New Warrior of Rome book coming

[Caballo - PB]

And the cover quality is better that volume one...

Really enjoyed the first two.

[john m roberts]

Is he left-handed in the book?

[mcbishop]

Is he left-handed in the book?

Times were hard in 3rd-century Syria - so hard that they had to use 1st-century horse harness. Oh boy.

Mike Bishop

[Caballo - PB]

It could be worse.

Imagine, you are a respected Oxford university academic. You've written a pacy Roman novel, drawing as authentically as you can on Dura Europas finds.

And the publisher gives you this cover.


Then you write a second. And the publisher gets a little better. But not much.



Deep in the stacks of the Bodelian library , no-one can hear you scream....

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

In fact, not only the harnesses. Except the helmet, all the equipment is first century...
Looking the white horse, seems the picture is "reworked" over a timetrotter picture.

[Conal]

It's the bain of many an author .. just reading a western set in 1870s with a cover from 1750s!!

[Zenobia of Palmyra]

I loved the first book in this series! I need to get around to reading the next ones

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I bought the books one bored afternoon. But to be honest, the covers are responsible for them lanquishing in the pile unread,
being bypassed by other publications. I will ahave to read them sometime.

[John Conyard]

The new book arrived yesterday and I am really enjoying it. It is superior fiction based on sound scholarship. You can but smile when a a bit of Ammianus Marcellinus emerges from the pages.

[Nathan Ross]

I've just read the first of these books, and it was a pretty pacy read so I'll try and get hold of the second. The military detail was impressive - but with Ammianus' siege descriptions and the Dura Europos material as background, that's not surprising I was a bit less impressed with the story, and particularly the characters - all a bit two dimensional, and even the hero doesn't exactly leap off the page. I don't know if this changes in the second book, but the women of Arete seldom escape adolescent fantasy. Maybe this isn't an issue in 'military' fiction, but other 'ancient Roman' novelists manage credible female characters, so it let the book down badly for me.

The siege and its build-up, with the problems amongst the city worthies and so on, actually reminded me of the novel A God Strolling in the Cool of Evening by Mario de Carvalho, which is about the magistrate of a provincial city in Lusitania trying to muster a defence against maraudering Moors. Less military focus, and more character stuff, but the siege itself is very well done, I thought. (There's also a subtext link, maybe - Sidebottom's 'jihadist' Persians and de Carvalho's 'pre-Islamic' Moors, assailing an outpost of Western Civilisation!)

- Nathan

[bachmat66]

hey gents,
I bought and read the first novel of the series - so few novels dealing with ancient Iranian empires. I liked and disliked it at the same time. The Romans and their subjects in the Syrian and Mesopotamian provinces can be credible enough, the built up and siege had kept me interested or rather glued to the pages, but I could not get the "Persians" aka Sassanids.
As my predecessor (Nathan Ross) stated too much jihad in their depiction, too little real Iranians. They do feel more like the army of Islamic Turks during the Timur Lang savage conquests in XIV century Iran and Anatolia than the Sassanid Iranians. I have not read any other installment because I got turned off by that aspect of the novel, perhaps I am wrong here. But I think for the Greco-Romano 'centrists' this novel is a must, as it deals, in a fictionalized way, with one of the greatest wars of the later Roman Empire.
Actually I lament the very lack of pre-Islamic Iranians, be it from Central Asia or Iran proper, in the historical novels of today, the notable exception is the very prose by our member Christian Cameron whose work I can endorse wholeheartedly, some mistakes notwithstanding - but then errare humanum est.
ps
Nathan, I just added to my shopping bag 'A God Strolling in Cool of Evening' because of your endorsement, it is good to read historical fiction from outside the English speaking writers, a bit different approach sometimes, although must say British historical novels' writers are excellent!
ps"
by the way, what you guys think about this book Imperium by R. Harris , I read his 'Pompei' one, was very very entertaining http://www.amazon.com/Imperium-Novel-An ... pd_sim_b_1

[John Conyard]

I am fascinated by Dura and Sidebottom brought the seige to life for me in his first novel. I find "his" version of the 3rd century army very credible. I fear Sassanians lie beyond my scope. The writer almost teaches as he entertains. I found I was reading Sidebottom's book with a copy of James close at hand.

The only other novelist I've read for ages is Cameron, and I can heartily endorse his Tyrant series. I have a great interest in Greek and Hellenistic cavalry. His characters are certainly engaging and the story lines rivetting.

Both authors will keep me entertained this summer.

[Nathan Ross]

I recently finished the second of these books, and actually enjoyed it much more than the first. The descriptions of a third century army on campaign feel very believable, as John says. One of the pleasures of these novels, actually, is finding the little quotes and references to sources like the Historia Augusta ('a work of ancient fiction', says the afterword!) stitched into the story. A few years ago I did some research on the persecution of the Christians, and read many of the recorded martyr trials, so it was interesting to see some of that turning up in fictional form too. I'm still not too struck on the hero, with all that valhalla stuff, and the humour falls a bit flat, but generally I'm looking forward to book three - will Sidebottom manage to avoid having his hero killed by the Palmyrenes?

One other nitpicky point - I thought proskynesis was an introduction of the Constantinian era, so it's strange to find it here in Valerian's day. But perhaps Sidebottom's making an ironic point about 'Roman freedom'?

- Nathan

[Caballo - PB]

Just finished the latest one- again, very much enjoyed it. A good appendix as well. Next book apparently pits Ballisat against some brigands...

[Paul Elliott]

Re. covers. I suppose the trick here is to get into re-enactment, then get your book published, then offer shots of yourself to the publishers in the hope they'll use it for the cover!

I did this with my non-fiction book, The Last Legionary: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Legionary-Life-Roman-Soldier/dp/1862273634/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1283979476&sr=8-2

Its about to be re-issued as a second edition, and luckily they've asked me to provide more images to give them some options. Admitted, though, this is non-fiction, and I agree, fiction is a different beast. Some of Simon Scarrow's covers are very dodgy, for example.