The Spartan Dagger

By: Nicholas Guild

Narrated by: Pete Bradbury

A good old classic Greek revenge story.

In the fourth century BC, Sparta had established control over most of Mainland Greece, and nowhere was her despotic rule more brutal than in her own territory, where over three centuries before Sparta had conquered the original population, the Helots. Every year, to remind the Helots that they were slaves, the Spartans sent out their young men to murder their defenseless subjects. On one of those nights, after having seen his parents killed, a 14-year-old Helot boy named Protos escapes, killing one of his pursuers. The Spartans hunt him relentlessly, but Protos will not consent to be a helpless victim. The hunters find that their own weapons are turned against them as Protos fights to escape Spartan rule. With the help of a young half-Egyptian witch woman, Protos makes his way to Thebes, which is on the verge of a rebellion against Spartan domination. By an act of almost suicidal daring, Protos helps the Thebans regain control of their city, setting the stage for the long war between Thebes and Sparta.

©2016 Nicholas Guild (P)2016 Recorded Books

Great listen. Needed a break from all the long series.

This book was great. I like that it completed and wasn’t a series we need to wait on. Recommend.

BEST NARRATOR; entertaining story

What made the experience of listening to The Spartan Dagger the most enjoyable?

Pete Bradbury is narration's Greatest of All Time. I only found this book because I search for everything he narrates. I've listened to numerous other books just because he is that good. Even some subpar stories are bearable when he's narrating.

What did you like best about this story?

The story starts very strong and keeps you entertained throughout.

Which character – as performed by Pete Bradbury – was your favorite?

I would listen to Bradbury narrate the phone book.

Any additional comments?

The book was entertaining throughout, and it started very strong. The last few hours might have been cut, however, as the story could have wrapped up much sooner than it did without losing any character development. Overall, still very enjoyable.

A powerful story

I applaud Nicolas Guild for writing this story. When people hear Sparta, they think of the 300 at Thermople battling the Persian hoards to save Greece. That was a high point in Spartan history. However, the bulk of the Spartan legacy was committing genocide through the institution of racial slavery that encouraged the killing of Messians for sport. It was refreshing to have that story be the centerpiece of a historical fiction book. Thanks, Mr. Guild.
8I'm looking forward to the Macedonian.