King of Kings (Audible Audio Edition) Harry Sidebottom Nick Boulton Whole Story Audiobooks Books
Download As PDF : King of Kings (Audible Audio Edition) Harry Sidebottom Nick Boulton Whole Story Audiobooks Books
Treachery hangs ominously over the Roman Empire and sparks of Christian fervour have spread through the empire like wildfire. The battle-bloodied general Ballista returns to the imperial court from the fallen city of Arete only to find that there are those who would rather see him dead than alive.
King of Kings (Audible Audio Edition) Harry Sidebottom Nick Boulton Whole Story Audiobooks Books
Perhaps the greatest strength and weakness of both this book and others of this series is Dr. Sidebottom's impressive dedication to historical authenticity. It immensely refreshing to read the story of a historical character who doesn't look at the era in which he is living through the eyes of a modern reader. We see in this book the casual brutality of the Roman Empire, and though Marcus Clodius Ballista frowns on some of its excesses, he does so in a way that would be historically plausible (As a northern Barbarian he occasionally looks down on the decadence and treachery of the Romans). For the most part Sidebottom avoids the annoying habit present in so much historical fiction of making the heroes wholly good and the villains wholly bad. Some of the antagonists in this particular volume do seem a little cartoonishly evil, but for the most part the characters are complex people who occasionally do good things for bad reasons and bad things for good reasons.I was particularly impressed with his depiction of the persecutions of Christians. Sidebottom resists the modern temptation to be dismissive and cynical about historical Christianity, while also not shying away from the fact that these were utterly uncompromising people who could be very difficult to deal with. It's this almost obsessive attention to detail that makes these books so much fun to read. As someone who gets really annoyed by the slightest historical inaccuracy, I have found nothing at all to upset me in this book.
But this level of detail has some drawbacks. Every chapter begins with a very long description of the surroundings, recent events, and the thoughts going through the character's mind. It usually takes two or three pages for anything at all to happen. I don't generally mind information dumps every now and then, but when the formula becomes as rigid as it is in this series it can seriously bog the story down. This is the only problem I've had with this book or any in the series, but it's a big enough problem that I almost gave up on the first book because of it and it has showed no signs of changing.
If Dr. Sidebottom could just work on the rhythm of his stories, they would be nearly perfect.
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King of Kings (Audible Audio Edition) Harry Sidebottom Nick Boulton Whole Story Audiobooks Books Reviews
Fun book. Writing was better than in the first of the series, seems Sidebottom is improving his game. Plot was a little less clear that the first book. Characters more developed, and the tour around the time and place was even better than the last book, which was already pretty good.
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
The author puts the reader believably into the ancient world and into the head and heart of a soldier entangled in the struggles of a threatened empire. Intimately constructed personal lives, imperial scheming, the physical reality of the Roman Empire and dramatic battle scenes are put together seamlessly. The reader learns great detail about this world with excellent mingling of plot and character development, but without the feeling of information dumping. I have enjoyed reading and seeing ancient historical material for many years - the Warrior of Rome series adds thrills and a sense of immersion in the lives and times. A very well paced and enjoyable read. Much more convincing and satisfying than most historical novels.
This 2nd book is every bit as good as the first. It is a must for anyone interested in ancient Rome, the ancient near east, ancient Roman warfare and/or ancient Persian warfare. That is not to say this is just a war book - the early persecution of Christians is portrayed in an important part of the book, and there is a wonderful description of Roman chariot racing. Best of all though is the Woden-born Ballista. He is not only likeable, he is believable.
If you liked the first book you won't be disappointed by the 2nd.
As I am fascinated by the roman empire and how it all played out I have read several books from different authors such as Conn Iggulden, John Stack Bernard Cornwall.
The serious from Harry Side Bottom has kept me totally engrossed to the point all I want to do is keep reading to see what next happens.
The detail, the action, the history is fantastic you can almost imagine you are there with the main plot unfolding around you in the scenes them selves.
If you like suspense this is a must read!!!!!
Wonderful series! I hope Sidebottom continues to right these amazing novels that truly make you feel like your experiencing life and death in Ancient Rome.
I am quite fond of Historical novels. When they are written by someone who knows whereof he speaks, that makes them even better to me. The Warrior of Rome series has a great deal of fighting, intrigue, romance, and life in general. If you like History and want to learn a bit about Imperial Rome, these are a fun and painless way to do that.
This is the secoond book in the series I have read and I was not disappointed. I was initially intriged by the title of the first book because of its premis of East vs West and dating that conflict back historically hundreds of years. Mr. Sidebottom is a brilliant historian and an even more gifted story teller. If you like reading about what it takes to be a commander, the thought process, the attention to detail it takes to command effectively and how one must be prepared to deal with the unexpected at the most in opportune times, then this is a great read of historical, fact based fiction.
Perhaps the greatest strength and weakness of both this book and others of this series is Dr. Sidebottom's impressive dedication to historical authenticity. It immensely refreshing to read the story of a historical character who doesn't look at the era in which he is living through the eyes of a modern reader. We see in this book the casual brutality of the Roman Empire, and though Marcus Clodius Ballista frowns on some of its excesses, he does so in a way that would be historically plausible (As a northern Barbarian he occasionally looks down on the decadence and treachery of the Romans). For the most part Sidebottom avoids the annoying habit present in so much historical fiction of making the heroes wholly good and the villains wholly bad. Some of the antagonists in this particular volume do seem a little cartoonishly evil, but for the most part the characters are complex people who occasionally do good things for bad reasons and bad things for good reasons.
I was particularly impressed with his depiction of the persecutions of Christians. Sidebottom resists the modern temptation to be dismissive and cynical about historical Christianity, while also not shying away from the fact that these were utterly uncompromising people who could be very difficult to deal with. It's this almost obsessive attention to detail that makes these books so much fun to read. As someone who gets really annoyed by the slightest historical inaccuracy, I have found nothing at all to upset me in this book.
But this level of detail has some drawbacks. Every chapter begins with a very long description of the surroundings, recent events, and the thoughts going through the character's mind. It usually takes two or three pages for anything at all to happen. I don't generally mind information dumps every now and then, but when the formula becomes as rigid as it is in this series it can seriously bog the story down. This is the only problem I've had with this book or any in the series, but it's a big enough problem that I almost gave up on the first book because of it and it has showed no signs of changing.
If Dr. Sidebottom could just work on the rhythm of his stories, they would be nearly perfect.
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