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The Shards of Heaven #1
The Shards of Heaven
The beginning of an epic historical fantasy that rocks the foundations of the ancient world
Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar’s ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar’s legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.
Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods—or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.
Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.
The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.
Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar’s ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar’s legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.
Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods—or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.
Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.
The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published November 17, 2015
50 people are currently reading
3313 people want to read
About the author
Michael Livingston
57 books239 followersA native of Colorado, Michael Livingston holds degrees in History, Medieval Studies, and English. He lives today in Charleston, South Carolina, where he teaches at The Citadel.
In his author life, he is a winner of the prestigious international Writers of the Future Contest (in 2005), and his novel SHARDS OF HEAVEN, the first in a trilogy of historical fantasies, will be published by Tor Books in November 2015. He has also published in a variety of other genres and venues, from a historical retelling of BEOWULF to a brief story about quantum physics in the world-renowned journal of science, NATURE.
In his academic life, he has published more than a dozen articles on subjects as varied as early Christianity, BEOWULF, Chaucer, James Joyce, J.R.R. Tolkien, and digital and practical pedagogies (though never all of them at once!). He has investigated European maps of America that pre-date Columbus, found unrecorded Anasazi ruins and artifacts, and written about the handwriting of fourteenth-century scribes. He is the general editor of the Liverpool Historical Casebooks Series, for which he has edited casebooks on the Battle of Brunanburh (Exeter, 2011), the Welsh rebel hero Owain Glyndwr (co-edited with John Bollard; Liverpool, 2013), and, coming soon, the Battle of Crécy (co-edited with Kelly DeVries; 2015).
In his author life, he is a winner of the prestigious international Writers of the Future Contest (in 2005), and his novel SHARDS OF HEAVEN, the first in a trilogy of historical fantasies, will be published by Tor Books in November 2015. He has also published in a variety of other genres and venues, from a historical retelling of BEOWULF to a brief story about quantum physics in the world-renowned journal of science, NATURE.
In his academic life, he has published more than a dozen articles on subjects as varied as early Christianity, BEOWULF, Chaucer, James Joyce, J.R.R. Tolkien, and digital and practical pedagogies (though never all of them at once!). He has investigated European maps of America that pre-date Columbus, found unrecorded Anasazi ruins and artifacts, and written about the handwriting of fourteenth-century scribes. He is the general editor of the Liverpool Historical Casebooks Series, for which he has edited casebooks on the Battle of Brunanburh (Exeter, 2011), the Welsh rebel hero Owain Glyndwr (co-edited with John Bollard; Liverpool, 2013), and, coming soon, the Battle of Crécy (co-edited with Kelly DeVries; 2015).
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November 13, 2015
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/11/13/b...
I first became aware of The Shards of Heaven earlier this year and knew right then and there I had to read it. Two major reasons for that, really. First is the mention of Cleopatra’s daughter in the book’s description. Despite always being overshadowed by her famous mother, Cleopatra Selene II happens to be one of my favorite historical figures, and I never pass up a chance to read historical fiction in which she appears. The second reason is a more general one, which is my interest in this particular time period featuring the Final War of the Roman Republic, in which Antony fought a civil war against Octavian to fill the power vacuum left behind by the death of Julius Caesar.
I do so love stories set in this time period, because for starters there’s certainly more than enough history to go around, and often the facts are as captivating and irresistible as fiction. Even better is when a historical novel is laced with strong threads of fantasy as with the case of The Shards of Heaven. Author Michael Livingston writes in the preface that one world’s history is another’s fantasy, a sentiment I agree with wholeheartedly. After all, historical fantasy has always appealed to me, and a major part of that enjoyment comes from seeing the ways a writer can blend real historical elements with the fantastical.
This is done wonderfully in The Shards of Heaven, a book which takes us back to the final years of the Roman Republic. The great Julius Caesar has just been assassinated on the senate floor, leaving the future of Rome in doubt. On the one hand we have Octavian, Caesar’s nephew and adopted son, who claims to be his rightful heir. On the other we have Caesarion, the only known biological son of Julius Caesar, backed by his mother the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra and her lover and ally Marc Antony, former Triumvir of Rome.
As the civil war rages on, Prince Juba of Numidia, another adopted son of Caesar, steps into the ring seeking revenge for his father who was defeated by Julius Caesar’s forces in the battle of Thapsus. Through his journeys and research, Juba has learned of the Shards of Heaven, artifacts said to have the ability to grant godlike powers to the mortals who wield them. However, he is not the only one with a vested interest in these Shards. Octavian means to use one of these artifacts, the Trident of Poseidon, to his advantage in the war, and meanwhile in Alexandria, there are hidden factions and unexpected guardians determined to protect the Shards and keep them out of enemy hands.
What I loved most about this book is the faithful homage paid to the fascinating historical figures and ancient locales, though it’s certainly not the point of this story. The characters are amazingly written, coming across very genuine and fully well-rounded, which I would suggest is the true point. The majority of the people in this book were real, and Livingston has taken what we know of them and breathed new life into their characters. Of course I adored Selene, which admittedly could be my own bias showing, but you can also argue that I’ve set a high bar for this book and it exceeded all my expectations. The way Selene was written made me care about her a great deal, and it was not just her either; Caesarion, Vorenus, Juba, Didymus and others with POV chapters were all enjoyable characters with real depth. When compared to the major powerhouses like Octavian, Antony, or Cleopatra, history may remember the protagonists of this book as “bit players”, but in this story they were the ones who knew all the secrets and held the power to change the world.
I’m also impressed with the way the writing evoked the time period without over-complicating the language or burying the narrative in needless detail. Livingston lays out all the complex political alliances so that the reader has a good grasp of what’s going on without feeling overwhelmed. My only concern is that you do need to know the basics of the civil war conflict, or at least have a general knowledge of the history behind it, to fully understand the background of the novel and some of the characters’ motivations. Fortunately, the mystery of the Shards is the central focus of the story rather than the specific details of the war, and the back of the book also has a helpful glossary of characters to catch readers up.
The Shards of Heaven is a dazzling introduction to a new historical fantasy series. Livingston clearly knows his Ancient Rome, and he also has a real talent for plotting and writing compelling characters, as evidenced by the effortless way he navigates the genre. He even finds ways to throw in some unexpected curve balls, paying respect to real history while injecting an imaginative and magical twist. I highly recommend this book for both its entertainment value and for its depiction of historical events. I can hardly wait for the sequel!
I first became aware of The Shards of Heaven earlier this year and knew right then and there I had to read it. Two major reasons for that, really. First is the mention of Cleopatra’s daughter in the book’s description. Despite always being overshadowed by her famous mother, Cleopatra Selene II happens to be one of my favorite historical figures, and I never pass up a chance to read historical fiction in which she appears. The second reason is a more general one, which is my interest in this particular time period featuring the Final War of the Roman Republic, in which Antony fought a civil war against Octavian to fill the power vacuum left behind by the death of Julius Caesar.
I do so love stories set in this time period, because for starters there’s certainly more than enough history to go around, and often the facts are as captivating and irresistible as fiction. Even better is when a historical novel is laced with strong threads of fantasy as with the case of The Shards of Heaven. Author Michael Livingston writes in the preface that one world’s history is another’s fantasy, a sentiment I agree with wholeheartedly. After all, historical fantasy has always appealed to me, and a major part of that enjoyment comes from seeing the ways a writer can blend real historical elements with the fantastical.
This is done wonderfully in The Shards of Heaven, a book which takes us back to the final years of the Roman Republic. The great Julius Caesar has just been assassinated on the senate floor, leaving the future of Rome in doubt. On the one hand we have Octavian, Caesar’s nephew and adopted son, who claims to be his rightful heir. On the other we have Caesarion, the only known biological son of Julius Caesar, backed by his mother the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra and her lover and ally Marc Antony, former Triumvir of Rome.
As the civil war rages on, Prince Juba of Numidia, another adopted son of Caesar, steps into the ring seeking revenge for his father who was defeated by Julius Caesar’s forces in the battle of Thapsus. Through his journeys and research, Juba has learned of the Shards of Heaven, artifacts said to have the ability to grant godlike powers to the mortals who wield them. However, he is not the only one with a vested interest in these Shards. Octavian means to use one of these artifacts, the Trident of Poseidon, to his advantage in the war, and meanwhile in Alexandria, there are hidden factions and unexpected guardians determined to protect the Shards and keep them out of enemy hands.
What I loved most about this book is the faithful homage paid to the fascinating historical figures and ancient locales, though it’s certainly not the point of this story. The characters are amazingly written, coming across very genuine and fully well-rounded, which I would suggest is the true point. The majority of the people in this book were real, and Livingston has taken what we know of them and breathed new life into their characters. Of course I adored Selene, which admittedly could be my own bias showing, but you can also argue that I’ve set a high bar for this book and it exceeded all my expectations. The way Selene was written made me care about her a great deal, and it was not just her either; Caesarion, Vorenus, Juba, Didymus and others with POV chapters were all enjoyable characters with real depth. When compared to the major powerhouses like Octavian, Antony, or Cleopatra, history may remember the protagonists of this book as “bit players”, but in this story they were the ones who knew all the secrets and held the power to change the world.
I’m also impressed with the way the writing evoked the time period without over-complicating the language or burying the narrative in needless detail. Livingston lays out all the complex political alliances so that the reader has a good grasp of what’s going on without feeling overwhelmed. My only concern is that you do need to know the basics of the civil war conflict, or at least have a general knowledge of the history behind it, to fully understand the background of the novel and some of the characters’ motivations. Fortunately, the mystery of the Shards is the central focus of the story rather than the specific details of the war, and the back of the book also has a helpful glossary of characters to catch readers up.
The Shards of Heaven is a dazzling introduction to a new historical fantasy series. Livingston clearly knows his Ancient Rome, and he also has a real talent for plotting and writing compelling characters, as evidenced by the effortless way he navigates the genre. He even finds ways to throw in some unexpected curve balls, paying respect to real history while injecting an imaginative and magical twist. I highly recommend this book for both its entertainment value and for its depiction of historical events. I can hardly wait for the sequel!
December 4, 2015
This is one of those books that would translate very well to the big screen.
Set after the death of Julius Caesar, the book concerns the war that breaks out after his death, with Cleopatra and Marc Antony, with Caesar's son Caesarion, on one side and Caesar's great-nephew Octavian on the other. With Octavian is also Juba - Caesar's adopted son, the natural son of the conquered king of Numidia.
All that is historical fact. The fiction arises here with the device that Juba is secretly plotting revenge for his father's defeat. The fantasy aspect comes in with Juba's discovery - and ability to use - the magical artifact known to some as the Trident of Poseidon. The item has supernatural power over the element of water - and has the potential to be a devastating asset, especially in naval battles. Octavian mercilessly pushes the young Juba to use the device - and is on a quest to collect the rumored other 'shards of heaven' to ensure his decisive victory.
We've got good use of less 'historically important' characters to fill out the story: the scribe Didymus, a couple of 'ordinary' foot soldiers, Cleopatra's daughter Cleopatra Selene as a child... I also liked the inclusion of different cultures and religions - Egyptian, Roman, and early Judeo-Christian.
The exotic setting, the magical elements, and the plentitude of action would all translate well to a great historical action film. However, as a book I wished I felt closer to the characters emotionally, and I wanted more complexity to their portrayal. I also wasn't thrilled with the portrayal of Cleopatra - she's stunningly beautiful, but gets disrespected and pushed around a lot by everyone around her, and just seems overly emotional in too many of her scenes, rather than as strong and ruthless as she likely was.
Still, an enjoyable historical/fantasy/action tale.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
Set after the death of Julius Caesar, the book concerns the war that breaks out after his death, with Cleopatra and Marc Antony, with Caesar's son Caesarion, on one side and Caesar's great-nephew Octavian on the other. With Octavian is also Juba - Caesar's adopted son, the natural son of the conquered king of Numidia.
All that is historical fact. The fiction arises here with the device that Juba is secretly plotting revenge for his father's defeat. The fantasy aspect comes in with Juba's discovery - and ability to use - the magical artifact known to some as the Trident of Poseidon. The item has supernatural power over the element of water - and has the potential to be a devastating asset, especially in naval battles. Octavian mercilessly pushes the young Juba to use the device - and is on a quest to collect the rumored other 'shards of heaven' to ensure his decisive victory.
We've got good use of less 'historically important' characters to fill out the story: the scribe Didymus, a couple of 'ordinary' foot soldiers, Cleopatra's daughter Cleopatra Selene as a child... I also liked the inclusion of different cultures and religions - Egyptian, Roman, and early Judeo-Christian.
The exotic setting, the magical elements, and the plentitude of action would all translate well to a great historical action film. However, as a book I wished I felt closer to the characters emotionally, and I wanted more complexity to their portrayal. I also wasn't thrilled with the portrayal of Cleopatra - she's stunningly beautiful, but gets disrespected and pushed around a lot by everyone around her, and just seems overly emotional in too many of her scenes, rather than as strong and ruthless as she likely was.
Still, an enjoyable historical/fantasy/action tale.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
December 2, 2015
Full Review at The Speculative Herald: http://www.speculativeherald.com/2015...
This story and time period has so much going for it in terms of story! Who doesn’t love delving into the political machinations of war and succession challenges?
I loved how the speculative aspect was woven into the story in such a way, that it just felt natural. It takes real events and adds just a dash of something fantastical that helps explain well known stories revolving around gods and religion.
The Shards of Heaven is a historical fantasy with a tinge of Indiana Jones adventure and Dan Brown’s secret conspiracy theories. It is a story that is comes to life and engages the reader from front to back, providing some exciting alternative explanations for stories that we all know.
This story and time period has so much going for it in terms of story! Who doesn’t love delving into the political machinations of war and succession challenges?
I loved how the speculative aspect was woven into the story in such a way, that it just felt natural. It takes real events and adds just a dash of something fantastical that helps explain well known stories revolving around gods and religion.
The Shards of Heaven is a historical fantasy with a tinge of Indiana Jones adventure and Dan Brown’s secret conspiracy theories. It is a story that is comes to life and engages the reader from front to back, providing some exciting alternative explanations for stories that we all know.
November 25, 2015
The Shards of Heaven is the type of story that can pull me in quickly. It’s fast paced, with characters that I already know and the audacity to bring in some unexpected elements that make the story new and unique.
The Shards of Heaven takes place following the assassination of Julius Caesar. I think we all know the basics of what happened after that. Octavian and Marc Antony filled the void left by Caesar and split the empire between them, Octavian in the West and Marc Antony in the East – with the infamous Cleopatra. The two of them fight to control the whole empire, Octavian wins, Antony and Cleopatra die. If I’ve spoiled anything for you, talk to your high school history teacher…not me. This is the scenario in which Michael Livingston has placed his story. I know these characters, I’ve read about them for many years, this makes it all that more fun to immerse myself into the story.
The key to making this work are the extra characters, the lesser known historical figures. The Shards of Heaven is not about Octavian and Antony, it is about Juba, Selene and Caesarion. Michael Livingston has brought these lesser known players to life. These are my new friends, the characters that I want to follow now. Vorenus and Pullo are fantastic added features that only add to the excitement and connection to these characters.
The next task expertly executed by Michael Livingston was to create a new and exciting story set within this familiar time in history. In this regard, he goes above and beyond. The author has created his own theology, questioning God, the gods and bridging mythology and religion.
The Shards of Heaven is an exhilarating adventure with a fabulous cast of characters. Michael Livingston is a fearless author, willing to place a magical/mythical element into such a well-known historical scenario.
*4.5 Stars
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
The Shards of Heaven takes place following the assassination of Julius Caesar. I think we all know the basics of what happened after that. Octavian and Marc Antony filled the void left by Caesar and split the empire between them, Octavian in the West and Marc Antony in the East – with the infamous Cleopatra. The two of them fight to control the whole empire, Octavian wins, Antony and Cleopatra die. If I’ve spoiled anything for you, talk to your high school history teacher…not me. This is the scenario in which Michael Livingston has placed his story. I know these characters, I’ve read about them for many years, this makes it all that more fun to immerse myself into the story.
The key to making this work are the extra characters, the lesser known historical figures. The Shards of Heaven is not about Octavian and Antony, it is about Juba, Selene and Caesarion. Michael Livingston has brought these lesser known players to life. These are my new friends, the characters that I want to follow now. Vorenus and Pullo are fantastic added features that only add to the excitement and connection to these characters.
The next task expertly executed by Michael Livingston was to create a new and exciting story set within this familiar time in history. In this regard, he goes above and beyond. The author has created his own theology, questioning God, the gods and bridging mythology and religion.
The Shards of Heaven is an exhilarating adventure with a fabulous cast of characters. Michael Livingston is a fearless author, willing to place a magical/mythical element into such a well-known historical scenario.
*4.5 Stars
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
December 14, 2021
This book skates the thin line between historical fiction (the main characters are real and most of the events, in some fashion, did occur) and fantasy using historical characters. It is firmly in the latter camp.
The gist? God's power was put into separate objects. These objects have appeared throughout history. Juba, son of the King of Numidia and Julius Caesar's "adopted" son, is worried about the power and influence of his "step-brother" Octavian Caesar. As Octavian grows more powerful, juba seeks more of these "Shards" hoping to gain access to the power of God. Octavian seeks to use these objects to win complete control of the world.
That's the gist. What is also interesting is Livingston's use of the the real world Legionnaire's Titus Pullo and Lucious Vorenus. Both were real Legionnaires (briefly mentioned in Caesar's Gallic War commentaries) , who have since catapulted into fame due to their starring roles in the HBO tv series "Rome". Vorenus and Pullo sit front and center in this tale of Caesarion, Selene (his sister), Cleopatra and Marc Anotony. On the other side we have Octavian and Juba.
The story was interesting and well written. Overall? A good fantasy look at history. Again I prefer my historical fiction to be far more historical, but this is a fantasy story with a historical cast and setting. As such it entertained but did not wow. Will I grab the second book to see how it all turns out? Maybe, but no rush.
The gist? God's power was put into separate objects. These objects have appeared throughout history. Juba, son of the King of Numidia and Julius Caesar's "adopted" son, is worried about the power and influence of his "step-brother" Octavian Caesar. As Octavian grows more powerful, juba seeks more of these "Shards" hoping to gain access to the power of God. Octavian seeks to use these objects to win complete control of the world.
That's the gist. What is also interesting is Livingston's use of the the real world Legionnaire's Titus Pullo and Lucious Vorenus. Both were real Legionnaires (briefly mentioned in Caesar's Gallic War commentaries) , who have since catapulted into fame due to their starring roles in the HBO tv series "Rome". Vorenus and Pullo sit front and center in this tale of Caesarion, Selene (his sister), Cleopatra and Marc Anotony. On the other side we have Octavian and Juba.
The story was interesting and well written. Overall? A good fantasy look at history. Again I prefer my historical fiction to be far more historical, but this is a fantasy story with a historical cast and setting. As such it entertained but did not wow. Will I grab the second book to see how it all turns out? Maybe, but no rush.
April 9, 2019
3.5 out of 5. Alternate history cum fantasy, depicting Hellenistic Egypt, during reign of Cleopatra. Strong sea battle of Actium, with one of the "Shards of Heaven" [pieces of God's throne] controlled by Juba of Numidia for Octavian, wreaking destruction on the fleet of Mark Antony. There follows a search for the main Shard, the Ark of the Covenant, with Antony's side trying to keep it from the hands of Octavian. Shades of Indiana Jones, anyone? Fast-paced, gripping story.
Recommended.
Recommended.
February 10, 2016
You Can Also Read The Review Here
This was one of the books that came out towards the end of last year that I read but never got around to reviewing so am going to remedy that now, because it’s actually a fantastic historical fantasy that saw the start of a promising new series from Michael Livingston. Set in the aftermath of the death of Julius Caesar in the floor of the Roman Senate, The Shards of Heaven follows the battle for supremacy and control, with a Civil War burning the Empire to the ground. Octavian, the ambitious great-nephew and adopted son of Caesar struggles with Antony and Cleopatra for control of his legacy, and the fate of Ancient Rome lies in their hands.
But The Shards of Heaven adopts a different approach, choosing to weave a fresh and exciting original tale instead. In a very Assassin’s Creed way, is more about the conflict behind the scenes that has the power to shape history. The book itself follows a Numidian Prince and adopted brother of Octavian Juba, who has begun a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, fabled treasures which are said to possess the very power of the Gods. Already he has Poseidon’s Trident, which potentially doubles as Moses’ staff. However Juba is not the only one who is caught up in the hunt, because we also follow other characters like exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian, numerous spies and assassins, and even Cleopatra’s own 10 year old daughter. It’s a fascinating plot that blends the history with fantasy very well, making use of some strong, vivid imagination.
Livingston’s novel is a wonderful read, well written with some fantastic attention to detail and use of world building that doesn’t slow down the pace at all. We kick things off with the death of Caesar and the book skips forward several years. It’s an interesting way to kick things off as the legacy of Caesar is something that remains very much in the background of the novel. The rich period of history is brought to life in fascinating ways – we get a great understanding of politics and rivalries, with some fleshing out of not only Rome but also Egypt itself with some fantastic attention to true historical events, and it’s easy to see that Livingston certainly knows what he’s doing, handling established historical figures very well indeed, using the likes of Octavian, Antony and Cleopatra to great effect, going to great lengths to make them just as well-rounded, developed and as powerful as the lesser-regarded characters that we meet in the book.
The historical fantasy really reads well and provides a bold, exciting new start to the series that fans of the time period will love. It’s smart, complex and gets The Shards of Heaven series off to an exciting start and I really can’t wait to see what Livingston comes up with next in the sequel, The Gates of Hell, which comes out in November this year and I’ll certainly aim to read it as soon as possible because The Shards of Heaven just blew me away, making use of some excellent knowledge of Ancient Rome to weave the start of an epic from a brand new voice in the genre. If you you're a fan of Assassin’s Creed, or Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, or anything from the likes of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell, The Shards of Heaven should be your sort of thing indeed.
VERDICT: 8.5/10
This was one of the books that came out towards the end of last year that I read but never got around to reviewing so am going to remedy that now, because it’s actually a fantastic historical fantasy that saw the start of a promising new series from Michael Livingston. Set in the aftermath of the death of Julius Caesar in the floor of the Roman Senate, The Shards of Heaven follows the battle for supremacy and control, with a Civil War burning the Empire to the ground. Octavian, the ambitious great-nephew and adopted son of Caesar struggles with Antony and Cleopatra for control of his legacy, and the fate of Ancient Rome lies in their hands.
But The Shards of Heaven adopts a different approach, choosing to weave a fresh and exciting original tale instead. In a very Assassin’s Creed way, is more about the conflict behind the scenes that has the power to shape history. The book itself follows a Numidian Prince and adopted brother of Octavian Juba, who has begun a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, fabled treasures which are said to possess the very power of the Gods. Already he has Poseidon’s Trident, which potentially doubles as Moses’ staff. However Juba is not the only one who is caught up in the hunt, because we also follow other characters like exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian, numerous spies and assassins, and even Cleopatra’s own 10 year old daughter. It’s a fascinating plot that blends the history with fantasy very well, making use of some strong, vivid imagination.
Livingston’s novel is a wonderful read, well written with some fantastic attention to detail and use of world building that doesn’t slow down the pace at all. We kick things off with the death of Caesar and the book skips forward several years. It’s an interesting way to kick things off as the legacy of Caesar is something that remains very much in the background of the novel. The rich period of history is brought to life in fascinating ways – we get a great understanding of politics and rivalries, with some fleshing out of not only Rome but also Egypt itself with some fantastic attention to true historical events, and it’s easy to see that Livingston certainly knows what he’s doing, handling established historical figures very well indeed, using the likes of Octavian, Antony and Cleopatra to great effect, going to great lengths to make them just as well-rounded, developed and as powerful as the lesser-regarded characters that we meet in the book.
The historical fantasy really reads well and provides a bold, exciting new start to the series that fans of the time period will love. It’s smart, complex and gets The Shards of Heaven series off to an exciting start and I really can’t wait to see what Livingston comes up with next in the sequel, The Gates of Hell, which comes out in November this year and I’ll certainly aim to read it as soon as possible because The Shards of Heaven just blew me away, making use of some excellent knowledge of Ancient Rome to weave the start of an epic from a brand new voice in the genre. If you you're a fan of Assassin’s Creed, or Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, or anything from the likes of Simon Scarrow and Bernard Cornwell, The Shards of Heaven should be your sort of thing indeed.
VERDICT: 8.5/10
January 26, 2026
The Ark and the Empire is the first book in the historical inspired fantasy series The Shards, written by Michael Livingston, published by Orbit Books. A proposal that transports the reader to the Civil War that followed Caesar's assassination, reflecting the fight for power between Octavian and Marc Antony, weaving together historical moments with fantastical elements, giving the story a new layer underneath.
Octavian, Caesar's nephew and adopted son, has taken control of Rome; but in the vacuum of power left by Caesar's death, Marc Antony is on the other side, backing the claims of Cesarion, Cleopatra and Caesar's son, to the throne of Rome. Alexandria and Rome are destined to go to war.
Juba, a former Numidian prince and adopted Caesar's son, is on his own quest, trying to find the relics that are believed to hold the power of God; he's seeking revenge against Rome with those treasures, but Octavian has other plans for him, using him for war. Juba must move with caution if he wants to fulfill his plan while finding the rest of the relics.
Livingston gives his own spin to the historical moments while going deep into the monomyth idea; the timelines are effortlessly woven together, composing a tapestry over the Civil War while the small actors are executing their movements on the gameboard. Those small actors, such as Pullo and Vorenus, often overshadow the rest of the cast, as at the end, while the war is in motion (and Livingston isn't shy of depicting the big clashes), their steps are marking our particular plot.
If you are a fan of Roman history and want a more fantastical spin on one of the moments that defined it, The Ark and the Empire is a great choice: a novel that blends together history and myth, an authentic pageturner. Really enjoyed reading it!
Octavian, Caesar's nephew and adopted son, has taken control of Rome; but in the vacuum of power left by Caesar's death, Marc Antony is on the other side, backing the claims of Cesarion, Cleopatra and Caesar's son, to the throne of Rome. Alexandria and Rome are destined to go to war.
Juba, a former Numidian prince and adopted Caesar's son, is on his own quest, trying to find the relics that are believed to hold the power of God; he's seeking revenge against Rome with those treasures, but Octavian has other plans for him, using him for war. Juba must move with caution if he wants to fulfill his plan while finding the rest of the relics.
Livingston gives his own spin to the historical moments while going deep into the monomyth idea; the timelines are effortlessly woven together, composing a tapestry over the Civil War while the small actors are executing their movements on the gameboard. Those small actors, such as Pullo and Vorenus, often overshadow the rest of the cast, as at the end, while the war is in motion (and Livingston isn't shy of depicting the big clashes), their steps are marking our particular plot.
If you are a fan of Roman history and want a more fantastical spin on one of the moments that defined it, The Ark and the Empire is a great choice: a novel that blends together history and myth, an authentic pageturner. Really enjoyed reading it!
November 21, 2015
4.5 stars
http://lynns-books.com/2015/11/21/the...
The Shards of Heaven is a fascinating alternate history set during the period of the Roman Empire just shortly after the death of Caesar. I enjoyed this so much that when I finished reading I actually went to check out some of the history of the period and having done so was even more impressed with the skill which the author has used here to bring us a very easy to read narrative with a twist on the actual events that feels almost like a credible account of what could have taken place.
Octavian, Caesar’s nephew and adopted son has taken control of Rome. However, he doesn’t intend to leave potential suitors around to lay claim to the empire and he particularly has his eye on Caesarion, Cleopatra’s first son by Caesar. As a result Rome and Alexandria go to war , although Octavian uses Marc Antony’s defection to Alexandria as the cause hiding his real motives amongst this insult to the Empire.
Meanwhile, Juba – another adopted son of Caesar and former Numidian Prince – is on a quest of his own. He searches for ancient relics which are believed to hold the power of God. Nuba himself has an ulterior motive for his search. He seeks vengeance against Rome for the death of his father and intends to use these treasures, known as Shards, to obtain his desires.
Done well I simply love stories like this and this story is done very well. Livingston has taken what is already a very battle led, tempestuous and political era of history and injected it with a little more spice. In this case the fantasy has a biblical feel with moments of calm followed by thrashing waves and skies torn asunder by bolts of lightening. Very fitting indeed for this particular era the fantasy is subtle and doesn’t overrule the narrative. On top of this the author takes some of the lesser known characters and reimagines their stories filling them with thoughts and fears and adding possible scenarios and conversations. You will like these characters, you won’t be able to help yourself, and consequently you’ll hold your breath as the story unfolds and you desperately read on hoping that they’ll survive against the odds.
I particularly liked Pullo and Vorenus. These are a couple of battle hardened Roman soldiers who are exiled to Alexander and are now faced with warring against their own people. They’ve become attached to the family over the years spent with Cleopatra and Antony and have acted as bodyguards to the children. They’re a very easy pair to like. Then we have Didymus, a scholar and tutor to the children – well, he has a secret in his past that he, rightfully so, isn’t proud of and wants to redress. Selene is Cleopatra’s daughter. She’s sharp witted and courageous and refuses to be kept in her place simply for having been born a female.
I really like that Livingston has taken a very well known period of history but rather than focus on the characters we already know has chosen to base his character on these smaller, lesser known characters that have only a small mention in history. I love the way he’s created an alternate history that keeps all the main events untouched at the same time as introducing a different story with fantasy elements that supports the historical version.
The writing is quite unembellished, and I mean that in a good way. The author has plenty to play with here and it would be easy to weigh this story down with heavy descriptions. As it is I think he does a very good job of bringing the period to life, showing the way in which these characters live and avoiding info dumps. I thought the battle scenes were really well written and easy to imagine and loved reading about the Library in Alexandria and the underground tunnels, not to mention the myths surrounding the shards and their possible implications in earlier historical events. I will mention that this is told in a modern voice and style, which I personally really appreciated, but be aware of that before picking this up.
So, to be clear. I loved this book and would have no hesitation in recommending it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and in fact it’s one of a few books that I’ve read this year that I could happily have finished the last page and returned to the start for a reread. I really look forward to the next instalment. If you love history, alternate history and fantasy and want to read characters that make you feel something then give The Shards of Heaven a try.
I received a copy of this courtesy of the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
http://lynns-books.com/2015/11/21/the...
The Shards of Heaven is a fascinating alternate history set during the period of the Roman Empire just shortly after the death of Caesar. I enjoyed this so much that when I finished reading I actually went to check out some of the history of the period and having done so was even more impressed with the skill which the author has used here to bring us a very easy to read narrative with a twist on the actual events that feels almost like a credible account of what could have taken place.
Octavian, Caesar’s nephew and adopted son has taken control of Rome. However, he doesn’t intend to leave potential suitors around to lay claim to the empire and he particularly has his eye on Caesarion, Cleopatra’s first son by Caesar. As a result Rome and Alexandria go to war , although Octavian uses Marc Antony’s defection to Alexandria as the cause hiding his real motives amongst this insult to the Empire.
Meanwhile, Juba – another adopted son of Caesar and former Numidian Prince – is on a quest of his own. He searches for ancient relics which are believed to hold the power of God. Nuba himself has an ulterior motive for his search. He seeks vengeance against Rome for the death of his father and intends to use these treasures, known as Shards, to obtain his desires.
Done well I simply love stories like this and this story is done very well. Livingston has taken what is already a very battle led, tempestuous and political era of history and injected it with a little more spice. In this case the fantasy has a biblical feel with moments of calm followed by thrashing waves and skies torn asunder by bolts of lightening. Very fitting indeed for this particular era the fantasy is subtle and doesn’t overrule the narrative. On top of this the author takes some of the lesser known characters and reimagines their stories filling them with thoughts and fears and adding possible scenarios and conversations. You will like these characters, you won’t be able to help yourself, and consequently you’ll hold your breath as the story unfolds and you desperately read on hoping that they’ll survive against the odds.
I particularly liked Pullo and Vorenus. These are a couple of battle hardened Roman soldiers who are exiled to Alexander and are now faced with warring against their own people. They’ve become attached to the family over the years spent with Cleopatra and Antony and have acted as bodyguards to the children. They’re a very easy pair to like. Then we have Didymus, a scholar and tutor to the children – well, he has a secret in his past that he, rightfully so, isn’t proud of and wants to redress. Selene is Cleopatra’s daughter. She’s sharp witted and courageous and refuses to be kept in her place simply for having been born a female.
I really like that Livingston has taken a very well known period of history but rather than focus on the characters we already know has chosen to base his character on these smaller, lesser known characters that have only a small mention in history. I love the way he’s created an alternate history that keeps all the main events untouched at the same time as introducing a different story with fantasy elements that supports the historical version.
The writing is quite unembellished, and I mean that in a good way. The author has plenty to play with here and it would be easy to weigh this story down with heavy descriptions. As it is I think he does a very good job of bringing the period to life, showing the way in which these characters live and avoiding info dumps. I thought the battle scenes were really well written and easy to imagine and loved reading about the Library in Alexandria and the underground tunnels, not to mention the myths surrounding the shards and their possible implications in earlier historical events. I will mention that this is told in a modern voice and style, which I personally really appreciated, but be aware of that before picking this up.
So, to be clear. I loved this book and would have no hesitation in recommending it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and in fact it’s one of a few books that I’ve read this year that I could happily have finished the last page and returned to the start for a reread. I really look forward to the next instalment. If you love history, alternate history and fantasy and want to read characters that make you feel something then give The Shards of Heaven a try.
I received a copy of this courtesy of the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Read
April 14, 2021Every now and then Tor Books sends me something I did not request. Every time this happens, I open the envelope with equal parts excitement and trepidation. Who doesn’t like getting books in the mail? I do worry it might be a book I’m not interested in reading, let alone reviewing, but to date these random books have been something I’d like to read. I’ve actually squealed a little opening some envelopes. It’s as if Tor has a file on me or something.
The last envelope contained a lovely hardcover copy of The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston. Being a reviewer does have its perks. I was immediately intrigued by the cover illustration and the synopsis on the inside flap. I then sat down to read and pretty much didn’t stop until I got to the end, my only complaint being that the book did have an end. Oh and that there is no sequel published yet.
Anyway, I’m sure you’d all like to know what the book is about. Julius Caesar is dead and the future of his legacy is uncertain. When he comes of age, Caesarion – son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra – stands to inherit ‘the world’. He is heir to Rome and Egypt. Another of Caesar’s adopted sons, Octavian, intends to claim it all for himself, however. Add to this mix a third son, the Numidian prince Juba, also adopted. Juba isn’t after a throne. His quest is vengeance, to be delivered through the Shards of Heaven, a series of fabled artefacts that will give the wielder power over Heaven and Earth. He is already in possession of one shard, Poseidon’s trident, through which he gains control of the sea. He believes it might have once been Moses’ staff. Juba’s search for the other shards allies him with Octavian as they both look toward Egypt: Octavian with an eye toward conquest and murder of his rival, Caesarion, and Juba for the Great Library of Alexandria.
The Shards Of Heaven combines history with fantasy. I adore books that do this. There are so many ways to interpret history, which is one of the reasons I enjoy reading historical fiction. The other is that who is to say there aren’t fantastic elements in our past? So much of what we count as myth and legend actually makes sense if we add in a sorcerer or a witch. A magic set of armour or a very special sword. Okay, maybe not, but such embellishments do make for very good stories.
The story of Juba’s quest is interwoven with real events: Actium and the naval battle incited to cover Antony’s retreat. Octavian’s victory and subsequent path to Alexandria. The timeline of the novel is constrained by this history and, while I might have liked to have seen a little more magic (more fantasy), I appreciated Livingston had to work with what he had and that is the story of Caesar’s children. The novel covers the events at Actium and Octavian’s arrival in Alexandria with all the gore one might expect from an epic historical tome. There is battle and strategy, betrayal and defeat.
The more important events, however, are the risks taken by Juba, Caesarion, his half-sister Selene, the librarian responsible for their education, and centurions, Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus. Their inclusion is a definite nod to this being a story about the bit players of history and how a small action can elicit a rather large reaction. Tying everything together, we have Livingston’s interpretation of the Ark of the Covenant, here called the Shards of Heaven.
While history falls as it must, the younger cadre, with the help of their allies, seeks the Ark. Securing it as Alexandria falls is an adventure in itself and also where the plot takes several interesting side steps. The novel ends decisively, but there is plenty of story left to tell. With the number of Shards unknown and the actual history of Caesarion vague, Livingston has all he needs to tie the next chapter of Juba’s quest into events as they move forward.
Obviously, I’m hoping for another random package in the mail but, failing that, I’m invested enough in this story to pick up the next book myself.
Reviewed for SFCrowsnest.
The last envelope contained a lovely hardcover copy of The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston. Being a reviewer does have its perks. I was immediately intrigued by the cover illustration and the synopsis on the inside flap. I then sat down to read and pretty much didn’t stop until I got to the end, my only complaint being that the book did have an end. Oh and that there is no sequel published yet.
Anyway, I’m sure you’d all like to know what the book is about. Julius Caesar is dead and the future of his legacy is uncertain. When he comes of age, Caesarion – son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra – stands to inherit ‘the world’. He is heir to Rome and Egypt. Another of Caesar’s adopted sons, Octavian, intends to claim it all for himself, however. Add to this mix a third son, the Numidian prince Juba, also adopted. Juba isn’t after a throne. His quest is vengeance, to be delivered through the Shards of Heaven, a series of fabled artefacts that will give the wielder power over Heaven and Earth. He is already in possession of one shard, Poseidon’s trident, through which he gains control of the sea. He believes it might have once been Moses’ staff. Juba’s search for the other shards allies him with Octavian as they both look toward Egypt: Octavian with an eye toward conquest and murder of his rival, Caesarion, and Juba for the Great Library of Alexandria.
The Shards Of Heaven combines history with fantasy. I adore books that do this. There are so many ways to interpret history, which is one of the reasons I enjoy reading historical fiction. The other is that who is to say there aren’t fantastic elements in our past? So much of what we count as myth and legend actually makes sense if we add in a sorcerer or a witch. A magic set of armour or a very special sword. Okay, maybe not, but such embellishments do make for very good stories.
The story of Juba’s quest is interwoven with real events: Actium and the naval battle incited to cover Antony’s retreat. Octavian’s victory and subsequent path to Alexandria. The timeline of the novel is constrained by this history and, while I might have liked to have seen a little more magic (more fantasy), I appreciated Livingston had to work with what he had and that is the story of Caesar’s children. The novel covers the events at Actium and Octavian’s arrival in Alexandria with all the gore one might expect from an epic historical tome. There is battle and strategy, betrayal and defeat.
The more important events, however, are the risks taken by Juba, Caesarion, his half-sister Selene, the librarian responsible for their education, and centurions, Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus. Their inclusion is a definite nod to this being a story about the bit players of history and how a small action can elicit a rather large reaction. Tying everything together, we have Livingston’s interpretation of the Ark of the Covenant, here called the Shards of Heaven.
While history falls as it must, the younger cadre, with the help of their allies, seeks the Ark. Securing it as Alexandria falls is an adventure in itself and also where the plot takes several interesting side steps. The novel ends decisively, but there is plenty of story left to tell. With the number of Shards unknown and the actual history of Caesarion vague, Livingston has all he needs to tie the next chapter of Juba’s quest into events as they move forward.
Obviously, I’m hoping for another random package in the mail but, failing that, I’m invested enough in this story to pick up the next book myself.
Reviewed for SFCrowsnest.
August 19, 2015
Imagine the timeline of history, stretched out before you. Now imagine that you can reach into that timeline, and grab a chunk of it, say roughly around 44 BCE to 30 BCE. Twist and pull that chunk apart, tease out people, events, landscapes, cultural beliefs, battles, outcomes. Now add in personalities, conversations, conflicts, passion, motivations, and a huge dose of supernatural. Add one expert researcher as author and a fabulously illustrated cover. Do all of the above right, and you've got Shards of Heaven in your hands.
Full disclaimer here: Michael Livingston is a friend. When I heard he had written a novel, I think I actually squealed in delight. (I know I did at least two "happy dances" when I received an ARC, even before getting it into my home.) This is a guy who, when I hear him talk at various conventions, has made this long-ago history major yearn to return to the classroom and explore dusty volumes deep in the stacks of university libraries. The literary lover in me sits in awe listening to talks about Tolkien, or hearing Chaucer or Beowulf in Old English.
Shards of Heaven centers primarily on the last days of Antony and Cleopatra, and their battle for power over Julius Caesar's legacy with Octavian, Caesar's nephew and adopted son. Livingston has reimagined the history, and created a story that weaves through the actual known facts, providing different causes and venues, never altering the history as we know it.
Juba, another adopted son of Caesar, has come into possession of an artifact that is purported to be the Trident of Poseidon, maybe even the very staff of Moses which parted the Red Sea. Juba has learned there are other artifacts, Shards of Heaven, which are said to have the power of the Gods, or maybe the One God, over elements of our world, and is on a quest to find them. Though he is under the command of Octavian, he also seeks revenge for his father, the slain King of Numidia.
As he seeks other Shards of Heaven, there are those in the camp of Antony and Cleopatra who are determined to keep other Shards out of the hands of the enemy. Caesarion, Caesar's only living son, whose mother is Cleopatra, and trusted scholars and centurions, struggle to keep the few magical treasures hidden in Alexandria safe. And Selene, the young daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is determined to be part of that effort.
While reading this, I did shriek and swear at the author, but not for my usual reasons of bad writing or poor plot line. I believe my exact words were, "Michael, if you make me care for these people and then kill them off, I'll never invite you for martinis again!" To be honest, as I know history is unchanged in this version of the tale, I knew some folks would die. Indeed, a few of my favorite characters will not make it to the next book. But Michael, you're safe. You told a good tale, created characters I could care about, described battles I could visualize. And true to your professorial leaning, you taught me as well. I'm ready for Book II.
Tags: advanced-reader-copy, first-novel-or-book, great-cover, made-me-look-something-up, met-the-author, part-start-of-a-series, read-in-2015, thought-provoking, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, alternate-history
Full disclaimer here: Michael Livingston is a friend. When I heard he had written a novel, I think I actually squealed in delight. (I know I did at least two "happy dances" when I received an ARC, even before getting it into my home.) This is a guy who, when I hear him talk at various conventions, has made this long-ago history major yearn to return to the classroom and explore dusty volumes deep in the stacks of university libraries. The literary lover in me sits in awe listening to talks about Tolkien, or hearing Chaucer or Beowulf in Old English.
Shards of Heaven centers primarily on the last days of Antony and Cleopatra, and their battle for power over Julius Caesar's legacy with Octavian, Caesar's nephew and adopted son. Livingston has reimagined the history, and created a story that weaves through the actual known facts, providing different causes and venues, never altering the history as we know it.
Juba, another adopted son of Caesar, has come into possession of an artifact that is purported to be the Trident of Poseidon, maybe even the very staff of Moses which parted the Red Sea. Juba has learned there are other artifacts, Shards of Heaven, which are said to have the power of the Gods, or maybe the One God, over elements of our world, and is on a quest to find them. Though he is under the command of Octavian, he also seeks revenge for his father, the slain King of Numidia.
As he seeks other Shards of Heaven, there are those in the camp of Antony and Cleopatra who are determined to keep other Shards out of the hands of the enemy. Caesarion, Caesar's only living son, whose mother is Cleopatra, and trusted scholars and centurions, struggle to keep the few magical treasures hidden in Alexandria safe. And Selene, the young daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is determined to be part of that effort.
While reading this, I did shriek and swear at the author, but not for my usual reasons of bad writing or poor plot line. I believe my exact words were, "Michael, if you make me care for these people and then kill them off, I'll never invite you for martinis again!" To be honest, as I know history is unchanged in this version of the tale, I knew some folks would die. Indeed, a few of my favorite characters will not make it to the next book. But Michael, you're safe. You told a good tale, created characters I could care about, described battles I could visualize. And true to your professorial leaning, you taught me as well. I'm ready for Book II.
Tags: advanced-reader-copy, first-novel-or-book, great-cover, made-me-look-something-up, met-the-author, part-start-of-a-series, read-in-2015, thought-provoking, will-look-for-more-by-this-author, alternate-history
March 8, 2016
A wonderfully juicy piece of historical fiction, with just a touch of fantasy, enough that history and fantasy buffs both will enjoy it. Livingston has great pacing, and just enough detail in the characters. It feels a bit like a sequel to HBO's Rome series, and a bit like a Bernard Cornwell novel from his top-form days, before he became a real factory.
The novel takes place during the rise of Octavian, aka Augustus Caesar, as he makes war against Marc Antony and Cleopatra. It plays between sympathetic forces on each side: Caesarion, the blood heir to Julius Caesar, son of Cleopatra, and Juba, one of Caesar's adopted sons, fighting for Octavian. Juba can use the Trident, a magical object that has power over water. Livingston works a lot of very cool historical research into the fantastical elements; the Trident doubles as Moses's staff and a number of other things, and the other magical weapons, the Shards of Heaven, are woven heavily into the myth and stories of the time.
The height of the book is a naval battle sequence that is just white-knuckle good. It's easily on pay with Cornwell's battle sequences. You feel every bit of it. Definitely reading the sequels.
The novel takes place during the rise of Octavian, aka Augustus Caesar, as he makes war against Marc Antony and Cleopatra. It plays between sympathetic forces on each side: Caesarion, the blood heir to Julius Caesar, son of Cleopatra, and Juba, one of Caesar's adopted sons, fighting for Octavian. Juba can use the Trident, a magical object that has power over water. Livingston works a lot of very cool historical research into the fantastical elements; the Trident doubles as Moses's staff and a number of other things, and the other magical weapons, the Shards of Heaven, are woven heavily into the myth and stories of the time.
The height of the book is a naval battle sequence that is just white-knuckle good. It's easily on pay with Cornwell's battle sequences. You feel every bit of it. Definitely reading the sequels.
October 21, 2016
This one is a bit of a hard one to judge. I really felt like I should have loved this book, but I kind of didn't? Confusing yes but it makes sense in my brain. I like the historical and mythological aspects to it. I felt like the world should have been a bit more diverse, but it sufficed for what was needed. (I am a sucker for elaborate world builds so I may be biased). The story was a really interesting concept with religious and historical narrative being combined into an interesting artifact hunt, no spoilers here. The two drawbacks for me were the characters (especially Marc Antony and Cleopatra) lacking, well, character, and I felt it read incredibly slow. Again I think Shards of Heaven was well within my wheelhouse, but just fell a bit short in its overall delivery.
November 25, 2015
Originally posted at FantasyLiterature.com
The Shards of Heaven is not author Michael Livingston’s first work. In fact, he’s already a prolific award-winning writer, though mostly focused in his world of academia. Livingston is a Professor of Medieval Literature at The Citadel in South Carolina. The Shards of Heaven is his first novel and he taps into his significant historical knowledge. He liberally expands his knowledge base with strong fantasy elements, though, not unlike George R.R. Martin’s A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, it’s heavy on history-laden fiction and lighter on the fantasy… at least in this first offering of what’s expected to be a trilogy.
Impending war bubbles across the Roman Empire as Livingston’s story starts. Julius Caesar has been assassinated and after failed attempts at co-ruling the empire, Caesar’s general Marc Antony and his adopted son Octavian jockey for position, allies, and support within their strongholds in the east and west: Antony in Alexandria, Egypt, and Octavian in Rome.
Octavian comes into the knowledge and possession of a mighty weapon — the Trident of Neptune. Only Octavian’s adopted-step-brother Juba can even moderately control it, and while Octavian has designs to use it to secure his victory over Antony, Juba has his own eye on avenging his father’s defeat at the hands of Caesar 15 years earlier. The Trident has Force-like powers in its ability to boil a human’s blood or create a ship-crushing wave in the sea.
The Shards of Heaven is like an over-produced but undeniably delectable feast. (For the purposes of this metaphor, please note that these dishes are not necessarily served in the following order.)
The main course: Roman Empire historical fiction is the dish du jour, specifically focused on the years immediately following the assassination of Julius Caesar and what became a civil war between Octavian (the future Augustus) versus Marc Antony and his (and Caesar’s) lover Cleopatra. In Livingston’s novel, Octavian is bad, Antony is sort of good but mostly boring, and Cleopatra serves her traditional role of behind-the-scenes manipulator. Added to the fray is Juba, a Numidian prince who Caesar adopted following the victory over his father in 46 BCE. Juba and Octavian are step-adopted-brothers. On the surface there’s love, but underneath there’s hate, and one of the driving threads of Livingston’s plot is Juba’s drive for revenge. The story and plot threads of The Shards of Heaven are steeped in real history but sprinkled with a smidgen of fantasy.
The appetizer: Characters are tasty going down, but ultimately not very filling. Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are the grizzled legionnaire veterans protecting the Antony/Cleopatra household. They’re smart, strong and buddies that go back to Julius Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul. They’re also the same true-to-history characters that HBO served up in their ROME series. Didymus is the chief librarian in Alexandria, but also responsible for the education of Cleopatra’s children: Caesarion, son of Cleo and Julius; and Cleo’s children with Antony — Selene, young ingénue and troublemaker; her twin Helios; and the youngest, Philadelphus. Most characters are indelicately drawn with perhaps the exception of Vorenus and Juba, and the later portions of Selene’s narrative.
The side dish: An Indiana Jones-like hunt for mysterious objects runs parallel to the main structural elements surrounding the war between Octavian and Antony’s forces. Driven by Juba’s thirst for revenge and Octavian’s drive for power, Antony’s clan gets caught up in a search for the shards and, naturally, a race against time. And yes, the key shard is actually embedded within Indy’s own Ark of the Covenant.
The dessert: Good ol’ fashioned fantasy — sorta. In my desire to throw no undue spoilers your way, I’ll summarize the fantasy element: the ancient one-ruling-god’s throne was broken into several magical pieces (or shards, if you will). They’re extremely powerful and each more-or-less representative of different elements. Poseidon’s Trident is the most-used weapon in the story and has power over water and liquid. Another shard is hidden within (REDACTED AS A SPOILER ALERT) and has the power over land. The aforementioned Ark has the all-compassing super shard.
Livingston uses The Shards of Heaven to explore the nature of religion in a world where empires span thousands of miles and effective rulers must find ways to incorporate and blend a multitude of religions. Egyptian gods become analogies of Roman gods. Sometimes gods from different nations stand side-by-side. And sometimes, new gods are invented to cover a host of multi-regional religious needs.
Livingston writes solid prose, and seems to enjoy crafting a vibrant battle scene. The fantasy elements play a strong role in the establishment of the story and in its conclusion, but fade in the middle third of the book. This may not be a bad thing, but for those looking for persistent magical happenings, you’ll have to burrow through the Roman battles that wind their way more thoroughly throughout the novel. For a debut offering, The Shards of Heaven is a fun, though inconsistent, read.
The Shards of Heaven is not author Michael Livingston’s first work. In fact, he’s already a prolific award-winning writer, though mostly focused in his world of academia. Livingston is a Professor of Medieval Literature at The Citadel in South Carolina. The Shards of Heaven is his first novel and he taps into his significant historical knowledge. He liberally expands his knowledge base with strong fantasy elements, though, not unlike George R.R. Martin’s A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, it’s heavy on history-laden fiction and lighter on the fantasy… at least in this first offering of what’s expected to be a trilogy.
Impending war bubbles across the Roman Empire as Livingston’s story starts. Julius Caesar has been assassinated and after failed attempts at co-ruling the empire, Caesar’s general Marc Antony and his adopted son Octavian jockey for position, allies, and support within their strongholds in the east and west: Antony in Alexandria, Egypt, and Octavian in Rome.
Octavian comes into the knowledge and possession of a mighty weapon — the Trident of Neptune. Only Octavian’s adopted-step-brother Juba can even moderately control it, and while Octavian has designs to use it to secure his victory over Antony, Juba has his own eye on avenging his father’s defeat at the hands of Caesar 15 years earlier. The Trident has Force-like powers in its ability to boil a human’s blood or create a ship-crushing wave in the sea.
The Shards of Heaven is like an over-produced but undeniably delectable feast. (For the purposes of this metaphor, please note that these dishes are not necessarily served in the following order.)
The main course: Roman Empire historical fiction is the dish du jour, specifically focused on the years immediately following the assassination of Julius Caesar and what became a civil war between Octavian (the future Augustus) versus Marc Antony and his (and Caesar’s) lover Cleopatra. In Livingston’s novel, Octavian is bad, Antony is sort of good but mostly boring, and Cleopatra serves her traditional role of behind-the-scenes manipulator. Added to the fray is Juba, a Numidian prince who Caesar adopted following the victory over his father in 46 BCE. Juba and Octavian are step-adopted-brothers. On the surface there’s love, but underneath there’s hate, and one of the driving threads of Livingston’s plot is Juba’s drive for revenge. The story and plot threads of The Shards of Heaven are steeped in real history but sprinkled with a smidgen of fantasy.
The appetizer: Characters are tasty going down, but ultimately not very filling. Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo are the grizzled legionnaire veterans protecting the Antony/Cleopatra household. They’re smart, strong and buddies that go back to Julius Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul. They’re also the same true-to-history characters that HBO served up in their ROME series. Didymus is the chief librarian in Alexandria, but also responsible for the education of Cleopatra’s children: Caesarion, son of Cleo and Julius; and Cleo’s children with Antony — Selene, young ingénue and troublemaker; her twin Helios; and the youngest, Philadelphus. Most characters are indelicately drawn with perhaps the exception of Vorenus and Juba, and the later portions of Selene’s narrative.
The side dish: An Indiana Jones-like hunt for mysterious objects runs parallel to the main structural elements surrounding the war between Octavian and Antony’s forces. Driven by Juba’s thirst for revenge and Octavian’s drive for power, Antony’s clan gets caught up in a search for the shards and, naturally, a race against time. And yes, the key shard is actually embedded within Indy’s own Ark of the Covenant.
The dessert: Good ol’ fashioned fantasy — sorta. In my desire to throw no undue spoilers your way, I’ll summarize the fantasy element: the ancient one-ruling-god’s throne was broken into several magical pieces (or shards, if you will). They’re extremely powerful and each more-or-less representative of different elements. Poseidon’s Trident is the most-used weapon in the story and has power over water and liquid. Another shard is hidden within (REDACTED AS A SPOILER ALERT) and has the power over land. The aforementioned Ark has the all-compassing super shard.
Livingston uses The Shards of Heaven to explore the nature of religion in a world where empires span thousands of miles and effective rulers must find ways to incorporate and blend a multitude of religions. Egyptian gods become analogies of Roman gods. Sometimes gods from different nations stand side-by-side. And sometimes, new gods are invented to cover a host of multi-regional religious needs.
Livingston writes solid prose, and seems to enjoy crafting a vibrant battle scene. The fantasy elements play a strong role in the establishment of the story and in its conclusion, but fade in the middle third of the book. This may not be a bad thing, but for those looking for persistent magical happenings, you’ll have to burrow through the Roman battles that wind their way more thoroughly throughout the novel. For a debut offering, The Shards of Heaven is a fun, though inconsistent, read.
November 2, 2015
*copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*
The Shards of Heaven is a historical fantasy by Michael Livingston. Set during the struggle for power after the death of Julius Caesar, it merges that period of historical conflict with more fantastical elements.
The world of The Shards of Heaven is at once familiar and alien. Livingston does a great job of showing us the humanity of his characters, whilst lending them enough attitudes from the period to make them feel unusual. In any event, this is the world of Rome Unconquered, moving inevitably from Republic to Empire. Though Rome itself gets less time than I’d expected, it has a palpable presence through the rest of the text as an idea, as a state of mind. There’s a cruel vitality to Livingston’s Rome – a power which will shape the world.
We also spend quite a bit of time in Egypt. Livingston gives us a more languid contrast to Rome, an Empire perhaps overly sure of its power. There are sections set in Alexandria which set out to show a bustling metropolis – with some success. They also show a world ensconced in protocol, with elaborate ceremony sitting alongside wavering heat hazes and scholars in the Great Library.
Livingston’s prose is spare, but effective; he manages to make the period environment feel alive, without becoming over-elaborate. Moving from Egypt to Rome, from battlefield to library, each feels concrete, the backdrop to our protagonists actions made believable by them, and also reinforcing them. It may rely a little on the reader filling in the blanks with their own conceptions of the period, but overall, it’s a well crafted display of the Roman world on the cusp of change.
Speaking of characters – this is a text which isn’t afraid to make use of historical personages. Augustus, Caesarion, Anthony, Cleopatra and a host of others make appearances, some more fleeting than others. The main focus, however, is split between Caesarion and Juba, a fictional adopted brother of Augustus. Juba is a wonderfully conflicted character. Adopted as a child after a Roman conquest, he has close familial ties with the highest society that Rome can offer. At the same time, he remembers his natural father, and the devastation wreaked on his home by the legions of Rome. This raises a conflict of identity which at ones drives and torments him, as he becomes ever more ruthless in service to his goals.
Caesarion, by contrast, is a rather more familiarly heroic figure. He’s uniformly pleasant, enjoying the company of guards, equals, and his younger relatives. I suspect he’s also kind to small animals. He’s less conflicted about his role, though more impacted by the events of the text. That said, each of the decisions we’re given from him makes sense, and he feels more like a person than an archetype – still, I’m hoping there’s room for a bit more complexity in any sequel. He works as a character by being intelligent and intelligently written, and being sympathetic; there’s hidden depths there as well, it would have been nice to see more of them.
Both characters are ably assisted by a sprawling supporting cast. Again, it would be great to see some of these characters given more room to grow into themselves – Caesarion’s precocious younger sister, for example, is a delight to read; her scenes are filled with some clever dialogue, and some even cleverer actions. Still, overall they serve their purpose, giving us context and texture for the world and the protagonists.
The plot starts a little slowly, though the pacing begins to pick up about halfway through the text. The inclusion of the magical elements in amongst the historical is a bit clunky; there’s a lovely section in the back half of the book where a more minor artefact is located in a very organic way, which I wish had been shown as an approach elsewhere. Still, the magic, when used, makes for some quality action scenes. There’s some great battles in here too, and the character drama is entirely believable. I applaud the scope of the author’s narrative, and their technical prowess in making their battles feel like the reader is right there in them; I would have liked a few more character scenes, but what was there worked to keep the story rolling. In the end, the historical sections felt authentic and compelling, and carried the necessarily less authentic scenes with magical artefact shenanigans.
Is this worth reading? If you’re in the mood for a historical novel laced with fantastic elements, I’d say so. The plot’s an interesting read, the world feels close enough to the Antique period to be believable, and the characters are authentic and entertaining. It has a few flaws, but the text, overall, is definitely worth your time.
The Shards of Heaven is a historical fantasy by Michael Livingston. Set during the struggle for power after the death of Julius Caesar, it merges that period of historical conflict with more fantastical elements.
The world of The Shards of Heaven is at once familiar and alien. Livingston does a great job of showing us the humanity of his characters, whilst lending them enough attitudes from the period to make them feel unusual. In any event, this is the world of Rome Unconquered, moving inevitably from Republic to Empire. Though Rome itself gets less time than I’d expected, it has a palpable presence through the rest of the text as an idea, as a state of mind. There’s a cruel vitality to Livingston’s Rome – a power which will shape the world.
We also spend quite a bit of time in Egypt. Livingston gives us a more languid contrast to Rome, an Empire perhaps overly sure of its power. There are sections set in Alexandria which set out to show a bustling metropolis – with some success. They also show a world ensconced in protocol, with elaborate ceremony sitting alongside wavering heat hazes and scholars in the Great Library.
Livingston’s prose is spare, but effective; he manages to make the period environment feel alive, without becoming over-elaborate. Moving from Egypt to Rome, from battlefield to library, each feels concrete, the backdrop to our protagonists actions made believable by them, and also reinforcing them. It may rely a little on the reader filling in the blanks with their own conceptions of the period, but overall, it’s a well crafted display of the Roman world on the cusp of change.
Speaking of characters – this is a text which isn’t afraid to make use of historical personages. Augustus, Caesarion, Anthony, Cleopatra and a host of others make appearances, some more fleeting than others. The main focus, however, is split between Caesarion and Juba, a fictional adopted brother of Augustus. Juba is a wonderfully conflicted character. Adopted as a child after a Roman conquest, he has close familial ties with the highest society that Rome can offer. At the same time, he remembers his natural father, and the devastation wreaked on his home by the legions of Rome. This raises a conflict of identity which at ones drives and torments him, as he becomes ever more ruthless in service to his goals.
Caesarion, by contrast, is a rather more familiarly heroic figure. He’s uniformly pleasant, enjoying the company of guards, equals, and his younger relatives. I suspect he’s also kind to small animals. He’s less conflicted about his role, though more impacted by the events of the text. That said, each of the decisions we’re given from him makes sense, and he feels more like a person than an archetype – still, I’m hoping there’s room for a bit more complexity in any sequel. He works as a character by being intelligent and intelligently written, and being sympathetic; there’s hidden depths there as well, it would have been nice to see more of them.
Both characters are ably assisted by a sprawling supporting cast. Again, it would be great to see some of these characters given more room to grow into themselves – Caesarion’s precocious younger sister, for example, is a delight to read; her scenes are filled with some clever dialogue, and some even cleverer actions. Still, overall they serve their purpose, giving us context and texture for the world and the protagonists.
The plot starts a little slowly, though the pacing begins to pick up about halfway through the text. The inclusion of the magical elements in amongst the historical is a bit clunky; there’s a lovely section in the back half of the book where a more minor artefact is located in a very organic way, which I wish had been shown as an approach elsewhere. Still, the magic, when used, makes for some quality action scenes. There’s some great battles in here too, and the character drama is entirely believable. I applaud the scope of the author’s narrative, and their technical prowess in making their battles feel like the reader is right there in them; I would have liked a few more character scenes, but what was there worked to keep the story rolling. In the end, the historical sections felt authentic and compelling, and carried the necessarily less authentic scenes with magical artefact shenanigans.
Is this worth reading? If you’re in the mood for a historical novel laced with fantastic elements, I’d say so. The plot’s an interesting read, the world feels close enough to the Antique period to be believable, and the characters are authentic and entertaining. It has a few flaws, but the text, overall, is definitely worth your time.
October 19, 2019
Interesting premise, great execution, decent characters, compelling action scenes, high stakes and an all-around good time. Shards of Heaven, with it's blend of history, fantasy, and religion, hits on a lot of my favorite things. Thoroughly entertaining.
So why only two stars?
Livingston clearly knows a lot about the ancient world, and he manages to ground his characters very believably in 30 BC, except for one aspect: Sexuality. All of his women (all three of them) are intensely sexualized. The brilliant, daring, charming Cleopatra is reduced to a useless, overemotional sexpot that all the men shake their heads at. Selene's writing is bad enough to merit her own review (below) and Hannah, despite being 'not like those other sluts' is down to sleep with a guy she just met about an hour ago. From what I know, ancient Roman society was intensely patriarchal, so I suppose that excuses the dearth of female characters. But women of the day were supposed to be extremely chaste, while men were encouraged to be vigorous and sexually aggressive. So the fact that all three women in Shards of Heaven are presented as primarily sexual beings, while none of the men are, is more than irritating; it's downright historically inaccurate. It seems that sex (especially as it relates to women) is Livingston's great Achilles' heel.
I'm used to Cleopatra being jilted by history, and I guess Hannah wasn't so bad, but Selene...ugh Selene.
Selene....walked into the room, her still-narrow hips managing a sway not unlike her mother's as she entered Didymus' office.Though still a girl, she was beginning to blossom. Sibling or not, he could recognize that.
His half-sister seemed more and more a woman in a girl's body, even if that, too, was changing.
Note that the above passages are from the perspective of Selene's brother Caesarion. I really don't think it's normal to think that much about your little sister's developing sexuality, but you do you, man. I thought for awhile Livingston would go the incest route. The Ptolemies routinely married siblings, so it would make sense historically, but no. This is apparently just how normal brother-sister relationships are in Livingston's mind. All right. It's a little weird, but I can get over that.
Juba's face softened with relief. This his gaze fell down along her body. His cheeks darkened. "My lady," He stammered, "Your dress..."
Selene looked down, saw that her torn shift was hanging open, exposing much of her just-budding chest to the man. She blushed and grasped the opening shut.
Did I mention that Selene is ten? A ten year old. With swaying hips and budding breasts falling open to her future husband. Yes, I know Selene and Juba end up married, that's part of the reason I picked up this book. I just didn't think Livingston would try to sell it this soon. It's gross.
She walked deliberately across the stone floor, her head high and her hips moving in careful rhythm, womanly despite her young age.
There's this whole scene here where Selene (who, again, is ten) seduces Octavian into saving the life of one of her men, and it's all very nice, but SHE'S TEN. I'm hoping that Livingston's ignorance springs from the fact that he's never been within a mile of a ten-year-old, because ten-year-olds don't have 'hips'. A ten year old girl's body is a straight line. There are no curves. And yet I'm supposed to believe that pre-pubescent, sheltered Selene is sexy and confident enough to influence Octavian, a grown and powerful man in a society where he most certainly would have had loads of sexual experience with both men and women? Give me a break.
And also the idea that a ten-year-old offering up her virginity to save a man's life is somehow proof that she is heroic and has a brave and noble heart. Not like her slut mom, who only ever has consensual relations with committed partners. That whore.
Yech.
Anyway. Despite the ickiness, I did like the story, and hopefully Livingston will develop as awriter human....we'll see.
Star rating: Six out of ten stars. Would have been higher if not for the treatment of Selene.
Age rating: 15 and up.
Would I recommend it? Probably not.
Would I read more from the same author? I will read the next book, yes.
So why only two stars?
Livingston clearly knows a lot about the ancient world, and he manages to ground his characters very believably in 30 BC, except for one aspect: Sexuality. All of his women (all three of them) are intensely sexualized. The brilliant, daring, charming Cleopatra is reduced to a useless, overemotional sexpot that all the men shake their heads at. Selene's writing is bad enough to merit her own review (below) and Hannah, despite being 'not like those other sluts' is down to sleep with a guy she just met about an hour ago. From what I know, ancient Roman society was intensely patriarchal, so I suppose that excuses the dearth of female characters. But women of the day were supposed to be extremely chaste, while men were encouraged to be vigorous and sexually aggressive. So the fact that all three women in Shards of Heaven are presented as primarily sexual beings, while none of the men are, is more than irritating; it's downright historically inaccurate. It seems that sex (especially as it relates to women) is Livingston's great Achilles' heel.
I'm used to Cleopatra being jilted by history, and I guess Hannah wasn't so bad, but Selene...ugh Selene.
Selene....walked into the room, her still-narrow hips managing a sway not unlike her mother's as she entered Didymus' office.Though still a girl, she was beginning to blossom. Sibling or not, he could recognize that.
His half-sister seemed more and more a woman in a girl's body, even if that, too, was changing.
Note that the above passages are from the perspective of Selene's brother Caesarion. I really don't think it's normal to think that much about your little sister's developing sexuality, but you do you, man. I thought for awhile Livingston would go the incest route. The Ptolemies routinely married siblings, so it would make sense historically, but no. This is apparently just how normal brother-sister relationships are in Livingston's mind. All right. It's a little weird, but I can get over that.
Juba's face softened with relief. This his gaze fell down along her body. His cheeks darkened. "My lady," He stammered, "Your dress..."
Selene looked down, saw that her torn shift was hanging open, exposing much of her just-budding chest to the man. She blushed and grasped the opening shut.
Did I mention that Selene is ten? A ten year old. With swaying hips and budding breasts falling open to her future husband. Yes, I know Selene and Juba end up married, that's part of the reason I picked up this book. I just didn't think Livingston would try to sell it this soon. It's gross.
She walked deliberately across the stone floor, her head high and her hips moving in careful rhythm, womanly despite her young age.
There's this whole scene here where Selene (who, again, is ten) seduces Octavian into saving the life of one of her men, and it's all very nice, but SHE'S TEN. I'm hoping that Livingston's ignorance springs from the fact that he's never been within a mile of a ten-year-old, because ten-year-olds don't have 'hips'. A ten year old girl's body is a straight line. There are no curves. And yet I'm supposed to believe that pre-pubescent, sheltered Selene is sexy and confident enough to influence Octavian, a grown and powerful man in a society where he most certainly would have had loads of sexual experience with both men and women? Give me a break.
And also the idea that a ten-year-old offering up her virginity to save a man's life is somehow proof that she is heroic and has a brave and noble heart. Not like her slut mom, who only ever has consensual relations with committed partners. That whore.
Yech.
Anyway. Despite the ickiness, I did like the story, and hopefully Livingston will develop as a
Star rating: Six out of ten stars. Would have been higher if not for the treatment of Selene.
Age rating: 15 and up.
Would I recommend it? Probably not.
Would I read more from the same author? I will read the next book, yes.
June 13, 2016
Cleopatra and Antony rule Egypt via Alexandria. Octavian rules Rome. THE SHARDS OF HEAVEN follows the real people and events that lead to the Roman conquest of Alexandria and the end of the Ptolemic line. But according to Michael Livingston, there's more to the story.
And it involves magic.
Enter Juba, the orphaned prince of Numidia and adopted son of Julius Ceasar. Desperate to find vengeance for the death of his father, he seeks magical objects so he can have enough power to bring down Rome. At the start of SHARDS he finds what he believes to be the trident of Poseidon and discovers it's as powerful as he hoped. But Juba is a mere teenager to Octavian's experienced ambition and soon discovers he's in over his head.
On the other side of the Mediterranean in Alexandria lives Cleopatra's children: Caesarion, the teenage son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar; and Selene, the young daughter of Cleopatra and Antony. Their role in this story is integral, as is that of Vorenus, the Roman legionnaire who is tasked with the personal safety of Antony's family. Livingston draws these characters as products of the world they live in, but also as individuals with their own minds and motivations. Despite all being real-life historical characters, he breathes new life into their personalities and situation. Juba's drive is real, as is his talent for strategy. Caesarion feels the pressure to rule after his mother, but understands the difference between showmanship and true leadership. Selene may be young, but she understands more than the others give her credit for. Vorenus had been campaigning with Julius Caesar for years and is beginning to feel his age, but understands what's at stake.
If you know anything about the history of the era, then you know what happens. Forunately, Livingston does not make it a dull, clinical re-telling of the battles and movements of the characters; the pacing moves forward at a regular clip. We feel their despair, resignation, desperation, and triumphs as they struggle to survive what the history books tell us, as well as the parallel story of the powerful artifacts that--in the wrong hands--could change the world. Again.
Livingston does well in painting a picture of the landscape and what surrounds our characters. These details really helped me visualize the world these characters live in. The author also explains as much as he can about the artifacts of power and where they come from, and even a little about how they work. By the end while I understood what was going on, I was still left with questions about the magic and why it worked the way it did. Plus there was some supposition about its source that wasn't ever really clarified. I suspect we'll learn more in the sequels.
In all THE SHARDS OF HEAVEN was a fun read, the prose easy on the eyes and straightforward, the characters were engaging, and despite a predictable storyline, was exciting.
Recommended Age: 15+
Language: A few lesser words
Violence: A fair amount of death and bloodshed
Sex: Vague references
***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***
And it involves magic.
Enter Juba, the orphaned prince of Numidia and adopted son of Julius Ceasar. Desperate to find vengeance for the death of his father, he seeks magical objects so he can have enough power to bring down Rome. At the start of SHARDS he finds what he believes to be the trident of Poseidon and discovers it's as powerful as he hoped. But Juba is a mere teenager to Octavian's experienced ambition and soon discovers he's in over his head.
On the other side of the Mediterranean in Alexandria lives Cleopatra's children: Caesarion, the teenage son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar; and Selene, the young daughter of Cleopatra and Antony. Their role in this story is integral, as is that of Vorenus, the Roman legionnaire who is tasked with the personal safety of Antony's family. Livingston draws these characters as products of the world they live in, but also as individuals with their own minds and motivations. Despite all being real-life historical characters, he breathes new life into their personalities and situation. Juba's drive is real, as is his talent for strategy. Caesarion feels the pressure to rule after his mother, but understands the difference between showmanship and true leadership. Selene may be young, but she understands more than the others give her credit for. Vorenus had been campaigning with Julius Caesar for years and is beginning to feel his age, but understands what's at stake.
If you know anything about the history of the era, then you know what happens. Forunately, Livingston does not make it a dull, clinical re-telling of the battles and movements of the characters; the pacing moves forward at a regular clip. We feel their despair, resignation, desperation, and triumphs as they struggle to survive what the history books tell us, as well as the parallel story of the powerful artifacts that--in the wrong hands--could change the world. Again.
Livingston does well in painting a picture of the landscape and what surrounds our characters. These details really helped me visualize the world these characters live in. The author also explains as much as he can about the artifacts of power and where they come from, and even a little about how they work. By the end while I understood what was going on, I was still left with questions about the magic and why it worked the way it did. Plus there was some supposition about its source that wasn't ever really clarified. I suspect we'll learn more in the sequels.
In all THE SHARDS OF HEAVEN was a fun read, the prose easy on the eyes and straightforward, the characters were engaging, and despite a predictable storyline, was exciting.
Recommended Age: 15+
Language: A few lesser words
Violence: A fair amount of death and bloodshed
Sex: Vague references
***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***
November 29, 2015
Michael Livingston's debut novel The Shards of Heaven (review copy via NetGalley from Tor) has just been published. It's an alternative history set around the time of one of the key periods of Roman history: the rise of the Emperor Octavian, who becomes Augustus Caesar. The novel broadly covers the time period surrounding Octavian's war against Mark Antony, up to the invasion of Alexandria and Antony's suicide.
Livingston's twist on this period is to blend Greco-Roman history with its myth and the search for some magical artefacts. Octavian's victory over Antony at the Battle of Actium is aided by Poseidon's Trident, which was discovered by Octavian's adopted brother Juba. This can be used to control the water, to devastating effect. The trident is powered by a mysterious black stone, one of the long lost 'Shards of Heaven', which are the fragments of the throne of God. These fragments are scattered among a range of artefacts, including the Ark of the Covenant, and all have different effects. Those on both sides of the conflict seek these artefacts out, either to use them or to deny their use to others.
There is real skill in the way that Livingston has blended his adventure story with impeccably researched history. Most of the characters in the book are based on real people from history. For the most part the novel feels authentic. Livingston has taken a very Shakespearean approach to Octavian and Antony. The latter is a tragic hero, bewitched by his love for Cleopatra. Octavian is cold and power-hungry, determined to neutralise the threat posed to his rule by Julius Caesar's only natural born son, Caesarion (by Cleopatra).
The characterisation in the novel is pretty mixed. Although Caesarion is a pretty bland can-do-no-wrong hero, there are some interesting moments, particularly in the camaraderie between Vorenus and Pullo, two of Antony's trusted and experienced lieutenants. But the women are quite poorly served. We have no sense of Cleopatra as a woman of power and Pharoah in her own right. She is merely a beautiful woman who has turned Antony's head. Her daughter Selene seems doomed to being 'feisty', but no more. And Rebecca, who is introduced as the pivotal character who is the heir to knowledge of the Shards, is presented primarily as a love interest for Caesarion.
That aside, this is a fun read and the start of a solid fantasy trilogy. Livingston is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Livingston's twist on this period is to blend Greco-Roman history with its myth and the search for some magical artefacts. Octavian's victory over Antony at the Battle of Actium is aided by Poseidon's Trident, which was discovered by Octavian's adopted brother Juba. This can be used to control the water, to devastating effect. The trident is powered by a mysterious black stone, one of the long lost 'Shards of Heaven', which are the fragments of the throne of God. These fragments are scattered among a range of artefacts, including the Ark of the Covenant, and all have different effects. Those on both sides of the conflict seek these artefacts out, either to use them or to deny their use to others.
There is real skill in the way that Livingston has blended his adventure story with impeccably researched history. Most of the characters in the book are based on real people from history. For the most part the novel feels authentic. Livingston has taken a very Shakespearean approach to Octavian and Antony. The latter is a tragic hero, bewitched by his love for Cleopatra. Octavian is cold and power-hungry, determined to neutralise the threat posed to his rule by Julius Caesar's only natural born son, Caesarion (by Cleopatra).
The characterisation in the novel is pretty mixed. Although Caesarion is a pretty bland can-do-no-wrong hero, there are some interesting moments, particularly in the camaraderie between Vorenus and Pullo, two of Antony's trusted and experienced lieutenants. But the women are quite poorly served. We have no sense of Cleopatra as a woman of power and Pharoah in her own right. She is merely a beautiful woman who has turned Antony's head. Her daughter Selene seems doomed to being 'feisty', but no more. And Rebecca, who is introduced as the pivotal character who is the heir to knowledge of the Shards, is presented primarily as a love interest for Caesarion.
That aside, this is a fun read and the start of a solid fantasy trilogy. Livingston is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
December 31, 2015
I received this book from Netgalley in exhange for a honest review
Full review available here : https://thecurioussffreader.wordpress...
I really enjoyed this book a lot, I always was fascinated by the Roman Empire and the Ancient Egypt and to read about it with magic in it was close to perfection. I was attached to all the main characters and the worldbuilding was done in a way that was so subtle that you never thought that you were flooded with a lot of historical references at at all. Great book, I would highly recommend it !
Full review available here : https://thecurioussffreader.wordpress...
I really enjoyed this book a lot, I always was fascinated by the Roman Empire and the Ancient Egypt and to read about it with magic in it was close to perfection. I was attached to all the main characters and the worldbuilding was done in a way that was so subtle that you never thought that you were flooded with a lot of historical references at at all. Great book, I would highly recommend it !
October 24, 2016
Quite enjoyable historical fiction/fantasy. If you like alternate histories, this is one you should check. I love the way the author combined history with religions of the times. The fact there is a shot of fantasy is a unexpected treat.
I cannot wait for the next book. (I'm so glad I found out about this book within a month of the next installment. I can't imagine having to wait a whole year for the next book.)
I cannot wait for the next book. (I'm so glad I found out about this book within a month of the next installment. I can't imagine having to wait a whole year for the next book.)
October 21, 2016
What a great work of fiction! A story of Rome, Greece, the great Library of Alexandria and The Shards of Heaven. An amazing adventure in the world of Cleopatra, Marc Antony, Julius Caesar's adopted children and their Roman Legionnaires. A battle for control of Caesar's Legacy and The Roman Empire after Caesar's death. An absolute must read!
January 18, 2016
Book-to-movie adaptations have been around almost since the beginning of moviemaking. One of the earliest book-to-movie adaptations was released in 1899: an adaptation of the fairytale Cinderella, as told by the Brothers Grimm. It was made by Georges Méliès, a pioneer filmmaker who is more famous for his 1902 release A Trip to the Moon, which is a loose adaptation of Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon and H.G. Wells’ The First Men in the Moon.
Since then the film industry has frequently mined literature for stories to make into movies, many of which become immensely successful: Gone With the Wind and The Lord of the Rings film trilogy come easily to mind. Both are some of the highest-grossing films every made, and are considered classics both as books and as movies. However, for every book-to-movie adaptation that makes it big, there are many, many more that fail. Take, for example, the film adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, which was almost universally panned by critics despite its powerhouse cast (which included Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich in important supporting roles, and Rachel Weisz voicing the dragon Saphira). There were plans to adapt Paolini’s entire series into film, but the sequels never materialised because of Eragon’s poor critical reception and relatively modest earnings.
Both examples lead to an interesting question: why do some book-to-movie adaptations fail, and why do others succeed? There are many reasons: in some cases (as it was with The Lord of the Rings and Gone With the Wind), it was a combination of just the right director choosing just the right material, and choosing to execute it in just the right way. With Eragon, it was a case of the novel itself not being substantial enough or strong enough to really carry itself as a film, even if it did so as a novel. Sometimes it’s a matter of hype: Fifty Shades of Grey might be one of the most appalling novels ever written, but it succeeded in the box office because of the hype surrounding the novel - this, despite the main stars’ lack of onscreen chemistry; the manifold directorial and scripting issues before and during shooting; and the confusing and turbulent (to say the least) promotional tours for the film. On the flip side, there are the Harry Potter movies, which were driven by the devotion of fandom, cast, and crew to their source material to become one of the most successful film franchises in recent memory.
But not all of that influence is one-way, from book to film. In more recent years, and especially in genre fiction, the influence of film and television is becoming more and more apparent. This is most obvious in pacing and narrative: some novels read as if they could be movies in their own right, with the general story arc paced to hit all the points of an excellent film. Whether or not this is deliberate on the part of authors is not really the point: the point is that the influence is there, and clear for any reader to see.
This is very true with Michael Livingston’s The Shards of Heaven, the first book in the series of the same title. Set in the chaotic years immediately after the death of Julius Caesar, Livingston combines history and mythology in an adventure that would not be out-of-place on the big or small screen. It follows Juba the Numidian, adopted son of Julius Caesar, as he goes on a search for the fabled Shards of Heaven - immensely powerful artefacts that he believes will get him the one thing he wants most in the world: vengeance.
When I first picked up this book, I was more than a little leery. After all, the last book I picked up that combined history with magic was Mark Alder’s Son of the Morning, and I came to despise that book so much that I forced myself to finish it just so I could complain about all its flaws and be justified in my complaints. Fortunately, I do not have too many issues with The Shards of Heaven, which, while it has its pitfalls, has plenty to recommend it, as well.
Chief of those recommendations is the writing. I found it rather difficult to select quotes from this novel, mostly because Livingston’s writing is highly functional: that is to say, it does no more and no less than it ought to tell the story, with very little flourish. However, just because it is functional does not mean that it is poor - indeed, I think Livingston’s writing style highly conducive to the kind of story he is trying to tell. Given Livingston’s choice of setting, he does not really have to devote a lot of time describing it: the readers likely to pick up his novel will, in all likelihood, already be familiar with his chosen setting (even if that familiarity only comes from TV shows and movies).
This functional style comes in especially handy when writing fight scenes, where overly-elaborate prose can make it difficult to imagine just what, exactly, is happening. Take this scene, for example:
The two men flailed to the floor together, grunting as splintered wood fell like rain in the little room. Valerius hit the ground first, but he was able to kick his lower body up in continuation of the legionnaire’s momentum, sending the far bigger man hurtling against the barred door. The assassin then rolled quickly, recovering his balance even as the dazed legionnaire scrambled to get his feet under him and began pawing for the glades at his side.
Valerius came forward at him, knife ready in his grip, but before he could strike he screamed and buckled to one knee as Caesarion jammed his little wooden blade into the soft flesh at the back of his right leg. The assassin swung his arm back at the boy instinctively, catching him above the eye with the butt of his knife, sending him sprawling.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Valerius turned back around in time to see the big legionnaire draw an arm back and forward, pushing a gladius into his belly, just below his rib cage. Gasping against the cold steel in his gut, the assassin still tried to swing his knife, but the legionnaire held fast to his sword with strong hands, and his thick arms flexed as he twisted it in his grip, scratching the blade into bone. Valerius groaned, strained, then dropped his weapon and sank against the killing stroke, watching, helpless and gasping in broken breaths, as the legionnaire stood, wincing from wounds of his own, and pushed forward until the assassin collapsed to his back.
There is another, move evocative fight sequence further on in the novel, but I have chosen to quote the one above because the other contains potential spoilers. At any rate, the clear and relatively clean description make it easy for the reader to follow along with the action: refreshing, especially when one considers how some writers describe fight scenes so muddled that the reader can skip over them and not have to worry about missing anything important.
The functionality of Livingston’s prose also does wonderful things for his plot and pacing. Given that this novel is basically an adventure story, ensuring that the plot keeps chugging along at a relatively quick pace is vital, and Livingston accomplishes that quite well. His plot hits all the same high points a good action-adventure movie like The Mummy or Indiana Jones does - probably the main reason why this novel reads like a movie in and of itself. The only time there is any hitch in the pacing is when Livingston slows down for exposition: necessary, of course, but he does have a tendency to repeat information that the reader already knows.
However, while Livingston’s writing works fantastically well for his fight scenes and his overall plot and narrative, it does undermine his characterisation somewhat. It’s not all bad: most of his characters are interesting and fun to read about, if a bit flat. Given the heavy emphasis on plot, it is unsurprising that characters lack a certain amount of depth. While I found this relatively easy to ignore for most of the characters, given the promise of deeper characterisation in the sequels, I could not let them all slide. I was particularly irritated with Livingston’s characterisation of Cleopatra VII, whom he writes as a seductress who seems incapable of turning off the charm, even when circumstances dictate that she turn the charm off. Take, for example, the following excerpt,which describes Cleopatra during a war council:
…Cleopatra moved around to stand behind Antony’s chair, her hips swaying beneath her fine linens and her wrists twisting to clink the ornate bracelets that wound around them like thin gold snakes.
…
…the long smooth fingers of Cleopatra draped over [Antony’s] shoulder, gently restraining him in his chair. “They believe a woman on the battlefield is”—her painted lips parted sensuously, seemed to work around the word in Latin that she was searching for—“improper?”
Elsewhere in the novel, various characters remark on Cleopatra’s beauty, both negatively and positively, and on the influence she wields over Antony, which she appears to accomplish via her “feminine wiles”, generally accompanied by descriptions of how sexy (though that word is never used) she is. This was annoying in the extreme: after all, Cleopatra’s influence was not based solely on her powers of seduction. Historians and scholars all agree that Cleopatra’s appeal, for both Antony and Julius Caesar before him, was, in large part, due to her intelligence - she was Queen of Egypt for a reason - and her vast wealth. While there is no doubt that she turned to seduction when necessary, to assume that she relied on it exclusively, the way Livingston characterises her, is not only unrealistic, but insulting to all scholars who have done their best to understand who Cleopatra really was.
Another, albeit minor, issue that I have with this novel is the lore Livingston has come up with for the Shards. It is clear he is trying his hardest to make them into objects of true significance and not just another set of MacGuffins, but there are some aspects of that lore that I find somewhat questionable. However, I am choosing to withhold further judgment, since this is just the first novel and it is possible Livingston will refine it into something better in later books - or at least, I genuinely hope that is the case.
Overall, The Shards of Heaven is an enjoyable adventure novel in the tradition of the Indiana Jones and The Mummy movies: the plot moves quite quickly in keeping with the genre, and Livingston’s functional prose is well-suited to the task of keeping the story moving. This is especially clear in the fight scenes, where the descriptions make the action comprehensible and easy for the reader to imagine clearly.
However, this does come at the cost of characterisation. The characters do not come off as completely three-dimensional, though this is easy to ignore for the most part, once again because of the novel’s genre. Livingston’s characterisation of Cleopatra, however, is inexcusable, and I wonder how a historian could have written her in that manner. Some readers might also have some issues with the lore for the Shards, but there is the chance that it will be refined in later books, so it is possible to keep an open mind and wait to read the sequel before passing judgment on the series as a whole.
Since then the film industry has frequently mined literature for stories to make into movies, many of which become immensely successful: Gone With the Wind and The Lord of the Rings film trilogy come easily to mind. Both are some of the highest-grossing films every made, and are considered classics both as books and as movies. However, for every book-to-movie adaptation that makes it big, there are many, many more that fail. Take, for example, the film adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s Eragon, which was almost universally panned by critics despite its powerhouse cast (which included Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich in important supporting roles, and Rachel Weisz voicing the dragon Saphira). There were plans to adapt Paolini’s entire series into film, but the sequels never materialised because of Eragon’s poor critical reception and relatively modest earnings.
Both examples lead to an interesting question: why do some book-to-movie adaptations fail, and why do others succeed? There are many reasons: in some cases (as it was with The Lord of the Rings and Gone With the Wind), it was a combination of just the right director choosing just the right material, and choosing to execute it in just the right way. With Eragon, it was a case of the novel itself not being substantial enough or strong enough to really carry itself as a film, even if it did so as a novel. Sometimes it’s a matter of hype: Fifty Shades of Grey might be one of the most appalling novels ever written, but it succeeded in the box office because of the hype surrounding the novel - this, despite the main stars’ lack of onscreen chemistry; the manifold directorial and scripting issues before and during shooting; and the confusing and turbulent (to say the least) promotional tours for the film. On the flip side, there are the Harry Potter movies, which were driven by the devotion of fandom, cast, and crew to their source material to become one of the most successful film franchises in recent memory.
But not all of that influence is one-way, from book to film. In more recent years, and especially in genre fiction, the influence of film and television is becoming more and more apparent. This is most obvious in pacing and narrative: some novels read as if they could be movies in their own right, with the general story arc paced to hit all the points of an excellent film. Whether or not this is deliberate on the part of authors is not really the point: the point is that the influence is there, and clear for any reader to see.
This is very true with Michael Livingston’s The Shards of Heaven, the first book in the series of the same title. Set in the chaotic years immediately after the death of Julius Caesar, Livingston combines history and mythology in an adventure that would not be out-of-place on the big or small screen. It follows Juba the Numidian, adopted son of Julius Caesar, as he goes on a search for the fabled Shards of Heaven - immensely powerful artefacts that he believes will get him the one thing he wants most in the world: vengeance.
When I first picked up this book, I was more than a little leery. After all, the last book I picked up that combined history with magic was Mark Alder’s Son of the Morning, and I came to despise that book so much that I forced myself to finish it just so I could complain about all its flaws and be justified in my complaints. Fortunately, I do not have too many issues with The Shards of Heaven, which, while it has its pitfalls, has plenty to recommend it, as well.
Chief of those recommendations is the writing. I found it rather difficult to select quotes from this novel, mostly because Livingston’s writing is highly functional: that is to say, it does no more and no less than it ought to tell the story, with very little flourish. However, just because it is functional does not mean that it is poor - indeed, I think Livingston’s writing style highly conducive to the kind of story he is trying to tell. Given Livingston’s choice of setting, he does not really have to devote a lot of time describing it: the readers likely to pick up his novel will, in all likelihood, already be familiar with his chosen setting (even if that familiarity only comes from TV shows and movies).
This functional style comes in especially handy when writing fight scenes, where overly-elaborate prose can make it difficult to imagine just what, exactly, is happening. Take this scene, for example:
The two men flailed to the floor together, grunting as splintered wood fell like rain in the little room. Valerius hit the ground first, but he was able to kick his lower body up in continuation of the legionnaire’s momentum, sending the far bigger man hurtling against the barred door. The assassin then rolled quickly, recovering his balance even as the dazed legionnaire scrambled to get his feet under him and began pawing for the glades at his side.
Valerius came forward at him, knife ready in his grip, but before he could strike he screamed and buckled to one knee as Caesarion jammed his little wooden blade into the soft flesh at the back of his right leg. The assassin swung his arm back at the boy instinctively, catching him above the eye with the butt of his knife, sending him sprawling.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Valerius turned back around in time to see the big legionnaire draw an arm back and forward, pushing a gladius into his belly, just below his rib cage. Gasping against the cold steel in his gut, the assassin still tried to swing his knife, but the legionnaire held fast to his sword with strong hands, and his thick arms flexed as he twisted it in his grip, scratching the blade into bone. Valerius groaned, strained, then dropped his weapon and sank against the killing stroke, watching, helpless and gasping in broken breaths, as the legionnaire stood, wincing from wounds of his own, and pushed forward until the assassin collapsed to his back.
There is another, move evocative fight sequence further on in the novel, but I have chosen to quote the one above because the other contains potential spoilers. At any rate, the clear and relatively clean description make it easy for the reader to follow along with the action: refreshing, especially when one considers how some writers describe fight scenes so muddled that the reader can skip over them and not have to worry about missing anything important.
The functionality of Livingston’s prose also does wonderful things for his plot and pacing. Given that this novel is basically an adventure story, ensuring that the plot keeps chugging along at a relatively quick pace is vital, and Livingston accomplishes that quite well. His plot hits all the same high points a good action-adventure movie like The Mummy or Indiana Jones does - probably the main reason why this novel reads like a movie in and of itself. The only time there is any hitch in the pacing is when Livingston slows down for exposition: necessary, of course, but he does have a tendency to repeat information that the reader already knows.
However, while Livingston’s writing works fantastically well for his fight scenes and his overall plot and narrative, it does undermine his characterisation somewhat. It’s not all bad: most of his characters are interesting and fun to read about, if a bit flat. Given the heavy emphasis on plot, it is unsurprising that characters lack a certain amount of depth. While I found this relatively easy to ignore for most of the characters, given the promise of deeper characterisation in the sequels, I could not let them all slide. I was particularly irritated with Livingston’s characterisation of Cleopatra VII, whom he writes as a seductress who seems incapable of turning off the charm, even when circumstances dictate that she turn the charm off. Take, for example, the following excerpt,which describes Cleopatra during a war council:
…Cleopatra moved around to stand behind Antony’s chair, her hips swaying beneath her fine linens and her wrists twisting to clink the ornate bracelets that wound around them like thin gold snakes.
…
…the long smooth fingers of Cleopatra draped over [Antony’s] shoulder, gently restraining him in his chair. “They believe a woman on the battlefield is”—her painted lips parted sensuously, seemed to work around the word in Latin that she was searching for—“improper?”
Elsewhere in the novel, various characters remark on Cleopatra’s beauty, both negatively and positively, and on the influence she wields over Antony, which she appears to accomplish via her “feminine wiles”, generally accompanied by descriptions of how sexy (though that word is never used) she is. This was annoying in the extreme: after all, Cleopatra’s influence was not based solely on her powers of seduction. Historians and scholars all agree that Cleopatra’s appeal, for both Antony and Julius Caesar before him, was, in large part, due to her intelligence - she was Queen of Egypt for a reason - and her vast wealth. While there is no doubt that she turned to seduction when necessary, to assume that she relied on it exclusively, the way Livingston characterises her, is not only unrealistic, but insulting to all scholars who have done their best to understand who Cleopatra really was.
Another, albeit minor, issue that I have with this novel is the lore Livingston has come up with for the Shards. It is clear he is trying his hardest to make them into objects of true significance and not just another set of MacGuffins, but there are some aspects of that lore that I find somewhat questionable. However, I am choosing to withhold further judgment, since this is just the first novel and it is possible Livingston will refine it into something better in later books - or at least, I genuinely hope that is the case.
Overall, The Shards of Heaven is an enjoyable adventure novel in the tradition of the Indiana Jones and The Mummy movies: the plot moves quite quickly in keeping with the genre, and Livingston’s functional prose is well-suited to the task of keeping the story moving. This is especially clear in the fight scenes, where the descriptions make the action comprehensible and easy for the reader to imagine clearly.
However, this does come at the cost of characterisation. The characters do not come off as completely three-dimensional, though this is easy to ignore for the most part, once again because of the novel’s genre. Livingston’s characterisation of Cleopatra, however, is inexcusable, and I wonder how a historian could have written her in that manner. Some readers might also have some issues with the lore for the Shards, but there is the chance that it will be refined in later books, so it is possible to keep an open mind and wait to read the sequel before passing judgment on the series as a whole.
June 5, 2020
When I read the back cover of The Shards of Heaven, I found the concept tantalizing. I’m a big reader of both fantasy and historical fiction. The combination sounded fascinating, especially when setting it at the time of the Roman Empire with Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
I tend to be pretty critical in my reviews, but I can’t find much to criticize. The writing is exceptional. The pace was just right, with almost no slow spots to be found. I also enjoyed the characterization. The novel is chock full of memorable characters, especially Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus, who found themselves in the show Rome as well despite not being particularly well known historical figures. On both the Roman and Egyptian side, the characters are well drawn from the main protagonists and antagonists to the side characters.
I also really enjoyed the fusion of history and fantasy. It was so well done that it was often hard to keep track of what may have historically happened and where the fantastical elements were inserted. I like the concept of the Shards of Heaven and how they were part of the staff of Moses/trident of Poseidon and the Ark of the Covenant. The novel started strong, finished strong, and didn’t sag anywhere in between. This novel was a winner and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
I tend to be pretty critical in my reviews, but I can’t find much to criticize. The writing is exceptional. The pace was just right, with almost no slow spots to be found. I also enjoyed the characterization. The novel is chock full of memorable characters, especially Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus, who found themselves in the show Rome as well despite not being particularly well known historical figures. On both the Roman and Egyptian side, the characters are well drawn from the main protagonists and antagonists to the side characters.
I also really enjoyed the fusion of history and fantasy. It was so well done that it was often hard to keep track of what may have historically happened and where the fantastical elements were inserted. I like the concept of the Shards of Heaven and how they were part of the staff of Moses/trident of Poseidon and the Ark of the Covenant. The novel started strong, finished strong, and didn’t sag anywhere in between. This novel was a winner and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
December 10, 2015
The Shards of Heaven seems like a dream come true for a whole slew of my geeky cravings: ancient civilizations, Western philosophy, speculative theology, all rolled into one by an author with a degree in history. Historical fiction written by a historian! This is almost as exciting as science fiction written by a scientist. You have my attention, Mr. Livingston!
The year is 32 BCE and the Mediterranean is a melting pot of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Jewish cultures. Or rather a boiling pot, since its waters are seething with the build-up to battle between Octavian’s triremes and Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet. Oh, and with the tsunamis conjured by the Trident of Poseidon, because—get ready to geek out one level higher—this isn’t just historical fiction, it’s fantasy. Historically accurate fantasy. Onward, Mr. Livingston!
According to The Shards, the theologies of Rome, Greece, Egypt, and Judaism are interrelated, misremembered half-truths about the original nature of God. The Trident is a clue to their connectedness; centuries earlier, the peoples of the Middle East and Northern Africa wielded not just the Trident but other equally-powerful objects known as the Shards of Heaven, all of which have been lost to common knowledge. Now that the Trident has been rediscovered, a whole mess of characters with competing interests must race to uncover the truth about the gods/God and the location of the remaining Shards. This is where Livingston stretches beyond the usual bounds of historical fiction, filling in gaps in the record with the promise of a fantastical all-encompassing new cosmology. Livingston, Shards of Heaven
The book and its characters reach their theological revelations about two-thirds of the way through, so I couldn’t describe them here without a nice fat SPOILER warning. But I will say this: when I finally read the explanation of the nature of divinity, creation, and the Shards’ power, my reaction was essentially “Really? That’s it? That doesn’t make even the slightest sense.”
The Shards of Heaven seems like a dream come true, but ends up disappointing in so many ways. First and foremost for a philosophy/theology geek like me, its promise to tie together ancient religions with a grand backstory falls flat on its face with all the hokey absurdity of a comic book hero’s radioactive origins. The fictional creation story at the heart of the story feels like a much clumsier version of Pullman’s brilliant world-building in His Dark Materials; the consequent quest for powerful artifacts reads like an echo of Harry’s search for Horcruxes.
If we sigh and shrug that off, simply accepting that these rocks called Shards are powerful just because, we can return to the story. There’s the second disappointment: the cast sprawls with dozens of characters, some of whom are quite interesting but none of whom stands out as a protagonist with a cause worth rooting for. We have, to name a few, the power-hungry ruler Octavian, the revenge-hungry orphan Juba, the learning-hungry librarian Didymus, the battle-hungry general Mark Antony. And, of course, Antony’s infamous lover:
Behind them swept Cleopatra herself, her thin gown draped close to her sleek body, the cloth whispering to the steady sway of hips that, even as she neared the age of forty, could still drive men to madness. Her raven-black wig fell in perfect straight drapes against the muscles of her back, its sheen matched only by the oiled, rich tan of her smooth skin. […] Cleopatra turned, her dark eyes glinting with a promise of unbridled seduction that was, for her, a look of natural habit. Her red-painted lips parted in a weary but thrilling smile.
Ohhhh, so, if I’m following, she’s sexy? Should’ve thrown in a few more descriptors for the less perceptive reader.
As you might deduce from that introduction, the women in particular are tragicomically one-dimensional. The book’s incomplete character glossary lists twenty-five names, but only three are women, and all are described as attractive. One is repeatedly called a “whore,” one is a virginal teenage beauty, one is a child on the verge of becoming—suspense!—either a whore or a virginal teenage beauty. Yes, I know, in an account of politics and wars it’s historically accurate that most women be stowed away from the action. But if a writer can flesh out a list of long-dead male names—and if he can rewrite their stories to turn on the existence of magic black god-stones—surely he can also conjure more (and more interesting) female characters.
Instead, Livingston mostly sticks to the male cast and the military drama, losing himself and sometimes the reader in elaborate explanations of ship movements or the urban planning of Alexandria. It’s hard to blame a history buff for that, and maybe his main readership will be captivated by these descriptions, but the longest bouts veer into textbook-style exposition and let the pacing slip.
Having said all that, there were chapter-chunks in which I put aside my gripes and had fun reading his decadent, detailed prose. In the end, The Shards’ flaws are only the most predictable ones of genre fiction: the text is gobbed up with adverbs and clichés, the characters follow stereotypes, and the plot’s logic is, well, fantastical. I rarely demand more of a fantasy novel. Maybe my expectations were set too high here—the cooler the original concept seems, the more geeked I am going in, and the crotchetier I get about weaknesses in execution. (C.f. http://www.karieluidens.com/book-revi...)
But by all means, if you love history and philosophy and fantasy, geek out over The Shards of Heaven. Livingston promises historically accurate fantasy fiction, and he delivers. When it comes to the cultures and chronologies of the turn of the first millennium, he clearly knows his stuff, and he’s very clever about only writing his inventions into the unknowns. Go ahead, dive in and decide for yourself.
The year is 32 BCE and the Mediterranean is a melting pot of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Jewish cultures. Or rather a boiling pot, since its waters are seething with the build-up to battle between Octavian’s triremes and Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet. Oh, and with the tsunamis conjured by the Trident of Poseidon, because—get ready to geek out one level higher—this isn’t just historical fiction, it’s fantasy. Historically accurate fantasy. Onward, Mr. Livingston!
According to The Shards, the theologies of Rome, Greece, Egypt, and Judaism are interrelated, misremembered half-truths about the original nature of God. The Trident is a clue to their connectedness; centuries earlier, the peoples of the Middle East and Northern Africa wielded not just the Trident but other equally-powerful objects known as the Shards of Heaven, all of which have been lost to common knowledge. Now that the Trident has been rediscovered, a whole mess of characters with competing interests must race to uncover the truth about the gods/God and the location of the remaining Shards. This is where Livingston stretches beyond the usual bounds of historical fiction, filling in gaps in the record with the promise of a fantastical all-encompassing new cosmology. Livingston, Shards of Heaven
The book and its characters reach their theological revelations about two-thirds of the way through, so I couldn’t describe them here without a nice fat SPOILER warning. But I will say this: when I finally read the explanation of the nature of divinity, creation, and the Shards’ power, my reaction was essentially “Really? That’s it? That doesn’t make even the slightest sense.”
The Shards of Heaven seems like a dream come true, but ends up disappointing in so many ways. First and foremost for a philosophy/theology geek like me, its promise to tie together ancient religions with a grand backstory falls flat on its face with all the hokey absurdity of a comic book hero’s radioactive origins. The fictional creation story at the heart of the story feels like a much clumsier version of Pullman’s brilliant world-building in His Dark Materials; the consequent quest for powerful artifacts reads like an echo of Harry’s search for Horcruxes.
If we sigh and shrug that off, simply accepting that these rocks called Shards are powerful just because, we can return to the story. There’s the second disappointment: the cast sprawls with dozens of characters, some of whom are quite interesting but none of whom stands out as a protagonist with a cause worth rooting for. We have, to name a few, the power-hungry ruler Octavian, the revenge-hungry orphan Juba, the learning-hungry librarian Didymus, the battle-hungry general Mark Antony. And, of course, Antony’s infamous lover:
Behind them swept Cleopatra herself, her thin gown draped close to her sleek body, the cloth whispering to the steady sway of hips that, even as she neared the age of forty, could still drive men to madness. Her raven-black wig fell in perfect straight drapes against the muscles of her back, its sheen matched only by the oiled, rich tan of her smooth skin. […] Cleopatra turned, her dark eyes glinting with a promise of unbridled seduction that was, for her, a look of natural habit. Her red-painted lips parted in a weary but thrilling smile.
Ohhhh, so, if I’m following, she’s sexy? Should’ve thrown in a few more descriptors for the less perceptive reader.
As you might deduce from that introduction, the women in particular are tragicomically one-dimensional. The book’s incomplete character glossary lists twenty-five names, but only three are women, and all are described as attractive. One is repeatedly called a “whore,” one is a virginal teenage beauty, one is a child on the verge of becoming—suspense!—either a whore or a virginal teenage beauty. Yes, I know, in an account of politics and wars it’s historically accurate that most women be stowed away from the action. But if a writer can flesh out a list of long-dead male names—and if he can rewrite their stories to turn on the existence of magic black god-stones—surely he can also conjure more (and more interesting) female characters.
Instead, Livingston mostly sticks to the male cast and the military drama, losing himself and sometimes the reader in elaborate explanations of ship movements or the urban planning of Alexandria. It’s hard to blame a history buff for that, and maybe his main readership will be captivated by these descriptions, but the longest bouts veer into textbook-style exposition and let the pacing slip.
Having said all that, there were chapter-chunks in which I put aside my gripes and had fun reading his decadent, detailed prose. In the end, The Shards’ flaws are only the most predictable ones of genre fiction: the text is gobbed up with adverbs and clichés, the characters follow stereotypes, and the plot’s logic is, well, fantastical. I rarely demand more of a fantasy novel. Maybe my expectations were set too high here—the cooler the original concept seems, the more geeked I am going in, and the crotchetier I get about weaknesses in execution. (C.f. http://www.karieluidens.com/book-revi...)
But by all means, if you love history and philosophy and fantasy, geek out over The Shards of Heaven. Livingston promises historically accurate fantasy fiction, and he delivers. When it comes to the cultures and chronologies of the turn of the first millennium, he clearly knows his stuff, and he’s very clever about only writing his inventions into the unknowns. Go ahead, dive in and decide for yourself.
Read
November 30, 2017DNF - Started strongly but I could not hold any solid interest in the main characters.
February 11, 2018
3 stars for the writing style which I wish was more engrossing. (But hey I could never write a book so...). If you watched the HBO series "Rome" you'll have images of Vorenus and Pullo in your mind already. I think the book didn't equal the TV series in my mind.
February 17, 2018
Well written. Colors in between the lines of history to add a fascinating dimension to the Antony and Cleopatra story.
September 26, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although the slow beginning had me a little worried. I'm glad I stuck with it, because the last half of the book had me completely glued to the pages. This is a historical fantasy, which I was really excited about because I love both history and fantasy. So both of them together = magic.
The story was interesting, the writing was very well done, and I loved that the author explains historical events, but nothing felt like an info dump. I really enjoyed the characters and can't wait to read more about them in the next books. 4.5 stars for this one!
The story was interesting, the writing was very well done, and I loved that the author explains historical events, but nothing felt like an info dump. I really enjoyed the characters and can't wait to read more about them in the next books. 4.5 stars for this one!
November 23, 2015
Historian Michael Livingston was previously best known in fandom for speaking on panels at JordanCon. It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that Livingston riffs off of Robert Jordan’s all-the-myths-are-true shtick in his debut novel The Shards of Heaven. Here, though, the setting is historical—ancient Rome at the birth of the empire. It’s a world where Moses split the Red Sea with a powerful, magical artifact, perhaps the same that earned Neptune and Poseidon their reputations. And presumably the Ark of the Covenant melts Nazis’ faces off.
It’s all rich in historicity, with a nifty backstory for the magic. The prose is solid. The pace is a bit slow but stops dragging midway through when the characters and the story grabbed me. It’s a promising debut!
More specifically, the setting is the Roman Empire after the fall of Julius Caesar and during the civil war between Octavian and Marc Antony, with Octavian in Rome and Antony in Egypt. I was disappointed that Antony and Cleopatra don’t play big roles. The main characters are instead Juba, adopted son of Caesar and son of the conquered king of Numidia; Caesarion, Cleopatra’s son from Julius Caesar; Selene Cleopatra, Cleopatra’s daughter from Marc Antony; and Didymus, scholar and librarian of the Great Library at Alexandria. Octavian plays a much more direct role than Cleopatra or Antony. Also appearing are Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus.
All are historical figures. The use of Pullo and Vorenus is problematic. Pretty much all I know about the Roman Empire is what was in HBO’s Rome and the subject of Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Any depiction of Pullo and Vorenus, then, will invariably be colored by their depiction in Rome. And Livingston’s depiction does seem to own a lot to Rome; he certainly couldn’t draw much from the historical record, which consists of just a few lines in the writings of Julius Caesar.
The story begins with the discovery of Neptune’s trident by Juba. From there it bounces among Rome, Greece, and Alexandria; through the Battle of Actium and the fall of Alexandria. What starts out as a straightforward revenge plot grows into something much more complex. A build-up that is perhaps a bit too slow pays off as characters we’ve grown to care about are, in the end, acting in interests that are never quite aligned. And the worldbuilding is very cool. We get just enough at the beginning to intrigue us, we’re thoroughly hooked by the time the info dumps come, and it all plays a big role in the climax, often in unexpected ways.
Disclosure: I received a copy via NetGalley.
It’s all rich in historicity, with a nifty backstory for the magic. The prose is solid. The pace is a bit slow but stops dragging midway through when the characters and the story grabbed me. It’s a promising debut!
More specifically, the setting is the Roman Empire after the fall of Julius Caesar and during the civil war between Octavian and Marc Antony, with Octavian in Rome and Antony in Egypt. I was disappointed that Antony and Cleopatra don’t play big roles. The main characters are instead Juba, adopted son of Caesar and son of the conquered king of Numidia; Caesarion, Cleopatra’s son from Julius Caesar; Selene Cleopatra, Cleopatra’s daughter from Marc Antony; and Didymus, scholar and librarian of the Great Library at Alexandria. Octavian plays a much more direct role than Cleopatra or Antony. Also appearing are Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus.
All are historical figures. The use of Pullo and Vorenus is problematic. Pretty much all I know about the Roman Empire is what was in HBO’s Rome and the subject of Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Any depiction of Pullo and Vorenus, then, will invariably be colored by their depiction in Rome. And Livingston’s depiction does seem to own a lot to Rome; he certainly couldn’t draw much from the historical record, which consists of just a few lines in the writings of Julius Caesar.
The story begins with the discovery of Neptune’s trident by Juba. From there it bounces among Rome, Greece, and Alexandria; through the Battle of Actium and the fall of Alexandria. What starts out as a straightforward revenge plot grows into something much more complex. A build-up that is perhaps a bit too slow pays off as characters we’ve grown to care about are, in the end, acting in interests that are never quite aligned. And the worldbuilding is very cool. We get just enough at the beginning to intrigue us, we’re thoroughly hooked by the time the info dumps come, and it all plays a big role in the climax, often in unexpected ways.
Disclosure: I received a copy via NetGalley.
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