Category: Historical Fiction Publisher: Head of Zeus - Aries
ISBN-10: 180024200X
Type: Fiction
Pages: 433
Copyright: Oct 15th 2020
ISBN-13: 9781800242005
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
The epic story of Constantine the Great and his bitter rival, Maxentius.
Four Emperors. Two Friends. One Destiny.
As twilight descends on the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire is but a shadow of its former self. Decades of usurping emperors, splinter kingdoms and savage wars have left the people beleaguered, the armies weary and the future uncertain. And into this chaos Emperor Diocletian steps, reforming the succession to allow for not one emperor to rule the world, but four.
Meanwhile, two boys share a chance meeting in the great city of Treverorum as Diocletian's dream is announced to the imperial court. Throughout the years that follow, they share heartbreak and glory as that dream sours and the empire endures an era of tyranny and dread. Their lives are inextricably linked, their destinies ever-converging as they rise through Rome's savage stations, to the zenith of empire. For Constantine and Maxentius, the purple robes beckon...
Excerpt
The Road to Rome, 27th October 312 AD
It was the eve of the battle that would come to define us: not just my kin, nor my empire – that great and ancient empire that sprung from the very city upon which I was poised to march – but nigh-on every soul on this mortal realm. And forever when they spoke of it they would whisper my name:
Constantine.
A clement breeze bathed me, furrowing my greying locks as I looked south along the Via Flaminia – the road that would take me to my goal. Either side of the great highway, my loyal legions were camped: a sea of goatskin tents, bright banners, honed blades and polished helms glinting in the languid orange light of the late afternoon sun. A soldier knows that the eve of any battle is charged with emotions that take a man closer to his god, but that day, something occurred which, some say, instead brought the divine before my men.
When it happened, the cornflower sky was unblemished with cloud, so it was no surprise that all within my ranks saw it: a bright, radiant halo suddenly stretched around the sun; a burst of light that briefly illuminated the land as if it were noonday once more. I shielded my eyes to the glare, heard my legions gasp, the thud of their knees hitting the ground, the cantillating songs of fused faiths rising in awe. Within a few heartbeats it was gone.
Men still speak of what happened there. Some talk of that nimbate sun as a vision bestowed upon me to guide me in battle the next day. Others claim I conjured the story of the lights in order to mask my flinty and insatiable ambition. Every soul doubtless has a theory on this and my many other endeavours, and what is a man but the sum of his deeds?
Well let me be the one to tell you of my deeds, both light and dark. What happened that afternoon on the road to Rome was neither an omen from the divine, nor a callous yarn to cloak mortal ambition: it was a moment of great realisation, and the culmination of a journey, just as my mother had once foretold.
Now every journey has a story, but this one is a truly dark and tangled tale – one that would end, the very next day, in battle against my oldest friend…
Professional Reviews
Ben Kane
'A page turner from beginning to end ... A damn fine read' Ben Kane.
David's Book Blurg
Regular readers of my blog will no doubt recognise the names Simon Turney & Gordon Doherty, both have featured more than a few times and I must say they always know what I’m after as a reader. I’ve never read a jointly written book before but with these guys behind it I knew it would be a cracking read.
Sons of Rome follows the footsteps of Constantine and Maxentius as the grow from little boys into men fighting for the purple robe of the empire!
The prologue sets the scene for the series as we meet Constantine on the eve of battle against someone he once knew as friend.. how did they get here.. what happened to change those boys.
Power.. that’s what.. and paranoia.
As boys Maxentius and Constantine see Emperor Diocletian share his vision for the future, the empire is too big for one man to rule.. Diocletian wishes to create a new system to share power, A Tetrarchy, which will also inturn decide rightly who will rule when an Augustus dies.
The issue is both boys have fathers who are flawed and neither are really shown the love and affection a young boy needs.
As men both are overlooked and we see them navigate what can only be described as a nightmare of events for both of them..each always thinking of the other but never truly understanding the others motives..jealously and paranoia strike at every turn and while you hope for things to turn out ok nothing is going to stop the black events that are going to follow.
War and death stalk them…greed and the urge to show strength lead both men to do things they likely regret but can never admit.. to proud.. and scared to admit the truth…as they grow you see their hearts turn black, ever changed by the events that mould them into the men they are.
Knowing both authors styles I had no worries at all that the joint effort would be anything but a masterpiece, but they have surpassed all expectations and have given me a true highlight in what has been a pretty shitty year.. we’ve waited for this team up for sooooo long but it was worth the wait!
If you are a fan of the writers’ or just love the genre then I promise you will not be disappointed. It’s got the historic detail you won’t but mixed with a well woven and written plot that flowed almost effortlessly.
Oh, I loved it that much I pre-ordered a limtied editon signed copy from Parmenion Books (Parm was the 1st stop on the tour so do take a look and follow the tour)
5/5 Stars!
Parmenion Books
What happens when two very talented and prolific authors get their heads together and come up with an idea…. The result can be pure genius.
Simon Turney and Gordon Doherty with over 56 novels between them have really become among the best individual writers in their genre, but combining their talents… that was something new and would need a huge amount of cooperation and discussion. Thankfully these two friends have meshed together their talents and voices seamlessly.
Sons of Rome is a story that grabs you from the first page, it follows both Maxentius and Constantine from childhood , through their growth to power and how they survive the perilous intrigue and back stabbing that forms the daily life in the courts of Emperors, how their personalities and Psyche were formed, how they developed into such powerful figures of history.
Both of these authors are characters writers and creators, in their various series they have a skill that breathes life into dusty history, adding flesh to these famous names is not enough, they want you to love their creations, to root for them, to become invested in them, but with diverging agendas you find yourself invested in two people who are destined to become at odds with one another, its a strange feeling. The style of one author writing Constantine and the other Maxentius and then having them staggered through the books adds a frenetic pace to the reading of this book, you cant put it down because you want to find out what Constantine did next, then how did Maxtenius react to that…. and on and on until…. suddenly the book is over and you’re left desperate to have more.
I honestly put this book as a really contender for book of the year, its a brilliant achievement, and one i encourage you all to read.
It is hard to write good historical fiction, following the facts and now. The Roman era as probably the most fiction written about it. I recall reading Quo Vadis in high school. From your reviews of your previous books, I believe this one will do very well, fleshing out the character of historic figures.
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