Tag Archives: Rome

Author Spotlight – Gordon Doherty

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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 – 8th 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