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Aelric #1
Conspiracies of Rome
The Roman Empire is dead—long live the church of Rome! A new series of historical thrillers introduces the most compelling anti-hero since Flashman 609 AD. Rome is torn apart by war, plague, and internal power struggles between the emperor, the aristocracy, and the church. Into this morass stumbles the young and handsome Briton Aelric. His father was murdered, his inheritance was stolen, and he was forcibly separated from the woman he loves—now he is determined to win back all that he has lost. Through his naivety and ambition, he unwittingly becomes involved in a heretical plot that will lead to fraud, high treason, and murder. The first in a searingly sharp trilogy, this adventure takes readers back to one of the darkest and least known periods of history.
Paperback
First published February 21, 2008
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About the author
Richard Blake
79 books68 followersA pseudonym of Dr Sean Gabb.
Richard Blake is a writer, broadcaster and teacher. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.
For Hodder & Stoughton, he has written the following six historical novels: "Conspiracies of Rome" (2008), "Terror of Constantinople" (2009), "Blood of Alexandria" (2010), "Sword of Damascus" (2011), "Ghosts of Athens" (2012), "Curse of Babylon" (2013). These have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Greek, Slovak, Hungarian, Indonesian, and Chinese.
In 2015, Hodder & Stoughton republished all six novels in two omnibus volumes: "Death of Rome Saga 1" and "Death of Rome Saga 2."
As Sean Gabb, he has written these novels: "The Column of Phocas" (2006 - historical), "The Churchill Memorandum" (2011 - alternate history thriller), and "The Break" (post-apocalyptic science fiction). This novel was published in 2014, and nominated for the Prometheus Award, but has now been acquired by Caffeine Nights and withdrawn for republication in 2016 under the name Richard Blake. A further novel, "The York Deviation" (alternate history fantasy), is awaiting publication.
He also writes for Endeavour Press. His first historical novel for Endeavour, "Game of Empires," was published in May 2015. His next in this series, "Death in Ravenna," was published in August 2016. Hist next, "Crown of Empire," will be published in April 2016.
You can follow him on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/richard.blak...
You can also follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BlakeTheWriter
His personal website is - http://www.richardblake.me.uk/
Richard Blake is a writer, broadcaster and teacher. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.
For Hodder & Stoughton, he has written the following six historical novels: "Conspiracies of Rome" (2008), "Terror of Constantinople" (2009), "Blood of Alexandria" (2010), "Sword of Damascus" (2011), "Ghosts of Athens" (2012), "Curse of Babylon" (2013). These have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Greek, Slovak, Hungarian, Indonesian, and Chinese.
In 2015, Hodder & Stoughton republished all six novels in two omnibus volumes: "Death of Rome Saga 1" and "Death of Rome Saga 2."
As Sean Gabb, he has written these novels: "The Column of Phocas" (2006 - historical), "The Churchill Memorandum" (2011 - alternate history thriller), and "The Break" (post-apocalyptic science fiction). This novel was published in 2014, and nominated for the Prometheus Award, but has now been acquired by Caffeine Nights and withdrawn for republication in 2016 under the name Richard Blake. A further novel, "The York Deviation" (alternate history fantasy), is awaiting publication.
He also writes for Endeavour Press. His first historical novel for Endeavour, "Game of Empires," was published in May 2015. His next in this series, "Death in Ravenna," was published in August 2016. Hist next, "Crown of Empire," will be published in April 2016.
You can follow him on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/richard.blak...
You can also follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BlakeTheWriter
His personal website is - http://www.richardblake.me.uk/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
January 31, 2018
I, Aelric of Richborough, also known as Alaric of Britain and by sundry other names throughout the Greek Empire and in the realms of the Saracens, in this six hundred and eighty-fourth year of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the second year of the second Pope Leo, and in the twenty-fifth year of the fourth Emperor Constantine, and in my own ninety-fifth year, sit here in the monastery at Jarrow to write the history of my life.
Right here in the introduction is the reason I put this series on my 'to-be-read' list a few years back : not many historical novels deal with the turbulent seventh century when Europe went through some of its darker ages and Saracens and other assorted barbarians were roaming freely. A recent vacation in Rome helped me bring the first installment to the top of the pile.
I confess I went in with high expectations, given my interest in the period and the prologue that borrows heavily from the cookbook of Bernard Cornwell, one of my top historical writers. Unfortunately this early comparison made me pay too much attention to where the book falls short of said expectations and gloss over the real achievements of what is after all a literary debut.
It was through Cicero that I made my first acquaintance with the skeptics and with the great master of all wisdom – Epicurus.
After framing the story as the recollections of a very old man, Aelric begins at the beginning – with his life as a bookish teenager in Britain. Born to a former rich family that fell out of favor with the local king, Aelric gets a good start in his education from a monk then is assigned as assistant to a missionary from Rome to translate and to help convert the local heathen Saxons. After getting caught in the hay with the nubile daughter of a loyal king follower, Aelric and his master Maximin of Ravenna are forced into a hasty departure and they head towards Rome, where Maximin hopes to get assigned new duties from the Imperial Church. Just before reaching the Eternal City, the two friends get embroiled in some shady business by the side of the road and end up with several bags of illicit gold and some dangerous letters.
Most of the plot centers on these stolen letters and on the power play in the peninsula between the Church of Rome, the Emperor in Constantinople, his deputy in Ravenna, the Visigoths controlling the countryside and a couple of other factions from inside the city and from distant African provinces. I really liked the guided tour to a city in ruins that still displays signs of its former glory and I sort of liked that the plot is focused on people rather than on big, scenic battles. There's a lot of political infighting instead, which slows the pace a little, but the writing sometimes rises to the occasion, like in this rather long passage describing an early Church assembly:
I looked at that semicircle of the great sitting still in their formal robes. Some of the faces were ravaged by fanatic penances, others softened by lives of sybaritic luxury. Some were educated men, others could truly boast that they had never opened a single book of pagan learning. But they had an absolutely common purpose. This was the aggrandisment of their Church. They had taken this from those who went before them. They would hand it on to those who followed. You can achieve much in your own lifetime. But this is nothing compared to what can be done in the lifetime of a corporate entity. This never tires and never sleeps and never grows old and feeble. It recovers from mistakes and reverses. Like the waves on Richborough beach, individual follows individual, sometimes pressing forward, sometimes falling back. But the tide comes in with unbroken force. It can, by sheer perseverance, change the manners of whole nations, and can by unending repetition make statements that, considered rationally, are nonsense, gain acceptance even by the wise as self-evident truth.
Such I gathered from my first real encounter with the Imperial Church of Rome.
A series of anachronisms though pulled me out of the story every time I felt like I was getting immersed in the period, which is a pity since most of the research for the book is well done. But I don't think corn was imported from Sicily in the seventh century, or that a Stock Exchange existed at that time that functioned like a modern one ( What he wanted to buy was the right to obtain shares on a future date at a certain price. ) . Nor do I believe a murder inquiry would have been performed according to modern criminal procedure (searching for clues, investigating witnesses. canvassing the neighborhood, etc). Some of the faux-pas and histrionics in dialogue can be assigned to the youth of the hero, believably gullible at that age, others are just a wrong vibe that could be directed at my personal preferences for what is ancient style and what is modern.
I did like Aelric as a protagonist and I intend to continue with the series, giving him a second chance to win me over. Some of the groundwork for this is well established with making him a bit of a bookworm and more of a skeptic in a world of religious intolerance:
But it was now that I conceived my true mission in life. This has not been wealth and sex and pleasure of the bestial kind – though I'll not deny I've managed more than the common share of all these. It is something of which Epicurus himself would have approved. My mission has been to save all that I could of the ancient learning.
also,
But every trickster has his own way of exciting wonder in the gullible. Where miracles are concerned, you need know only the part of how they're produced to dismiss the whole effect as a fraud.
Recommended to history fans with less stringent literary expectations.
April 17, 2013
This is one of those books that is not quite there and yet you instinctively know (as a reader of series') that it is the jumping off point for a potentially terrific series.
Think author Michael Jecks and his Knights Templar series as an example. That author himself is the first to admit that the debut book in his series is not the best he can do, it was only the best he could do at that time. It was a foundation book for a good series where the author matures as his skills mature. And that, I trust, is where this book by Richard Blake is placed. At the start line of a long journey. Fresh, enthusiastic, ready to run, but not quite honed and toned nor convincing enough to bring it home.
Clearly the author gave it all to his debut and I appreciate that. The descriptions of seventh century Rome were well done and I found myself transported easily to a city which had wearied itself in war and invasion, and consumed itself from the inside out with a parasitic political culture.
Our protagonist, Aelric, is a Briton, from Richborough. In his birthplace he was to find love in a childhood sweetheart and a friend, Maximin, a priest from Ravenna who he served as an interpreter and general secretary. In a matter of moments he lost it all, his love, his home, his family and he fled Britain at the side of Maximin to the faded city of Rome. It was here that I felt the story finally became something worth knowing, although I did spend many a moment wondering where the story was going.
I had assumed, wrongly it would seem, by the bookcover and the book blurb, that the book would be action adventure, but this never eventuated. By about halfway through the book it surprised me by turning into a historical mystery. A most unexpected outcome.
The books biggest asset was the descriptive writing. Richard Blake is very good at creating environment and I enjoyed that immensely. He is an excellent writer in so many ways and I look forward to reading more by him.
The books biggest flaw was one of the reasons a severly downgrade this book from a 4 star to a 3. The obnoxious language used not only in dialogue, but in the narration was a difficult hurdle to clamber over and I never quite managed it.
There are swearwords and many a slang word that may alienate or befuddle a non Commonwealth reader (eg an American, Asian, or a European who's first language is not English, ). An example would be 'have a butchers'. To those familiar with rhyming slang (most English and countries such as Australia), we know this means 'look'. As in 'butcher's hook' rhymes with 'look', therefore to have a butchers means to have a look.
I must also mention another of these obnoxious language niggles of mine. In the early stages of the book especially, Aelric was much preoccupied with when and how often he wanted to or felt like having a sh#t. (the word used in the book, not my choice here). It was too much, too often.
Swear words were used multiple times in dialogue and in many scenes became the common denominator. Replacing clever choices for dialogue with f#cking f#ckers and the like. I am no prude and I swear like a fishmonger's wife, but I can only handle a few well placed swear words in a book. This one was too thick with swearwords and it detracted from the story.
On this issue I am told by the author that later in the series swearing is less dominant and I am glad to know that, because if he had not told me that, then I probably would not have gone on with the series.
I will, however, absolutely go on with the series. I am keen to see where it goes as I had been on the look out for a protracted series to follow. This is a series I have opted to give a chance to and I am very selective when it comes to following a series, so that should tell you something of my feelings towards this book.
(review cross posted to my Blog: http://ancientandmedievalmayhem.blogs...)
Think author Michael Jecks and his Knights Templar series as an example. That author himself is the first to admit that the debut book in his series is not the best he can do, it was only the best he could do at that time. It was a foundation book for a good series where the author matures as his skills mature. And that, I trust, is where this book by Richard Blake is placed. At the start line of a long journey. Fresh, enthusiastic, ready to run, but not quite honed and toned nor convincing enough to bring it home.
Clearly the author gave it all to his debut and I appreciate that. The descriptions of seventh century Rome were well done and I found myself transported easily to a city which had wearied itself in war and invasion, and consumed itself from the inside out with a parasitic political culture.
Our protagonist, Aelric, is a Briton, from Richborough. In his birthplace he was to find love in a childhood sweetheart and a friend, Maximin, a priest from Ravenna who he served as an interpreter and general secretary. In a matter of moments he lost it all, his love, his home, his family and he fled Britain at the side of Maximin to the faded city of Rome. It was here that I felt the story finally became something worth knowing, although I did spend many a moment wondering where the story was going.
I had assumed, wrongly it would seem, by the bookcover and the book blurb, that the book would be action adventure, but this never eventuated. By about halfway through the book it surprised me by turning into a historical mystery. A most unexpected outcome.
The books biggest asset was the descriptive writing. Richard Blake is very good at creating environment and I enjoyed that immensely. He is an excellent writer in so many ways and I look forward to reading more by him.
The books biggest flaw was one of the reasons a severly downgrade this book from a 4 star to a 3. The obnoxious language used not only in dialogue, but in the narration was a difficult hurdle to clamber over and I never quite managed it.
There are swearwords and many a slang word that may alienate or befuddle a non Commonwealth reader (eg an American, Asian, or a European who's first language is not English, ). An example would be 'have a butchers'. To those familiar with rhyming slang (most English and countries such as Australia), we know this means 'look'. As in 'butcher's hook' rhymes with 'look', therefore to have a butchers means to have a look.
I must also mention another of these obnoxious language niggles of mine. In the early stages of the book especially, Aelric was much preoccupied with when and how often he wanted to or felt like having a sh#t. (the word used in the book, not my choice here). It was too much, too often.
Swear words were used multiple times in dialogue and in many scenes became the common denominator. Replacing clever choices for dialogue with f#cking f#ckers and the like. I am no prude and I swear like a fishmonger's wife, but I can only handle a few well placed swear words in a book. This one was too thick with swearwords and it detracted from the story.
On this issue I am told by the author that later in the series swearing is less dominant and I am glad to know that, because if he had not told me that, then I probably would not have gone on with the series.
I will, however, absolutely go on with the series. I am keen to see where it goes as I had been on the look out for a protracted series to follow. This is a series I have opted to give a chance to and I am very selective when it comes to following a series, so that should tell you something of my feelings towards this book.
(review cross posted to my Blog: http://ancientandmedievalmayhem.blogs...)
July 23, 2014
Very anachronistic - that almost made me put it down - but the protagonist with his cynical, take no prisoners attitude is superb, the book is ultra-fast and I became a fan of the series
An A
An A
December 5, 2017
Plot: 7 (strong start maintains momentum through drab conclusion)
Characters: 10 (scandalous and highly entertaining)
Accuracy: 9 (overly modern language aside, it captures the period well)
I really enjoyed this book. It’s set in an interesting period of history (the last years when the Roman Empire could claim to span the Mediterranean as opposed to being merely a rump state occupying Anatolia and occasionally Greece) and features some fun characterizations. And since it’s set at the very beginning of this period (AD 609, towards the beginning of the last Roman-Persian War that ended in 628 and well before the Arab Conquest that started in 632) there’s plenty of material for future novels.
Aelric’s a great character. He’s a rarity in books of this kind: an adventurous scholar. Learning is his driving passion, although in most other respects he follows the ultra-manly attributes of a warrior. Wine, women, fighting, etc. He’s utterly without class. It’s an odd combination to be sure, and one that could easily seem forced and unwieldy. But this book manages to effectively make his lust for knowledge compatible with his lust for women and life in general. Better still, it’s able to make it seem odd that there should be a contradiction between these desires.
The entire novel is told in a first person flashback with Aelric back in the monastery of Jarrow at the improbably age of 95. Thinking back on all the ‘tales of a wild youth as recounted by an old man living in a monastery’ narratives (e.g. The Winter King, Justinian, and any number of gloomy medieval novels) it’s easy to see why most of them don’t work as well as this one does. Young Aelric is every bit as much a scholar as old Aelric so the contrast is not so severe. And while both are basically atheists they have strong Christian ties, so the shift from warrior-scholar to Christian scholar is basically just a matter of age. Not that the old Aelric bookends are entirely convincing. Like most such narratives it makes no attempt to imitate accurately the style of such contemporary narratives and instead uses the memoir as an excuse to tell the story how they want. Thank God. This book would be so boring if we removed all the sex and smut.
The story itself is strong enough to start with. The whole thing aims to tell a dirty and scandalous account of the various powerbrokers inhabiting the 7th century world. Despite what I expected from the blurb and the cover, the book is closer in style to a historical mystery than a boy’s own adventure novel. It’s still the Dark Ages, so it’s a bloody murder mystery with plenty of violence and danger, but much of the time is still spent in investigation rather than in seeking out and preparing for conflict. I thought that this was a disappointingly traditional format for such a nontraditional story. Fortunately, the murder doesn’t even happen until almost halfway through the book. The time up til then is filled with action and adventures.
I found the murder mystery the least interesting element of the book. I thought the perp was fairly obvious, though his motivations weren’t, and despite a strong start to this part of the story it grew to be quite a narrative drag by the end. In fact, if it wasn’t for the ending I’d probably have rated this book even higher. The last hundred or so pages really drag on and when the conclusion does arive it’s resolved so suddenly and then wraps everything up with implausible ease. It also seemed out of character for Aelric. I appreciated how Aelric remained within the bounds of contemporarily plausible morality for the period in question (a brief Libertarian digression on just laws and the inefficient implications of slavery aside) but to have a red-blooded Saxon forswear easy and consequence-free revenge is like having a fish forswear water. It was unmotivated and seemed to belong to a much nicer book.
The level of historical research here is superb. There were mistakes here and there (Procopius was Palestinian, not Syrian, and the Star of David wasn’t a universally Jewish symbol until the 19th century) but on the whole it managed to capture the feel of a poorly recorded and ill-remembered history very well. The few issues I had with it were more of style than substance. Specifically, the extremely colloquial dialogue. I realize that this is largely a matter of taste, but I find it somewhat distracting to see everyone talking like Freshmen enthusiastically trying out new swears for the first time. Particularly in elite contexts where you’d expect a much greater degree of formality. It could also be irritatingly vague or modern. Where a modern form of a word exists it will be used, even if it doesn’t line up exactly. Thus we get France for Francia (actually covering modern France as well as Belgium and much of the Netherlands and Germany), England (for the various Angle and Saxon kingdoms), and various other oddities. The criminal justice system seems a bit too modern as well, with postmortems and at least a theoretical obligation to investigate all crimes that I highly doubt existed. Ditto the papal grain dole. These are, as I said, more a matter of stylistic and clarity concerns than serious criticisms.
So I really enjoyed this book and look forward to further adventures of the warrior-scholar Aelric and his seemingly endless ability to say or do anything it takes to get what he wants. He keeps alluding to appalling (and hilariously scandalous) adventures that he’s been through and I want to see these enfold. Impersonating the Bishop of Laodicea to spy on the King of Persia sounds particularly fun. You know he’s going to get into so much trouble doing that. And of course, we haven’t even met Heraclius, the most important man of this age bar Mohammed (who I doubt we’ll meet), or for that matter Khusrau II, Shahrvaraz, Phocas, Omar, Khalid, Phocas, or any of the imperial commanders. I look forward to the next one. May these adventures continue to impress.
Characters: 10 (scandalous and highly entertaining)
Accuracy: 9 (overly modern language aside, it captures the period well)
I really enjoyed this book. It’s set in an interesting period of history (the last years when the Roman Empire could claim to span the Mediterranean as opposed to being merely a rump state occupying Anatolia and occasionally Greece) and features some fun characterizations. And since it’s set at the very beginning of this period (AD 609, towards the beginning of the last Roman-Persian War that ended in 628 and well before the Arab Conquest that started in 632) there’s plenty of material for future novels.
Aelric’s a great character. He’s a rarity in books of this kind: an adventurous scholar. Learning is his driving passion, although in most other respects he follows the ultra-manly attributes of a warrior. Wine, women, fighting, etc. He’s utterly without class. It’s an odd combination to be sure, and one that could easily seem forced and unwieldy. But this book manages to effectively make his lust for knowledge compatible with his lust for women and life in general. Better still, it’s able to make it seem odd that there should be a contradiction between these desires.
The entire novel is told in a first person flashback with Aelric back in the monastery of Jarrow at the improbably age of 95. Thinking back on all the ‘tales of a wild youth as recounted by an old man living in a monastery’ narratives (e.g. The Winter King, Justinian, and any number of gloomy medieval novels) it’s easy to see why most of them don’t work as well as this one does. Young Aelric is every bit as much a scholar as old Aelric so the contrast is not so severe. And while both are basically atheists they have strong Christian ties, so the shift from warrior-scholar to Christian scholar is basically just a matter of age. Not that the old Aelric bookends are entirely convincing. Like most such narratives it makes no attempt to imitate accurately the style of such contemporary narratives and instead uses the memoir as an excuse to tell the story how they want. Thank God. This book would be so boring if we removed all the sex and smut.
The story itself is strong enough to start with. The whole thing aims to tell a dirty and scandalous account of the various powerbrokers inhabiting the 7th century world. Despite what I expected from the blurb and the cover, the book is closer in style to a historical mystery than a boy’s own adventure novel. It’s still the Dark Ages, so it’s a bloody murder mystery with plenty of violence and danger, but much of the time is still spent in investigation rather than in seeking out and preparing for conflict. I thought that this was a disappointingly traditional format for such a nontraditional story. Fortunately, the murder doesn’t even happen until almost halfway through the book. The time up til then is filled with action and adventures.
I found the murder mystery the least interesting element of the book. I thought the perp was fairly obvious, though his motivations weren’t, and despite a strong start to this part of the story it grew to be quite a narrative drag by the end. In fact, if it wasn’t for the ending I’d probably have rated this book even higher. The last hundred or so pages really drag on and when the conclusion does arive it’s resolved so suddenly and then wraps everything up with implausible ease. It also seemed out of character for Aelric. I appreciated how Aelric remained within the bounds of contemporarily plausible morality for the period in question (a brief Libertarian digression on just laws and the inefficient implications of slavery aside) but to have a red-blooded Saxon forswear easy and consequence-free revenge is like having a fish forswear water. It was unmotivated and seemed to belong to a much nicer book.
The level of historical research here is superb. There were mistakes here and there (Procopius was Palestinian, not Syrian, and the Star of David wasn’t a universally Jewish symbol until the 19th century) but on the whole it managed to capture the feel of a poorly recorded and ill-remembered history very well. The few issues I had with it were more of style than substance. Specifically, the extremely colloquial dialogue. I realize that this is largely a matter of taste, but I find it somewhat distracting to see everyone talking like Freshmen enthusiastically trying out new swears for the first time. Particularly in elite contexts where you’d expect a much greater degree of formality. It could also be irritatingly vague or modern. Where a modern form of a word exists it will be used, even if it doesn’t line up exactly. Thus we get France for Francia (actually covering modern France as well as Belgium and much of the Netherlands and Germany), England (for the various Angle and Saxon kingdoms), and various other oddities. The criminal justice system seems a bit too modern as well, with postmortems and at least a theoretical obligation to investigate all crimes that I highly doubt existed. Ditto the papal grain dole. These are, as I said, more a matter of stylistic and clarity concerns than serious criticisms.
So I really enjoyed this book and look forward to further adventures of the warrior-scholar Aelric and his seemingly endless ability to say or do anything it takes to get what he wants. He keeps alluding to appalling (and hilariously scandalous) adventures that he’s been through and I want to see these enfold. Impersonating the Bishop of Laodicea to spy on the King of Persia sounds particularly fun. You know he’s going to get into so much trouble doing that. And of course, we haven’t even met Heraclius, the most important man of this age bar Mohammed (who I doubt we’ll meet), or for that matter Khusrau II, Shahrvaraz, Phocas, Omar, Khalid, Phocas, or any of the imperial commanders. I look forward to the next one. May these adventures continue to impress.
July 24, 2016
I love the writing style of this book, straight-forward, no nonsence, descriptive. It doesn't make pretence to have been written in some sort of elderly, litterary English. I think it's supposed to be read as a modern translation of an every-day antique language, complete with curses and slang.
It's written as a memoir and although I'm not always fond of first-person narratives, this is an exceptionally good one. Can hardly wait for the sequel.
The hero is almost pathologically narcissistic, but I cannot refrain from liking him anyway. That little personal trait of his actually makes me laugh. At least he freely admits to being like that. But he also possesses a great love of books and knowledge and he also quite honestly and without false modesty describes himself and his way of thinking. I guess it can be attributed to the shamelessness of an old mind.
It's written as a memoir and although I'm not always fond of first-person narratives, this is an exceptionally good one. Can hardly wait for the sequel.
The hero is almost pathologically narcissistic, but I cannot refrain from liking him anyway. That little personal trait of his actually makes me laugh. At least he freely admits to being like that. But he also possesses a great love of books and knowledge and he also quite honestly and without false modesty describes himself and his way of thinking. I guess it can be attributed to the shamelessness of an old mind.
October 25, 2015
Πολύ ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα και σίγουρα θα ήθελα να διαβάσω τα επόμενα μέρη της ιστορίας του Έλρικ (αν και απ' όσο ξέρω δεν έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά). Ο λόγος που έβαλα 3 αντί για 4, είναι μόνο και μόνο για την συγγραφή, που σε σημεία θεωρώ ότι οι αποκαλύψεις δεν.. αποκαλύπτονταν με τρόπο που να σε εκπλήσσει, αν και είχε αρκετές ανατροπές.
Σίγουρα πάντως το προτείνω σε όποιον του αρέσουν τα ιστορικά μυθιστορήματα.
Σίγουρα πάντως το προτείνω σε όποιον του αρέσουν τα ιστορικά μυθιστορήματα.
January 6, 2019
Aelaric dipaksa menemani Maximin - rahib ternama di Inggris, utk mendampinginya ke Roma. Di Roma, kota ini sangat mengesankan Aelaric yg tampan dan berdarah muda. Dia bertemu dgn Lucius yg kelak menjadi pasangan sesama jenisnya. Ternyata dirinya dijebak dalam konspirasi tingkat tinggi yg melibatkan surat-surat yg dibawa Maximin utk diserahkan kepada kaisar. Sayangnya surat tsb lenyap seiring Maximin ditemukan dlm keadaan tewas. Siapakah dalang dibalik konspirasi ini?
Ini novel pertama author yg saya baca dan sejujurnya saya kurang menikmatinya. Petualangan Aelaric terlalu dihiasi deskripsi keindahan Roma abad 7 dan filsafatnya malah jadi cenderung kurang fokus pada inti permasalahannya. Misterinya baru terkuak secara beruntun dari mulut si dalang sendiri, malah menurut saya jadi kurang menggigit. Sejarah Roma pada Abad Kegelapan ini digambarkan penuh skandal dan intrik, tetapi entah bagaimana saya koq kurang tertarik. Apakah karena cara penggambarannya yg monoton dan terlalu filsafat atau terjemahannya yg kurang enak dibaca?
Ini novel pertama author yg saya baca dan sejujurnya saya kurang menikmatinya. Petualangan Aelaric terlalu dihiasi deskripsi keindahan Roma abad 7 dan filsafatnya malah jadi cenderung kurang fokus pada inti permasalahannya. Misterinya baru terkuak secara beruntun dari mulut si dalang sendiri, malah menurut saya jadi kurang menggigit. Sejarah Roma pada Abad Kegelapan ini digambarkan penuh skandal dan intrik, tetapi entah bagaimana saya koq kurang tertarik. Apakah karena cara penggambarannya yg monoton dan terlalu filsafat atau terjemahannya yg kurang enak dibaca?
August 27, 2013
When I had just bought this book, about two years ago, I quickly read a few pages from it and thought the main character and first-person narrator was very rude. Now I wanted to give the book another chance & did not feel that way, but rather felt the weaknesses of this character seemed plausible in the world of decay he lives in. The plot is intricate and surprising and made it hard for me to put this book down. The historical facts that are mentioned in it are, as far as I can tell, correct. It is the only novel I have read that is set in the Byzantine period (at the time of Phocas' rule). Sometimes the main character's reactions to the city of Rome are overly poetic and cliché. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the descriptions of everyday life in Rome in the early 7th century as well as the descriptions of famous places in the city.
"Nothing had prepared me for the astonishing beauty of the interior. It was one great circular room, topped by the coffered, hemispherical dome. The light of the very late afternoon entered obliquely through a hole, or 'oculus', at the centre of the dome. This fell directly on the upper part of the dome, and was then diffused lower onto walls of the most glorious polychrome marble. Around the walls, taking the weight of the dome, was a circle of elegant Corinthians.
The overall impression in that late, golden light was of immense yet restful magnificence. I could hardly reconcile the people of the Rome I knew with the race that could have conceived and built something so completely wonderful. It was like the most beautiful and technically perfect ancient poem, enlarged and made into stone."
"Nothing had prepared me for the astonishing beauty of the interior. It was one great circular room, topped by the coffered, hemispherical dome. The light of the very late afternoon entered obliquely through a hole, or 'oculus', at the centre of the dome. This fell directly on the upper part of the dome, and was then diffused lower onto walls of the most glorious polychrome marble. Around the walls, taking the weight of the dome, was a circle of elegant Corinthians.
The overall impression in that late, golden light was of immense yet restful magnificence. I could hardly reconcile the people of the Rome I knew with the race that could have conceived and built something so completely wonderful. It was like the most beautiful and technically perfect ancient poem, enlarged and made into stone."
November 22, 2021
Hilarious and vulgar!
Aelric is a bit of an anti-hero and somewhat of a degenerate. The book gives a good look into Rome well past its prime, which is interesting considering the fact that most historical fiction about Rome takes place much earlier. Here we see a different Rome from that of Augustus.
These books also give some good insights into the early(ish) stages of the Christian church.
Aelric is a bit of an anti-hero and somewhat of a degenerate. The book gives a good look into Rome well past its prime, which is interesting considering the fact that most historical fiction about Rome takes place much earlier. Here we see a different Rome from that of Augustus.
These books also give some good insights into the early(ish) stages of the Christian church.
January 29, 2023
hmm
It began with a lot of promise and then I just got bogged down in endless paragraphs. I definitely felt like I needed more exposition. I did like the twist at the end though.
It began with a lot of promise and then I just got bogged down in endless paragraphs. I definitely felt like I needed more exposition. I did like the twist at the end though.
July 26, 2019
This is one of those books I've read as part of the Fictional Understanding of Byzantium and Rome (FUBAR) studies project I began after reading Ghost Empire back in January 2018. As I explained back then, I'm a lazy scholar, and I refuse to read (unless I absolutely must) dry histories or boring biographies of historic figures. I'm happy to let hardworking authors such as Robert Graves and Stella Duffy do the heavy lifting and then present me with well researched stories of blood, guts, passion, and fire conjured from their well educated imaginations.
Graves, Duffy and a several other great writers have guided me through the reigns of Constantine and Justinian. Thankfully, I've found Richard Blake to take me through the drama of Rome and Constantinople in the seventh century with DEATH OF ROME SAGA and THE BYZANTINE SAGA.
Conspiracies of Rome is the thrilling first book in the DEATH OF ROME SAGA. It covers the travels of a young Anglo-Saxon nobleman named Aleric (or Alaric to the Greek and Romans) who journeys to the ancient city of Rome, where he becomes entangled in a conspiracy which he must uncover to avenge the death of his best friend and continue surviving himself. Along the way, young Aleric makes it his mission in life to rescue and preserve as many works of ancient Greek and Roman literature as he can locate, for they are rapidly being lost to neglect or intentional destruction in a world that no longer seems to have any use for them.
Blake brings the Rome of 609 AD to life through immersive and atmospheric description. This city is no longer the center of a powerful and immense civilization with a population of over a million people. The image of grandeur has faded. War, famine, and disease have had their way and Rome by the 7th century is in complete and utter decline - its population having dwindled to a mere 30,000 souls living in squalor.
The author not only takes you on a tour of abandoned and crumbling forums and temples through rubble filled streets, he evokes the stench of destitution and desperation. Mr. Blake is able to paint a fascinating and grim picture of a society in complete and utter decline. The detail is amazing:
Plumbing has broken down mainly because most of the aqueducts were never repaired after the Gothic Wars.. The wrecked pipes stink in and of themselves, but there are secondary smells because people can no longer bath themselves or clean their clothing.
Swarms of rats rove the streets at night along with women selling sex to survive and packs of thieves trying to do the same.
The food is horrible.. The best meat seems to be roast rat. The other offerings from the butcher are rancid and dangerous. The bread is stale. The olives and wine not bad.
The elite no longer speak proper Latin, merely Vulgate. Barbarians trained in the classics sound smarter and more educated.
Besides describing such a real world, this book introduced me to a new aspect of the early days of Christianity in the West. I especially enjoyed Pope Gregory I's strategizing, plotting, and politicking to one day make Lateran Rome the headquarters of all Christendom. I'm betting Aleric's book saving proclivities play a big part in the Church's plans to dominate the other sects by indoctrination over time.
Conspiracies of Rome is a good combination of history, religion, politics and conspiracy. Highly recommended not just to fans of historical fiction but also to action-adventure, mystery and suspense readers as well.
Graves, Duffy and a several other great writers have guided me through the reigns of Constantine and Justinian. Thankfully, I've found Richard Blake to take me through the drama of Rome and Constantinople in the seventh century with DEATH OF ROME SAGA and THE BYZANTINE SAGA.
Conspiracies of Rome is the thrilling first book in the DEATH OF ROME SAGA. It covers the travels of a young Anglo-Saxon nobleman named Aleric (or Alaric to the Greek and Romans) who journeys to the ancient city of Rome, where he becomes entangled in a conspiracy which he must uncover to avenge the death of his best friend and continue surviving himself. Along the way, young Aleric makes it his mission in life to rescue and preserve as many works of ancient Greek and Roman literature as he can locate, for they are rapidly being lost to neglect or intentional destruction in a world that no longer seems to have any use for them.
Blake brings the Rome of 609 AD to life through immersive and atmospheric description. This city is no longer the center of a powerful and immense civilization with a population of over a million people. The image of grandeur has faded. War, famine, and disease have had their way and Rome by the 7th century is in complete and utter decline - its population having dwindled to a mere 30,000 souls living in squalor.
The author not only takes you on a tour of abandoned and crumbling forums and temples through rubble filled streets, he evokes the stench of destitution and desperation. Mr. Blake is able to paint a fascinating and grim picture of a society in complete and utter decline. The detail is amazing:
Plumbing has broken down mainly because most of the aqueducts were never repaired after the Gothic Wars.. The wrecked pipes stink in and of themselves, but there are secondary smells because people can no longer bath themselves or clean their clothing.
Swarms of rats rove the streets at night along with women selling sex to survive and packs of thieves trying to do the same.
The food is horrible.. The best meat seems to be roast rat. The other offerings from the butcher are rancid and dangerous. The bread is stale. The olives and wine not bad.
The elite no longer speak proper Latin, merely Vulgate. Barbarians trained in the classics sound smarter and more educated.
Besides describing such a real world, this book introduced me to a new aspect of the early days of Christianity in the West. I especially enjoyed Pope Gregory I's strategizing, plotting, and politicking to one day make Lateran Rome the headquarters of all Christendom. I'm betting Aleric's book saving proclivities play a big part in the Church's plans to dominate the other sects by indoctrination over time.
Conspiracies of Rome is a good combination of history, religion, politics and conspiracy. Highly recommended not just to fans of historical fiction but also to action-adventure, mystery and suspense readers as well.
April 4, 2009
Apparently this is the first book of a trilogy, set in Rome at the time of the fall of its empire.
Our protagonist is Aelric, who is looking back at his life from the perspective of being an elderly monk in Jarrow, telling tales of when he used to be a lusty (literally) young man. One of a family whose inheritance has been stolen, Aelric finds himself in trouble for having his way with the wrong woman and is forced to flee the country, reluctantly travelling to Rome with the missionary Maximinus.
The empire is in its death throes, overrun by invaders and struggling to maintain a grip on power while, in contrast, the power of the church continues to grow. In Rome, Aelric makes both friends and enemies after his fellow traveller is murdered and he determines to know the truth about who killed him and why.
I'm a bit of a fan of historical detective stories, but sadly I guessed who was ultimately responsible for what had happened before the author revealed it, which is always a disappointment. At times, also, the anachronisms got a little too much as the story got bogged down in very unRoman attitudes and mores, as well as the feeling the author is trying to shock and not always managing it. The trilogy continues in The Terror of Constantinople, but I'm not sure I'll bother.
Our protagonist is Aelric, who is looking back at his life from the perspective of being an elderly monk in Jarrow, telling tales of when he used to be a lusty (literally) young man. One of a family whose inheritance has been stolen, Aelric finds himself in trouble for having his way with the wrong woman and is forced to flee the country, reluctantly travelling to Rome with the missionary Maximinus.
The empire is in its death throes, overrun by invaders and struggling to maintain a grip on power while, in contrast, the power of the church continues to grow. In Rome, Aelric makes both friends and enemies after his fellow traveller is murdered and he determines to know the truth about who killed him and why.
I'm a bit of a fan of historical detective stories, but sadly I guessed who was ultimately responsible for what had happened before the author revealed it, which is always a disappointment. At times, also, the anachronisms got a little too much as the story got bogged down in very unRoman attitudes and mores, as well as the feeling the author is trying to shock and not always managing it. The trilogy continues in The Terror of Constantinople, but I'm not sure I'll bother.
April 11, 2022
So what the actual *bleep* did I just force myself to read?
Granted, I think I was given this at 14 and I'm now twice that age. It's been sitting forgotten in my bookcase but unfortunately I have a thing for finishing stuff and this made me pick it up now, several years later.
So. What is this? It's a book that tries to debunk the myth of the medieval chivalry. Problem is that the author is completely obnoxious about it. I can't even see the plot for all the recounts of mouldy food, sexual violence and all the different ways to take a sh*t. We are served a main character who is very obviously lacking in empathy while he has a true Eragon brain that allows him to become fluent in a new language over just a few weeks on the road and then we're supposed to believe that he has true feelings regarding the death of his mentor?
The recounts of Rome as a city within ruins is cool. Or at least, could have been cool, because that part is supposedly well researched. But it is paired with complete anachronisms like a Sherlock Holmes-style murder investigation, and even the bold claim that there was a functioning stock exchange in Rome just 1000 years before the first actual stock exchange was invented?
It's even so badly written that it's difficult to skim. Ugh. But at least I'm finally through. Now take it out of my sight.
Granted, I think I was given this at 14 and I'm now twice that age. It's been sitting forgotten in my bookcase but unfortunately I have a thing for finishing stuff and this made me pick it up now, several years later.
So. What is this? It's a book that tries to debunk the myth of the medieval chivalry. Problem is that the author is completely obnoxious about it. I can't even see the plot for all the recounts of mouldy food, sexual violence and all the different ways to take a sh*t. We are served a main character who is very obviously lacking in empathy while he has a true Eragon brain that allows him to become fluent in a new language over just a few weeks on the road and then we're supposed to believe that he has true feelings regarding the death of his mentor?
The recounts of Rome as a city within ruins is cool. Or at least, could have been cool, because that part is supposedly well researched. But it is paired with complete anachronisms like a Sherlock Holmes-style murder investigation, and even the bold claim that there was a functioning stock exchange in Rome just 1000 years before the first actual stock exchange was invented?
It's even so badly written that it's difficult to skim. Ugh. But at least I'm finally through. Now take it out of my sight.
December 3, 2021
This is a book that is in my unbiased opinion equally worth of 3 and of 4 stars. When you think of a rating of 3.5, you might first think of an adequate, but still rather mediocre work. This is not the case here.
This book does many important things (very) well while having serious drawbacks. It is highly entertaining. Tastes are subjective. But it is a tight plot in a very interesting, unexplored setting, with highly dynamic and at times unexpectedly developed characters. This alone makes it a worthwhile consideration for anyone with tastes that somewhat correspond to the general themes of the book. The historic side of things is largely done masterfully well, with the author having the unenviable task of bringing the world of early seventh century Kent and Italy to life. It does so vividly and comprehensively, not overly emphasizing one side of things (in particular, i find historical fiction of the period often heavily focuses on military side of things, and i am pleased the author wrote something whole lot more diverse). Despite certain inaccuracies, the level of historical research that went into the book is clearly superb, the descriptions of contemporary Rome being a clear highlight that is delightful to read with anyone feeling curious about these opaque days of the generally extremely famous history of the city. The characters may not be very easy to like and feel sympathetic for but there is plenty of upsides to them, and there is enough sympathetic points sprinkled in that the threat of lapsing into moral nihilism is not serious. They are also for the most part quite believable. Well-off people of the time can be challenging to make sympathetic to the 21st century reader, with the contemporary attitudes and unfairly privileged life they enjoyed compared to the unlucky masses. But you do get drawn in to feel emotions for the protagonists and feel for them, at times, while their plausibility, admittedly somewhat excluding the main protagonist, remains perfectly believable. This is no small feat and something most writers of the genre don't do as skillfully.
That was a lot of good, was it not? Moving onto the bad; to start with, there are some jarring historical liberties. I do not believe the author's sloppy research to be the cause - his choices were very likely intentional. But that does not make the inaccuracies something to shrug off, for readers who care about this aspect. Particularly when those liberties do not feel necessary for the storytelling purposes, which most of them do not. A modern-like stock exchange and a bustling financial quarter in the long-decaying Rome of the chaotic 600's is very implausible and its addition was not at all essential to the story. The language makes barely any attempt to be "suitably archaic", being the variant of English clearly used for author's own writing comfort. I do not begrudge the choice too much, but it really takes away from the immersion at many points. There are some other historical inaccuracies sprinkled in, such as "opium pills" being available in 7th century England, a very optimistically developed market economy and level of usage of coin which is not believable for the period, corn import from Sicily and other small details. The paucity of sources for the period does enable plenty of creative freedom in this regard as it is. The inaccuracies of pushing a modern criminal investigation process including a detailed autopsy by a random doctor and highly advanced detective work, as well as the protagonist having a more modern mindset that is not explained plausibly enough, can be argued to be integral to the story and thus it is a valid choice to have them in. The ability of not extremely martial protagonists to fight off supposedly dangerous multitudes of opponents with barely a scratch does also get rather annoying.
The personal choices and behaviors of characters at times feel odd and not too plausible or developed. The plot might at times feel bit predictable. The level of profanity and the edginess of the narrator is at times seriously distracting and off-putting because one starts to wonder what is the literary purpose of it. It might be funny or amusing to some, but to me it just makes it as if the book had input from a young teenager, at times.
Now, for my highly personal negatives that i know many will not react to well - i dislike the treatment of women in the book. I know, it is perfectly historically plausible for the period and this is more a wish than a critique - but i do wonder how attractive this book would be to many female readers. I would not voice this complaint if this genre was not already extremely male dominated. Females of the book are mostly relegated to unimportant side characters who are almost always mentioned in the context of being raw-dogged by the protagonist. The two women of any importance who avoid that fate being of advanced age, and the more frequent of them being a simple, generally unsympathetic character. If you are not prepared to handle the book being extremely male-centered, i do not think it is for you. We also do not get to know if our bisexual protagonist has an active, passive or mixed role in the same-sex scenes, this being highly relevant info for the power dynamic which matters as his male partner is a very important character as well. In a noticeable contrast the extremely unimportant female sex partners get more detailed descriptions of the act and the lust our protagonist feels.
This, and one other personal thing i do not feel like disclosing made me decide for giving the 3 stars. But it is a highly subjective rating. I think this is a book that could be enjoyed by many ancient historical fiction fans. I find historical fiction based in periods we lack historical knowledge very ambitious and useful work, as it helps greatly to create a vivid picture of the periods for which we struggle to have it from the perspective of all but the chosen few. Provided the author did sufficient amounts of historical research.
Do not get discouraged by the relatively low rating - i believe this book can get many readers entertained and it lines up plenty of potential for more to come.
This book does many important things (very) well while having serious drawbacks. It is highly entertaining. Tastes are subjective. But it is a tight plot in a very interesting, unexplored setting, with highly dynamic and at times unexpectedly developed characters. This alone makes it a worthwhile consideration for anyone with tastes that somewhat correspond to the general themes of the book. The historic side of things is largely done masterfully well, with the author having the unenviable task of bringing the world of early seventh century Kent and Italy to life. It does so vividly and comprehensively, not overly emphasizing one side of things (in particular, i find historical fiction of the period often heavily focuses on military side of things, and i am pleased the author wrote something whole lot more diverse). Despite certain inaccuracies, the level of historical research that went into the book is clearly superb, the descriptions of contemporary Rome being a clear highlight that is delightful to read with anyone feeling curious about these opaque days of the generally extremely famous history of the city. The characters may not be very easy to like and feel sympathetic for but there is plenty of upsides to them, and there is enough sympathetic points sprinkled in that the threat of lapsing into moral nihilism is not serious. They are also for the most part quite believable. Well-off people of the time can be challenging to make sympathetic to the 21st century reader, with the contemporary attitudes and unfairly privileged life they enjoyed compared to the unlucky masses. But you do get drawn in to feel emotions for the protagonists and feel for them, at times, while their plausibility, admittedly somewhat excluding the main protagonist, remains perfectly believable. This is no small feat and something most writers of the genre don't do as skillfully.
That was a lot of good, was it not? Moving onto the bad; to start with, there are some jarring historical liberties. I do not believe the author's sloppy research to be the cause - his choices were very likely intentional. But that does not make the inaccuracies something to shrug off, for readers who care about this aspect. Particularly when those liberties do not feel necessary for the storytelling purposes, which most of them do not. A modern-like stock exchange and a bustling financial quarter in the long-decaying Rome of the chaotic 600's is very implausible and its addition was not at all essential to the story. The language makes barely any attempt to be "suitably archaic", being the variant of English clearly used for author's own writing comfort. I do not begrudge the choice too much, but it really takes away from the immersion at many points. There are some other historical inaccuracies sprinkled in, such as "opium pills" being available in 7th century England, a very optimistically developed market economy and level of usage of coin which is not believable for the period, corn import from Sicily and other small details. The paucity of sources for the period does enable plenty of creative freedom in this regard as it is. The inaccuracies of pushing a modern criminal investigation process including a detailed autopsy by a random doctor and highly advanced detective work, as well as the protagonist having a more modern mindset that is not explained plausibly enough, can be argued to be integral to the story and thus it is a valid choice to have them in. The ability of not extremely martial protagonists to fight off supposedly dangerous multitudes of opponents with barely a scratch does also get rather annoying.
The personal choices and behaviors of characters at times feel odd and not too plausible or developed. The plot might at times feel bit predictable. The level of profanity and the edginess of the narrator is at times seriously distracting and off-putting because one starts to wonder what is the literary purpose of it. It might be funny or amusing to some, but to me it just makes it as if the book had input from a young teenager, at times.
Now, for my highly personal negatives that i know many will not react to well - i dislike the treatment of women in the book. I know, it is perfectly historically plausible for the period and this is more a wish than a critique - but i do wonder how attractive this book would be to many female readers. I would not voice this complaint if this genre was not already extremely male dominated. Females of the book are mostly relegated to unimportant side characters who are almost always mentioned in the context of being raw-dogged by the protagonist. The two women of any importance who avoid that fate being of advanced age, and the more frequent of them being a simple, generally unsympathetic character. If you are not prepared to handle the book being extremely male-centered, i do not think it is for you. We also do not get to know if our bisexual protagonist has an active, passive or mixed role in the same-sex scenes, this being highly relevant info for the power dynamic which matters as his male partner is a very important character as well. In a noticeable contrast the extremely unimportant female sex partners get more detailed descriptions of the act and the lust our protagonist feels.
This, and one other personal thing i do not feel like disclosing made me decide for giving the 3 stars. But it is a highly subjective rating. I think this is a book that could be enjoyed by many ancient historical fiction fans. I find historical fiction based in periods we lack historical knowledge very ambitious and useful work, as it helps greatly to create a vivid picture of the periods for which we struggle to have it from the perspective of all but the chosen few. Provided the author did sufficient amounts of historical research.
Do not get discouraged by the relatively low rating - i believe this book can get many readers entertained and it lines up plenty of potential for more to come.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2015
Fantastic characterisation, depth of historical context, and a startlingly bittersweet ending. Of course I had to give this novel of Dark Ages Rome 5 stars!
Aelric (whom the Romans dub Alaric) is a ravishingly handsome (his own words!) young Saxon from Britain. He is vain, greedy, has a talent for stumbling into trouble, has a hunger for ancient pagan literature, and is quite regularly sexist. Despite the aforegoing, his heart is (mostly) in the right place. This, and his passion for saving ancient manuscripts, redeem him from complete anti-hero-hood. In fact, Aelric's fits of vanity and the wealth of historical context were probably the two things I enjoyed most about this murder mystery/ conspiracy plot.
Just occasionally, Blake's love of historical detail got a tinsy bit tedious. The example that springs to mind is the lecture on papyrus. But, fear not, Blake does not stray into such info dump on a regular basis.
Blake brings Dark Ages Rome to vivid (or should I say 'gloomy') and definitely smelly life. Wonderful to read about, but I'd hate to have lived there!
Aelric (whom the Romans dub Alaric) is a ravishingly handsome (his own words!) young Saxon from Britain. He is vain, greedy, has a talent for stumbling into trouble, has a hunger for ancient pagan literature, and is quite regularly sexist. Despite the aforegoing, his heart is (mostly) in the right place. This, and his passion for saving ancient manuscripts, redeem him from complete anti-hero-hood. In fact, Aelric's fits of vanity and the wealth of historical context were probably the two things I enjoyed most about this murder mystery/ conspiracy plot.
Just occasionally, Blake's love of historical detail got a tinsy bit tedious. The example that springs to mind is the lecture on papyrus. But, fear not, Blake does not stray into such info dump on a regular basis.
Blake brings Dark Ages Rome to vivid (or should I say 'gloomy') and definitely smelly life. Wonderful to read about, but I'd hate to have lived there!
October 8, 2017
This is my first comment on a book. I really enjoyed Blake's intertwining of discrete historical events with this adventure novel. While reading, I learned alot about the history of the Italian peninsula, particularly the relationships between Lateran Rome, the Exarchy in Ravenna, and the Eastern "Roman Empire" in the early 7th century. Different titles and facts sent me to Wikipedia on several occasions. The main character, Aelric, though far from fully virtuous, is not really the anti-hero plot summaries say he is. He is motivated by the same vanity, greed, and temper we all are, but ultimately does what he thinks is right in most cases. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
The only drawback is that I consider this an adventure novel as the reader knows Aelric makes it through his journey early on. As a result, the thriller aspect is more than a bit subdued.
The only drawback is that I consider this an adventure novel as the reader knows Aelric makes it through his journey early on. As a result, the thriller aspect is more than a bit subdued.
June 17, 2013
Aelric is writing this autobiography at Jarrow in his 90s, so we know he makes it, and his description of himself in those first pages indicates that he has always been a chancer, relying on his wits and his looks. He travels to Rome with Maximin to bring back books for the Mission to England, and decides that his mission in life is the preservation of classical literature The descriptions of a ruinous Rome, some of its buildings showing their previous grandeur, others robbed out to make concrete from marble are very convincing.
A bit irritating with his preoccupation with bodily functions, but a promising start to a series
A bit irritating with his preoccupation with bodily functions, but a promising start to a series
August 20, 2011
This looks like another good hist-fic book set in Rome with a lot of action judging by the cover, how wrong I was. A lot of waffle and not much happens until you get towards the last quarter of the book, unfortunately I had given up twice because of that, but later managed to finish it. My hopes for the second book have somewhat dwindled since reading this....
Not the worst book I have read by any standards though, just a shame the first 3 quarters of the book are so slow.
Not the worst book I have read by any standards though, just a shame the first 3 quarters of the book are so slow.
August 24, 2014
Great book, both entertaining and educational. Takes place on a period of time that is little covered by books and movies. Great story, plus some sneaked in economic insights and libertarian sense of life. I just read it the second time and enjoyed it as much as first time. This is adult book.
February 11, 2016
A bit of a slow read but intriguing nonetheless. I wanted to follow Aelric to the end.
November 27, 2018
Richard Blake’s adventure novel series is set in 7th-Century Europe. This is encouraging as there is a dearth of historical novels set in Europe in the late 6th to early 7th centuries, particularly in Saxon England.
Conspiracies of Rome is a fictional story that is set more than five centuries after the death of Julius Caesar, and three centuries after Constantine the Great. King Ethelbert rules in the Kingdom of Kent, and Augustine with his missionaries from Rome are in full flow.
The central character and first-person narrator is an eighteen-year-old Saxon Aelric, caught in a dalliance with a chieftain’s daughter, and as the story begins, he is about to flee to Rome.
Arriving sometime later in the near-derelict ancient Roman capital city, Aelric and his priest-companion Maximin arrive in search of Latin and Greek books for the library in Canterbury.
What happens next in Rome is a very fast-paced week of intrigue, deception, murder and double-dealing in this city of spies, in which a plot with outcomes of enormous consequence for the Pope, the Emperor Phocas, and Agilulf the Lombard King, all hang in the balance.
Blake has certainly done his homework on late sixth and early seventh century Rome. The city is a place of violence, and this clear throughout the novel. The insightful descriptions of both place and time will surprise many visitors going back in time to this largely overlooked period.
The story unfolds in Aelric’s eighteenth year. He is attractive in appearance, tall, blond, intelligent and very handy with a blade. There is a lot of humour in much of what Aelric says. He also has a keen sense of rightness and tries to treat people fairly, but delivers rough-justice to those who are less principled. The novel is spiced with scenes of Aelric’s sexual preferences, male and female, slave and free. However, the graphic scenes of physical violence could be a turn-off for some readers.
The novel as a whole is a fast-paced read and a very good page-turner as one scene swiftly tumbles into another. Aelric speaks up for theology and Church doctrine, and the author is always informative. Blake avoids being the schoolmaster, much to his credit.
I enjoyed Conspiracies of Rome as a good read, written in engaging, plain English, a whodunit as much as a why-dunnit. I recommend the book to anyone with an interest in Historical Fiction, particularly of this period, and look forward to reading more of Blake’s literary tours of the Mediterranean in his other novels in this as Aelric grows and matures over the next 77 years of his life.
https://www.robmackintosh.net
Conspiracies of Rome is a fictional story that is set more than five centuries after the death of Julius Caesar, and three centuries after Constantine the Great. King Ethelbert rules in the Kingdom of Kent, and Augustine with his missionaries from Rome are in full flow.
The central character and first-person narrator is an eighteen-year-old Saxon Aelric, caught in a dalliance with a chieftain’s daughter, and as the story begins, he is about to flee to Rome.
Arriving sometime later in the near-derelict ancient Roman capital city, Aelric and his priest-companion Maximin arrive in search of Latin and Greek books for the library in Canterbury.
What happens next in Rome is a very fast-paced week of intrigue, deception, murder and double-dealing in this city of spies, in which a plot with outcomes of enormous consequence for the Pope, the Emperor Phocas, and Agilulf the Lombard King, all hang in the balance.
Blake has certainly done his homework on late sixth and early seventh century Rome. The city is a place of violence, and this clear throughout the novel. The insightful descriptions of both place and time will surprise many visitors going back in time to this largely overlooked period.
The story unfolds in Aelric’s eighteenth year. He is attractive in appearance, tall, blond, intelligent and very handy with a blade. There is a lot of humour in much of what Aelric says. He also has a keen sense of rightness and tries to treat people fairly, but delivers rough-justice to those who are less principled. The novel is spiced with scenes of Aelric’s sexual preferences, male and female, slave and free. However, the graphic scenes of physical violence could be a turn-off for some readers.
The novel as a whole is a fast-paced read and a very good page-turner as one scene swiftly tumbles into another. Aelric speaks up for theology and Church doctrine, and the author is always informative. Blake avoids being the schoolmaster, much to his credit.
I enjoyed Conspiracies of Rome as a good read, written in engaging, plain English, a whodunit as much as a why-dunnit. I recommend the book to anyone with an interest in Historical Fiction, particularly of this period, and look forward to reading more of Blake’s literary tours of the Mediterranean in his other novels in this as Aelric grows and matures over the next 77 years of his life.
https://www.robmackintosh.net
November 15, 2022
A very difficult book to evaluate - the writing is excellent, the historical backdrop is deep, accurate and well-conveyed. But the story itself meanders and never seems to settle on what it wants to be. Perhaps this simply inexperience from the author, which suggests later books could be much better. I'll definitely try another and reserve judgement until then.
February 21, 2017
It was ok, but not more. Ancient Rome was rather well and probably accurately described. Some interesting small pieces about philosophers and homosexual love, but I won't read anything more by Richard Blake.
November 14, 2017
Nice history lesson
October 6, 2024
My attention wandered somewhat, especially in the middle, but I did enjoy this. I particularly liked the depiction of Europe after the influence of Rome had waned.
December 17, 2024
Deep
Like Robert Graves with boners. Yes it is, If you want yo know what life was like after Count Belisarius you will enjoy immensely .
Like Robert Graves with boners. Yes it is, If you want yo know what life was like after Count Belisarius you will enjoy immensely .
May 22, 2023
"Conspiracies of Rome" was an entertaining and suspenseful read, filled with occasional scenes of blood-curling carnage bound to whet the appetite of anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. The novel, the first in a saga, covers the travels of a young Anglo-Saxon nobleman named Aleric (or Alaric to the Greek and Romans) who journeys to the ancient city of Rome, where he becomes trapped in a conspiracy which he must uncover, hence the title. Along the way, the young barbarian becomes the unlikely preserver of ancient Greek and Roman literature which is rapidly being either neglected or destroyed in a world that no longer seems to have any use for them.
The story comes alive through the immersive and atmospheric descriptions of early 7th century Rome. Having once been the center of a powerful and immense civilization with a population of over a million people, Rome by the 7th century is in complete and utter decline having dwindled to merely a population of 30,000. From the ruined streets to the abandoned and crumbling forums temples still standing amidst the desperate plight of its own destitute inhabitants, Mr. Blake is able to paint a fascinating and grim picture of a society in complete and utter decline. I cannot wait to read the second novel of what promises to be an exhilarating saga. Highly recommended not just to fans of historical fiction but also to action-adventure, mystery and suspense readers as well.
The story comes alive through the immersive and atmospheric descriptions of early 7th century Rome. Having once been the center of a powerful and immense civilization with a population of over a million people, Rome by the 7th century is in complete and utter decline having dwindled to merely a population of 30,000. From the ruined streets to the abandoned and crumbling forums temples still standing amidst the desperate plight of its own destitute inhabitants, Mr. Blake is able to paint a fascinating and grim picture of a society in complete and utter decline. I cannot wait to read the second novel of what promises to be an exhilarating saga. Highly recommended not just to fans of historical fiction but also to action-adventure, mystery and suspense readers as well.
November 20, 2015
Loved it - - I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have already ordered the sequels.
I like historical fiction - toss in a little mystery and I'm all set. I have read stories that have ranged from Neolithic through the present.
I have become addictive to the Steven Saylor (1st century BC) and Lindsey Davis (1st century AD) novels set in ancient Rome.
Blake's story takes place 600 years later and Rome is a shell of itself. This is the first time I have read a novel set in that time period and Blake, for me, really conveys what it must have been like.
The smell, the sounds, the dirt. The might, the glory - so much in ruins. Sections of Rome are like ghost towns while other sections carry on their day to day activities as if nothing happened.
Good character development - we see them spots and all.
Go find the book and enjoy
I like historical fiction - toss in a little mystery and I'm all set. I have read stories that have ranged from Neolithic through the present.
I have become addictive to the Steven Saylor (1st century BC) and Lindsey Davis (1st century AD) novels set in ancient Rome.
Blake's story takes place 600 years later and Rome is a shell of itself. This is the first time I have read a novel set in that time period and Blake, for me, really conveys what it must have been like.
The smell, the sounds, the dirt. The might, the glory - so much in ruins. Sections of Rome are like ghost towns while other sections carry on their day to day activities as if nothing happened.
Good character development - we see them spots and all.
Go find the book and enjoy
July 13, 2012
Lots of descriptions that tend to divagate from the story, to the point where I forgot what was the chapter about. They help giving out an idea of what was it like at that time, and I found pretty interesting to connect all these events that happened long ago.
Slow plot, which could be a mayor conflict for those who aren't used to read as much; however, wouldn't you find it amusing to discover the ways of the decaying Romans?
... difícil pensar en que no soportaban que un esclavo los mirara directo a los ojos, pero era aceptable platicar entre ellos mientras defecaban y se limpiaban.
Slow plot, which could be a mayor conflict for those who aren't used to read as much; however, wouldn't you find it amusing to discover the ways of the decaying Romans?
... difícil pensar en que no soportaban que un esclavo los mirara directo a los ojos, pero era aceptable platicar entre ellos mientras defecaban y se limpiaban.
September 29, 2014
This was a great book set in a fascinating period of Roman history. I wasn't enthralled with Aelric as a main character, though that could have been done on purpose. He was a self centered and weak man with the redeeming feature of wanting to save books before they disappear in the decline of the Empire.
Loved the descriptions of the crumbling cities and the last of the aristocrats trying to maintain their prestige. Also loved the copying of books and saving of manuscripts. It was a great adventure story with a bit of a mystery.
Loved the descriptions of the crumbling cities and the last of the aristocrats trying to maintain their prestige. Also loved the copying of books and saving of manuscripts. It was a great adventure story with a bit of a mystery.
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