Hero of Rome (Roman Trilogy 1) [Hardcover]

Douglas Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2010

The Roman grip on Britain is weakening. Emperor Nero has turned his face away from this far-flung outpost. The Druids are on the rise, spreading seeds of rebellion among the British tribes. Roman cruelty and exploitation has angered their British subjects. The warrior queen Boudicca will lead the tribes to war. Standing against the rising tide of Boudicca's rebellion is Roman Tribune, Gaius Valerius Verrens, Commander of the veteran legions at Colonia. Valerius leads the veterans in a last stand against the unstoppable horde of Boudicca's rebel army. Step by step, the bloodied survivors are forced back into the Temple of Claudius. It is here that Valerius wins lifelong fame and the accolade Hero of Rome.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If I were Conn Iggulden or Simon Scarrow, I'd be rather worried by the new Scottish kid
on the block."
—The Scotsman

"A master of his discipline rightly hailed as one of the best historical novelists writing
today."
—Daily Express

"A splendid piece of storytelling and a vivid recreation of a long-dead-world."
—Allan Massie --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Douglas Jackson turned a lifelong fascination for Rome and the Romans into his first two novels, Caligula and Claudius. He was born in Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders and now lives in Bridge of Allan. Hero of Rome is the first in a major new Roman trilogy, featuring Valerius Verrens.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Press (July 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0593065123
• ISBN-13: 978-0593065129
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,472,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Douglas Jackson is the author of the successful historical novels Caligula and Claudius and my next book Hero of Rome, the first of a new trilogy, will be published in July 2010. I was born in Jedburgh on the border between England and Scotland in the summer of 1956. It's a place full of history and haunted by the ghosts of Border reivers and the victims of centuries of bloody border warfare. I left school three weeks before my 16th birthday with six O levels and no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Luckily, a friend worked in the local employment office and got me a place on a youth work scheme. It turned out to be restoring a Roman marching camp in the Cheviot Hills and I had a wonderful summer turning turf and dreaming of Romans. Later I joined my local paper and for the next 36 years worked in local and national newspapers in Scotland, including the Daily Record and the Scotsman. I left the Scotsman after nine years as assistant editor in the summer of 2009 to become a full-time writer.

Get in touch or become a fan on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Doug-Jackson-author/245467143762?ref=nf

Visit my websites at www.douglas-jackson.net and http://authorsplace.co.uk/doug-jackson

Or read my blog about the highs and lows of becoming a published author on http://dougsbookblog.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book that is based upon the Boudicca rebellion in Roman Britain, November 22, 2010

By 

J. Groen "Jerry Groen" (GURNEE, ILLINOIS USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hero of Rome (Kindle Edition)

This historical novel is based upon the Boudicca rebellion in Roman Britain in 60AD. The focus of the novel is on Valerius, a Roman Tribune who has been given orders right before he is to leave for Rome (after his commitment to serve was supposed to be over) to defend a Roman colony (called Colonia but probably Roman Colchester) from the attack of Boudicca's rebellious horde of Celts.

What happens next is the stuff of legends: the stand of a group of Roman militia (ex legionnaires who are in the late forties and fifties and have businesses and families in town), the stand in a Roman temple (made mostly of marble), etc.

The brutality of warfare of the Roman period is highlighted almost to a fault espcially on the depredations that occurred to the Romans who were captured (won't go through that but want to alert the reader) providing gruesome details.

If you are interested in Roman history, this book is worth the read and the purchase. It provides details based upon the historical writings of Tacitus of this rebellion. It also provides a good reason for why the rebellion occurred (brutal Roman soldiers and administrators overreacting to their responsibilities).

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The siege of Camulodunum brought to life, January 15, 2011

By 

xsquid "Bob" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hero of Rome (Kindle Edition)

I'm an avid reader of all books Roman, action, mysteries, etc and I have to say this grabbed my attention from the start. The author managed to skillfully build characters and insert them into the beginnings of the Iceni rebellion. His take on this bit of history revolves around Tribune Valerius, whom finds himself wintering with a cohort from the XXth Legion at Camulodunum, known as The Colony due to the large number of retired legionaries who participated in the original invasion 16 years earlier. His involvement with the local populace and the consequences set the tone for the entire story. In some cases I found I could anticipate the direction the plot would take, especially with specific characters; however, this did not detract from the story. Having some background of the history of Roman Britain did have me wondering how the author would end the story and I have to say I was caught off guard. Admittedly the last crushing battle against the Iceni did seem rushed; but, if you consider Valerius's role in this compared to his other direct "in the front line" view, it makes sense it would come across this way. The price Valerius paid in the end for the title Hero of Rome, puts an interesting twist for the rest of the forthcoming trilogy and I'm VERY eager to see how the author pulls it off. A final comment about the characters, although exposure to some of the supporting characters were brief I have to admit I enjoyed the authors depiction of the veterans miltia of The Colony, especially Flavo and Corvinus. The ability to bring out what are ordinarily single dimensional types in an action novel speaks well for any author. Thanks and Have A Great Day!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, April 23, 2011

By 

Rob Suttles - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hero of Rome (Kindle Edition)

Have been plowing through a lot of Roman historical fiction lately and loved Hero of Rome. While the battles were not as engaging and real for me as Jackson's "Claudius" was, the overall storyline was much more engaging. The way the author balanced the veteran legionnaires duties to their unity and to their families at Colonia felt very sincere to me causing them to be one of my favorite groups of characters. I can't say enough about this book and am looking forward to seeing how the author transforms what felt like a stand-alone novel into a series.