Blood of Rome: Retribution

Blood of Rome Chronicles #2

by John Salter

Three years have passed since the Claudian invasion of Britannia in AD 43. Caratacus has been forced to retreat to the west, where he now leads the free tribes against the Roman occupation of their land. From his mountain stronghold, he launches devastating attacks upon the legions seeking retribution for the death of his brother and thousands of Britons. The war has just begun, but it's not a war that Rome is used to fighting as Caratacus' warriors strike and then vanish into the hills and mist. The Roman war machine has been halted in its tracks and now struggles to come to terms with the tactics used by an enemy employing the guile and cunning of a wolf, and the ferocity of a wounded bear, an enemy they believed should have been brushed aside already. As the conflict continues and battles rage, a fight to the death ensues, a fight between a warrior's honour and an empire's strength, both determined upon victory.

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2014

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so wanted to like this book better than I did but there were obstacles to my **complete** enjoyment. The overarching plot concerned Caratacus/Caradoc and his guerrilla resistance against the Roman invader/occupier. The other co-plots involve Centurion Varro, a scout, and his optio, Grattius; Dumnoc, one of Caradoc's men, wreaking havoc in southern Britannia; and Legionary Valerius, one of the few soldiers surviving the ambush on a road-building detail. After return to camp, he is reassigned to 1st Cohort, from what I gather, the most dangerous one in which to be. I hope he will figure more strongly in the next installment.

Such an exciting and vivid story [I could see it in my mind's eye] was marred for me by such bad punctuation and run-on sentences. I would often have to stop and reread portions immediately after reading the first time. At first they made no sense; finally I would have to read out loud so I could put in right inflections and pauses. I cringed at the overuse of "filler words" in conversations--Mmm, er. I know we all use them subconsciously, but still I was annoyed seeing them in print. Certain changes in terminology should have been caught: name of the fort Caradoc attacked [Bee Stone/Beeston]; one character's name [Ehus/Ehud]. The author made me care about his characters; this was an achievement. Sometimes dialogue was inane and attempts at humor fell flat for me, but Caradoc's final speech to Varro and the others who have met with him seeking terms of peace, was reasonable and heartfelt. The Governor proves himself duplicitous, undermining the peace delegation, so Caradoc vows to fight on. I didn't feel I missed anything by not reading Book 1 in this series, but I will definitely read the next one. I hope proofing will be improved and possible inconsistencies will be done away with.

Recommended with caveats.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost nothing came easy to the Romans as they attempted to conquer Britain. Even Gaius Julius Caesar failed, not once but twice. One of the big reasons for this difficulty was the Britain known as Caratacus. He is a fascinating figure, a charismatic leader, a fearless warrior and a man who learns from his mistakes. In book one of this series by John Salter he made the mistake of trying to take on the Legions head on. In book two he has changed his tactics and now Rome is faced with a dangerous foe who will stop at nothing to drive the invaders from his homeland.
The author has taken book two up a notch as he takes us more deeply into the minds of the main characters, especially Caratacus/Caradoc and the Roman Centurion Varro. He has also continued the meticulous research that makes this story come alive not only in action but in the emotional conflicts that arose as the native peoples struggled to decide how to deal with Rome...to acquiesce and enjoy Roman favor or to remain free. Throw in a few plot twists and an optio with a terrific wit and you have a solid 4 star story...a story that is not done yet.

[N.R.P. Wilson]

Quite a good read and one of a type that I would normally see if my family wanted to read it but the occasional, sorry frequent use of strong language (that isn't all that necessary) stops me passing it on to them. However, this book and the earlier one by this author: Blood of Roma; Caractacus are good reads and can be enjoyed. Just that one little point really. Oh, by the way, in the retribution version, the Roman legionaries gave cherries to the local Britons. As at that time Cherries were still quite a novelty in Rome itself it is unlikely that the ordinary soldiers would be handing out such a rare fruit to the enemy. Varro also lost his horse in the first novel when he let his optio and the Briton called Brenna take it but he was riding the same horse again in the second one. Where di he find it?

[Lisa-marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read so many roman books that I was abit wary of reading anymore as most have the same story line...HOWEVER....john has brought history alive with his books, providing an amazing and outstanding storyline.

His books are the type which just suck you in, the more you read the more you want to keep reading the books.

A very talented and gifted author, can tell he has a passion for his work.