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Q. Fulvius: Debt of Dishonor
In Rome, 216 BC, Fulvius is a murderer, a thief, and condemned to die. Saved by the catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Carthaginians at Cannae, he’s forced into the legion and an altogether unfamiliar world of soldierly duty and honor. Realizing promotion as the unexpected reward for paralyzing fear, Fulvius finds the Army not so dissimilar to the shadowy Roman underworld he knows so well and schemes to make the experience worth his while. He betrays, and is in turn betrayed, in a whirlwind cycle of threat, violence, and criminality leading to an ultimate showdown and reckoning that could undermine the entire war effort. Hannibal is no doubt coming, but that may be the least of Rome's troubles.
301 pages, ebook
Published December 7, 2019
6 people want to read
About the author
M.G. Haynes
4 books8 followersM. G. Haynes is a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Army. Born in Columbus, Wisconsin in 1972, the Army Brat is a 1994 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. A Field Artilleryman and Northeast Asia Foreign Area Officer, he's served for over twelve years in Japan, ten years in the Republic of Korea, and deployed for one year to Kabul, Afghanistan.
Over the years he's studied German, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, and Japanese languages. He currently maintains proficiency in Korean and Japanese. He holds a B.S. in Military History from West Point and an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii.
Interests include military history, historical tabletop wargaming, hiking, mountain biking, traditional Korean archery (Kukkung), and photography. A terrible golfer, he enjoys it nonetheless.
He published his first full-length novel, "Persian Blood", in July 2017, having written the entire first draft while in Afghanistan. That novel was honored in 2020 with a Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) gold medal. His second work, "Q.Fulvius: Debt of Dishonor", first in "The Fulvius Chronicles" series, was published in December 2019 and awarded First Prize by Firebird Book Awards in 2021.
He currently lives in Suwon, South Korea, with his wife of 29 years, Jung Min Haynes, and three-legged rescue cat Jinx.
Over the years he's studied German, Arabic, Hebrew, Korean, and Japanese languages. He currently maintains proficiency in Korean and Japanese. He holds a B.S. in Military History from West Point and an M.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii.
Interests include military history, historical tabletop wargaming, hiking, mountain biking, traditional Korean archery (Kukkung), and photography. A terrible golfer, he enjoys it nonetheless.
He published his first full-length novel, "Persian Blood", in July 2017, having written the entire first draft while in Afghanistan. That novel was honored in 2020 with a Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) gold medal. His second work, "Q.Fulvius: Debt of Dishonor", first in "The Fulvius Chronicles" series, was published in December 2019 and awarded First Prize by Firebird Book Awards in 2021.
He currently lives in Suwon, South Korea, with his wife of 29 years, Jung Min Haynes, and three-legged rescue cat Jinx.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 2, 2021
In “Debt of Dishonor” we have a most unusual protagonist. Fulvius, a confirmed thief and rogue, is rescued from execution to be conscripted into a new legion along with other misfits; Hannibal is coming and the Romans are scraping the bottom of the barrel. Fulvius is far from a hero—nor is he likely ever to turn into one. Hopelessly stuck, he does demonstrate a propensity to make the best of a bad situation, even finding ways to profit with the most unscrupulous stratagems. Of course, the threat of getting discovered forces him into even more dangerous maneuvers. All the while, what he really wants is to escape, but he can’t figure out how:
Two hours later, after securing a pass from Gracchus, Fulvius found himself alone outside the camp for the first time since his “enlistment.” Walking at a brisk pace, one thought kept repeating itself over and over again: Run! Still, the chance he’d successfully make his escape appeared slim, as his absence would be noticed by dinnertime, a mere half a watch away. To bolt now, while the tribune was hot on his trail, would leave him hunted, likely by the very cavalrymen whose reputation he’d sullied. No, he had to take care of this problem and return to camp. Better opportunities for escape would surely present themselves in the future.
Because Fulvius has no conscience, we the readers can give up our conscience too. After all, it’s his story. So instead of making judgements on our protagonist, we can blithely go along for the ride. He is deliciously sardonic, naturally amusing, and appropriately rattled when things go wrong. But he always lands on his feet. I don’t think I ever cheered for him along the way, but I wanted to see how he got out of each mess. I admit that at times he was too clever and I had trouble keeping track of the situation—and the characters. Some had first and last names that were used interchangeably—I think. I’m still not entirely sure. But overall it was a good ride.
Two hours later, after securing a pass from Gracchus, Fulvius found himself alone outside the camp for the first time since his “enlistment.” Walking at a brisk pace, one thought kept repeating itself over and over again: Run! Still, the chance he’d successfully make his escape appeared slim, as his absence would be noticed by dinnertime, a mere half a watch away. To bolt now, while the tribune was hot on his trail, would leave him hunted, likely by the very cavalrymen whose reputation he’d sullied. No, he had to take care of this problem and return to camp. Better opportunities for escape would surely present themselves in the future.
Because Fulvius has no conscience, we the readers can give up our conscience too. After all, it’s his story. So instead of making judgements on our protagonist, we can blithely go along for the ride. He is deliciously sardonic, naturally amusing, and appropriately rattled when things go wrong. But he always lands on his feet. I don’t think I ever cheered for him along the way, but I wanted to see how he got out of each mess. I admit that at times he was too clever and I had trouble keeping track of the situation—and the characters. Some had first and last names that were used interchangeably—I think. I’m still not entirely sure. But overall it was a good ride.
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March 3, 2020MWSA Review
Reprieved from the sentence of death, criminal Quintus Fulvius found himself drafted into the Roman Army more than a century before Caesar came to power. Although he had not finished his basic training, he was thrust into combat where fate and fear left him standing while the rest of his unit fled the enemy. This act of bravery thrust him into the spotlight of his superiors, and he gained instant promotion to centurion.
Through Q. Fulvius: Debt of Dishonor, the author writes of the daily duties occupying the Roman legionaries, with Fulvius learning on the job as he schemes to enrich himself. He puts the reader into horrific battle scenes and on grueling marches. When Fulvius’s century is charged with protecting a pass from raiding Gauls, he conspires to collect fees from traders passing through his fortification.
As Fulvius becomes wealthy, his century joins in the scheme until a tribune—a magistrate from Rome—arrives on the scene and attempts to extort excessive funds from the centurion. As Fulvius wrestles between his past as a petty criminal and a future of glory in the legion, he finds it difficult to stay in both worlds.
M. G. Haynes’s extensive research provides a rare glimpse into the life of a common soldier faced with greed and struggling to survive. I highly recommend this book.
Review by Joe Epley (March 2020)
Reprieved from the sentence of death, criminal Quintus Fulvius found himself drafted into the Roman Army more than a century before Caesar came to power. Although he had not finished his basic training, he was thrust into combat where fate and fear left him standing while the rest of his unit fled the enemy. This act of bravery thrust him into the spotlight of his superiors, and he gained instant promotion to centurion.
Through Q. Fulvius: Debt of Dishonor, the author writes of the daily duties occupying the Roman legionaries, with Fulvius learning on the job as he schemes to enrich himself. He puts the reader into horrific battle scenes and on grueling marches. When Fulvius’s century is charged with protecting a pass from raiding Gauls, he conspires to collect fees from traders passing through his fortification.
As Fulvius becomes wealthy, his century joins in the scheme until a tribune—a magistrate from Rome—arrives on the scene and attempts to extort excessive funds from the centurion. As Fulvius wrestles between his past as a petty criminal and a future of glory in the legion, he finds it difficult to stay in both worlds.
M. G. Haynes’s extensive research provides a rare glimpse into the life of a common soldier faced with greed and struggling to survive. I highly recommend this book.
Review by Joe Epley (March 2020)
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March 1, 2020Reviewed and scored as part of the MWSA 2020 awards program.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews