Description

---

Ancient Sparta comes to life in The Spartan Dagger, Nicholas Guild's vivid tale of murder and vengeance.

On a cold night, at the outskirts of a peasant village, two Spartan youths wait to perform an ancient rite of passage. A family--father, mother, and their son--approaches, unarmed and defenseless. The young men step into the moonlight and claim their manhood by killing the adults. The boy escapes.

The Spartans have no idea how terrible an enemy they have called forth. Nothing could have prepared them for the boy, Protos, whose name means “destined,” whose cunning and inborn skill with weapons renders his enemies almost defenseless, and whose heart knows no pity. The Spartans have oppressed his people for centuries, and to break their power is to free all those they hold in subjection. As Protos grows to manhood, he begins to understand that his private war against his parents’ murderers is also a struggle for liberation.

About the Author

---

NICHOLAS GUILD was born in Belmont, California, and attended Occidental College and the University of California at Berkeley. He taught at Clemson and Ohio State before turning full time to writing fiction. He has published a dozen novels in both the thriller and historical genres, several of which were international bestsellers, including The Assyrian, Blood Star, and Angel. Guild now lives in Frederick, Maryland.

Praise For…

---

"A terrific work of historical imagination, The Spartan Dagger is not only a gripping tale of revenge but a remarkable recreation of a world long lost and largely misunderstood. Guild corrects our romantic view of Sparta as he resurrects an age as merciless as the blood-crusted blade of a sword. I enjoyed every page I read.” —Ralph Peters, New York Times bestselling author of The Damned of Petersburg

"Brings the ancient world of the Spartans thrillingly and brutally alive . . . unforgettable.” —Mary Pat Kelly, author of Of Irish Blood