a shame as it's a good story on its own.

Every book I have read in the series of 5 books has been brilliant. I couldn't put these books down once I had started to read them. Sam Barone is a fantastic writer and keeps the characters strong and interesting through out the book with really exciting story lines. These books are about the warring tribes of the Steppes people who just took what they wanted from other tribes. I have sent Mr Barone a couple of E Mails to congratulate him on his work and both time he took the time to reply and thank me for reading his books. A true gentleman.