[I33]≫ Download Fire in the East Warrior of Rome 1 Harry Sidebottom 9780718153298 Books

Fire in the East Warrior of Rome 1 Harry Sidebottom 9780718153298 Books

Download As PDF : Fire in the East Warrior of Rome 1 Harry Sidebottom 9780718153298 Books

Fire in the East Warrior of Rome 1 Harry Sidebottom 9780718153298 Books

I tried reading Fire In The East a couple of years ago early on in my Roman reading but I didn't like it and I gave up on it within the first half. I just didn't like the use of latin words salted throughout the book. I also felt it was boring at the time. Fast forward a couple of years of pretty much exclusively reading Roman novel's, I decided to give Fire In The East another go, and I'm really glad I did. This time around I wasn't bothered with the latin words peppered throughout the book. I felt they gave it a unique signature. I also didn't find the first half boring. I felt it created great character development and a awesome detailed account of what it would take to prepare for a siege. The second half of Fire In The East is brilliantly executed and Harry Sidebottom definitely did his research to bring to life the horrible reality of what a siege was like. Before I'd even finished this book, I ordered books 2-4, with plans to shortly order books 5 & 6. I can't believe I've been missing out on these for a couple of years.


Tags : Fire in the East (Warrior of Rome 1) [Harry Sidebottom] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. This book is in very good condition. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean,Harry Sidebottom,Fire in the East (Warrior of Rome 1),Michael Joseph,0718153294

Fire in the East Warrior of Rome 1 Harry Sidebottom 9780718153298 Books Reviews

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 well written story is the story of most Commanders throughout the Ages
The Hero is a naturalized Roman of northern origin that has managed through skill,chance and guile to rise in a very senior position in the late Roman Army.
He is given the task to defend a town on the river Euphrates in Mesopotamia against the Persians with less than the necessary means, a Second in Command who escaped with the graft cash,another that is a highly connected supercilious aristocrat who is slyly undercutting him,troops,weapons, and walls that need discipline,training and improvements .the civilian leadership of the town is opportunistic and untrustworthy ,the city populace is of doubtful loyalty and courage and there is a treason sub story to add to it all
The loneliness of Command is excellently depicted.
The author knows perfectly the era.The descriptions of the characters,societies and places are both well done and believable,he really manages to take us back in time and land us in that City of that era.
The siege and the combats are very well described,violent as they should be,rich in accurate detail and the character of the Hero superbly described and developed throughout the novel showing his external strength and principles and his internal insecurities and human weaknesses.
All characters are originals and well sketched,the prose is fine and on top of a well crafted adventure story ,Sidebottom gives us a first class History lesson of the times in a very pleasant to read way
DVK
P.S. Omar Khayam's verses from the Rubaiyat are first class but they are not Latin mr Sidebottom!
This fictional history of a Roman general defending a town in Syria from a Persian army had a few good points and several bad. The good were a fairly detailed description of the siege and several interesting characters like a old slave that mumbles complaints about the general in earshot. But the story is predictable. From the flirting Syrian sex interest of the general to the traitor being a Revelation quoting Christian. Also be prepared for huge amounts of profanity and graphic descriptions of sex. I think the most used word in book besides the name of the General is the f bomb. And I have no idea how the pornographic parts added to the story. They seemed to be just thrown in at random, or placed because it is expected? I mean the pros and cons of how different nipples look? Geez....
I tried reading Fire In The East a couple of years ago early on in my Roman reading but I didn't like it and I gave up on it within the first half. I just didn't like the use of latin words salted throughout the book. I also felt it was boring at the time. Fast forward a couple of years of pretty much exclusively reading Roman novel's, I decided to give Fire In The East another go, and I'm really glad I did. This time around I wasn't bothered with the latin words peppered throughout the book. I felt they gave it a unique signature. I also didn't find the first half boring. I felt it created great character development and a awesome detailed account of what it would take to prepare for a siege. The second half of Fire In The East is brilliantly executed and Harry Sidebottom definitely did his research to bring to life the horrible reality of what a siege was like. Before I'd even finished this book, I ordered books 2-4, with plans to shortly order books 5 & 6. I can't believe I've been missing out on these for a couple of years.