Tag Archives: Authors

Author Spotlight – Gordon Doherty

Gordon Doherty is the second author in my spotlight feature.

I’d like to take the time to highlight his work and give you a little insight into why I think his books are so great!

I’m a big fan of historical fiction and while i was looking into books to purchase Amazon kept showing his books in my recommend list.. I thought to myself what the hell.. why not…I’ll buy one of his books.. and I’ve read a further four since leaving only two to read which i’m planning to get through in the next couple of months.

Gordon has wrote two series so far. His Legionary series is by far the one the best I’ve ever read! and I’ve recently been introduced to his Strategos series which has surpassed all expectations

His Legionary series focuses mainly on the character of Pavo and the border legions of the Roman empire. I’m never one to spoil a plot but the tale Gordon weaves is a masterpiece. He manages to mix a great story with his impressive knowledge of the Roman Empire. He really makes you feel for the characters in this series. I’d even bought the next two books in the series before i’d even finished the first book as i was hooked straight away.

The Strategos series is of the same high standard and focuses on the brilliant character of Apion and the Byzantine Empire. Gordon handled this series a little different to the legionary series. It felt darker. I’ve read the first two books in the series so far and i really can’t wait to get on to the third book.

The main thing i like about his stories is the time he takes to develop not only the main character but also the supporting characters. The friendships he builds up are believable and you’re left wanting more every time you finish a book

If you’ve not read any of his books please do check out some reviews. I promise you’ll not be disappointed if you buy these books. The Kindle editions are all up on Amazon for the bargain price of £1.99 each currently so don’t miss out

Check out my reviews for Strategos: Born in the Borderlands & Strategos: Rise of the Golden Heart

Want to connect with Gordon? You can do so via his website Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or his Amazon author page.

The Eagle’s Shadow by Keith Nixon – Review

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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

The Wolf will Rise…Friday July 31st 2015!

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

Proofs have arrived! – Blog Post by Steven A. Mckay

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STEVEN A. McKAY - Historical Fiction Author

The first proofs of the Rise of the Wolf paperbacks arrived today. Looking good, I’m very pleased with the whole set!

I still have some changes and revisions to make so haven’t got a firm release date yet. I am hoping to get it out there within the next two or three weeks though, so keep an eye open for it. Sign up for the mailing list (see the button at the top of the page) if you haven’t already, as I’ll be offering signed copies along with other prizes for anyone buying a copy on day one!

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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

Very Nice Palatine Review – Blog Post by LJ Trafford

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

Do You Still Read “Real” Books?

David's Book Blurg

Book reviews from a guy up north (UK)

Tag Archives: Authors

Author Spotlight – Gordon Doherty

The Eagle’s Shadow by Keith Nixon – Review

The Wolf will Rise…Friday July 31st 2015!

Knight of the Cross By Steven A. McKay – Review

Proofs have arrived! – Blog Post by Steven A. Mckay

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

Very Nice Palatine Review – Blog Post by LJ Trafford

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

Do You Still Read “Real” Books?