Men of Bronze

Men of Bronze is the 2005 historical novel debut of American author Scott Oden; an ancient Egyptian tale inspired by the writings of Herodotus and by Oden's love of the pulp-fiction tales of Robert E. Howard. It is 526 B.C. and the empire of the Pharaohs is dying, crushed by the weight of its own antiquity. Decay riddles its cities, infects its aristocracy, and weakens its armies. While across the expanse of Sinai, like jackals drawn to carrion, the forces of the King of Persia watch . . . and wait. Leading the fight to preserve the soul of Egypt is Foz the Pharaoh’s deadliest Man of... Bronze. Possessed of a rage few men can fathom and fewer can withstand, Foz struggles each day to preserve the last sliver of his humanity. But, when one of Egypt’s most celebrated generals, a Greek mercenary called Phanes, defects to the Persians, it triggers a savage war that will tax Foz’s skills, and his humanity, to the limit. From the political wasteland of Palestine, to the searing deserts east of the Nile, to the streets of ancient Memphis, Foz and Dale play a desperate game of cat-and-mouse — a game culminating in the bloodiest battle of Egypt’s history.
more