The Iron Way (The Sarmatian Trilogy Book 2) by Tim Leach – #BookReview – #ancienthistoricalfiction

The Iron Way by Tim Leach

Book Blurb:

AD 175, Vindolanda, Britannia. After their cavalry was broken by the legions on the frozen waters of the Danube, Sarmatian warrior Kai bought his people’s lives with a pledge to serve Rome. Bound to the will of the Emperor, the Sarmatians are ready to fight and eager to die – death in battle is the only escape from the dishonour of their defeat.

Exiled from their home lands, they are ordered to take the Iron Way to the far north and the very edge of the Empire. Here, a great wall of stone cuts across the land as straight as the stroke of a sword. On one side, Rome’s dominion; on the other, mist and rumours – stories of men closer to giants, of warriors who fight without fear or restraint.

For a people who knew no borders, who were promised war, garrison duty is cruel punishment. But as insurrection stirs on both sides of the wall, Kai will discover that every barrier has its weaknesses – and he will have his chance to fight, perhaps to die.

His Review:

The Romans had the perfect solution to protect their part of the British Island. Build a wall to keep the “northern hoards” and rabble out. Hadrian’s Wall is a constant reminder that isolationism and border walls do not work.

The northern part of the British Isles has been an area of contention for many centuries. The Romans invading the island did nothing to change that. Therefore, they built a very impressive border wall with guard towers every mile to dissuade foreign invaders from attacking and occupying the region.

Thousands of invaders approached the wall carefully. Surely an attack was imminent! Remarkably no defense was supported on the wall and the army just pushed through on their journey to London. The invaders could not believe the arrogance of the people on the other side of the wall.

A Roman Centurion was the leader of the defense brigade. He considered this posting to be punishment for his inability to control the population. The prefect hated his job and could not wait to retire. His greatest concern was that he would not be invited to return to Rome or its environs, but would instead retire on a small parcel in England. This was one of his greatest nightmares.

This story exemplifies the schism that was the British Isles during the first one thousand years of the current epoch. Being the representative of Rome in such a backward area was tantamount to total ostracizing. The invaders heading toward England simply went to the hole in the wall and advanced on toward London.

This story is a very interesting look at the calamity that befell various nomadic tribes which colonized those islands at the time. The Roman’s promise was that 25 years in the Roman Legions would result in freedom to go home and live a retirement of ease. The Romans knew that this would never happen. Twenty-five years at that time was almost surely a death sentence.

This book is well written and certainly has poetic license at its core because there is no written history of many of these tribes. Read and enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my unbiased opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Ancient Historical Fiction, Historical Thrillers
Publisher: Head of Zeus—an Aries Book
ASIN: B09GZR81KT
Publication Date: August 4, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Links: The Iron Way [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: [Goodreads] Writer, climber, whisky drinker, chess dabbler and general purpose layabout. London exile currently encamped in the North and loving it. I’ve studied and taught creative writing at the University of Warwick and worked in bookshops in London and Greece.

If you’d like to know any more about me or my books, just ping me a message. Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend!

Unwitting (Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 2) by Deven Greene – #BookReview – #medicalthrillers – @DGreeneauthor

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Dr. Erica Rosen’s world is turned upside down after a suicide bomber explodes amidst a large crowd entering Oracle Park baseball stadium, near her San Francisco home. Many are killed or injured, and police have no leads in solving the case.

Erica becomes involved after a teacher of young autistic men calls her. The teacher believes her students are involved in the bombing but is afraid to contact law enforcement. She reaches out to Erica, who has experience with special needs children.

Erica arrives at the school but finds the police already there and a young autistic man doing a jigsaw puzzle, oblivious to his murdered teacher on the floor. The young man has information about the mastermind behind the bombing but has limited ability to speak. Erica is determined to protect him, prevent further bombings, and find his missing classmates.

His Review:

Deven Greene has masterfully written an intriguing novel of terrorist intrigue in the “City by the Bay.”

Dr. Erica Rosen is a very empathetic pediatrician and is director of the county pediatric clinic in San Francisco. Her patients come from all economic classes and are never turned away. The clinic is robust and her days are hectic from 9 AM until 6 PM.

She also does some work with clinics treating autistic individuals from sixteen to twenty-one. One of the clinics is called Bright Lights and works with non-violent young men. Their reaction to new and frightening situations is with a seemingly non-awareness of what is happening. She has been called to the clinic by its’ director. When she arrives, the clinic is crawling with police and the director is dead.

Suspected is a young man who is sitting at a table putting together a puzzle seemingly oblivious to the event that occurred. Don Brock had been hired to help train the young men in the facility. All except the young man at the table were missing. Who would do such a thing?

San Francisco’s Oracle Park had just had a suicide bomber kill or wound a number of baseball enthusiasts. Very little is left to identify the bomber or glean a motive. Concourse cameras revealed a young man blithefully walking with little concern of what was to happen.

The resultant investigation is an integral part of the story. Other bombings are tied to the young men who had been residents of Bright Lights. The story is woven with Dr. Rosen and her husband’s life and family. The cohesiveness of the family unit and relationship between the generations add an endearing quality to the story and an odd juxtaposition to the tragic events that occurred.

CE Williams I received Book 1, Unnatural, of the Erica Rosen MD Trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed her debut novel. I highly recommend her sophomore novel as an exciting mystery but also as a glance into the dynamic of a typical Chinese refugee family. Available Now! 5 stars – CE Williams

We received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are his honest opinions.

Book Details:

Genre: Medical Thrillers, Genetic Engineering Science Fiction eBooks
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ASIN: B09CFHJDBR
Print Length: October 21, 2021
Publication Date: 248 pages
Source: Direct author contact
Title Link: Unwitting [Amazon]
Barnes and Noble

The Author: Fiction writer Deven Greene lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Ever since childhood, the author has been interested in science. After working as a biochemist, Deven went back to school and became a pathologist. When writing fiction, the author usually incorporates elements of medicine or science. Deven has penned several short stories. Unnatural, Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 1 is the first novel the author has published. The two sequels are in the works.

Find Ms Green on Twitter
And on her website