Anabasis or The March Up Country is an autobiographical history by Xenophon, a professional soldier and writer from Ancient Greece. This is not a work of fiction, nor is it even a work from any millennium close to our own. It is extremely dry, the text is old fashioned, and everything is said so curtly that you can easily miss things. Definitely do not go into this expecting an engagingly written, Dan Brown-style experience.
But if you do give this a read, it is thrilling all the same. Xenophon is hired as one of many soldiers to fight alongside Cyrus the Great. They experience much of the success they’re looking for, but Cyrus is slain in battle and the troupe suddenly finds itself leaderless. Xenophon steps up, and what follows is an account of marching thousands of miles through the hostile ancient world. It is incredible how much they survived, and how many terrible threats are spoken of in the same tone you or I would use to describe our morning of coffee and donuts. I would compare it to the first couple books of Daenerys in Song of Ice and Fire… but like, if all the drama was surgically removed.
This book really only appeals to the historically inclined. If that’s you, dear reader, absolutely seek out a copy of this as it oozes history from every word.