In Mesopotamia, AD 260, Ballista faces yet another enemy, the man the Syrians call The Lion of the Sun, in this third novel in the 'Warrior of Rome' series. Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the desert sun as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Sharpur, king of kings. Ballista looks on helplessly but vows under his breath to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery.
My Thoughts: This is the third book in the Warrior of Rome series - a set of books that I adore. Ballista and his entourage are fantastic characters and I had very high expectations of this upon finishing the first two reads.
I was a little disappointed that Ballista's entourage don't feature in this as much as the last two. It wasn't quite full of the comradary and warmth that is conjured up through the relationships between Ballista and his bodyguard Maximus, his secretary Demetrius and his minder Calgacus.
On top of this, I found the plot line a lot more difficult to follow. It was more focussed on politics and less on action.
Having said this - the ending of Lion of the Sun is fantastic and well worth the struggle to get to it. I didn't really get pulled into the build up but it really was good. I've had customers pick this book up before the first two and then coming back and asking me for Fire in the East. Those who know a lot about Ancient Rome will absolutely adore it and will probably find that it flows a little more easily for them.
One other point to note is that Ballista's wife Julia is a brilliant character and she really does flourish in Lion of the Sun. She is strong, calm and level headed, and can really hold her own. I would love to read a Kate Quinn-esque novel revolving around Julia and the children. It would be ace.
All in all, a good read, but overshadowed by its predecessors.
I RATED THIS 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment