Fire in the East: Warrior of Rome: Book 1

First of all, I'm a great fan of history novels, from Eagle in the snow to Simon Scarrow's adventures of Macro and Cato. And I have to say that at least for me, this book really delivered many things-finely researched and interesting period in a roman history, good mix of politics and action, mostly unpredictable plot, interesting characters with enough depth in them. In short-a great action novel There was just one small thing that bothered me (not enough for not to give this book five stars)-and that is drawing of obvious parallels between ancient Persia and today's Iran, as a civilization filled with religious fanatics that want to spread their ideas anyway they can-preferably through the means of violence-if they cannot do it differently. Well, if we view the religion as the set of ideas, we can say that every great civilization in history and every world power today tries to do that-from USA to China. From Rome to Napoleon. From the war in Vietnam to recent wars int the world. It's just that Rome feels closer to us, because western civilization has been founded on its legacy, so we feel they're "on our side". In this way this book seems a little too "black and white", a feeling that the author has tried to fix in his second book, I think. But don't let this bother you cause I really think you are not going to make a mistake by buying this book.It has been a lot of fun for me, and I can't wait to see the third part

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.

"Write what you know" is probably good advice for first-time authors, and Fire in the East shows us the virtues of following this dictum. However, there is such a thing as overdoing it, as the novel falters when it steps away from the author's area of expertise. There is no arguing Harry Sidebottom knows his Roman history. He holds a doctorate in Ancient History from Oxford University's Corpus Christi College, and now lectures on the subject at the same university. He is the author of two books and a number of articles and reviews on Roman history and ancient warfare. This is undoubtedly a man who knows his gladius from his gluteus maximus. While his rhetoric may not be up to Cicero's standards, the freshness and realism of the book help propel it over the sometimes clunky prose. In Fire in the East, Mr Sidebottom's first work of fiction and the first book in a planned trilogy, he sets the stage during the so-called "Crisis of the Third Century", the period between 235 and 284 AD, when Rome came to within an imperial whisker of total ruin. The economy was in tatters, barbarians were invading, and if that wasn't enough, the army had invented a new form of imperial succession known as "stab the man in the purple toga". No sooner had one general proclaimed himself emperor than he was assassinated by followers of another, or even by his own disgruntled troops--25 men ruled in the space of 50 years. Into this tumult Mr Sidebottom throws Marcus Clodius, or "Ballista" (a kind of catapult) to his chums, a former barbarian hostage turned Roman general. The emperors du jour send Ballista to defend the Syrian city of Arete, on the eastern edge of the empire. There, Ballista's small garrison is expected to hold out against a massive invasion by the Sassanid Persian army--Alamo for the swords and sandals set, with Ballista in the Davy Crockett role. The word "Arete" means "virtue", but its people ironically turn out to have precious little of it. Ballista's already hopeless mission is further complicated by rivalry with one of his commanders and the disappearance of another, and mounting evidence that there is a traitor at work in the city. The first section of the novel is redolent with the murmurs of Roman life. Here Mr Sidebottom's learning proves its worth, filling the early pages with details of ritual and religious observance, of banquet manners and bathing customs. His Romans feel like Romans, not just Englishmen in bed sheets. In the second section, Mr Sidebottom's familiarity with the gears and cogs of the machinery of war enables him to put us on the barricades with Ballista and his men during the siege of Arete, giving us a sense of the brutality and madness of ancient war, equal easily to anything produced in the killing fields of Baghdad today. It's when he wanders from these strengths that Mr Sidebottom's footwork fails him. His prose is sometimes as square-cut as a Roman profile. The novel opens with the clunker, "War is hell. Civil war

By AD 255, the Roman Empire struggles to maintain order especially in the outlying sectors as barbarians and infidels pose viable threats as Command and Control is almost nonexistent. Emperors Valerian and Gallienus send the honorary Dux Ripea, Marcus Clodius Bastilla, to take command of the legion on the eastern border. Marcus leaves his wife in Rome and travels to his new outpost. He arrives in Arete, Syria where his force is struggling to defend against the overwhelming Sassanid Persian army. He expects reinforcements but has no idea how many or when. Meanwhile, he finds treachery and betrayal from within as traitors, especially amongst the elite patrician officers, resent someone who was not even a citizen too long ago ordering them about and the Persians have assassins trying to kill him. This is an intriguing historical thriller that has relevance today as Harry Sidebottom provides insight into how destructive the Roman Empire can be to defend its freedoms by destroying those very liberties with security enforcement filled with bloody battles. The story line is action-packed from the moment Marcus says good bye to his wife as he deploys where he is unwanted and knows treachery and betrayal will be the norm as no one has his back except for perhaps stabbing him there.. Fans will relish this first Warriors of Rome profound thought provoking ancient historical military thriller as Mr. Sidebottom makes a strong but bloody case affirming Benjamin Franklin's "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security". Harriet Klausner