The Arcadian

Pressfield (A Man at Arms) spins a thrilling tale of a mysterious former mercenary and the young woman who is bound to him by fate in 16th-century Spain. Telamon of Arcadia, known as the “iron man” for his current occupation as a blade sharpener, has a mysterious tattoo on his arm that matches the branding of his horse, which farm girl Mariah takes a shine to. The plot kicks into gear when Portuguese troops invade Mariah’s village, ordering the villagers to procure a long list of supplies. If they don’t, every man in the village will be killed, and women and children will be forced into servitude. Mariah’s older brothers bring Telamon’s horse to the Portuguese to be slaughtered, prompting Telamon to attack the Portuguese soldiers before being captured. Mariah helps free Telamon and his horse, and the Portuguese commander, Severiano, orders his nephew, a lieutenant, to pursue the trio and capture them by whatever means necessary. Pressfield blends exciting action with meaty meditations on the brutality of war and its dehumanizing effects on combatants, noting that warfare is “the labor of brutes and savages.” Readers will become closely invested in Mariah and Telamon’s plight over the course of this stirring adventure. (May)