The City War (Warriors of Rome, #3) in Riptide Publishing

Nov 20, 2012 Jody rated it really liked it

Sam Starbuck has made history fun in this steamy interpretation of the downfall of Julius Caesar. With its insightful look into characters we only know by name he succeeds in drawing us into this world and feeling compassion for those put into an untenable position.

Where before we found Brutus a bloodthirsty traitor, we now see a conflicted soul. Conflicted as to his ongoing relationship with Cassius as well as being drawn into the assassination plot. We end up feeling sympathetic towards him an ...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Kingsgrave rated it really liked it

Like many Americans, my exposure to the character of Brutus came by way of Shakespeare, but there had always been something hinky about the over-simplicity story to me; about a man like Brutus, uniformly regarded as honorable, making the choice to murder.

Likewise, I had never really bought into Shakespeare's portrayal of Cassius as the hiss-boo villain of the matter either, and on the basis of those two niggling dissatisfactions, I find that Sam Starbuck's The City War is the perfect remedy.

Fo Like many Americans, my exposure to the character of Brutus came by way of Shakespeare, but there had always been something hinky about the over-simplicity story to me; about a man like Brutus, uniformly regarded as honorable, making the choice to murder.

Likewise, I had never really bought into Shakespeare's portrayal of Cassius as the hiss-boo villain of the matter either, and on the basis of those two niggling dissatisfactions, I find that Sam Starbuck's The City War is the perfect remedy.

For here we have a Brutus who is every bit as honorable as we expect him to be, and who is devoted, above all, to the Dream of Republic. Not just as an ideal, but as a reality -- a way of life worth defending to the end. Here is a man who makes a choice, clear eyed and cautious, but in full understanding of his responsibilities. We all know how the story ends; we know where it's all going, so this is really a bittersweet tour of the many tiny steps it took to get there.

The character of Cassius, particularly, I enjoyed, for here, he is a man whose motives are, perhaps, less high and pure than are Brutus', but no less sympathetic. After all, who among us has not made a fool and a feral villain of himself for love? Here we see a proud man, an insecure man, a fearful man, who loves and envies Brutus' self-possession and strength even as he adores and covets the man himself. But he is a politician at heart, and that means manipulation, even under the best of circumstances. Cassius, flawed and ferocious, is really no better than he ought to be, but beautifully tragic for all of that, in my mind.

And lastly, we have Terisias, an unexpected wild card against the nation-changing game we come to the story expecting. Terisias is, perhaps, the key to Brutus considering that things not being as they seem, things stepping outside the 'natural order' might sometimes be a necessary thing, and better for the health of the whole than rigid adherence to the rules. Terisias is the spirit of change here, expressed in an inconveniently attractive and outspoken servant boy whose ambitions, while simpler than Brutus', are no less perilous to live out.

This is an erotic novel, and readers should be aware that they will encounter explicit sex as part of the story, but I found that the erotic scenes were more of a vehicle for Sam's wonderful characterizations than the usual sort of titillation. For me, that made it more rewarding -- I care more about the characters, really, than what they're doing under their togas.

And finally, in the interest of full disclosure, I was given a copy of The City War to review. That said? My recommendation is just as heartfelt as it would have been had I paid full price. This book is worth the cost, and the time to read it too -- and quite frankly, books like that are getting rarer and rarer these days.

Tl:dr? It's good. You should go buy it. ...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Laylah Hunter rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-slash-m, history-stuff

I think mostly I wanted more of all of this. More of Brutus's prickly struggle to do right, more of Tiresias and his devotion to the Dominus who understood him, more aftermath, given the hugeness of the event that formed this story's climax.

...Ok, I wasn't as much a fan of Cassius. But The story drew me in and wouldn't let go, and I devoured the whole thing at a sitting.

More Tiresias, especially. He had my heart, so (view spoiler) ...more

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