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    The Sword and the Throne
    The Sword and the Throne
    The Sword and the Throne
    Ebook396 pages6 hours

    The Sword and the Throne

    By Henry Venmore-Rowland

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    As Rome enters the Year of the Four Emperors, a soldier marches into the crucible of battle to meet his uncertain fate in the sequel to The Last Caesar.

    Rome, 69 AD: In the bloody contest for control of Rome, Aulus Caecina Severus has thrown in his lot with the hedonistic military commander Vitellius. Now he must prepare his legions for a grueling march over the Alps.

    Severus leads his army against barbarian rebellions and the tough mountain passes in his race to reach Italy before his rival Valens. With the Po valley almost in sight, news comes that Emperor Galba has been killed in a coup, and that Otho has been declared Emperor by the Praetorians.

    But there is no turning back for Severus: the Rhine legions want their man on the throne, leading Severus down a dark path. Politics is the new battleground, and Severus needs the help of his wife Salonina and his freedman Totavalas if he wants to survive. And as a new power emerges in the east, Severus must decide where his true loyalty lies . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateOct 4, 2018
    ISBN9781788632515
    The Sword and the Throne

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    • 3/5
      This whole duology on a key figure of the "Year of the Four Emperors" [68/9 AD]--[book:The Last Caesar|13065401] and this one--was a commendable debut. The corrupt Aulus Caecina Severus is trying to justify himself and his motivations for his treacherous and deceitful actions through the last ten years of his life by writing his memoirs. I had mixed feelings about Aulus. After an auspicious beginning where we see his leadership and tactical ability in battle; as quaestor he first brings out a venal, opportunistic side to his personality through his embezzlement of funds. This wrongdoing will have major consequences. He reveals himself as too ambitious. These are all major facets of his personality. He can be charming, is a very good military man and navigates the tricky shoals of politics and intrigue well until his final downfall and disgrace. After the suicide of Nero, he supports successful holders of the purple, abandoning each for his own advantage. He is a loyal supporter until he sees the next candidate for emperor as better suiting his purpose of self-aggrandizement or greed in some way. Many of the other characters, particularly the main women and a rival general, Valens, were equally loathsome. His silver-tongued, shrewd Hibernian freedman was the most engaging. I also liked his young son, another Aulus. Battle scenes were well done and colorful. The novel is full of excitement. It is fast-moving and well paced. I felt many times the text was what I'd call "modern casual"--not modern slang exactly, but with many casual clichés and idioms. "Fatted calf", for instance, surely that phrase would not have been used back then. I couldn't rate it any higher because of so many odious characters. I like my heroes to be, well, heroic--decent, honest, brave. That was not the author's fault, but I couldn't connect with them, especially Aulus; his morals were reprehensible; I wouldn't quite call him an anti-hero, but he came close.

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    The Sword and the Throne - Henry Venmore-Rowland

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