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Readers’ Favorite announces the review of the Fiction – Historical – Event/Era book “The Sacred Band of Thebes” by Glenn Rabney and Bart Baker, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FQ1HC8H7.

Readers’ Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.

“Reviewed By Grant Leishman for Readers’ Favorite

The Sacred Band of Thebes by Glenn Rabney and Bart Baker is a colorful, action-packed graphic novel that highlights an elite group of Theban soldiers formed around the 4th century BCE. The concept was first introduced by Plato, who suggested that soldiers who were also lovers would be undefeatable in battle, as each soldier would gladly die for his lover and brother in arms. The Band of Thebes proved its success at Leuctra against the Spartans but was ultimately destroyed by Philip II of Macedon and his teenage son Alexander (later the Great) at Chaeronea. This graphic novel follows the stories of two such boys who were plucked from their village to be trained into feared Theban warriors: Androkles and Kallistos. Both boys were forcibly stolen from their parents to join the elite Band of Thebes, and both grew to become warriors and leaders of the Band. Androkles and Kallistos were seven years old and already best friends when their mothers were murdered in front of them, and they were snatched by the Band. Growing ever closer as brothers but not as lovers, they would still gladly die for each other.

I didn’t realize The Sacred Band of Thebes was a graphic novel, but I am glad I didn’t miss out on an excellent, wonderfully illustrated story. As a history buff, I love reading accounts of those early wars involving Greece, Sparta, Thebes, Macedon, and the like, but this type of story adds a wonderful visual element to the inherent stories of warfare, brotherhood, courage, and love. Authors Glenn Rabney and Bart Baker have constructed a solid tale of the bond between two young boys who became two great warriors. I appreciated Kallistos’ unwillingness to embrace the full concept of comradely love to include physical love. The consequent side-arc of his love for Elpida added depth and breadth to a story principally about war and warriors. Of course, the couple naming their first son Androkles cemented the deep bond the pair had forged as children and adults. The illustrations are wonderful, graphic to an extreme, and an integral part of an excellent package. If graphic novels are your thing, this is definitely for you, but if you are a graphic-novel neophyte, then I recommend you jump in with both feet and give this book a try. You won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended.”

You can learn more about Glenn Rabney and Bart Baker and “The Sacred Band of Thebes” at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/the-sacred-band-of-thebes where you can read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.

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Website: https://readersfavorite.com