Today I’m reviewing Para Bellum by Simon Turney!
Here’s the blurb
A powerful new novel set in the fourth-century Roman Empire by critically acciaimed historical novelist Simon Turney, Para Bellum will delight fans of Scarrow, Kane and Cornwell.
AD 381. Five years have gone by since a Roman governor ordered the deaths of a Gothic king and his attendants at a feast in their honour. This disastrous act led to warfare in the Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor Valens.
The Empire is now at peace, but the powerful brother of the murdered king has sworn revenge on the regicides, and will not rest until they are hunted down. For the eight legionaries who carried out the killings, the bloodshed is only just beginning.
Flavius Focalis is one of those legionaries. After narrowly surviving an attempt on his life, Focalis seeks to warn his former comrades, for he knows their enemy is implacable. So begins a deadly game of cat-and-mouse across the Empire, with far more than eight lives at stake. For war is coming – and the only question is: do they die now, or die later?
Review
Focalis awakes one night.. his solider senses tingling.. all is not right.
The past has come back to haunt him.. he knows why.. he’s been waiting for this day all his life… he would have accepted his fate, but not today, he has his son to think about.
It’s been many years since Focalis and his bunk mates acted on behalf of the empire but its time now to get everyone back together to come up with a plan.. there has to be a way out of this mess..the issue is it’s the Goths that are after them and they won’t give up easily.
We don’t learn quickly the events that have led to the Goth’s vengeance.. Focalis is struggling with his part in something.. but what? And what could they have done to earn the Goth’s attention? I loved the development.. perfectly paced with intrigue.
Innocents pay a heavy price along the way and we see a shift in Focalis.. vengeance is the word for this tale.. but who will have the last sword strike?
As Focalis and his son set out to round everyone up things quickly sour.. it’s clear quickly not everyone will make it out alive and the past has taken its toll on many.. but they aren’t done for yet!
What we end up with is a desperate fight of some of the legions finest.. against hundreds of Goths… the twist hit’s hard now and the truth of what happened years ago becomes clear.. is there anywhere safe for Focalis?
I’ve deliberately tried to keep the review spoiler free.. it’s too good to spoil.. but truth be told Simon Turney is a master at his craft. Historical fiction is his era but plots are his bread and butter. You can tell the effort put in to set the scene, tp pick the right moment in time but what Turney’s talent is, is to weave such a fascinating tale within that period setting, it’s the characters, the progression and depth, the energy.. the laughs… the torment..
Turney hints in the authors note around his own knowledge of the era, but that’s what makes him so good at writing.. so prolific..he knows how to expand on history.. there’s no point rehashing what’s been done..he gets the detail in but it’s all about the characters he creates.
What I really loved was the characters development, each man has their own talent and those scenes when they got to shine were brilliant..the enthusiasm bounced off the page!
Simon is a firm fav here on David’s Book Blurg.. and continues blow me away with his work. 5/5 stars.
To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon! Or any good local retailor 😊
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