Overview

Five millennium ago, on the eastern bank of the river Tigris, the course of human history changed forever…

The people of Orak cherish their peaceful village and the life they have made. Though not proficient with the bow or sword, they possess a weapon far stronger: the ability to coax food from the ground. This is why the barbarian leader Thutmose-sin hates and fears them. As his marauding clan of bloodthirsty warriors readies itself for the plunder and the kill, the fate of the village rests with the outcast barbarian Eskkar and the woman he loves, the wise and beautiful slave girl Trella—and on a bold, remarkable, never-before-tested plan of defense. For those who have known peace must turn their hands to war, to save from the savage invaders not only their families but their way of life.

Analysis

Dawn of Empire is the first book in a military historical fiction series.

I read Dawn of Empire in one setting, on my day off, and loved it. Not much is known about this time period and Sam Barone manages to write about it in a way that makes you really wonder, could it be true?

My dad actually gave Dawn of Empire to me years ago. I read it of course, like any dutiful son should when his father gives him a book lol. It got passed around my entire family and when my brother read it for the second time he broke it! So I bought it on kindle and just finished reading it for the third time a couple weeks ago.

Sam Barone writes an interesting plot.

In a land far far away and a long time ago, a little village is struggling to build itself into a city. It’s the third millennium BC and humanity is struggling to learn the ways of civilization, the root of which, is the farm. In the Tigris River valley, farming villages are beginning to appear. Farming allows trade, and trade builds empires. This is the world in which Sam brings us. Soon into the story this new culture is threatened by the old culture. The migrating barbarians who live only for raiding, raiding for horses and slaves. They are reliant upon these far flung villages and keep a balance, every ten years or so they sweep onto a village, capture women and horses and steal everything that isn’t nailed down. The barbarians hate and fear the “dirt eaters” and are careful not to allow any village to become strong enough to resist them. What they didn’t count on was an outcast barbarian, who would receive a smart slave girl as a gift, and learn the ways of power from her.

The villagers develop a way to defend themselves, they build the first walled city, and provide a foundation for one of the world’s first empires—the Akkadian Empire led by Eskkar’s son, Sargon.

I love the way Sam incorporates the strategic military side of the book. Its more than just building a wall. These are bronze age people, who have never built a wall, and you get to stand in the shadows watching as they figure it out. We see the birth of the first soldiers, men who fight for more than just raiding and plunder. And again, it’s more than just handing out a uniform and giving them a bow. Reading a book is always a glimpse into the mind of the author and I think Sam would have made one hell of a general. The book is more than just entertaining, its stock full of sound military advice and a lesson in the principles of leadership. If I ever found myself in 3000 BC I would most definitely make this book mandatory reading for my generals…

I would happily recommend Dawn of Empire to any of my friends. You can get it from Amazon for $7.99

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“Dawn of Empire” by Sam Barone | Reviewed by Jake Parrick