Birth of a Warrior.

Ford, Michael Birth of a Warrior.
Walker & Co 2008 262p 16.99 978-0-8027-9794-0 ms/hs

Set at the beginning of the Greco-Persian Wars, this novel of ancient Sparta is filled with both action and history. Lysander, son of a Helot woman and a Spartan warrior, is saved from a life as a slave by his grandfather and is undergoing brutal training as a Spartan warrior. Set at the beginning of the Greco-Persian Wars, this novel of ancient Sparta is filled with both action and history. Lysander, son of a Helot woman and a Spartan warrior, is saved from a life as a slave by his grandfather. He has been admitted to the warrior academy where both his acceptance by the other boys has been merciless and his training brutal. In order to prove his worthiness, he is forced to repudiate his Helot people and participate in the beating of his best friend. Afterwards, he is sent on a survival quest to the mountains with two other boys in order to prove his abilities. While on quest, they stumble across a Persian army readying an attack and must convince their elders that the young warriors can help save the city.
This is an engaging suspenseful, well-written historical fiction with excellent characterizations and a well paced plot and does not sugarcoat the violent time period. It is filled with exciting adventures and bloody battle scenes and will attract middle and high school readers while providing access to a slice of real history. It will leave its readers waiting breathlessly for the next installment and might stimulate further study into the time period.
S.Ogintz