Release Date: 05/08/17
Publisher: Bantam Press
SYNOPSIS:
77AD. Gaius Valerius Verrens is an honoured member of Emperor Vespasian’s inner circle, but the enmity between him and Vespasian’s son Domitian means that, even in Rome, danger is never far away. Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of the Empire, in Britannia, trouble is brewing.
The governor, Gnaeus Julius Agricola is preparing to march his legions north and Valerius is Agricola’s chief legal adviser and deputy governor. It's the opportunity he seeks to move his wife and son out of reach of Domitian’s wrath. But Britannia is where Valerius cut his military teeth and whetted his sword - and he will soon discover that the ghosts of his past are never far away and are more dangerous perhaps than Domitian.
The massacre of a Roman garrison and suspicious death of the legate of the Ninth Legion throw Agricola’s preparations into confusion. Now his eyes turn west to Mona, the Druids Isle, where the Celtic priesthood still harbours hopes of ridding Britannia of Roman rule. But to deal with the druids and their savage Ordovice protectors Agricola needs a soldier he can trust at the head of the ‘unlucky’ Ninth. Only one man in the province has the experience and the ability . . .
So a reluctant Valerius must put aside his scrolls and pick up his sword once more and march beside the eagle of the Ninth. It’s only as he stands on the shoreline opposite Mona that he understands any glory his new legion wins is likely to be fleeting and tainted - and that he has placed his family in deadly peril.
REVIEW:
I love spending time with historical figures and for me, whilst I can often be found throughout the pages of history, I tend to most often be found during the roman period with authors like Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden, Anthony Riches and of course Douglas Jackson
So it'll come as no surprise that with this latest outing (Gaius's Eighth) that I am once again back in the glorious days of Rome. His books all have solid plot, top notch dialogue and a good amount of twists but for me, its his characters that have me returning time and again. I love the way that even supporting cast have a history and our main character continues to change and develop as the events he is subject to mold and shape him. A truly cracking read and if you haven't started this series yet please go back and start from the first as otherwise you'll be missing a real treat.
Release Date: 25/08/16
Publisher: Bantam
SYNOPSIS:
AD 72. Titus Flavius Vespasianus, known as Vespasian, is Emperor of Rome, but his grip on power grows increasingly fragile as economic disaster threatens. The enormous riches from his Judaean campaigns are all but spent, legions go unpaid, and the yields from Rome’s vital Spanish goldfields have fallen dramatically since the civil war.
Gaius Valerius Verrens is recently married and building a new home when the summons arrives from the Emperor. Vespasian needs a man with the combined skills of a lawyer and a soldier to investigate what is happening in remote, mountainous Asturica Augusta where the authorities claim a bandit called The Ghost is ravaging the gold convoys.
But when Valerius arrives in Asturica he faces a much more complex situation. Stalked from the shadows he cannot tell ally from enemy, the exploited native tribes are a growing threat, and the tortured landscape itself seems capable of swallowing him up. Gradually he finds himself drawn into a much wider conspiracy, one that could plunge the Empire into a new conflict and that will place him on a deadly collision course with his old friend and most dangerous adversary, the former gladiator Serpentius.
REVIEW:
I’ve read Douglas’ work since he burst onto the scene in 2008 with his first novel Caligula. He’s always been an author who has spent time doing a lot of research carefully adding details into novels to not only add a flavour of the time but to help enmesh the reader into the world. Its carefully done and presented in such a way that it doesn’t overwhelm the stories arc as some authors sadly do detracting from the tales pace.
Add to this Douglas’ ability to bring his characters to life allowing readers to get to know them via their foibles as well as abilities and all round you’re in for a treat especially when you add cracking pace and epic battle sequences. A real treat.
Release Date: 27/08/15
Publisher: Bantam Press
SYNOPSIS:
70AD. Disgraced, dishonoured and banished into exile on pain of execution if he ever returns to Rome, the former military tribune Gaius Valerius Verrens makes his way East through the death and destruction of the savage Judaean rebellion. Valerius knows his only hope of long term survival and a restoration of his family’s fortunes lie with his friend Titus, commander of the Army of Judaea and son of the newly crowned Emperor Vespasian.
But when he reaches the ring of legionary camps around the seemingly impregnable city of Jerusalem he finds Titus a changed man. Gone is the cheerful young officer he knew, replaced by a tough, ruthless soldier under pressure from his father to end the insurrection at any cost. Soon, Valerius finds himself at the centre of a web of intrigue spun by Titus’s lover, Queen Berenice of Cilicia, and her sometime ally, the general’s turncoat adviser, Flavius Josephus, who have an ulterior motive for ending the siege quickly.
Yet the laurels that will regain his honour cannot be won in the negotiations in the murky tunnels beneath Jerusalem. Only amid the fire and blood of battle will he equal the glory that brought him the title Hero of Rome.
REVIEW:
Historical Fiction is always a pure pleasure for me. I love knowing the historical time reference around the title and whilst in books events can be changed to make for a better plot, overall the reader is given the chance to look into the past and see heroism at its highest form alongside courage, principles and politics within.
Douglas has always been an author to deliver on all accounts and when you dive into this, his latest title, you’re jumping into book 6 to feature Gaius Valerius Verrens. As with the previous you’re in for high octane action, love and of course a plotline that doesn’t let up from the start until the end. However what I will advise you is to read the other books in order first. You’ll get much more of a blast from it and lets face it when you need to break from the real world on the build up to Christmas, this could well be a lifesaver for you. (Or perhaps the ideal gifts to ask for.) Cracking.
Release Date: 28/08/14
Publisher: Bantam
SYNOPSIS:
Summer, AD 69. Rome and its empire are in turmoil, caught in the coils of a desperate and destructive civil war.
The emperor Otho is dead by his own hand and his rival, Aulus Vitellius, occupies the imperial throne. However, a new challenge has arisen in the East - the legions of Titus Flavius Vespasian have declared him their Emperor.
In the dry heat of an August morning, Gaius Valerius Verrens prepares for his last day on earth. Wrongly accused of deserting his legion on the field of Bedriacum, it seems he is destined to die a coward's death.
Then the executioner's hand is stayed. Vitellius' enemies will spare the life of the man who was once Hero of Rome if he pledges allegiance to Vespasian and his cause. Valerius - tired of the endless slaughter and hoping that he might be reunited with his lost love - agrees. And so he must battle his way south to Rome in order to persuade his friend Vitellius to stand down for the greater good of the city, its people and the Empire.
But this is civil war and this is Rome, and Valerius - his loyalties divided and branded an enemy of the people - is trapped in a maze of distrust, corruption, betrayal and blood-letting . . .
REVIEW:
The latest outing from Douglas Jackson for Gaius and perhaps the one that puts him in the most danger to date as he is offered a way out from execution if he pledges to Vespasian. As usual with Douglas’ writing the reader is treated to not only a kick ass story with solid bloody battle sequences but also accompanied by a deep intelligence of cunningly added with political machinations alongside double-dealing.
It’s definitely something unique and for me a series that I have had a hell of a lot of fun with. (Usually meaning only to read a few pages and then notice the sun creeping through the curtains.) All round a great piece of writing and for me a UK name that truly delivers with each release. Magic.
Today we're pleased to be part of the Douglas Jackson Sword of Rome Tour. Here he talks about the "Year of the Four Emperors:
What is known as the Year of the Four Emperors actually lasted for eighteen months, and it would probably be churlish not to include the late, unlamented Nero, bringing the Emperor count to five. It was a messy, complicated affair and it reflected badly, to a greater or lesser extent, on everyone who helped conduct it. Nero, Galba, Otho and Vitellius have all been vilified by history, but history, as the old cliche goes, is written by the victors, and Vespasian’s reputation - certainly in that period - only survives intact because of what we would now call political spin.
When I started writing about 1st century Rome, Galba, Otho and Vitellius were just names to me. I had the vaguest notion about what had happened in the Year of the Four Emperors and knew little or nothing about the protagonists. All that changed when I started researching Sword of Rome, the first of my two books about that turbulent, bloody and tumultuous eighteen months in Rome’s history.
I must have had an inkling that my hero, Gaius Valerius Verrens, holder of the corona aurea, the gold crown of valour, only survivor of the last stand in the Temple of Claudius, would have a part to play in 68 and 69AD, because he first meets Aulus Vitellius in Defender of Rome. Vitellius, who at that time was the commander of the Seventh Claudia legion on the Danube frontier, tries to have Valerius killed, but he’s such a gregarious free spirit that the pair become unlikely friends. It wasn’t a planned friendship, it might just as easily have been a passing encounter that meant little or nothing, but whether subconsciously or otherwise, I laid the foundation for two books with that meeting.
The historians Tacitus, Suetonius and Dio all paint Vitellius as a spendthrift glutton motivated by greed. As Tacitus records: ‘his passion for elaborate banquets was shameful and insatiate’. Repeated again and again it is a compelling picture, but it is Flavian propaganda. Look a little deeper and another Vitellius emerges, one who was popular with the people, and cared about them - as much as any Roman patrician was capable - and who passed laws that, given time, might have made a difference. I came to rather like him.
Likewise, Marcus Salvius Otho, according to history a lecher who traded his wife to Nero for advancement, arrogant and ambitious, usurper of the legitimate Emperor, Galba, and the man responsible for his blood in the forum. Yet even Tacitus admits that Otho ruled well and cleverly. His downfall was to inherit power without strength. While Vitellius could call on seven veteran legions, Otho had only one, the newly constituted First Adiutrix, with others on the way from the Danube frontier. He was undoubtedly an impetuous man, who threw his forces in to battle too quickly. It resulted in his defeat, and his death probably reflects more on his life than any history. He could easily have fought on, but he killed himself in an attempt to prevent further bloodshed. An honourable end perhaps compensated for a dishonourable beginning.
Servius Sulpicius Galba is, I fear, as black, or as foolish, as he’s painted. An immensely rich patrician who believed he had been born to rule and an old man constantly irritated by all around him. He began his short reign by purging his opponents in Hispania and Gaul, then massacred recruits to Nero’s newly constituted marine legion who had gathered at the Milvian Bridge to seek his favour. With a choice of Otho, or Vespasian’s son Titus, as his heir, either of whom would have consolidated his position, he turned to Calpurnius Piso, a young man in his own image, long on bloodline, but short on brains. It was the last straw for Otho, who had put his fortune on the line and felt he’d been cheated out of the successorship.
And what of Vespasian, the man known for his fine governorship of the Empire, with a reputation for strength, justice and fairness? While others were fighting and dying he stayed safe in the East. He left the conduct of his legions on Roman soil to Marcus Antonius Primus, a convicted fraudster who rushed headlong into battles he didn’t need to fight, and who perpetrated the massacre and sack of Cremona, a war crime against Roman citizens that should have seen Vespasian’s name reviled through history. When the fighting was done his troops ravaged Rome, killing and burning, given free rein by the Emperor’s son Domitianus.
As the revered historian Mary Beard pointed out in her recent TV programme on Caligula, when it comes to the Roman emperors, it pays to read between the lines.
Release Date: 15/08/13
Publisher: Bantam
SYNOPSIS:
"The story I now commence is rich in vicissitudes, grim with warfare, torn by civil strife, a tale of horror even during times of peace". (Tacitus, "The Histories" AD 68). The Emperor Nero's erratic and bloody reign is in its death throes when Gaius Valerius Verrens is dispatched to Rome on a mission that will bring it to a close. With Nero dead, the city holds its breath and awaits the arrival his successor, Servius Sulpicius Galba, governor of Hispania. The Empire prays for peace, but it prays in vain. Galba promises stability and prosperity, but his rule begins with a massacre and ends only months later in chaos and carnage. This will become known as the Year of the Four Emperors, a time of civil war which will tear Rome apart and test Valerius' skills and loyalties to their very limit. Fortunate to survive Galba's fall, Valerius is sent on a mission by Rome's new Emperor, Otho, to his old friend Vitellius, commander of the armies of the north. Vitellius' legions are on the march, and only Valerius can persuade him to halt them before the inevitable confrontation. In an epic adventure that will take him the length and breadth of a divided land, the one-armed Roman fights to stay alive and stave off a bloodbath as he is stalked by the most implacable enemy he has ever faced.
REVIEW:
OK, you love historical fiction, want high octane action which when backed with twists and turns of the political machinations of Rome generates a story that you just can’t leave. So what are you going to do? Well if you’ve been following the release schedule for the last few years, you’ll have seen Douglas Jackson going from not only strength to strength but adding a set of figures that make him one of the growing stars of the genre for me.
I love his characters, I love the way he blends historical facts into the story and above all else, for me, I love the way he utilises great action sequences to help the pace alongside balancing the slower moments that are just as full of tension as a misplaced word can have all sorts of catastrophic effects. All round another solid offering in this series and one that readers will gather around to see what is next in line for the principle hero. However the only downside in this book and one that I’m letting readers know about is you have to have read the other titles in the series first to get the most from this. All round though, great stuff.
Release Date: 16/08/12
SYNOPSIS:
Emperor Nero's grip on power is weakening. In every shadow he sees an enemy and like a cornered animal he lashes out at every perceived threat. His paranoia settles on the figure of Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, Rome's greatest General who leads the imperial legions in the East. So popular is Corbulo with his men that he effective presides over an Empire within an Empire. Is Corbulo preparing to march against Rome and take the purple? Gaius Valerius Verrens, Hero of Rome, is ordered to Antioch with the power of life and death over Corbulo, a soldier he worships. There he finds word of his mission has preceded him and every man's hand is turned against him. But Corbulo's eyes are not on Rome, but on a new threat to the Empire's border. The Parthian King of Kings, Vologases, is marching to war and with such an army that if not stopped he might overwhelm the entire Roman east. Valerius marches at Corbulo's side. Outnumbered they make a stand in the barren wastes beyond the Tigris to meet Vologases in an epic contest of military might and ingenuity that will decide the fate of the Empire. And while he fights for the Empire, and for his own survival on the battlefield, Valerius must decide whether to complete his mission, or risk incurring his Emperor's dangerous wrath.
REVIEW:
If you love hard combat with a lead character placed in between the hammer and the anvil not only politically but for their very life, then you really have to read Douglas Jackson’s Gaius Valerius Verrens series. Here in the third outing for the character he’s placed in perhaps the most perilous place possible as Nero’s madness takes its inevitable toll on those around him.
As with the other books, it has great characters, solid prose and of course pace that really keeps you going especially as the first part is more of a journey to allow the reader to get to know the characters involved more. Add to this the huge combat sequences that occur later and all in this book more than hit the spot for me as a reader. Great stuff.
Release Date: 18/08/11
SYNOPSIS:
Gaius Valerius Verrens returns to Rome from the successful campaign against Boudicca in Britain. Now hailed a ‘Hero of Rome’, Valerius is not the man he once was – scarred both physically and emotionally by the battles he has fought, his sister is mortally ill, his father in self-imposed exile. And neither is Rome the same city as the one he left.
The Emperor Nero grows increasingly paranoid. Those who seek power for themselves whisper darkly in the emperor’s ears. They speak of a new threat, one found within the walls of Rome itself. A new religious sect, the followers of Christus, deny Nero’s divinity and are rumoured to be spreading sedition.
Nero calls on his ‘Hero of Rome’ to become a ‘Defender of Rome’, to seek out this rebel sect, to capture their leader, a man known as Petrus. Failure would be to forfeit his life, and the lives of twenty thousands Judaeans living in Rome. But as Valerius begins his search, a quest which will take him to the edge of the empire, he will discover that success may cost him nearly as much as failure.
REVIEW:
If you’re a fan of Historical Fiction, then the odds are that you’ve noticed the steady rise of an author by the name of Douglas Jackson, his stories are vivid, the cast spectacular and of course his writing style wonderfully balances the needs of combat with the smarts of lulls and peaks to keep the reader enthralled.
Here in the second book in his latest series (the first being Hero of Rome) Valerius returns triumphant from the previous title to face the slings and arrows or Roman Politics as well as the madness of the Emperor only to be manipulated on a highly dangerous mission that could cost as much to him for success as for failure. It’s cleverly written, the plot line is fast moving and of course the reader is left on tenterhooks from start to finish as to the fate of many of the cast. Add to this great characterisation and a lead hero who is fully rounded and it’s a title that demonstrates just how much Douglas has grown from his first book. Excellent stuff.
BOOK BLURB:
The year is 43AD ...In Southern England, Caratacus, war chief of the Britons, watches from a hilltop as the scarlet cloaks of the Roman legions spread across his lands like blood. In Rome, Emperor Claudius, newly risen to the imperial throne, dreams of taking his place in history alongside his illustrious forebears Caesar and Augustus. Among the legions marches Rufus, keeper of the Emperor's elephant. War is coming and the united tribes of Britain will make a desperate stand against the might of Rome. The Emperor has a very special place for Rufus and his elephant in the midst of the battle - as a secret weapon to cow the Britons with the visible manifestation of Rome's power. "Claudius" is a masterful telling of one of the greatest stories from Roman history, the conquest of Britain. It is an epic story of ambition, courage, conspiracy, battle and bloodshed, and confirms Douglas Jackson as one of the best historical novelists writing today.
REVIEW:
Whilst a secondary novel to the original (Caligula) this offering does look back on the previous novel as we’re told about the events by the slave, Rufus. As with the first offering, its well written, the character pretty likable and with the odd look in from the title character to share points of view it’s a tale that pretty much wends its own way through history. Good fun, action packed and with an elephant, who could ask for more?
