This book had the capability to be really interesting given the authority of the author in relation to the subject matter. However…it really just turned out to be a showcase of knowledge rather than an engaging story. The fact that the appendix of characters and latin terms is 37 pages long gives you a clue about how much time you will spend flicking to the back of the book to see who this new person that turned up in the narrative is. ( )

The Emperor Alexander is on campaign in the northern part of the Empire when he and his mother are assassinated by supporters of Maximinus Thrax. Maximinus is not part of the noble society,his origins are to the East of the the Empire and he has rose through the ranks of the army. As he is proclaimed Emperor, other factions are plotting his downfall in Rome, Africa and the far Eastern provinces. Meanwhile Maximinus is committed to defeating the massed forces of barbarians before he returns to Rome.

It is clear from this story that the book is intended to be the first in a series and it suffered from that. A lot of time is spent introducing various characters and explaining their relationships, without giving details of the various plotlines to follow. This makes it quite hard to follow the different stories and to pull a coherent narrative together. There is no doubt that Sidebottom is a learned writer who has deep understanding of the Roman military machine as well as the everyday life of the citizens, his descriptions of battle are excellent. However I found it hard to follow the plot and therefore to engage with the characters. ( )

I really did try to read this because Roman history, and in particular the fall of the Roman Empire, is fascinating. The book was too dry, cull and boring for me. ( )

Dio Cassius: " Our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust."

I was never interested in the author's Ballista series, but I'm thrilled to read this one! Choice of title for this political thriller was really a propos since one could say this is the beginning of Rome's downward slide into mediocrity and weakness. This was the first volume of a planned tetralogy based on the fateful 238 AD [Year of the 6 Emperors]. This first in the series deals with Maximinus Thrax [The Thracian], an equestrian acclaimed emperor by the Roman Army in Germania. Soldiers assassinate the inept, cowardly, and corrupt Alexander Severus and his evil mother. Maximinus is hated by patricians even from his accession to the purple, because of his barbarian, uncouth, and [to patricians] lower class background. The novel deals with his reign. There are 4 distinct subplots that finally come together:

The situation in Germania;

Gordian [both father and son] in Africa;

People in Rome that surround Maximinus--Pupienus, the City Prefect; appointees, family and plebs, the last group represented by a simple die-cutter at the Mint; and

The war with Ardashir's Sassanid Persians.

Most of Maximinus' policies are not well thought-out and finally everyone turns against him for his decisions. The coup de grace, so to speak, is his restriction of the 'bread and circuses' of the lower classes. He also unleashes a purge of his political enemies, real and imagined. He goes berserk at the death [murder? suicide?] of his beloved wife, Paulina, who is no longer around to put a bridle on his impetuosity and bad temper. Two plots involving usurpers claiming the throne, are nipped in the bud, one of which Maxentinus uncovers. The battle scenes were very well-done: in different theaters of war: Ad Palmam, an oasis in Africa; a pass in Harzhorn mountains [Germania]; fight against Sassanid Persians in northern Mesopotamia and against Sarmatians on Hierasos River [present-day Ukraine].

The historical research was impeccable, but sometimes the style was dry. On the whole, I found the novel gripping. The action moved right along. Although I know something of the history of that period, I liked the author's assigning plausible motivations for the action. I did feel sympathy for Maximinus although he became a tyrant; he struck me as a fish out of water and no one was willing to cut him any slack. He certainly angered people from all levels of society. I felt he became paranoid after the death of his wife.. I think characters were portrayed realistically. There was an extensive dramatis personae; I'm glad there was a section on who was who. I had to keep referring to this list. The maps, glossaries and Historical Afterword were very informative. I can't think of any other novels on this rather obscure period of history, so this novel does fill a much-needed lacuna. ( )