"Slow and steady wins the race."
This phrase describes my "relationships" with this book in the best way possible. It took me nine days to finish it.
I liked the book on the whole, but there were some problems that prevented me from enjoying it 100%.
The main problem of it - grammatical errors or the lack of editing. For me, as I'm not the native English speaker it was an obstacle. Sometimes, I had to re-read sentences or even passages, just to understand it.
Concerning main characters of the book - I liked almost all of them, except Senior Tribune Titus Tigidius Perennis.. And I was glad that in the end he was killed. ( )

Set in AD 181. It follows the early exploits of Marcus Valerius Aquila in Britannia. Before long he is arrested and running for his life. He takes on a new identity and this book follows his early adventures. It is a good read, but a bit stilted in places. Having said that I would be kenn to read his continuing adventures in book 2 and 3 in the Empire Series. Would give it 3 1/2 stars if possible.

Re-rated up to 4 Stars on my second read of the book, prior to reading the next book in the series. ( )

A good look at the auxiliary forces set up by the Romans and used to guard Hadrian's Wall. The Auxiliaries were looked down upon by the Legions but probably wrongly so. Perhaps it was simply because the Auxiliaries were formed of local men. In any case they had roman officers at the top (similar to our having white officers at the top of our negro battalions in the second world war) and so we get the whiff of Roman Emperor's meddlinjg in the daily activities of the men on the fornt lines.

One thing I noted was that the author used terms of rank for officers in the units that I had never heard of before. The first was Captain, which, so far as I know, was not used until the mid 1500's or so. Second was the term "Chosen Man." Again not a term I thought to be used before the Napoleonicv wars. But then I am not a great historian, just an avid reader of the Roman era. ( )

Once again we have the journey of a young man ill-prepared for the trials of life as a legionnaire come of age rather rapidly in this instance. Riches brings us to the time of Emperor Commodus who was rather well manipulated by those who wished power and our hero in this series is caught in the middle of such a power struggle.

That he is rather well prepared, perhaps too well prepared, we keep seeing revealed more and more. Nearly at every turn he saves himself, or is saved by those around him. That makes the tale rather less compelling. Too many men are willing to aid our hero out of altruistic means, or our hero seems to read people so well that he can tell when a quartermaster is fleecing so outrageously that the Veterans whom our hero trusts and are quite competent miss it.

Thus in making our hero overly heroic, Riches misses things that should have been tighter. The Hero has noting to learn, only what he can teach at 19, so wise that he acts like he is near 40. Older writers can miss that difference, that age and experience truly has the edge over youth and inexperience the key word is experience

The author evokes a tougher life in Briton than we have seen in Scarrows excellent series. And that along with a way to write combat (though focus and POV have problems here) provides an action packed read well worth the time for those who like Military Fiction of the Roman genre. ( )

Easy to predict mindless action, great way to kill a Sunday afternoon. ( )