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Warrior of Rome III: Lion of the Sun
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Product Description
Review
Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship (The Times )
A well-constructed, well-paced and gripping account (Times Literary Supplement )
A well-constructed, well-paced and gripping account (Times Literary Supplement )
Review
Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship The Times A well-constructed, well-paced and gripping account Times Literary Supplement
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having read a number of Harry's books (well the previous two in this series) before I pretty much knew what to expect. You gat an almost classical education as you read through his work, backed up with charactes that leap from the pages of history to defy the rules and history makers of the day.
Its reasonably paced, the descriptiveness descent and bound together with an outline that does what it says on the tin./ Whilst perhaps not as imaginable as Cornwell or combat based as either Scarrow or Cameron, this author does bring a book to the table that many a reader will enjoy.
Definitely a title to take your time with in order to fully digest what's happening within. Good fun, solid back up and perhaps most importantly a sustainable quality for all of his writing. Whilst you can read this without having read any others in the series I would really recommend against that course of action and suggest that you start at the beginning in order to get the most out of this title.
Its reasonably paced, the descriptiveness descent and bound together with an outline that does what it says on the tin./ Whilst perhaps not as imaginable as Cornwell or combat based as either Scarrow or Cameron, this author does bring a book to the table that many a reader will enjoy.
Definitely a title to take your time with in order to fully digest what's happening within. Good fun, solid back up and perhaps most importantly a sustainable quality for all of his writing. Whilst you can read this without having read any others in the series I would really recommend against that course of action and suggest that you start at the beginning in order to get the most out of this title.
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Well professor Sidebottem continues to endeavor to improve my mind despite my begging him not to! As well as the usual latin lessons this time there is extensive passages from Homer and and Euripides courtesy of our poetry loving Barbarian hero!
However interspersed with these cultural offerings is a cracking action packed story full of Roman treachery, full pitched battles, alleyway skirmishes and enough people declaring themselves Emperor to fill a bus.
What most impresses me about Sidebottem's writing however is his excellent character portrayals and deft touch with violence. The cast list is 3D and believable, the dialogue realistic and witty and the violence is descriptive, graphic but not over the top. What this means is we have a set of people we really care about up to their necks in adventure and danger! Just what I want from my historical fiction.
The story picks up from volume 2 with Ballista still a captive of the Sassanids and his recently freed slaves on the run from them.
The loathsome Macrianus and his even more loathsome sons are still in the ascendency but with world history coming to the boil nicely, how long will they remain so? The Sassanids are still on the warpath, the Palmyran ruler (the Lion of the Sun from the books title) could hold the balance of power in the east, and Gallienus (the real Emperor) is out for revenge! Ballista and his household are caught in the middle of all this and Ballista must walk a fine line to protect those he loves and yet exact his own sworn revenge. I would strongly advise anyone about to sample this authors work to read them in order, as unlike some of Cornwell's historical saga's it does matter here.
This book seems to conclude the story in the East, at least for now. There is no 'first chapter' from the next book tagged on at the end this time. But interestly I lost count of how many times the author reinforced how young Ballista is, so expect a few more adventures yet. This is a series not a trilogy.
In summary a great book. A fast moving and exciting story. Detailed charactors with some genuinely moving scenes, particularly when illustrating the friendship and comradeship between Ballista and his two Celtic servants. This is a story that will please the more shallow minded like myself who just want an adventure, but also give the more cultured something to savour too.
However interspersed with these cultural offerings is a cracking action packed story full of Roman treachery, full pitched battles, alleyway skirmishes and enough people declaring themselves Emperor to fill a bus.
What most impresses me about Sidebottem's writing however is his excellent character portrayals and deft touch with violence. The cast list is 3D and believable, the dialogue realistic and witty and the violence is descriptive, graphic but not over the top. What this means is we have a set of people we really care about up to their necks in adventure and danger! Just what I want from my historical fiction.
The story picks up from volume 2 with Ballista still a captive of the Sassanids and his recently freed slaves on the run from them.
The loathsome Macrianus and his even more loathsome sons are still in the ascendency but with world history coming to the boil nicely, how long will they remain so? The Sassanids are still on the warpath, the Palmyran ruler (the Lion of the Sun from the books title) could hold the balance of power in the east, and Gallienus (the real Emperor) is out for revenge! Ballista and his household are caught in the middle of all this and Ballista must walk a fine line to protect those he loves and yet exact his own sworn revenge. I would strongly advise anyone about to sample this authors work to read them in order, as unlike some of Cornwell's historical saga's it does matter here.
This book seems to conclude the story in the East, at least for now. There is no 'first chapter' from the next book tagged on at the end this time. But interestly I lost count of how many times the author reinforced how young Ballista is, so expect a few more adventures yet. This is a series not a trilogy.
In summary a great book. A fast moving and exciting story. Detailed charactors with some genuinely moving scenes, particularly when illustrating the friendship and comradeship between Ballista and his two Celtic servants. This is a story that will please the more shallow minded like myself who just want an adventure, but also give the more cultured something to savour too.
19 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I very much enjoy reading books set in classical times and I have read some cracking ones (Conn Iggulden's Emperor series for instance) and some very forgettable ones (sorry, I have forgotten the titles of those!)
This series is very much in the excellent category. The story is compelling, and I put off various things I was supposed to be doing until I finished it. The action is well written, and the characterisations are excellent. This is one of those books that sucks you in and makes you really feel you know these characters. You love, hate and get angry with these people.
In terms of pacing, the only thing that interrupts the flow of the story a little is all the Latin asides, or quotations from classical works. On the plus side, you come away from this book feeling educated! (Well maybe that is not a good thing, depending on your views on education). None of this feels pretentious though - it is more that the author clearly has expertise in these fields and writes as he wants his story written.
But that won't spoil the story. Thoroughly recommended to anyone who likes classical or historical fiction.
This series is very much in the excellent category. The story is compelling, and I put off various things I was supposed to be doing until I finished it. The action is well written, and the characterisations are excellent. This is one of those books that sucks you in and makes you really feel you know these characters. You love, hate and get angry with these people.
In terms of pacing, the only thing that interrupts the flow of the story a little is all the Latin asides, or quotations from classical works. On the plus side, you come away from this book feeling educated! (Well maybe that is not a good thing, depending on your views on education). None of this feels pretentious though - it is more that the author clearly has expertise in these fields and writes as he wants his story written.
But that won't spoil the story. Thoroughly recommended to anyone who likes classical or historical fiction.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Ballista saga continues
I enjoyed the first two episodes of the Ballista saga and am now waiting eagerly for the next. The battle scenes are very well done and one can almost smell the heat and dust of... Read more
Published 27 days ago by C. Ashton
Great novel and continuation of the Ballista tale
A good continuation of the the tale.
I think the writing is excellent and the background detail enough to satisfy, but not enough to intrude on the story. Read more
I think the writing is excellent and the background detail enough to satisfy, but not enough to intrude on the story. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Opus_Seven
A Return to Form for Ballista
This book is much better than the last one. The first book in this series is still slightly better, but it is not by much. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stuart McCunn
warrier of rome series
this is the third in the warrier of rome series and they all have made very good reading am about to order the next in the series
Published 4 months ago by tomdud
Just a question, really
Why is the cover illustration clearly a negative image?
Anybody who knows anything about the Roman cavalry knows
that they were trained to be *right* handed (even if... Read more
Anybody who knows anything about the Roman cavalry knows
that they were trained to be *right* handed (even if... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Michael Weatherley
ballista gets thrown
the third volume of a story that only really filled the first book
by this time starting to wear thin will ballsita ever meet up at aquilia with the ghost of the emperor... Read more
by this time starting to wear thin will ballsita ever meet up at aquilia with the ghost of the emperor... Read more
Published 8 months ago by mark1000
Desert Ramblings
I read this book after hearing a great deal of praise for Mr Sidebottom: "Great adventures and historically accurate too!". Read more
Published 9 months ago by Hereward
Nailbiting tension and historical atmosphere combined to perfection
I was very much impressed with the first of this series, less so by the second, but this third book brings Sidebottom back to form. Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Greenhow
By Crom!
Harry Sidebottom is a very peculiar writer. On the one hand he's an academic historian with a comprehensive knowledge of Roman warfare and the convoluted period of the 3rd century... Read more
Published 10 months ago by N. Ross
OK but no more
Ballista rides again! This is an odd book. it seems like Professor Sidebottom wrote each chapter in a different situation after a different symposium. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Enquirer
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