About the Book
Easier to split the sky, than part a soldier from his blade.
386 AD. The Eastern Roman Empire faces a trident of threats. The Gothic truce grows unstable. The standoff with Persia escalates. And the ambitions of the usurper on the Western throne grow dangerously unchecked.
Pavo, a broken veteran of the legions, cares for none of these things. His life is one of pastoral seclusion on his Thracian farm. A life of love, of peace. His wife and young son are his world. Still, every so often, things seen and done in his old life haunt him, like a cold and unwelcome breeze. But that is all they are, echoes of the past…
…until the past rises, like a shade, to rip his world and the Roman Empire apart.
Format: eARC (466 pages) Publisher:
Publication date: 16th February 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction
Find The Emperor’s Shield (Legionary #9) on Goodreads
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My Review
The Emperor’s Shield is the ninth book in the Legionary series featuring Roman soldier, Pavo. It’s only the second book in the series I’ve read – the other was number seven, The Blood Road – although I’ve also read two books in the Rise of Emperors series co-written with Simon Turney.
As the book opens, Pavo has swapped the military life for that of a farmer – or, at least, that’s what he thinks.
The Roman Empire is divided and in turmoil, well on the path to its eventual decline and fall, with the bonds that held its disparate parts together weakening and enemies beyond its borders a growing threat. Add the machinations of those hungry for power within the Empire and you have a time bomb waiting to explode.
It’s no surprise that Pavo’s military experience and strategic nous sees him receiving a recall to the service of Emperor Theodosius. It’s a recall he initially refuses until the repercussions of the turmoil in the Empire come frighteningly close to home. ‘F**k Rome and its fat aristocrats and magnates. All that matters to me is my family… They are my empire.’
Reading the author’s note one realises just how skilfully he has conjured an exciting story out of historical fact, adding fictional characters such as the secretive Frugilo, Pavo’s faithful friend, Sura, and, of course, Pavo himself.
Once again, Pavo lives up to his reputation as a formidable fighter, an inspired tactician and a loyal comrade. But you can’t see and do the things Pavo has without it having an impact. As he confides, ‘In my sleep, I see the ones who have fallen. So many, too many’. But is the scene that haunts his dreams over and over again, memories of his past or a vision of the future?
The Emperor’s Shield is historical fiction with something for everyone. There are intense, bloody and bone-crunching battle scenes, including some brilliant set pieces such as the storming of a seemingly impregnable fortress. There is detail of Roman army structure, weaponry and military strategy that oozes authenticity. (A helpful glossary is provided for those who don’t know their hexareme from their liburnian.) And an element of mystery is introduced by means of a man known only as Peregrinus, whom we know is a wily and ruthless traitor at the very heart of Theodosius’ inner circle, but whose identity remains a secret. His mission is to create havoc, something he does very successfully with others paying the price of his deadly game.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Emperor’s Shield. The author reveals the next book will be the last in the series. What does the future hold for Pavo? I’d like to hope it involves a peaceful life alongside his wife and son – after some more exciting adventures of course.
My thanks to the author for my advance review copy. Gordon supports the charity Myeloma UK and if you would like to make a donation to this great cause, follow this link to his JustGiving page.
In three words: Action-packed, assured, thrilling
Try something similar: Masters of Rome by Gordon Doherty & Simon Turney
About the Author
Gordon Doherty is a Scottish writer, addicted to reading and writing historical fiction. His novels have been Amazon smash-hits, and have gone on to be translated and published in Russia, Italy and Greece.
Gordon’s love of history was first kindled by visits to the misty Roman ruins of Britain and the sun-baked antiquities of Turkey and Greece. His expeditions since have taken him all over the world and back and forth through time (metaphorically, at least), allowing him to write tales of the later Roman Empire, Byzantium, Classical Greece and even the distant Bronze Age.
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