Goodreads Challenge 2016 – 44% done!
Right then, next update on my annual reading challenge see’s me hit the 44% complete mark, and I’ve done something reading style I’ve not done before. Sure it’s something readers regularly do, but I’ve not…but have now!
And that is to read a few books on the bounce, from the same author as part of their series. I read Robert Fabbri’s historical fiction books about Vespasian.
Vespasian – Rome’s Executioner
This is the second book in the authors Vespasian series, which is about Vespasian, who eventually becomes emperor and reigned from 69 to 79 AD and who famously had the coliseum built. However in this book it is about the main characters adventures long before he get’s into power.
I did enjoy this book, found it well written and clearly the author knows his stuff without bogging us laymen down with too much detail in an attempt at, I suspect from other authors, showing off. I really enjoyed a lot of the political coming and going’s, as one character attempted to out manoeuvre another and for action fans the battle scenes are detailed and adequately gory. I also, as I’ve read before in another review and agree with, found the character ‘Antonia’ very interesting, as she plots and schemes with various Senators and public officials in her overall plan to have her family take over Rome’s power. She is a strong and very intelligent woman who is always two steps ahead of everyone else, including our own Vespasian.
A downside for me however was I did find myself confused at times with the reference or use of a numerous or varied list of character’s names I didn’t always remember being used before or remember if they had or not, or even who they where?! Especially in meetings around conspirators etc. So this sometimes put me off or lost me…..but For historical fiction fans, a good read! 4 stars!
False God of Rome – Vespasian III
This is the third book in the Vespasian series, and I’ve read this straight after reading the second, and must admit I’ve read through this quite quickly so clearly enjoyed it.
This book see’s our main character, Vespasian, develop further as he heads towards becoming a more politically powerful member of Rome. The time period covered in this book sees the end of the Emperor Tiberius and the succession of Caligula, who is clearly mad, sees himself as a god and is involved in various acts of debauchery and incest. The book, strangely for books about Roman history, has no major campaigns or battles taking place. However we still do get plenty of violence and back stabbings with all the political plots of power, murders and ghastly terror in Rome.
Think I best crack on with the fourth in the series. Another 4 stars from me.
Rome’s Fallen Eagle
This is book number 4 in the Vespasian series written by Robert Fabbri, where again we continue to see the developing and character building of the future emperor Vespasian. In this instalment I’m glad to say we see an end to the Emperor Caligula, who from the previous book was causing quite a lot of mayhem and performing deplorable acts that was a little tough to digest and read at times. Perhaps I’m getting soft in my old age.
In this instalment we see our hero help the, almost feeble new emperor Claudius, score points with the Rome public by retrieving the long lost Seventeenth’s Eagle and then this is followed up by the invasion of Britain.
Maybe because I don’t normally read so many books by one author in a series, one after the other, I found my interest (and energy) levels slipped a little during this book, especially the second half/part of the book and in particular around the battle scenes, think I enjoyed the political back stabbing’s of the previous books to these, but that’s more than likely just me.
Anyway, three stars, and think I’m now taking a break from Vespasian and give something else a read. Feel a little exhausted.
