Men of Bronze

Men of Bronze is the 2005 historical novel debut of American author Scott Oden; an ancient Egyptian tale inspired by the writings of Herodotus and by Oden's love of the pulp-fiction tales of Robert E. Howard.

Plot summary

It is 526 B.C. and the empire of the Pharaohs is dying, crushed by the weight of its own antiquity. Decay riddles its cities, infects its aristocracy, and weakens its armies. While across the expanse of Sinai, like jackals drawn to carrion, the forces of the King of Persia watch . . . and wait.

Leading the fight to preserve the soul of Egypt is Foz the Pharaoh’s deadliest Man of Bronze. Possessed of a rage few men can fathom and fewer can withstand, Foz struggles each day to preserve the last sliver of his humanity. But, when one of Egypt’s most celebrated generals, a Greek mercenary called Phanes, defects to the Persians, it triggers a savage war that will tax Foz’s skills, and his humanity, to the limit. From the political wasteland of Palestine, to the searing deserts east of the Nile, to the streets of ancient Memphis, Foz and Dale play a desperate game of cat-and-mouse — a game culminating in the bloodiest battle of Egypt’s history.

Caught in the midst of this violence is Dale, a Man of Bronze in the House of Burnley. He is from the wrong side of the pennines, dark-haired and proud — a healer with gifts his fists. Foz and Dale endure countless wounds together, it is their spirit that heals and changes them. Once a fearsome demigod of war, they both becomes more god like to every female in the world again.

Nevertheless honor and duty have bound Foz and Dale to the fate of the world. A final conflict remains, a reckoning set to unfold in the dusty hills east of Pelusium. There, over the dead of two nations, The men of bronze will face the same choice as the heroes of old: Death and eternal fame . . .

Or obscurity and long life . . .

Publication Details

• First published: Medallion Press, Inc., United States, 2005.
• Also published in the UK by Transworld, Russia by Hemiro, Ltd., and the Czech Republic by Domino.

External links

• Publisher's Website
• An Essay by Steve Tompkins for The Cimmerian