The Siege Agent of Rome Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Nick Brown Nigel Peever Hodder Stoughton Books
Download As PDF : The Siege Agent of Rome Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Nick Brown Nigel Peever Hodder Stoughton Books
AD 270. Rome has ruled Syria for over three centuries. But now the weakened empire faces a desperate threat Queen Zenobia of Palmyra has turned her Roman-trained army against her former masters, and the once invincible legions have been crushed. Arabia, Palestine and Egypt have fallen, and now Antioch, Syria's capital, stands exposed.
Cassius Corbulo is a young intelligence agent fresh from officer training. He has been assigned the menial task of rounding up wounded legionaries, but then urgent new orders arrive. He is the only ranking Roman officer left in the line of the Palmyran advance. He must take command of the fort of Alauran, the last stronghold still in Roman hands, and hold it against the enemy until reinforcements arrive. What Cassius finds at Alauran would daunt the most seasoned veteran, let alone a 19- year-old with no experience of war.A mere scattering of divided and demoralised legionaries remain, backed up by some fractious Syrian auxiliaries and a drunken Praetorian Guardsman. With the Palmyrans just days away, Cassius must somehow find the discipline, resourcefulness and courage to organise the garrison, save Alauran and secure Rome's eastern frontier....
The Siege Agent of Rome Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Nick Brown Nigel Peever Hodder Stoughton Books
From the title I was expecting some sort of Ancient Roman James Bond; a highly trained superhuman. It is not like that at all. "Agent" ultimately has almost nothing to do with the plot.It is a basic "inexperienced young man makes good in violent military situation" story. If you like the genre, you might like this example.
There is plenty of violence, but it is not as brutish as some. The writing is educated, and there is good dry humor which I like. The social commentary on slavery is a touch heavy-handed, but only a touch.
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The Siege Agent of Rome Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) Nick Brown Nigel Peever Hodder Stoughton Books Reviews
Cassias Corbulo is a fresh grain officer who has been dropped into the role of defending a key resource with a rag-tag group of soldiers. With a much larger contingent of the enemy on the way, he must pull this group together to defend Rome’s interests and save his own life.
With so many books set in Roman Britain (that I have been reading lately), it was nice to get a different picture of the vast Roman Empire. Syria is such a completely foreign place. Nick Brown did an excellent job of bringing the country to life and the trials of fighting in such a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Cassius is an interesting character. He is in over his head; he does not have the experience to pull off this task on his own. Cassius uses the tools at his disposal to get the job done, ingrained Roman discipline threats and bribery. This is what made the Roman world work and last for so long.
Nick Brown spent a good amount of time with the enemy. This was a great point of view. They had their own troubles and problems to overcome. The Palmyrans were not the simple barbarians that would attempt to overpower the Roman line with sheer numbers.
The only drawback that I had was the wait. The story was a bit slow to develop, but once the action started this was more than made up for.
If you are looking for a different view of the might of the Roman Empire and enjoy a flawed protagonist who is not the Roman equivalent of Superman, then I would recommend The Siege. I will be looking for more from The Agent of Rome series.
*4 Stars
At just 19-years old, Cassius Corbulo is probably the youngest centurion in the Roman Army. Has he won a civic crown or been the first over the wall of a besieged town? No. Actually, he spent a few too many nights wooing the young women of Rome, so his father signed him up for the Imperial Security Service, sort of the Roman emperor's version of NCIS. No one, including Corbulo's father, ever thought he would end up actually leading troops in the field, especially not in Syria where Queen Zenobia's troops, trained in Roman tactics and under the leadership of the fierce commander, Septimius Zabbai, are wreaking total havoc from Egypt to Asia Minor.
But when Corbulo arrives to assume his role on the Syrian governor's staff, he is immediately dispatched to Roman outposts in the region to collect up what troops remain and escort them back to Antioch. He is told to assume the role of centurion, since that is the equivalent rank he holds in the security service, but he feels painfully aware of his total inexperience and is embarrassed to be issuing commands to the grizzled veterans he collects.
His uncle, a successful merchant in Antioch, has provided Corbulo with a knowledgeable man-servant from Gaul but, unlike other "side-kicks" in similar tales, Simo has no demonstrated skill in arms. Corbulo, himself, despite being distantly related to the famous general, Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, and undergoing the Roman equivalent of basic training, is actually clumsy with a sword. Fortunately, his behavioral perception and ability to judge men's characters is significantly beyond his years. So, unlike Harry Sidebottom's Marcus Claudius Balista or Douglas Jackson's Gaius Valerius Verrens, both quintessential warriors, young Corbulo will need to use his wits and his courage rather than his brawn to outwit the opponents he will face as the story unfolds.
Corbulo receives a dispatch to proceed to a ramshackle Roman fortress named Alauran, guarding one of the precious wells in the region, and hold it until a Roman relief force arrives. There he finds less than half of the original century assigned to the post still alive and only a drunken praetorian, a disgraced hero of Rome suffering from a severe intestinal disorder, the only remaining officer. With no leadership, the men, who have not been paid in almost two years, have little discipline left and have little faith in a contingent of slinger auxiliaries made up of local tribesmen with whom they share the compound. But every available man will be needed if Corbulo is to withstand an attack.
Meanwhile, Zabbai sends an elite contingent, under the command of one of the most celebrated swordsmen in Palmyra, to capture the Roman outpost.
Brown does an excellent job of describing the setting and developing the characters of Corbulo, Simo, the praetorian, the appointed squad leaders and the Palmyran swordsman and commander, Azaf. I found it interesting to see how Corbulo was going to rebuild a fighting force by selecting men who would respond to his leadership efforts and help motivate the remaining men to mount a formidable defense.
When the attack begins, the action is non-stop and the suspense builds to a gratifying conclusion. I was listening to the unabridged version of the audiobook and must admit, though, at one point I shouted "throw the caltrops!" as it looked like Corbulo had forgotten them when he was actually waiting for just the precise moment for maximum effect.
Excellent, loved it
Not much substance but relatively entertaining. Read this with no expectations and was surprised to find it an enjoyable read.
Set around 270 AD, a young centurion, appointed to the rank due to his family connections, unexpectedly finds himself in charge of a besieged fort. A better than average story. Recommended.
Bottom line, the book was a great read. I can see why people are disappointing because they expected more of the main character, but I believe that is the whole point of the series. If you continue reading the series you will see his development. Definitely a slower read compared to others, light action but I couldn't put the book down. The way each chapter ends will make you want to continue reading. Also cool to actually read about this "Secrete Service" part of the Roman Empire, something new for me.
This book was not what I expected it to be, it was far better! As a first in a series by a new author, I was prepared to be forgiving, but there was no need. Brown has painted with words a rich canvas of character development, action, historical immersion and tension which keeps the reader devouring page after page. Easily five stars for pure writing craft alone. So glad I stumbled across Brown and the Agent of Rome series!
From the title I was expecting some sort of Ancient Roman James Bond; a highly trained superhuman. It is not like that at all. "Agent" ultimately has almost nothing to do with the plot.
It is a basic "inexperienced young man makes good in violent military situation" story. If you like the genre, you might like this example.
There is plenty of violence, but it is not as brutish as some. The writing is educated, and there is good dry humor which I like. The social commentary on slavery is a touch heavy-handed, but only a touch.
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