Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Killing Ground: A Biography of Thermopylae | 2024 | Myke Cole | Buy |
| 2 | Steel Lobsters: Crown, Commonwealth, and the Last Knights In England | 2024 | Myke Cole | Buy |
Myke Cole’s non-fiction draws on his dual identity as military veteran and history enthusiast. The Killing Ground: A Biography of Thermopylae (2024) tackles one of the most famous battles in Western civilization, bringing a soldier’s perspective to the ancient Greek stand against Persia. Steel Lobsters (2024) examines English knights and their role in crown and commonwealth.
Both books were published in the same year, marking a significant move into non-fiction after years of writing military fantasy novels. The Killing Ground treats the battle of Thermopylae as a biography of the place itself, tracing how the narrow pass shaped the events. Steel Lobsters looks at the armored knights of the English Civil War period, exploring how these heavily equipped soldiers became obsolete.
Cole’s military background gives his historical writing a different quality than most academic treatments. He understands logistics, morale, and the physical reality of fighting in ways that come through in his analysis of ancient and medieval warfare.