Interestingly, the 'love stories', if they can be called that, are mostly between husbands and wives. There is another, but it takes place almost wholly off-stage, probably because it's straightforward and most readers know where it would be going anyway.

The historical element is pretty good. Kearney's done a lot of research into ancient Greek combat and how phalanxes were used, but also into how the Greek cities were organised and ruled. However, it's not overdone. Some criticised THE TEN THOUSAND for being the ANABASIS with the names changed, but CORVUS is much more loosely based on real events. Corvus may be this world's equivalent of Alexander the Great, but the parallels end with him just being a young, determined guy out for glory. He's not gay (based on his reaction to several female characters), he's not the son of an existing king when the story starts and so on.