Acenes of Sparta
The Dragon Slayer
by Manolis Tsongas
Why we picked it
A strong pick for readers who like myth-soaked fantasy with a historical frame. It blends Sparta, dragons, gods, and moral struggle into a dark quest with high stakes.
About this book
In this historical fantasy, the fall of Leonidas and his three hundred at Thermopylae has a hidden cause: a dragon. More than six decades later, the gods choose a young Spartan named Acenes for a deadly task. He must face Kalaxes, an ancient creature tied to the rulers of Persia, whose greed for treasure outweighs any promise he has made.
As Greece is ravaged by fire, Acenes is troubled by the dead and forced away from Sparta on a near-hopeless mission. To save his homeland, he must find Leonidas’s divine spear and shield before the dragon destroys Sparta and the rest of Greece. Alongside battles, gods, ghosts, and Greek thought, the story asks what it costs to defeat evil without being changed by it. The book includes 54 original illustrations and is intended for adults and mature teen readers.
The vibe
Ancient Greece fantasyMythic dragon questGods and ghostsWar-torn homelandMoral cost of evil
Is it for me?
Details
- Author
- Manolis Tsongas
- Genre
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Published
- May 18, 2026
- Publisher
- Independently published
- Pages
- 427
- Reading time
- About 9 hours
- ISBN
- 9798197428721
