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Gordon Doherty
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Strategos: Born in the Borderlands (Strategos 1) Kindle Edition

by Gordon Doherty (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 911 ratings

An orphan's tale. Born in a broken land, drawn into a savage war

When the falcon has flown, the mountain lion will charge from the east, and all Byzantium will quake. Only one man can save the empire . . . the Haga!

1046 AD. The Byzantine Empire teeters on full-blown war with the Seljuk Sultanate. In the borderlands of Eastern Anatolia, a land riven with bloodshed and doubt, young Apion's life is shattered in one swift and brutal Seljuk night raid. Only the benevolence of Mansur, a Seljuk farmer, offers him a second chance of happiness.

Yet a hunger for revenge burns in Apion's soul, and he is drawn down a dark path that leads him right into the heart of a conflict that will echo through the ages.

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Strategos
  2. Print length
    386 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    December 11, 2011
  6. File size
    5.4 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gordon is a Scottish writer, addicted to reading and writing historical fiction. His Legionary and Strategos novels have been an Amazon smash-hit, and have gone on to be translated and published in Russia, Italy and Greece.

Gordon's love of history was first kindled by the ruins of Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall, and travelling around the ancient world has kept the fire burning brightly ever since. He finds the Late Roman Empire and Byzantine eras intriguing, particularly the metamorphosis from late antiquity into the 'dark ages' and the medieval period. Equally, the Bronze Age and Classical Greece are firm favourites of his.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006LPQZ52
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ www.gordondoherty.co.uk
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 11, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 386 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Strategos
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 911 ratings

About the author

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Gordon Doherty

Gordon Doherty

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Gordon is a Scottish writer, addicted to reading and writing historical fiction. His novels have been Amazon smash-hits, and have gone on to be translated and published in Russia, Italy and Greece.

Gordon's love of history was first kindled by visits to the misty Roman ruins of Britain and the sun-baked antiquities of Turkey and Greece. His expeditions since have taken him all over the world and back and forth through time (metaphorically, at least), allowing him to write tales of the later Roman Empire, Byzantium, Classical Greece and even the distant Bronze Age.

For exciting news, extracts and exclusive content from Gordon:

Visit www.gordondoherty.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @GordonDoherty

Follow his author page on www.facebook.com/gordon.doherty

Subscribe to his YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/GordonDohertyAuthor

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
911 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be historical fiction at its best, with a fantastic plot that keeps them engaged while entertaining. The writing style is brilliant, with one customer noting its richly appointed smorgasbord of language, and the character development is interesting, with one review highlighting the well-developed hero Apion. The book receives positive feedback for its presentation, with one customer noting how well it sets the environment.

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51 customers mention "Story quality"45 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the story of this historical fiction book, praising its fantastic plot, with one customer highlighting the fascinating portrayal of daily lives.

"...sincerely congratulate Gordon Doherty upon this excellent, readable, exciting and extremely informative work, about a particular period in history..." Read more

"...Battle action, indeed all the violent action, is vividly and bloodily described and the body count is high enough to satisfy the keenest of military..." Read more

"...The author has created characters that are well defined and interesting, and managed to put them in situations that are both believable and which..." Read more

"...Also, he captured some elements of the time and place that many writers ignore (e.g., the difficulty of obtaining iron). Good catch...." Read more

38 customers mention "Readability"38 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining, with one mentioning it leaves them wanting more.

"...physician, I must sincerely congratulate Gordon Doherty upon this excellent, readable, exciting and extremely informative work, about a particular..." Read more

"...quantum leap better; indeed, for a self-published book this is an exceptional work. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...The story is intriguing and kept my attention throughout. I look forward to reading the second book and continuing the adventure." Read more

"Fantastic read! Thanks very much Gordon for taking the time and energy and having the passion to write such an entertaining book...." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing style"16 positive3 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as brilliantly written, with one customer noting its richly appointed smorgasbord of language and another highlighting its absence of bad grammar and typos.

"...Doherty combines elegant writing style with insightful character development, and an excellence of action portrayed throughout, allowing the reader..." Read more

"...if this tale is a typical example; more importantly he has the command of English to present the story in a clean, concise, manner with an almost..." Read more

"...The author has created characters that are well defined and interesting, and managed to put them in situations that are both believable and which..." Read more

"...Yawn. Not bad, and well written, but not anything worth getting excited about. Well that's not what happened...." Read more

16 customers mention "Character development"16 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting that the hero Apion is well developed, while another mentions that the good guys are sympathetic.

"...Doherty combines elegant writing style with insightful character development, and an excellence of action portrayed throughout, allowing the reader..." Read more

"The author here is a natural born story-teller if this tale is a typical example; more importantly he has the command of English to present the..." Read more

"There is very little not to like about this book. The author has created characters that are well defined and interesting, and managed to put them..." Read more

"...The characters are all very realistic, the good guys are sympathetic, and the villain, while utterly evil, is believable, not cartoonish...." Read more

8 customers mention "Presentation"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the presentation of the book, finding it well done, with one customer noting how effectively it sets the environment and allows readers to easily visualize the scenes unfolding.

"...Battle action, indeed all the violent action, is vividly and bloodily described and the body count is high enough to satisfy the keenest of military..." Read more

"...around in storylines that make no difference, its compact and well done. Hopefully you take a chance and check it out." Read more

"...Early out in the book he makes some very thoughtful, reflective comments to Mansur...." Read more

"...sympathetic, and the villain, while utterly evil, is believable, not cartoonish...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • James E. White, M.D.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Successful Book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    As a veteran historical fiction lover, a retired physician, I must sincerely congratulate Gordon Doherty upon this excellent, readable, exciting and extremely informative work, about a particular period in history not well explored by me, but fascinating nevertheless. The Byzantine Empire died such a long, lingering, death, that I have been disappointed by many previous books trying to capture the spirit of the era, and this particular region. Doherty combines elegant writing style with insightful character development, and an excellence of action portrayed throughout, allowing the reader to identify and sympathize (or detest, as the case may be) with every major character in the book. Furthermore, Gordon, your ability to place significance into action--both military and personal--is beyond the abilities of many, many writers with many more years of experience. I have given this book five stars, and if there were another, I would award it. I can recommend it most highly. You will not be disappointed, I give my word.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Bob Jarvis
    4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting military history in an interesting period.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    The author here is a natural born story-teller if this tale is a typical example; more importantly he has the command of English to present the story in a clean, concise, manner with an almost complete absence of bad grammar and typos. Got to love that in a Kindle book!
    This story is set in the far Eastern reaches of the Byzantine Empire in the mid 11th. century with events taking place during the rising domination of the Seljuk Turks, juxtaposed against the corrupt, declining power of the Eastern Roman Empire. Mr. Doherty clearly knows his history and, whilst playing a little fast and loose with some minor points, sticks mainly to the known facts at the time. His desciptions of military tactics and accoutrements is first rate. I personally would have benefited from placement of the glossary of terms at the front of the book, rather than the back. There were a number of times I didn't know my tourmarche from my themata, or my kontarion from my rhiptarou, but it didn't spoil the enjoyment.
    Battle action, indeed all the violent action, is vividly and bloodily described and the body count is high enough to satisfy the keenest of military history fans. The central character, Apion, converts from a weak, seriously crippled, boy/youth; the kind who had sand kicked in his face in the old Charles Atlas adverts, to a war hero in the image of Conan the Barbarian. A little fanciful in my humble opinion, but we certainly can't have a puny little chap with a limp as the central character in a war book, right?
    Another couple of tiny beefs for me were Apion's contant images of a "dark door" in his mind's eye, at almost every stressful point (and this fellow gets lots of these moments). I thought this was mentioned a little too much. Also, it was just too amazing the frequency that Apion was on the ground, helpless to fend off the imminent death blow that was about to be dealt, only to be miraculously spared by any number of serendipitous happenstances.
    But I nit-pick too much methinks! Mr. Docherty's first book, Legionary, was an enjoyable and exciting read, but I really feel this book is a quantum leap better; indeed, for a self-published book this is an exceptional work.
    Highly recommended!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Stormrider11
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Job by the Author
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    There is very little not to like about this book. The author has created characters that are well defined and interesting, and managed to put them in situations that are both believable and which move the story along. Personally, I liked that their were some deaths that you didn't see coming, stories about such a violent time that do not entertain the idea of main characters not making it are idiotic. That is not to say that some parts of the story aren't predictable, but that sort of thing is kept to a minimum. The pacing is also nice, not alot of messing around in storylines that make no difference, its compact and well done. Hopefully you take a chance and check it out.
    One person found this helpful
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  • A Reader
    3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Start
    Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    First, I want to say that I admire Gordon Doherty's efforts at this book. There aren't many novelists who have tried writing about the Byzantine empire, and almost all of them take the point of view of western Europeans. This book takes the point of view of a Byzantine. Also, he captured some elements of the time and place that many writers ignore (e.g., the difficulty of obtaining iron). Good catch.

    On the other hand, the book was published on Amazon and I think needed the help of a good historical novel editor. A few issues:

    1 - Anachronistic language. "okay" is not OK in the Byzantine period. Neither is "carking". Really, really not!
    2 - Mansur lost his religious faith when his wife died at the hand of Byzantine soldiers? Somehow, I think an 11th century Turk would more likely have an everlasting vendetta against the Byzantines after something like that. Death was a common occurrence in the 11th century and blaming God and losing your faith was not the normal response. I know the author tried to make it appear that Mansur had developed some sort of pacifist interest, but I don't think that is typical of the 11th century anywhere in the world. Maybe the 21st century, but not a millennium earlier.
    3 - I wasn't sure how much the author knows about the Muslim faith. He has Mansur explain that he doesn't own pigs because they scare his horses. Doesn't he know that Muslims don't eat pork? And one of the main characters is a Muslim girl named Maria? Why not Maryam or some other name more likely to be a Muslim one?
    4 - The author refers to trebuchets. I was under the impression that they were not developed for another hundred years or more after the time of this book. I could be wrong, but that was my understanding.
    5 - The POV character, Apion, starts out in the book as a 10 or 11 year old boy. Early out in the book he makes some very thoughtful, reflective comments to Mansur. I'm female and I have no sons, but from what I have observed, 10 or 11 year old boys are not generally known to be thoughtful and reflective. I suppose it is possible, but it did not come across as what a real boy of that age might say.
    6 - The author refers a number of times to someone having "pleated" hair. I think he probably meant "plaited" hair. Skirts are pleated, hair is plaited.

    I truly appreciated the author's efforts with his book. He wrote about a dynamic period in Byzantine history that has been little explored by novelists. I admire his enthusiasm for writing about a largely unknown period in history. However, he needed a really good editor and more information on the period.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rivetting
    Reviewed in Australia on November 28, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This story is action packed yet full of characters that you will love and others you will detest. It is a great adventure and I can't wait get the next book in the series. There is a hint of David Gemmell in Gordon's style of writing which to me, is not a bad thing.
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  • Carlos A. Delgado Perez
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and enterteining, if somewhat predictable.
    Reviewed in Spain on July 29, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Surprisingly well-written. Being an independent writer, I didn't expect this quality. It definitely has its flaws, but they are the same as bestselling historic fiction writers have: somewhat predictable, anachronisms, abuse of certain resources (such as the exaggerated suffering constant in the main character's life), etc. But overall an enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining book.
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  • A.J. Armitt
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourite reads this year.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I have 'known' Gordon Doherty for a number of years now. We met on a writing site, and have kept in touch ever since. It is very difficult to review the work of someone you 'know', and for that reason I generally choose not to. When a book comes along however, that is worth mentioning, it is very difficult not to.

    Here is my evaluation of Gordon's book:

    1. Presentation - Gordon has a professional attitude to his work. Although this is a self-published title, you would never know. It has a professional cover, has been extremely well edited and proof-read. In addition to a table of contents, Gordon has taken the time to include a full Glossary of terms, an Authors note, Maps of the regions, and a flowchart showing the breakdown of the Byzantine Thema. 5 out of 5.

    2. Plot - The storyline really is first class. A war is brewing in the East: a young boy who must overcome adversity to fulfill a fate not yet known to him: a love triangle: treachery and misplaced trust: Action: unexpected twists and turns in the storyline. 5 out of 5.

    3. Characters - David Gemmell is one of my favourite writers. He created memorable characters for whom you felt a real empathy. Although Gordon is not yet a Gemmell, I believe he isn't that far away. In 'Strategos' he has created some wonderful characters, especially that of his protagonist Apion. I fully believed in his character arc as he developed from crippled teenager to military hero, and the motivating factors which drove him on. If I had any complaint here, it would be that I would have liked to have seen a little more of the story from the POV of some of the other characters, such as the evil Bracchus, but that is probably me harking back to my love of Gemmell. Great characters all the same 4 out of 5.

    4. Dialogue - Gordon has a real knack for this. Too often, I see the different voices of characters merging into one. Not so in 'Strategos'; each character has their own distinctive voice, and this is especially apparent when the POV is from that of the Seljuks. 5 out of 5.

    5. Writing style - I feel that descriptive prose is overdone in many a novel and often find myself nodding off mid-sentence. Descriptive prose, I believe, is one of Gordon's greatest strengths, he has the balance just right, and consequently his words literally flow of the page. Although this is a hefty read, I found myself not wanting to put it down. Gordon writes so well that you can almost feel that you are there fighting alongside Apion, experiencing the hardships that are placed in his way. Bravo Gordon! 5 out of 5.

    All in all, one of the best reviews I have ever written. Hardly surprising then that 'Strategos - Born in the Borderlands' has been one of my favourite reads of the last year.

    cheers

    Tony
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  • CaptainK
    5.0 out of 5 stars marvellous
    Reviewed in Germany on April 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Commendable writing, good plot (protagonist is quite different from your run of the mill historic novel hero), lots of suspense, unputdownable!!!
    Try the Legionary series, too!
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  • Cal H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars addictive!
    Reviewed in Canada on October 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    another great series from Gordon Doherty, draws you in with many twists & turns, once I'm hooked I'm a fast reader, only wish the books were longer, off to get book 2 for a very reasonable price! Many thanks from Canada!
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