Customer Reviews

Warrior of Rome - Part One - Fire in the East

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fire in the East is a strong newcomer in the category of Roman Military Historical Fiction. The book is smart, finely detailed, violent and exciting.

Author Harry Sidebottom is a published professor of ancient history and he draws very detailed accounts of all aspects of Roman military life in the mid 3rd Century. This is the true victory of what's intended to be a 3-book series titled "Warriors of Rome". Few historical fictions contain the detailed notes, glossary and bibliography that Sidebottom presents in "Fire". He's clearly done his research, and worked his academics into his richly built story.

The core of the story is quite simple. A barbarian from the north, Ballista, climbs the ranks of the Roman Military (quite common during the second and third centuries in the Roman Empire), and is assigned to lead the defenses of a key city on the far eastern outskirts of the Empire. He's strong, smart, witty, emotionally tortured, loyal, and blonde. The fictional city is called Arete, nestled on two sides by deep ravines, on another side by the might Euphrates river, and on the fourth by a desert. Roman intellegence reports that the Sassinid Empire is planning a springtime attack on the city. It's Ballista's job to prepare for a siege and lead the defense of this important outpost at the crossroads of the Eastern World.

While the details are painted with colorful details and make the story unique, Sidebottom has turned a specific kind of military event into as strong of a character as any of the Roman or Persian good and bad guys alike. The true star of "Fire" is the siege - the machinations of defense and attack. Sidebottom tells of ballistae, hidden pits, spies and city-taking siege towers. etc. The story hums along as Ballista prepares for the siege, many items discussed in great detail, but some held back for a literary surprise.

There's no lack of violence. As detailed as Sidebottom is with his descriptions of military life, he's equally as vivid in his depiction of military death. Huge stones take off a man's head while his body still stands. Arrows hit soldiers and Sassanids alike...killing and maiming in any number of ways. It wasn't too gory and added to the effect and realism of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Sidebottom incorporates a theme of betrayal and espionage throughout the story that's uneven and ultimately disjointed and disappointing. This branch of his story is the strongest reason I rate the book with 3 stars instead of 4. I may revise the relative weight of this negative once I'm able to get my hands on the rest of the series, but as a stand alone, the plot gaps leading up to the flat conclusion were awkward enough to knock it down a notch in my mind.

A strong historical novel should hit on at least two key qualities - an ability to transport the reader to a foreign place and time; and a strong story that legitimizes (at least in the reader's mind) that history. I think Sidebottom does a nice job in both categories...he's at his best, though, with the history.

I'm slightly surprised by some of the lukewarm reviews of this book. Personally I thought it was one of the best historical novels about the Roman Empire that I've ever read. It's certainly superior to the Cato-Macro novels of Simon Scarrow although they are entertaining reads in themselves.

Fire in the East is set in 255AD, right in the middle of the 235-284AD imperial crisis which almost brought down the Roman Empire. The main character is Marcus Clodius Ballista, a soldier of barbarian origins who has risen in imperial favour. He is accompanied by his Hibernian bodyguard Maximus and body servant Calgacus. Ballista is appointed Dux Ripae and ordered to hold the town of Arete on the Euphrates river which is under serious threat of being captured by the Sassanid Persians. Arete is actually a fictional place but heavily modeled on Dura-Europos, a site that has yielded much archaeological evidence on the state of Rome's eastern frontier in the early centuries AD.

Ballista must organize the townspeople of Arete and his own limited military forces, some of whom are working against him, to meet the forthcoming attack. At the same time he must also face his own personal demons.

The author's descriptions of ancient siege warfare and Roman third century military tactics is absolutely first rate and he has the ability to create an almost totally convincing historical environment. You constantly feel that you are walking the streets of a Roman town with real third century people. There is suspense as Ballista tries to get to the bottom of treachery within Arete and some sexual tension with the daughter of a town official. This is a real page turner!

Fire in the East is the first book of a trilogy and I am already half way through the second book of the three. It must be pretty obvious that I loved this book and I unreservedly give it 5 stars.

Sidebottom mischieviously admits he's chosen this period of Roman rule (circa 250 AD) to write about because so little is known about it. So he's free to invent characters and situations to hang his story on, and he does an entertaining, if workmanlike, job. History fans will love his sketch of everyday life in a Roman outpost near Mesopotamia, as well as his thorough explanation of the dynamics of siege warfare. Plot and characterization take a back seat, though-- you'll likely figure out who the bad guy is before the big reveal-- well, the not-so-big reveal. This is the first of a planned trilogy, so if you like it, there's 1200 more pages to enjoy. I'll be looking forward to them.

If you're seeking better stuff from Rome (250 years before), try Robert Graves' "I, Claudius" or Robert Harris' novels "Imperium" and "Conspirata." Also fun is Gary Jenning's 1000-pager on the collapsed empire 300 years after Sidebottom's book, "Raptor."

Wow, what a great story. An anglo/saxon roman general defending a city on the eastern edge of the empire. Defending from the Persian attackers...great siege warfare detail, very intelligent and great action...had to order mine from Britain, but well worth it. Can't wait for the next in the series....

This period in Roman History is rarely fictionized, and Professor Sidebottom made this extremely alluring period the backstage of his series. It has culture clash, rising misticism, internal strife and suspicion, cover ops with the frumentarii, a charismatic main character - Balista, and a powerfull almost unstoppable enemy force - the Mazdaistic Sassanid Persians.

Balista (it really existed an Roman officer with this name, altough as the author states he most probably wasn't anglo-saxon) - as Dux Ripae - is charged with defending the East against the rising menace. But without reinforcements and facing the hostility of local forces, his job isn't an easy one.

Arete (based on Dura-Europos) is extremely vivid, and realistic caravan factions oppose each other for power in the city. Other power groups, like local military forces and religious powers must also be taken into account.

Balista will face murder mysteries, corruption and treason; all while facing the armies of the Sassanians and their belief that their righteous fight will eliminate evil from the world.

The battle and siege sequences are absolutely stunning - great in every detail. This novel has nonetheless a few weaknesses; the author uses frequently the same ideas and although a good writer, I believe he'll get much better in the future. Also the mystery is extremelly simple to solve for anyone who knows a little about history...the author leaves so many clues that it's almost impossible not to notice!

SPOILER

In my opinion, the traitor lacks somewhat a motive...between the Romans and the Sassanids, it's hard to believe that the choice would be the second one...and the deaths involved would be completely against their philosophy, especially if they were really devout fanatics believing divine punishment would follow for their actions against brethren.

END OF SPOILER

Magnificent descriptions filled with wonderfull details, a very complete glossary, a small historical notes section (with interesting facts about people, events and places) and a useful character list (there are many) complement this very good work by Professor Harry Sidebottom.

I'm waiting for the sequel...

This is an excellent historical novel about the late Roman empire in the Eastern part of it.

The book covers the events around the siege of the Roman city of Arete (actually Dura-Europos which was besieged in the mid 250AD period by the Sassanid Persians). This is covered through the eyes of a Roman general named Ballista who is a barbarian from the Denmark area, and works his way up through the late Roman army.

A lot is known about this event, because the Dura-Europos ruins (which are on the Euphrates River at the border of Syria and Iraq) are still visible and the site has been an archaeological dig finding the remains of equipment and even mines of both the Persians and the Romans. The author does a good job of following the known facts in this event and is very creative in adding his own perspectives to the story.

The use of a barbarian to be the general of the Roman garrison is interesting, especially since the first known barbarian generals didn't serve until the 4th century AD.

The role of the Christian sect in the novel was somewhat a surprise to me. Yes, there were known to be Christians in the city (based upon the archaeological digs) but it is not known what perspective they followed (there were a lot of sects and some were heretical and this one may have been close to the Zoroastrianism religion of the Sassanid Persians.) We just don't know - so I gave the author a nod on this role that he set in place and will follow the next book to see what continues here.

All in all, this is an excellent historical novel on Rome focused on an area with some known history but also allowing some freedom of movement. The author does an excellent job of navigating through the facts and takes the opportunity to pursue some creative license. I look forward to his next offering and the one after.

This first of a planned 3 book series and represents quite a strong opening salvo. Like other reviewers I amy mystified at the lukewarm reviews of some readers.

The plot is quite simple and straightforward: an Angel Barbarian who has been integrated into Roman society and is now a General must lead the defense of the town of Arete on the far eastern border of the empire. However, as the story unfolds we see that not all is as it seems (of course or else what's the point?). The town of Arete has been infiltrated by at least one Sassanid spy and this fact adds to the tension within the story. The majority of the story revolves around the town and the siege of the town by the Persians, and at first it might seem as if there is a danger of boredom setting in and bogging down the story. That is certainly not the case here as Sidebottom's prose hits just the right mark. Not too wordy, Sidebottom moves the story forward at a decent clip.

Another aspect I truly enjoyed was the authors description of the action. There was plenty of violence without going overboard with the blood and guts aspects. Instead of over-the-top bloody descriptions the author gives you enough detail to see the scene and lets your imagination do the rest.


If you are looking for some good historical fiction based on the Roman Empire, then you will not be disappointed with this novel.

I really enjoyed this book. The description of the seige warfare was very detailed and exciting to read about the tactics of both attackers and defenders. I will definately be getting the second book in the series!

How wonderful it is to read a historical novel in which the author knows his subject and makes it so exciting. The seige scenes are second to none in comparison to the many historical novels I have read. Extra interest was created by the issues facing a commander and the constant threat of sabotage from within. The introduction of subordinates and their untimely demise added another level of interest and realism.

Please note this book is reviewed in two different areas of Amazon. Also note one reviewer gave this book a 3 without even reading it.

It is great to see a novel about the 3rd Century Roman Empire, as it is one seldom if ever covered by others.
Can't wait to read the next book as I found this one hard to put down.

I very much wanted to like this novel, the first of an ongoing series set in the third-century Roman Empire. Written by an Oxford historian of the classical period, it is about as authentic a rendering of those times as one could hope for in a fictional work, and for that reason it has value to someone like me who is fascinated by that period.

Part I of Harry Sidebottom's WARRIOR OF ROME, titled FIRE IN THE EAST, provides a quick background to the main protagonist, Ballista, a member of a northern European tribe who by dint of his courage and fighting prowess overcomes his "barbarian" roots to win a respectable place in Roman society: obtaining marriage to a well connected Roman woman and securing a senior military position in the Roman army. Ballista is the Dux Ripae, the officer in charge of defenses along the Euphrates River. This first book follows Ballista on his journey to the fictional Roman citadel of Arete (loosely the historical Dura-Europos) where he prepares the town against Persian invasion. The second half of the book is entirely about this Sassanid siege, so much so that the book might just as well have been titled, "The Siege."

As suggested above, there is much to commend this book for the accuracy in its descriptions of Roman military culture. Other authorial observations on slavery, religion, and (to a much lesser extent) the role of women are also intriguing. (Women, by and large, are objectified, their bodies as graphically described as the violence of war.) It is interesting to note, for instance, that the most truly religious person in the book is Ballista, the northern "barbarian," who frequently addresses "Allfather" and is the most conventionally moral person in the story. The Christians, by contrast, do not fare well by the author; in this way, there is some resemblance to the recent movie, AGORA, which has been acclaimed for capturing with historical accuracy fourth-century Egypt while also suffering charges of being anti-Christian.

The description of Ballista, with his muscular build and long blond locks, evokes the men of romance novel covers, but then it struck me that Ballista echoes another hero of a historical series, "Lucky Jack" Aubrey of the Patrick O'Brian books. Later on I read an interview with Harry Sidebottom on the author's own website in which he acknowledges his great fondness for the O'Brian series. Is Sidebottom consciously or unconsciously paying homage to O'Brian, whose Aubrey, granted, was on the hefty side, but who otherwise is much like Ballista in character and appearance?

However that may be, the difference between Sidebottom's book and the O'Brian series is that in the latter the reader encounters characters that the reader comes to know and care about. This is a basic principle of any dramatic series. Dramatic television series, for instance, aren't popular because of their subject matter so much as the chemistry between the members of the acting ensemble. There's no chemistry in FIRE IN THE EAST to speak of. Despite Ballista's stated pining for his wife, there is little genuine emotion (it's about as antiseptic a longing as that expressed by Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the movie INCEPTION); even his revelry with friends seems at arm's-length. It's true that the first of the O'Brian novels, MASTER AND COMMANDER, in introducing characters, does not quite encapsulate the whole emotional depth of the series, but one has to yield a wide berth to this author to allow such a dearth of character development in his initial foray. As it is, a siege is a lot longer when you don't care about the people you're holed up with.

In the end, I can recommend this novel as a bit of history taken with a spoonful of sugar. But the medicine still doesn't go down all that smoothly.