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A review by alwroteabook
Art of War by Petros Triantafyllou
5.0
**Edit** I forgot to mention the ARC bit.
This anthology has managed to cram in 40 different authors to write 40 different stories on the nature (or art) of war - and it is masterful.
There are stories of comradeship and deceit, victories and defeats, tales of great bravery and others of great cowardice, battles that end badly and battles that end well. Some are light-hearted and some are pitch black (they are predominantly grimdark authors). There are authors you already know and authors you will want to know more of. It's all in here, and a lot more.
It's a blast, tearing through at a breakneck pace. I enjoyed all forty tales, but naturally some more than others (no disrespect to said others). My seven favourites (I tried five but couldn't cut it down) are in no particular order other than their appearance in the book:
The Last Arrow, by Mitchell Hogan - an archer faces a seemingly unbeatable foe
Dear Menelaus, by Laura M Hughes - a take on the Trojan War from Helen's perspective
The Two Faces of War, by Rob J Hayes - two soldiers - one a healer, one an old warrior - share their stories on the eve of battle
Grannit, by JP Ashman - a young soldier learns the value of loyalty
Assantir Forever, by Steven Poore - sometimes, battles can seem endless
Flesh and Coin, by Anna Stephens - a group of mercenaries set out to rob a wagon train
The Hero of Aral Pass, by Mark Lawrence - a tale of epic heroism. But then, history is written by winners.
I could go on. If someone suggested seven others, I wouldn't argue. As I scrolled through the contents to get the exact titles of the stories, I kept thinking "oh, there's this one. And this one."
Just read the damn thing already.
This anthology has managed to cram in 40 different authors to write 40 different stories on the nature (or art) of war - and it is masterful.
There are stories of comradeship and deceit, victories and defeats, tales of great bravery and others of great cowardice, battles that end badly and battles that end well. Some are light-hearted and some are pitch black (they are predominantly grimdark authors). There are authors you already know and authors you will want to know more of. It's all in here, and a lot more.
It's a blast, tearing through at a breakneck pace. I enjoyed all forty tales, but naturally some more than others (no disrespect to said others). My seven favourites (I tried five but couldn't cut it down) are in no particular order other than their appearance in the book:
The Last Arrow, by Mitchell Hogan - an archer faces a seemingly unbeatable foe
Dear Menelaus, by Laura M Hughes - a take on the Trojan War from Helen's perspective
The Two Faces of War, by Rob J Hayes - two soldiers - one a healer, one an old warrior - share their stories on the eve of battle
Grannit, by JP Ashman - a young soldier learns the value of loyalty
Assantir Forever, by Steven Poore - sometimes, battles can seem endless
Flesh and Coin, by Anna Stephens - a group of mercenaries set out to rob a wagon train
The Hero of Aral Pass, by Mark Lawrence - a tale of epic heroism. But then, history is written by winners.
I could go on. If someone suggested seven others, I wouldn't argue. As I scrolled through the contents to get the exact titles of the stories, I kept thinking "oh, there's this one. And this one."
Just read the damn thing already.