Category Archives: Historical Fiction

The Eagle’s Shadow by Keith Nixon – Review

Title – The Eagle’s Shadow
Author – Keith Nixon
Genre – Historical Fiction
Publication – 8^th June 2014
My Rating – 5/5

Synopsis

One man stands against the might of the Roman Empire. His name is Caradoc.

In Rome a new Emperor, Claudius, accedes the throne. But he is politically weak, enemies who would take his place circle and plot. If he is to survive Claudius needs a triumph, one that marks him as a leader of men.

Claudius’s eye turns to the mysterious isle of Britannia, home of the supernatural Druids and brutal, wild-eyed warriors, reputed to fight naked. The place not even Julius Caesar could conquer.

AD43 and a massive invasion force, commanded by Aulus Plautius, lands on a tiny corner of Britannia. Caradoc, King of the country’s most powerful tribe, assembles an army to throw his enemy back over the water and into Gaul.

But divisions are rife and there are those who are secretly working with the Romans for their own benefit. The very future of the country is at risk and only one man can safeguard it…

Review

This book is a fast paced, epic war story and boy did I enjoy it.

First of there is a lot of information in this book but Keith very handily added a section at the beginning of the book to explain the names used within the book since place names have changed over the years along with rivers etc. This was not only useful so I could set the scene but it was also very interesting information

We find ourselves thrust into time when Rome was planning to invade Britain and the author decided to tell his tale from both the Roman and the Britons view point. This gave a great feel to the book and broke up the action perfectly so you kept reading without even noticing the time pass.

Keith has picked a very interesting subject for the book and built on this story with the characters. There are a few I liked a lot.. Fionn & Etain stood out for me. The action with Fionn had me hooked!

There are a large number of characters in this book; Because of this some don’t get a chance to develop. Once you read the book you can totally understand why though as there so much going on in the book it would be too much to squeeze in and also the story is so strong and violent it’s inevitable some of these characters will die

The author goes into some great detail describing the warfare tactics and clearly has researched well.

I felt the story easily pulled me in and I even found myself shouting in my head “Move, Move” when it came to clashes between the two armies.

One of the most interesting parts of this book for me was the relationships between the tribes in Britain at the time. I won’t spoil the book for you but these relationships coupled with the unified force of the Romans made for an epic tale

From reading the authors historical notes he gives a great insight into some of the characters and the time period and it’s definitely peaked my interest and made me want to read up on this time period.

I’m very pleased to see there is a follow up book and I’m looking forward to reading/reviewing that soon

Conclusion… Do I think this book is worth the 99p asking price currently on Amazon? Hell yes!

If you enjoy tales involving warfare, blood, guts, tension, betrayal then you will certainly like this book

To find out more about this book head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Knight of the Cross By Steven A. McKay – Review

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Title – Knight of the Cross
Author – Steven A. McKay
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 103 Pages
Publication – 19th September 2014
My Rating – 5/5

Synopsis

The Knights Hospitaller battle ancient evil in medieval Rhodes as mysterious disappearances and insane devil-worshippers threaten to turn the entire island into a bloodbath…

When three Hospitallers go missing from a local village outraged Grand Master Foulques de Villaret sends the English knight Sir Richard-at-Lee and his trusted sergeant-at-arms Jacob to discover their fate. Met with resistance from frightened locals and rumours of a blasphemous sect performing unspeakable rites beneath the village Sir Richard must overcome not only the devil-worshippers but the faceless, unstoppable demon that stalks his dreams.

Fans of the best-selling Forest Lord books “Wolf’s Head” and “The Wolf and the Raven” will enjoy this spin-off novella that sees the much-loved English knight up against a foe that threatens not just his life and his sanity, but God himself!

Review

First off this is a novella. For anyone who hasn’t read a novella before it’s less pages than a full story but more pages than a short story.

This tale focuses on Sir Richard, If you’ve read Steven’s first two books Wolf’s Head and The Wolf and the Raven you’ll be familiar with the character.

I definitely think the author did the right thing. As such a strong character Sir Richard deserved his own tale.

Ok, so in this story we see Sir Richard tasked to investigate some strange disappearances of not only villagers but also some Hospitallers.

It’s a very intriguing story which gives a great insight in to Steven as an author as he adds in a touch of fantasy with this book which gives it a great twist after reading his other work.

In all honesty it’s well worth the 99p asking price currently on Amazon, well written and even though it’s only 100 or so pages if felt like a much larger tale. Steven managed brilliantly to fit a story into such a small amount of pages.

I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing the authors next book The Rise of the Wolf and especially looking forward to seeing what direction he takes after this.

I felt the added fantasy to this book made it quite unique compared to everything else I’ve read and it will be interesting to see if Steven will continue down these lines or branch out in to something completely different.

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Strategos: Rise of the Golden Heart by Gordon Doherty – Review

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Title – Strategos: Rise of the Golden Heart
Author – Gordon Doherty
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 410 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – June 14^th 2013
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Stay strong, Haga, for the Golden Heart will rise in the west. At dawn, he will wear the guise of a lion hunter. At noon, he will march to the east as if to conquer the sun itself. At dusk, you will stand with him in the final battle, like an island in the storm . . .

1068 AD: the armies of the Seljuk Sultanate tear at Byzantium’s borders, poised to strike the death blow that will bring all Anatolia under their yoke. Alp Arslan’s armies grow stronger with every passing season, while the beleaguered Byzantine soldiers defend for their lives, the hope in their hearts guttering its last.

This war has been Apion’s mistress for many years, casting a dark shadow across his soul. When the mysterious crone comes to him, she can offer him only a glimmer of light. But at the darkest of moments, the smallest chink of light can be blinding. It will sweep Apion into the heart of the empire, Constantinople, and then onto the arid plains of Syria. It will taunt him with trust, betrayal, intrigue, love and brutal conflict. But, above all, it will offer him hope.

Review

First off have you read the first book in the series?? If not… why?? Head here to read my review of Strategos – Born in the Borderlands

12 years have passed since we last saw Apion.. and by the authors own words they have been 12 bloody years..

The tone of the book is set from the start. Words that come to mind are Dark, Revenge & War

Apion and Nasir are locked in what looks like a never ending war between their opposing armies and from the start of the book you can tell Apion is currently on the losing side.. the borderlands of the empire look set to fall.. the Haga and his loyal men including my favourites from the previous book Sha, Blastares and Procopius stand in the way of the Seljuk army.

After a lot of bloodshed we see Apion summoned to Constantinople where we are introduced to a lot of new characters. The one I found interested me the most was Dederic a fellow solider, his character gains depth throughout the book, I love Apion don’t get me wrong but I absolutely loved Dederic.

The plot of the book surpassed any expectations I had. There’s so much crammed in to the book its crazy but nothing feels rushed or misplaced.

Now Apion along with his men are tasked to head into Syria and take the war to the Seljuks..and Nasir.

I don’t want to give away anything but Gordon manages to bring some conclusion to the whole Apion/Nasir revenge storyline while also leaving you on tenterhooks as to what will happen next. There are some big surprises in store for you lucky readers.

The author clearly knows his stuff, he fills you with so much background information throughout the book but I never felt bogged down.

If I was to think of anything I didn’t like it would only be that Sha, Blastares and Procopius don’t play as big a part in this book as I would have liked but saying that once you read the story you can tell why.. Gordon weaved such a good tale that these guys needed to take a step back in order to see the story develop.

This is such a good book and I can’t wait to get time to read the 3^rd book! I highly recommend to check out Gordon’s work.

Gordon has quickly became a favorite author of mine and i’m excited to see what lies ahead

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Palatine: The Four Emperors Series: Book I by L.J. Trafford – Review

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Title – Palatine: The Four Emperors Series: Book I
Author – L. J. Trafford
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 428 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – 30th June 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Debauchery. Depravity. Decadence.Just everyday life at the imperial palace.Whilst Emperor Nero plays with his new water organ and a cross-dressing eunuch, his wily secretary Epaphroditus manages affairs of state. But dissent and rebellion are growing across the empire, and Nero is soon to discover playtime is over.Praetorian prefect Nymphidius Sabinus, disgusted by the moral degeneracy, secretly plots the overthrow of Nero’s court. Motivated by the traditional Roman values of valour and nobility, yet blinded by his own righteousness, Sabinus is ignorant of what he has unleashed – The Year of the Four Emperors.Palatine is the first in an enthralling four-book series about the tumultuous ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ which will appeal to fans of Lindsey Davis and George R. R. Martin.

Review

I’m a big fan of historical fiction so when I was offered a review copy of this book I was very excited to say the least.

This book focuses on Emperor Nero and his eventual death after the Praetorian prefect Nymphidius Sabinus decides he’s had enough of his behaviour and gets the Praetorian Guard to desert him and back Galba as Emperor.

The author decided to write this book from a number of different perspectives which made it a very interesting read. I think that’s probably the thing I liked the most about the book.. the characters and the sheer number of them. Best of all, the story didn’t feel rushed/forced and flowed nicely from one person to another

I thought each character was handled well and was given depth as the story went on even though it was subtle.. when you finish the book and look back you can see the time that has been put into each of their stories.

Ok.. so you want me to tell you somethings I didn’t like.. Well…there’s nothing really.

For me this was a well-planned/written book that hooked me in. The way the author managed to fit so many little stories into the main story was brilliant! I particularly enjoyed any conversation involving Philo. His life is so wonderfully complicated. Not to spoil anything I won’t say much but he was by far my favourite person in the book. I’ve been left wanting more.

The good news is there are 3 more books planned and I’m looking forward to Galba arriving on the scene. With my limited knowledge of the man I expect the second book will be as good as the first if not better!

I can’t really comment on historical accuracy as I’m no expert but everything seems to fit with me so I hope anyone who enjoys historical fiction will give this book a read. I wasn’t disappointed and I believe you won’t be either

To view the book in more detail head to Goodreads, Karnac Books, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Wolf and the Raven (The Forest Lord #2) By Steven A. McKay – Review

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Title – The Wolf and the Raven (The Forest Lord #2)
Author – Steven A. McKay
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 327 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – 7th April 2014
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

In the aftermath of a violent rebellion Robin Hood and his men must fight for survival with an enemy deadlier than any they’ve faced before…

1322. England is in disarray and Sir Guy of Gisbourne, the king’s own bounty hunter, stalks the greenwood, bringing bloody justice to the outlaws and rebels who hide there.
When things begin to go horribly wrong self-pity, grief and despair threaten to overwhelm the young wolf’s head who will need the support of his friends and family now more than ever. But Robin’s friends have troubles of their own and, this time, not all of them will escape with their lives…

Review

First off… have you read the first book in the series? If not, why??? Get it now. Click here to see my review of Wolf’s Head!

Okay so here goes.. book number two.. high hopes after the first instalment. The pressure was on to deliver!! And boy did this book do that!

So from the synopsis you can gather the revolt didn’t go well. We are thrust straight into the action with Robin and the other rebels fighting against the king’s men. When Robin sees the war is over he orders his men back to the forest.

We see Robin beaten, men killed, imprisonments, executions the works. There is a lot of meat on the bone in this book and it makes it a very good read indeed.

Personally I feel this book is much darker than the first and even though I gave the first book 5* the author raised the standard!

Now I guess you want to know a little about the story.. well honestly if I told you anything I think it would spoil it. There’s so much happens that I want to tell you but you need to read it for yourself.

By far the best thing about the book is the development. The author has clearly developed the characters since the first book. Yes some characters only play small parts in this book but you can’t have everything.

Another thing I really liked about this tale was that things don’t always go Robin’s way. He’s beaten and broken, physically and mentally and there are a few moments you feel Robin may just give up.

The author had me wondering if even Robin would survive to make it to book number 3!

In this book we see the addition of Sir Guy of Gisborne.. turns out he’s more of an evil b*****d than I thought he would be! Wow. Ruthless doesn’t cut it.

We also see a very interesting tale with Sir Richard the Templar knight develop with the action moving from one point of view to another.

I think Steven took some risks with this book, certain characters meet their end and I honestly thought no way would he kill those characters off…. But he did.. and it works. It meant more development of Robin could happen as you can see him struggling with the events that unfold and you see another side to the man.

As a fan of audio books I also listened to this book while reading along. I guess this would be my only comment for the author. I didn’t much like the narrators voice. He didn’t emphasize words enough or put emotion into his voice. Overall I thought he was just too quiet for my liking but saying that, it’s just my opinion. It wouldn’t put me off audio at all… I just wanted more from the narrator.

Overall this book is top notch. The whole setup of the book is well planned to keep the reader engaged and it surpasses all expectations after the first book and I’m looking forward to seeing the direction Steven’s work will take after book 3 is released.

For more reviews or to purchase the book head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Siege (Agent of Rome #1) by Nick Brown – Review

Strategos – Born in the Borderlands (Strategos #1) by Gordon Doherty – Review

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Title – Strategos – Born in the Borderlands (Strategos #1)
Author – Gordon Doherty
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 420 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – 12^th December 2011
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

When the falcon has flown, the mountain lion will charge from the east, and all Byzantium will quake. Only one man can save the empire . . . the Haga!

1046 AD. The Byzantine Empire teeters on full-blown war with the Seljuk Sultanate. In the borderlands of Eastern Anatolia, a land riven with bloodshed and doubt, young Apion’s life is shattered in one swift and brutal Seljuk night raid. Only the benevolence of Mansur, a Seljuk farmer, offers him a second chance of happiness.

Yet a hunger for revenge burns in Apion’s soul, and he is drawn down a dark path that leads him right into the heart of a conflict that will echo through the ages.

Review

I’m a fan of Gordon already after reading the first three novels in his other series Legionary so I was very pleased when offered the chance to read the first book in the Strategos series.

This book is split into two parts first being Apion’s early life, we slowly find out how he became a slave and earned his scar which haunts him day after day. We see him rescued from this life by Mansur. We see him learn from Mansur and this gives the characters a lot of depth and you feel like a father yourself seeing Apion coming out of his shell forging friendships with Mansur’s daughter Maria and their neighbouring farmer’s son Nasir. The author definitely put a lot of time into the development of the storyline and it pays off.

You can tell straight away Mansur being a Seljuk living in the lands of the empire won’t go down well with some people and you are introduced to the character Bracchus who I took and instant dislike to with his threats. I could tell there was something behind this character as soon as you were introduced to him but I had no idea things would play out the way they did.

The second part of the book focuses on Apion’s life after he joins the armies of the Empire to fight in the inevitable war with the Seljuk. We see him fight against his own body in order to prove himself. After sometime we see Apion become the man he wanted to be, not the runt he felt as a young boy.

Apion progresses through the ranks of the army forming friendships with Nepos, Procopius, Sha & Blastares. All of these characters are unique and have their own talents. I loved every single one of them.

I don’t like to give away too much but a lot happens here, friendships are tested. Along the way a number of people are lost and we learn a lot more about Apion’s past.

This book really has been one of my favourite reads. This book is full of action and even more development which I think is essential when writing a series of books, without good character development its hard to keep the reader engaged enough to buy the next installment.

Gordon has a talent of keeping the reader interested, you find yourself getting lost in the story and before you know it your hit with and ending that leaves you gasping for more. As a reader I was hooked and will be purchasing the next book in the series soon as there’s no way I can continue without finding out what happens next.

Keep your eyes peeled; in the near future I’ll be adding Gordon to my Author Spotlight page where I’ll give a brief overview of his other series and why he is one of my favourite authors to date

To find out more about this book head to Goodreads or Amazon UK or Amazon.com where you can purchase it currently at the bargain price of £1.99/$3.08

Wolf’s Head (The Forest Lord #1) By Steven A. McKay – Review

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Title – Wolf’s Head (The Forest Lord #1)
Author – Steven A. McKay
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 329 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – 4th July 2013
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

When a frightened young outlaw joins a gang of violent criminals their names – against a backdrop of death, dishonour, brotherhood, and love – will become legend.

ENGLAND 1321 AD

After viciously assaulting a corrupt but powerful clergyman Robin Hood flees the only home he has ever known in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Becoming a member of a notorious band of outlaws, Hood and his new companions – including John Little and Will Scaflock – hide out in the great forests of Barnsdale, fighting for their very existence as the law hunts them down like animals. When they are betrayed, and their harsh lives become even more unbearable, the band of friends seeks bloody vengeance. Meanwhile, the country is in turmoil, as many of the powerful lords strive to undermine King Edward II’s rule until, inevitably, rebellion becomes a reality and the increasingly deadly yeoman outlaw from Wakefield finds his fate bound up with that of a Hospitaller Knight…

“Wolf’s Head” brings the brutality, injustice and intensity of life in medieval England vividly to life, and marks the beginning of a thrilling new historical fiction series in the style of Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow.

Review

So we’ve all heard of Robin Hood yes? Of course we have. As a boy Robin Hood was always one of my favourite characters. This was one of my reasons for buying this book. It also had great reviews and the cover just screamed at me this would be a great read.. and guess what.. it was!

Steven has decided to revamp the whole Robin Hood tale and has moved location to Yorkshire when England was under the reign of Edward II. This makes the book quite refreshing as it’s moved away from the well know tale set in Nottingham. From the authors notes at the end of the book you can see a lot of thought has went into this book and it shows.

The story tells of Hoods early life and the event that leads him to become an outlaw. We see him climb the ranks to eventually lead this band of outlaws.

Along the way we see him deal will conflict not only with the rich people of Yorkshire but also himself and the outlaws where personalities clearly clash

Wolf’s Head is fast paced from the start and very well written. Add to this a great story and you’ve got yourself a book that you just can’t put down!

Even though the setting has changed we still have the heroes we all know and love, Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet & Much

I’m not one for spoilers but the depth of Will’s character is brilliant and the story behind him plays out to perfection. He’s hot headed but damn you can’t help but like his style.

Chapter after chapter you see the tension grow as Steven takes you from one characters journey to another. I especially liked Sir Richard-at-Lee so I’m excited to read Knight of the Cross which is a novella of Steven’s which I believe has a lot of focus on this character

As the tension grows and grows you can see something is about to happen and the ending of this book won’t disappoint.. If anything you are left screaming for more. The good new there is more 🙂 book 2 is already available and book 3 is on its way.

All in all I can’t fault this book in any way, brilliantly written it engages the reader from the first sentence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m 100% sure you will to!

Find out more here – Goodreads – Amazon UK – Amazon.com

Praetorian: The Great Game by S.J.A. Turney – Review

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Title – Praetorian: The Great Game
Author – S.J.A. Turney
Genre – Historical Ficton
Length – 468 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – 12^th March 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Promoted to the elite Praetorian Guard in the thick of battle, a young legionary is thrust into a seedy world of imperial politics and corruption. Tasked with uncovering a plot against the newly-crowned emperor Commodus, his mission takes him from the cold Danubian border all the way to the heart of Rome, the villa of the emperor’s scheming sister, and the great Colosseum.

What seems a straightforward, if terrifying, assignment soon descends into Machiavellian treachery and peril as everything in which young Rufinus trusts and believes is called into question and he faces warring commanders, Sarmatian cannibals, vicious dogs, mercenary killers and even a clandestine Imperial agent. In a race against time to save the Emperor, Rufinus will be introduced, willing or not, to the great game.

Review

I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by the author and i can honestly say I was not disappointed. I’ve read a few books now in the same genre and many start slowly building up as they go along… not this one. Thrust straight into the action with our hero saving the life of a Praetorian prefect.

This starts the whole journey for Rufinus as he is promoted to the Praetorian guard after meeting the emperor. This sudden promotion gains him some new friends but also enemies!

We see Rufinus deal with these enemies the only way he knows how.. his fists! We then see a feud escalate. Not to give away anything I particularly liked the way Rufinus dealt with this situation.

Now Rufinus is chosen to save the emperor from a suspected plot against him. During this we see him struggle with being deceitful whilst also trying to gain favor in order to get closer to those who are suspected to be plotting against the emperor.

There are so many twists and turns along the way that the book kept me gripped and I honestly had no idea if Rufinus would succeed in his task or not.

The ending to the book did not disappoint either; I have no trouble recommending this book to anyone. It was a fantastic read.

The chapters flowed well, the characters relationships grew before your eyes. You could see alliances and friendships forming. The author clearly put a lot of time and effort into this book and it shows

One thing I really loved about this book is that I took an instant dislike to one of the Praetorian prefects, the other I really liked. I found as I went along and Rufinus made discoveries along the way my opinion of the prefects changed. It was amazing to see how easily Simon managed to change my viewpoint as a reader so quickly.

Simon clearly knows his stuff, the book was brilliantly written from my stand point. I couldn’t pick anything I didn’t like or even anything I would have elaborated further on. It was simply a brilliant book and one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

If you do one thing today make sure it’s to click the picture above and view the book on Goodreads, read the other reviews, check Amazon.. then buy the book. It’s well worth the money

Last comment is directly for Simon.. My next pet will definitely be named Acheron!

Spartacus III: The Pharaoh’s Blade (The Spartacus Chronicles #3) by Robert Southworth – Review

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Title – Spartacus III: The Pharaoh’s Blade (The Spartacus Chronicles #3)
Author – Robert Southworth
Genre – Historical Ficton
Length – 254 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – 4th April 2015
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

Empires clash as they hunt for a fabled blade. Spartacus and his friends fight for survival, amidst men who will stop at nothing to hold the legendary weapon. Danger threatens from the shadows, as old and new enemies emerge with violent intent. Spartacus and those he loves will stand together and even the Gods are undecided upon their fate.

Review

So this is Rob’s third and final Spartacus story and wow, what a great way to end it.

The story starts well with the back story into a legendary dagger, it is quickly shown to us that this dagger is not one you want falling into the hands of the wrong person. so much so Thutmose who currently holds the dagger send it away from his land as he knows the in wrong hands it could caused disaster.

Fast forward a bit and now we find ourselves back with our hero Spartacus along with his friends Cassian and Plinius,

Our friends are approached while returning from war and thrust it to one last war to secure the peaceful life they wish so much for. Crassus their enemy will do anything to get this dagger and its up to Spartacus to make sure this doesn’t happen

The book quickly moves from battle to battle, each side incurring loses and we see our hero’s deal with this loss

I really don’t want to give too much away as I think you should read the story for yourself and I hope like myself you won’t be disappointed with how the book ends. I knew Rob wouldn’t be able to keep this series going forever but I really do think he tied the series up nicely.

Rest assured if you’ve read the pervious two books you will love this.

Since reading the first two instalments I can see the editing has improved, I think I noted only a couple spelling/grammar errors but nothing that stopped my reading progress or spoilt the story

Overall I can’t think of anything that I didn’t like about this book, I felt the story progressed at a good pace so you didn’t get bogged down in fight scenes. The new characters fitted in well and the story line itself was intriguing. I found I read this book pretty quickly as Rob kept my interest throughout the story

Honestly if this is your type of genre then you should definitely read this series

Keep the books coming Rob!

David's Book Blurg

Book reviews from a guy up north (UK)

Category Archives: Historical Fiction

The Eagle’s Shadow by Keith Nixon – Review

Knight of the Cross By Steven A. McKay – Review

Strategos: Rise of the Golden Heart by Gordon Doherty – Review

Palatine: The Four Emperors Series: Book I by L.J. Trafford – Review

The Wolf and the Raven (The Forest Lord #2) By Steven A. McKay – Review

The Siege (Agent of Rome #1) by Nick Brown – Review

Strategos – Born in the Borderlands (Strategos #1) by Gordon Doherty – Review

Wolf’s Head (The Forest Lord #1) By Steven A. McKay – Review

Praetorian: The Great Game by S.J.A. Turney – Review

Spartacus III: The Pharaoh’s Blade (The Spartacus Chronicles #3) by Robert Southworth – Review