This is a seamless continuation of the story of Lysander--the half-helot/half Spartiate or mothax, begun in Fire of Ares. Still among his classmates in the agoge, Lysander is a victim of prejudice as well as having faithful friends, but several days in the wilderness with a boy who dislikes him, shows the two that they can more easily overcome hardship by working together. Then, discovering a Persian attack being readied, he fights for Sparta. Written for young people in a clear and fast-moving style, this novel had a moral, as well as teaching about the Spartan lifestyle.

Of course, the historical Leonidas and Lysander lived nearly 100 years apart from each other, but I wonder if the author chose these names intentionally. We know Leonidas from Thermopylae fame, and the historical Lysander, the admiral who won the Peloponnesian War was a mothax. ( )

The second of Michael Ford's series following Lysander in the Sparta of 510 BC. This is a fast moving and engaging novel that picks up nicely from where "The Fire of Ares" left off, developing the characters and seeing Lysander grow from boyhood to take his place amongst the Spartan warriors. ( )