Tag: historical fiction

#BlogTour #BookReview Gods of Rome (Rise of Emperors 3) by Gordon Doherty and Simon Turney @AriesFiction

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Gods of Rome by Gordon Doherty and Simon Turney, the third and final instalment in the Rise of Emperors series. My thanks to Jade and Andrew at Head of Zeus for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy.

Gods of RomeAbout the Book

For one to rule, the other must die.

312 AD is a year of horrific and brutal warfare. Constantine’s northern army is a small force, plagued by religious rivalries, but seemingly unstoppable as they invade Maxentius’ Italian heartlands. These relentless clashes, incidents of treachery and twists of fortune see Maxentius’ armies driven back to Rome.

Constantine has his prize in sight, yet his army is diminished and on the verge of revolt. Maxentius meanwhile works to calm a restive and dissenting Roman populace. When the two forces clash in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, there are factors at work beyond their control and soon they are left with carnage.

There is only one way Constantine and Maxentius’ rivalry will end. With one on a bloodied sword and the other the sole ruler of Rome . . .

Format: Hardcover (464 pages)                Publisher: Aries
Publication date: 11th November 2021    Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Gods of Rome on Goodreads

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My Review

Gods of Rome is the final instalment in the trilogy that began with Sons of Rome and continued with Masters of Rome (which I have yet to read). Gods of Rome represents the culmination of the story of the relentless battle between Constantine and Maxentius to become Emperor of Rome. For those who have not read the earlier books, Gods of Rome can certainly be read as a standalone as there are brief references to previous events dotted throughout the book.  However, the events in Gods of Rome take place over a much shorter time period than the previous two so to gain a full sense of how two former friends were transformed into implacable enemies,  I’d recommend reading the series from the beginning.

As in the previous two books, the chapters alternate between the first person points of view of Constantine and Maxentius, providing an intimate insight into each man’s character. At one particular point, just before the momentous Battle of the Milvian Bridge, the reader witnesses the same scene from each man’s point of view, which I thought was a brilliant concept.

So what do we learn about the two men? Constantine is driven, battle-hardened and a skilled tactician. However, he is hampered by religious differences within his army which at times threaten to reduce it to a squabbling rabble rather than a united fighting force. It’s not until late in the day that he finds a way to bring the different factions together under a single credo, one which proves decisive.

Maxentius is a planner and more inclined to adopt a defensive strategy. Of the two, he is the one who finds it more difficult to come to terms with the fact his former friend is now his foe. Having said that, both have justifiable reason to hate each other for past actions. One gets a sense of two men fighting a very personal battle but one which has consequences for many hundreds of thousands of others.

Talking of battles, the battle scenes in the book are brilliantly described in all their visceral, chaotic and gory detail, demonstrating not only the authors’ ability to write thrilling and immersive scenes but also their in-depth knowledge of Roman weaponry, military structures and strategy. For example, this as Constantine’s forces attack the city of Verona held by Maxentius. ‘A single sound composed of a thousand threads at any one time, all of them screams or thuds or metallic rasps, whistles, shouted orders, death rattles, cracking stone, surgeons’ saws, fiery explosions, neighing, struggling. Death, death, death.’ Or this, as Constantine leads the attack at the climactic Battle of the Milvian Bridge. ‘Chaos reigned: whinnying, screaming, weapons whacking into flesh, bursting heads and limbs spinning free of bodies, horses rolling, hooves flailing, enemy riders peeling from the saddle, hacked and cleaved from shoulder to gut.’

Obviously the book is dominated by the figures of Constantine and Maxentius, but I found their wives – Fausta and Valeria – equally fascinating. Both are the objects of strategic marriages which in fact have divided more than they have united the rival families.  Valeria acts as a confidante to Maxentius, is never afraid to voice her opinion and exercises power in her own subtle way. Indeed, had she been born male, I suspect she would have made a formidable adversary.  Because of past events, Fausta maintains a relentlessly cold attitude towards Constantine. However, she is also the person who probably understands him best. ‘I know what you are, Constantine. A creature bred in battle, reared on a diet of blood.’  Fausta is a fierce opponent of the war between the two men, not only because Maxentius is her brother and a victory by Constantine would result in his death, but also because she is appalled at the waste of human life – on all sides – that their conflict involves.

In their historical note at the end of the book, the authors explain where fact meets fiction and, where there is either a lack of contemporary sources or a conflict between different sources, the basis for their speculations.  There’s also a useful glossary for those who can’t tell their spatha from their spiculum.

Although students of history will be aware how the conflict between Constantine and Maxentius ends, it takes nothing away from the tension of the final chapters. Gods of Rome is a terrific end to an enthralling series. If you have an interest in Roman history, military history or just like your historical fiction to be action-packed, this is the book (and series) for you.

In three words: Action-packed, gripping, authentic

Try something similar: Legionary: The Blood Road by Gordon Doherty, Caligula by Simon Turney

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About the Authors

Simon Turney is the author of the Marius’ Mules and Praetorian series, as well as The Damned Emperor series for Orion and Tales of the Empire series for Canelo. He is based in Yorkshire.

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Gordon Doherty is the author of the Legionary and Strategos series, and wrote the Assassin’s Creed tie-in novel Odyssey. He is based in Scotland.

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#BookReview Down a Dark River (Inspector Corravan #1) by Karen Odden @crookedlanebks @karen_odden

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Down A Dark RiverAbout the Book

London, 1878. One April morning, a small boat bearing a young woman’s corpse floats down the murky waters of the Thames. When the victim is identified as Rose Albert, daughter of a prominent judge, the Scotland Yard director gives the case to Michael Corravan, one of the only Senior Inspectors remaining after a corruption scandal the previous autumn left the division in ruins. Reluctantly, Corravan abandons his ongoing case, a search for the missing wife of a shipping magnate, handing it over to his young colleague, Mr. Stiles.

An Irish former bare-knuckles boxer and dockworker from London’s seedy East End, Corravan has good street sense and an inspector’s knack for digging up clues. But he’s confounded when, a week later, a second woman is found dead in a rowboat, and then a third. The dead women seem to have no connection whatsoever. Meanwhile, Mr. Stiles makes an alarming discovery: the shipping magnate’s missing wife, Mrs. Beckford, may not have fled her house because she was insane, as her husband claims, and Mr. Beckford may not be the successful man of business that he appears to be.

Slowly, it becomes clear that the river murders and the case of Mrs. Beckford may be linked through some terrible act of injustice in the past—for which someone has vowed a brutal vengeance. Now, with the newspapers once again trumpeting the Yard’s failures, Corravan must dredge up the truth—before London devolves into a state of panic and before the killer claims another innocent victim.

Format: ebook (336 pages)                   Publisher: Crooked Lane
Publication date: 9th November 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime, Mystery

Find Down a Dark River (Inspector Corravan #1) on Goodreads

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My Review

As regular followers of my blog will know, I love a good historical crime mystery; even better if it’s part of a series. (You can find some of my favourites here.) Unfortunately, I seem to make a habit of discovering series that have been going for some time – Sarah Hawkswood’s Bradecote and Catchpoll series, I’m looking at you – so I’m delighted to be in at the beginning of what looks like a terrific new series.

In Michael (Mickey) Corravan Karen Odden has created an attractively multi-faceted character. He has a strong sense of justice, is handy in a fight (thanks to his earlier experiences as a prize-fighter) and has worked his way up from humble beginnings to the rank of Senior Inspector at Scotland Yard, even if he sometimes feels he doesn’t fit in. ‘The Yard was changing.  The whole bloody world was changing. But I wasn’t sure I had it in me to be different than I was.‘ He has some inner demons too, which to my mind only adds to his attractiveness as a character. At one point the behaviour of another character leads him to reflect, ‘There was something about her desperation that edged too close to memories that I’d rather let lie‘. I”ll admit to developing a bit of a crush on Corravan although I’m conscious that will bring me a formidable opponent in the person of Mrs Belinda Gale. A successful novelist and playwright, she’s Corravan’s Thursday night paramour but also the person who knows him best, even if he occasionally finds her perceptive scrutiny uncomfortable. ‘I loved Belinda – of course I did. But she liked to haul thoughts and feelings out into the light to examine them, and sometimes mine were wily and furtive and wanted to be left alone in the dark.’

In the book, the Thames is not just means of transport or trade but a metaphor for all that’s murky and malevolent in London society. As Corravan observes of the Thames, ‘I say it’s mostly a cesspool, a receptacle for the entire city’s detritus, complete with entrails and rotting corpses..it’s easy to imagine the Thames as a live serpent, filthy and slithering at my back‘. Definitely a dark river then. And it’s not only the river that is dark. The book features some particularly unpleasant (male) characters whose sense of entitlement makes them believe they are above the law and free to abuse others with impunity. Bribes, favours and convenient looks the other way are their currency. Remind you of anything?

The skilfully crafted plot has plenty of twists and turns with events described in such a way that I felt as if I was looking over Corravan’s shoulder as he tries to puzzle things out. Not for nothing is he described as ‘like a dog with a bone’. I also loved the cast of secondary characters, such as Corravan’s diligent colleague, Stiles, his wise doctor friend, James, and young Harry who Corravan is persuaded to take under his wing and whose eclectic knowledge proves more useful than he might have imagined.

I thought Down A Dark River was terrific and I want to thank Karen for offering me a review copy and for introducing me to Corravan. I sincerely hope this will be the first of many more cases for him. If you’re a fan of historical crime mysteries, I can heartily recommend Down A Dark River.

In three words: Atmospheric, ingenious, suspenseful

Try something similar: Death Makes No Distinction by Lucienne Boyce

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Karen OddenAbout the Author

Karen received her Ph.D. in English literature from New York University and subsequently taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her first novel, A Lady in the Smoke, was a USA Today bestseller and A Dangerous Duet and A Trace of Deceit have won awards for historical mystery and historical fiction. Her fourth mystery, Down a Dark River, will be available November 9, 2021. (Bio: Goodreads/Photo: Author website)

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