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!
Title – Strategos: Rise of the Golden Heart
Author – Gordon Doherty
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 410 Pages (Kindle)
Publication – June 14th 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 3rd 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
Sir Guy of Gisbourne is back!
Bent on vengeance against Robin Hood and with a turncoat new lieutenant in tow, an unlikely new hero must stand up for herself…
YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND – 1323 AD
The greenwood has been quiet and the outlaws have become complacent, but the harsh reality of life is about to hit the companions with brutal, deadly force thanks to their old foe, Prior John de Monte Martini.
From a meeting with King Edward II himself to the sheriff’s tournament with its glittering prize, the final, fatal, showdown fast approaches for the legendary Wolf’s Head.
New friends, shattered loyalties and a hate-fuelled hunter that threatens to wipe out not only Robin’s friends but his entire family will all play their part in the RISE OF THE WOLF.
What do you think? Comments welcome!
I always like to hear which character readers liked best, in this case its Philo. I have a particular soft spot for Philo as he is the character that I probably know best. This was by necessity since in Galba’s Men he gives a potted history of his life so I had to fix certain facts. Whereby the background of characters such as Epaphroditus remains somewhat sketchy and gets filled in book by book I know who Philo is, how he will respond in any given situation and the very particular way in which he speaks.
But I wouldn’t like to write a book solely from Philo’s point of view. I think it would be far too depressing. To get inside Philo’s head is to enter a pretty dark place. There is a whole slice of his life that he keeps shut off and doesn’t address which limits him…
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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
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? Interesting topic…
At least, that is what I was asked. I am pretty sure that they were referring to e-books versus physical books, but I did have to chuckle. I always swore I would never have an e-reader, and only read “real” books.
I also could not count the number of books; really, really good books, that I have read that were only in an electronic format. I would not have had the opportunity to read those books if I completely relied on printed books.
Now, I also still have every intention of having a library in my home when I have the spare room available for it. I could think of nothing I would enjoy more than a comfortable chair, a soft light, fluffy rug, warm fireplace, and every wall full of bookcases stacked with books. My favorite books, the classics, and books I have not read yet.
One of my…
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You’d be mad to miss this!
Title – Bells on Her Toes
Author – Diana J. Febry
Genre – Mystery
Length – 294 pages (Kindle)
Publication – 1st Sept 2014
My Rating – 5/5
Synopsis
DCI Peter Hatherall is called in to investigate a shooting on the Earl of Ditchburn’s country estate. The Earl’s activities have angered animal rights and environmental groups but subsequent deaths suggest Elmsgrove Racehorse Yard is the target. There is more at stake than a horse race and time is running out for Hatherall to solve the case before the culprit kills again.
Review
I was kindly gifted a copy of the book for review. Mysteries aren’t my usual genre so I wasn’t sure what to expect but the story was great. It has twists and turns that make you doubt your own theories and the author kept me engaged throughout the book
The story starts with a body being found in a barn fire. DCI Hatherall and DI Williams are assigned the case.
They have to put a lot of pieces together to solve this mystery and the pressure is amplified when another body turns up.
Now with the genre in question it would be quite hard to talk about the plot without spoiling it so I’d like to concentrate on a few things that stood out about the book instead
The characters, the plot and the setting come together to make a very good rural detective mystery and the development of the characters was plentiful but also subtle.
When I finished the book I couldn’t help feel that the author must have spent quite a while working on the plot in order to make the discoveries/clues/twists happen at the most appropriate time.
The other thing I liked was the relationships within the book. It made the story a bit more believable for me.. I like characters and events that aren’t perfect.. life just isn’t like that.
I really would love to see DCI Hatherall and DI Williams return. I can imagine this being a very good series of detective books.
If I could say more about the story line without giving anything away I would but honestly I really enjoyed it. The twists near the end were prefect. Nothing felt out of place or rushed.
Again I’d like to point out this is not my usual genre what so ever… I’ve definitely got the taste for mysteries now.
I’ll be adding Diana to my author alerts so I don’t miss any new books and I’m already looking into her back catalogue of books looking for my next book to review
I’m trying to think if I would change anything about this book.. and I can’t think of anything that I didn’t enjoy or that I didn’t think worked. I guess my only real comment to the author would be to please write more..
To see more reviews head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Robert Southworth is the first author on my new “Author Spotlight” blog feature
Rob has released four books so far which are all historical works of fiction, three focus on one of my all-time favourite subjects Spartacus.
Spartacus has always been someone I’ve been very interested in, the slave rebellion is a fascinating subject for me.
The three tales follow Spartacus after the rebellion has been crushed. Many say Spartacus died in the final battle but the body was never recovered. As an author Rob seized on this and has decided to write tales with idea that he survived.
To give you an idea what the first book is like below is a review from another great author Steven A. McKay –
This, Robert Southworth’s debut novel, is billed as an “alternative history” tale. That’s not really a genre I’ve read much of, other than the odd Philip K. Dick or Harry Turtledove novel. However, Spartacus, Talons of an Empire can quite easily be read as a “straight” historical novel so don’t be put off by the “alternative” tag. The idea here is that Spartacus survived his famous rebellion, and is then put to bloody work for the hateful Roman overlords in return for his freedom. It’s a fine premise to base a story on, but to be honest, you can imagine the protagonist as any gladiator and it’ll make no difference to your enjoyment of what is a fine book. What we have is a group of men – almost a “Dirty Dozen” of the Roman-era – taking on a dangerous mission through hostile lands and, ultimately, fighting to the brutal end in the arena. The author sets the scenes well, drawing vivid pictures of each place in the reader’s mind so it’s easy to become drawn into the action as if we were right there. The characters are fairly varied and there are some poignant, gentler moments scattered throughout which serve as an interesting and welcome diversion from the brutal action and let us see the human side of these hard fighting men. There were a few places, though, where I felt the action jumped a little too quickly – it might have been nice for certain scenes to have lasted a bit longer, building the tension before cutting to another part of the story – but in general the pacing is very good. I also struggled somewhat with a couple of characters’ (Cassian and Spartacus) reactions – both at the time and subsequently – to certain deaths. I can’t go into more detail or it would spoil the plot a bit, but I thought, if it had been me witnessing those events I would have felt rather different to Cassian or Spartacus. But that’s down to the individual’s outlook so can’t really be classed as a criticism, just an observation. I picked this up for under a pound on Amazon and I have to say it was well worth the admission price, and, with the next in the series, Spartacus, The Gods Demand Sacrifice just released, I would recommend you take a look at this fine new author.
Steven A. McKay, author of “Wolf’s Head”
I really can’t praise this series of books enough, Rob did something with Spartacus which felt new and fresh and he kept me wanting more and more.
Rob’s other work “Wrath of the Furies” is of a similar high quality and the big twist in the book grabbed me as a reader.. it was brilliant.
Click the picture below to head to Amazon.co.uk to read some reviews….
….. See it’s not just me who thinks these tales are top notch!
My advice today… buy one of his books… buy them all! Rob has a talent for storytelling and these tales deserve to be read.
Lastly, Rob seems like a very genuine and friendly person, get in touch and let him know what you like about his books
Want to connect with Rob? You can do so via Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads or his Amazon author page.
David's Book Blurg 