I will admit that the first two were not, for me, up to the standard of the original series. They were very readable, but not as gripping; partly, I suppose because you obviously knew that some characters would survive, but also because the plots seemed weaker. They tended not to have the ‘real’ weave with historical events that the originals had. (I guess this may partly be because I am more aware of events in Roman history, than those in the settings of the prequels!)
That changes with this volume. The events that form the background to this story were all too real, and Gordianus’ tale is woven neatly around it. Interestingly, it also gives a bit more substance to the previous two books, and brings one or two earlier storylines together.
He is drawn to Ephesus with his slave Bethesda, by a mysterious document he receives, to help Antipater, an old friend of the family. However, Antipater has previously proved himself an untrustworthy friend, and Gordianus is unsure what he is walking into.
Mithridates is rampaging through Roman lands in the east, and all Romans are in grave danger. Along the way, Gordianus becomes something of a pawn in several different plans, and it is difficult to work out who to trust.
The story is well-plotted; the returning characters are further developed, and there are some interesting new ones too. As always, the author tells an intelligent story, and creates believable characters.
For me, it’s still not as good as the best of the original series, but is the best of the prequels so far. If you haven’t read any of this author’s work, I would urge you to try one. Although we now have the prequels, I think I would still suggest you start with the original series, beginning with ‘Roman Blood’.
This is a review of the Minotaur 2016 Kindle version
