Tag: HF Reading Challenge

#BlogTour #BookReview The Capsarius by Simon Turney @AriesFiction

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The Capsarius_Blog Tour BannerWelcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Capsarius by Simon Turney. My thanks to Andrew at Head of Zeus for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy.

The CapsariusAbout the Book

Egypt. 25 BC. Titus Cervianus and the Twenty Second Deiotariana have been sent to deal with uprisings and chaos in Egypt. Yet the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion. Founded as the private royal army of one of Rome’s most devoted allies, the king of Galatia, their ways are not the same as the other legions, a factor that sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers.

Cervianus is no ordinary soldier, either. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, he’s now a capsarius – a combat medic. Cervianus is a pragmatist, a scientist, and truly unpopular with his legion.

Marching into the unknown, Cervianus will find unexpected allies in a local cavalryman and a troublesome lunatic. Both will be of critical importance as the young medic marches into the searing sands of the south, finding forbidden temples, dark assassins, vicious crocodiles, and worst of all, the warrior queen of Kush…

Format: Hardback (432 pages)      Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 14th April 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction

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Hive | Amazon UK
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My Review

The Capsarius is a great example of why I love historical fiction. Before reading this book I had no idea there was such a thing as a capsarius and couldn’t for the life of me have explained what a contubernium was. Readers familiar with Simon Turney’s previous books won’t be surprised that The Capsarius is jam-packed full of detail about Roman military structure, strategy, equipment and weaponry – not forgetting the construction of latrine pits.

The author has created a fascinating character in Titus Cervianus. We learn little about his early life (I’m hoping the author is saving that for a prequel) but what we do know is that he speaks several languages, has a voracious appetite for books and considers his vocation to be saving lives – not that he isn’t pretty deadly with a sword or spear when the need arises. He’s a man of science and logic who views superstition as the ‘bane of all reasoned thinkers’, one of the many reasons he has been ostracised by most of his comrades (although I have to say I’d be happy to befriend the over six foot tall, clean shaven soldier with raven black hair).  Fortunately for Cervanius he is ‘adopted’ by another member of his contubernium, the irrepressible Ulyxes who has an almost photographic memory but is never happier than when there’s a prospect of a brawl.

Aware of the perils that lie ahead, Cervanius is nevertheless excited at the prospect of seeing the sights of Egypt he has only read about – Alexandria, Memphis, Thebes – and through his eyes the reader is able to do the same. Gradually Cervanius finds his rejection of superstition being challenged by the seeming significance of symbols he encounters as he visits temples dedicated to Egyptian gods. Are the whispered warnings and his strange dreams portents of misfortune yet to come? ‘He was finding it hard to deny that something powerful seemed to be at work in this strange land.’

In his Historical Note, Simon Turney reveals that one of the inspirations for the book is Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.  As Cervianus and the Twenty Second legion travel down the Nile on a campaign that seems more driven by the arrogance and pride of their superiors than by strategy, darkness is just what they find, especially when they reach the fortress of Buhen. (Thanks to the handy map at the front of the book, I now know exactly where that is.)

In one of the great set piece scenes in the book, Cervanius and his comrades are confronted by an enemy described as a ‘cloud of black hissing death’ who rise from the ground with ‘iron points gleaming in the moonlight, ebony shafts and black fletching blending into the darkness’. Another memorable scene is the legion’s assault on the heavily fortified Abu Island during which they have to accomplish a landing from small boats whilst dodging arrows raining down on them and then face a ‘screaming, roaring tide of humanity, bristling with weapons, designed to strike fear into their enemy’.  Death is always just a hair’s breadth away whether that’s due to a mistimed stroke, an inadvertent gap in a shield wall or a momentary lapse of concentration.

The first in the Legion XXII series, The Casparius is an impeccably researched and thrilling journey through 25BC Egypt.  If you like full-on action, it has it. If you like historical detail, it has it. If you like a book to have a protagonist who’s not just a one dimensional character, it has it.  Personally, I can’t wait to experience more of Titus Cervianus’s exploits in future books. As he says in the closing chapter, “Here we go…”.

In three words: Action-packed, authentic, compelling

Try something similar: A Night of Flames by Matthew Harffy

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Simon TurneyAbout the Author

Simon Turney is from Yorkshire and, having spent much of his childhood visiting historic sites, fell in love with the Roman heritage of the region. His fascination with the ancient world snowballed from there with great interest in Rome, Egypt, Greece and Byzantium. His works include the Marius’ Mules and Praetorian series, the Tales of the Empire and The Damned Emperor series, and the Rise of Emperors books with Gordon Doherty

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#BookReview The Physician’s Daughter by Martha Conway

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The Physician's DaughterAbout the Book

It is 1865, the American Civil War has just ended, and 18-year old Vita Tenney is determined to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a country doctor like her father. But when her father tells her she must get married instead, Vita explores every means of escape – and finds one in the person of war veteran Jacob Culhane.

Damaged by what he’s seen in battle and with all his family gone, Jacob is seeking investors for a fledgling business. Then he meets Vita – and together they hatch a plan that should satisfy both their desires. Months later, Vita seemingly has everything she ever wanted. But alone in a big city and haunted by the mistakes of her past, she wonders if the life she always thought she wanted was too good to be true. When love starts to compete with ambition, what will come out on top?

Format: Hardback (480 pages)      Publisher: Zaffre
Publication date: 3rd March 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find The Physician’s Daughter on Goodreads

Purchase links
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Disclosure: If you buy a book via the above link, I may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops

Hive | Amazon UK
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My Review

I was first introduced to Martha Conway’s writing when I read The Floating Theatre back in 2017. There are echoes of the theme of that book, a young woman having to make her own way in the world, in The Physician’s Daughter.  A neat touch is the inclusion at the beginning of each chapter of quotations from books and periodicals dating from the period. Some of these are laugh out loud funny for their outrageously outdated views on the role of women and the ‘trials’ of marriage.

I confess I found the book very slow to begin within.  For me the most compelling part was Jacob’s story. I felt his experiences during the Civil War and its aftermath allowed the author to explore the impact of war not just on the individuals involved but on their loved ones. For Jacob, the memories of what he saw and endured as a prisoner of war have taken a heavy psychological and emotional toll. ‘He woke up shaking and sweating, his heart thundering in his chest.’ (I’ll confess the existence of the Confederate prison of war camp at Andersonville and the atrocities that went on there was new to me.) Although the project he and his friend, killed during the war, planned to pursue together provides him with a degree of focus, he is resigned to leading a rather solitary life… until he meets Vita.

I admired Vita’s determination to follow her dream in spite of the opposition of her father and the limitations placed on women’s independence by society. The spiteful remarks of her sister, Amelia, don’t help either. At times I became frustrated that Vita was so easily swayed by the comments of others, often just snatches of overheard conversations. Having arrived at an arrangement that might offer the freedom she seeks, her misinterpretation of a chance remark results in her making a series of rash decisions. There were a number of occasions where I wanted to say ‘Vita, don’t do that!’ or ‘You’ve got it all wrong’.

Vita’s family has also been affected by the war. Her father is consumed by thoughts of what might have been and, ironically, Vita’s ambition to become a doctor, following in his own footsteps, only makes his anguish worse. Meanwhile Vita’s mother seeks other ways to dull the pain of loss whilst being more supportive of Vita’s desire to make something more of her life than just marriage and motherhood.

Vita definitely grows as a character as the book progresses. In particular, she is very open to acknowledging her strengths and weaknesses, recognising that there is more to being a doctor than memorising conditions and medication; listening – really listening – to your patients is important too.  This really comes home to her in some dramatic scenes towards the end of the book.

The outcome I’d hoped for eventually does come about and the book concludes on a hopeful note. I was left with the sense that although Vita’s pursuit of her ambition is going to be an uphill task with the right support she will get there.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Zaffre via NetGalley.

In three words: Engaging, well-researched, detailed

Try something similar: The Unquiet Heart by Kaite Welsh

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MarthaConwayAbout the Author

Martha Conway is the author of several novels including The Underground River, which was a New York Times Book Editor’s Choice (entitled The Floating Theatre in the U.K.). Her novel Thieving Forest won the North American Book Award for Best Historical Fiction.

Born in Ohio and one of seven sisters, she now makes her home in California.

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