The Leopard Sword: Empire IV [Hardcover]

Set in the late 2nd century AD, three Empire novels have followed the dangerous and thrilling path of Marcus Valerius Aquila, a man on the run, as he fought for victory by Hadrian's Wall against the northern tribes and manoeuvred himself into the loyalties and affections of his fellow centurions and soldiers. We have met infantrymen, cavalry and bowmen, a succession of different forces from across the empire, all gathered to keep the northernmost tip of the empire secure while, as the emperor Commodus' corruption becomes ever more apparent, gaining another more secret mission of keeping Marcus safe from the tyranny that has wiped out his entire family and, since then, good friends.

But Roman Britain is no longer safe for Marcus. The deadly reach of Commodus now stretches even to this remote border of the empire. Marcus is in disguise as centurion Marcus Tribulus Corvus of the second Tungrian auxiliary cohort but his success in that role (winning him the name of Two Knives) has left a blazing trail for Commodus' spies to trace. Marcus and his love Felicia, the army's doctor, may have survived the latest attack on them at Hadrian's Wall but the time has come for Marcus to move on. However, because this is Marcus we're talking about, a centurion beloved of his men and fellow officers, he's not on his own. As The Leopard Sword begins, Marcus leads his auxiliaries back home, to the city of Tungrorum in Germania Inferior, a city depleted by plague and now threatened by a forest of bandits, led by Obduro, a man hidden behind a Roman cavalry mask and armed with a sword that can cut iron blades in two, the Leopard Sword.

The Leopard Sword is different from its predecessors, effectively marking the end of a trilogy and beginning a new phase in Marcus' career and in the story. Leaving Hadrian's Wall behind, Marcus, Felicia, Dubnus, Julius, Arminius, Martos, Scaurus, Qadir and many more figures who will be so familiar to anyone who has enjoyed the previous Empire novels, now find themselves unwelcome in Tungrorum, a city with little morale, an impoverished population and lousy leadership. Matters not helped by the thugs in the woods who steal the city's grain and separate men from their heads.

Aside from the change in location, The Leopard Sword also brings other characters more to the fore, such as the big Tungrian Julius, pushing Marcus a little into the background, as if reflecting the entire cohort's aim of giving Marcus an anonymous security. The emphasis, then, is on the change of scene for our familiar bunch and on its resolution to rid the town of its menace. As evidence of a personal vendetta becomes apparent between Obduro and someone in the Roman camp, an intriguing mystery develops - just who is the man behind the cavalry mask? As in the previous novels, Marcus and the other men all risk their lives repeatedly as matters heat up, the pages race by and the mysteries deepen.

Anthony Riches manages like few others to bring the world of the Roman soldier to life before your eyes. It's not just because of the many small daily details of this hard existence that the books are filled with, it's also because of all the other less tangible aspects of this past time and way of life that are mixed in - the banter, the religious beliefs, the loyalties, the fights, the gambling, the play, the punishments and the betrayals. All of these are here with all their rough edges and their appeal intensified because the men here are drawn from across the known world. We have Romans, Tungrians, Britons, Germans, Hamatians - some in Roman uniform and some in furs. All battle-scarred and here tied together by their loyalty to their cohort, their prefect, their first spear and to Marcus, one of my favourite characters in Roman historical fiction.

The Leopard Sword is a confident, assured novel that takes its time. It allows the new and old characters space to sum one another up while we get used to the streets of Tungrorum. When the time comes and we enter the terrifying woods of Tungria and cross its black rivers, you might want to hold on. This book could not be prised from my hands as events unfolded.

You could read The Leopard Sword without having read the three preceding Empire novels but I would most definitely recommend that, if you don't read them before, you must certainly read them straight afterwards. This review is from a review copy for which I'm grateful!

If you are looking for a piece of historical fiction that is also part thriller and part adventure story, then look no further: Anthony Riches has done it again in this fourth installment of his "Empire" series. Since he mentions his intention to write on through top the end of the regin of Septimius Severus (in AD 211) and the book takes place in AD 182, readers can probably expect another dozen book over the next few years. The book is a superb read, one of those that readers would be adviased to start on a Friday evening only, or, even better, on a Saturday or Sunday morning with nothing else planned for the rest of the day. Otherwise, you'll finish it around 2 or 3 am while having to go to work the next day.

Having said that, the book is not quite perfect (although you could just as well argue that no book ever is!). I, possibly like a few other reviewers, hesitated between four and five stars. I went for the latter for a number of reasons.
- However much I might quibble about the story - I found out rather early on who the "nasty" was - it is well written, with something happening every 20-30 pages or so and it also includes a few "hed herrings". There is simply no way a reader will be bored here
- It is also very well researched, with an interesting emphasis on the plague (or rather the series of plagues) that hit the Roman Empire during Marcus Aurelius' reign and under Comodus and its dire consequences in terms of population and financial and economival resources. Another very interesting point is that it also lead to wide-scale banditry within the empire. This could disrupt the army's provisioning and create major issues especially since the legions and cohorts wedre still mostly stationed along the borders.
- A related point is Anthony's historical notes: accurate and to the point, neither too much, nor too little. This is particularly true when presenting the Roman army of the second half of the second century. For instance, the size for the whole Roman army that he comes up with has been subject to controversies among historians for at least 50 years or so. However, the estimates that he has chosen happen to be the most widely accepted ones and the same goes, more or less, for the size and organization of the imperial legions and auxiliary cohorts
- At times, you still get the impression that Marcus Aquila - our blue-eyed boy hero - is a bit of a "superman", but less than in the previous volume. For instance, Marcus is not entirely sympathetic - he has a bit of a killer instinct in him and seems to enjoy it at times. He is also rash enough to get himself into serious trouble, and the fact that he manages to get out of it might feel a bit implausible to some.
- Another huge quality of this book, in my view, is that you can read it without having already gone through the previous episodes, which is not so frequent in series. Note however that if you do this, I have little doubt that you will want to pounce on the three previous volumes as well.

So, not a perfect book - assuming there is such a thing - but I enjloyed it so much that whatever little quibbles I can think of sound rather petty. Note that even the editing is much better than what you find in most other comparable novels. A Gem...

The Leopard Sword is the fourth in the Empire series. The first three were set on Hadrian's Wall with young Centurion Marcus Tribulus Corvus hiding under an assumed name, escaping the politics of Rome. The books centred on his adventures on the Wall and the barbarians beyond, while finding his home in the camaraderie of his Legion colleagues. Very entertaining they were too, but Anthony Riches was wise enough to realise he needed to throw something fresh into the series, and indeed he has.

The Leopard Sword sees Marcus and his colleagues being sent to their original home, Tungrorum in Germania. Their role is to protect the town from bandits and ensure the supply routes for grain are kept open. On arrival they find the bandits have been united by a mysterious masked leader, and nothing is what it seems at first sight.

Of course it roars along at a great pace and sucks you in straight away, the signs of a great story-teller and with a great cast of characters. The author is clever enough to spread the story a bit and it works really well, Marcus is in there but he is not the main focus. I have to say my favourite character is probably the Tribune, Scaurus. A clever and multi-layered character, but that is true of many of the individuals in here, and the author finely balances the story around them.

So, much to enjoy here and a welcome addition to a series that dares to grow and challenge the reader.