Conn Iggulden is a top notch novelist and The Gates of Rome is fast paced and absorbing. It is the story of young Julius Caesar, his arduous training for the rigors of the Roman soldiery and his early involvement in Roman politics at the side of his Uncle Marius. Maybe it’s just me, but I […]
Book Review: Pillar of Iron by Taylor Caldwell
June 11, 2017 By 1 Comment
Taylor Caldwell was born in 1900 and was one of the 20th century’s most acclaimed novelists. She published forty books during her 50 year career. She was a favorite of my mother, but, although her books were certainly available in my high school library, I somehow never chanced to read any of them. When I […]
Book Review: Iron and Rust by Harry Sidebottom
May 13, 2017 By Leave a Comment
“Enrich the soldiers and ignore everyone else.” This was the maxim of Emperor Maximinus’ mentor, the Emperor Caracalla. It seemed like good advice as an emperor generally attained and maintained power at the behest of his troops. Unfortunately, Emperor Maximinus, who came to power in the coup that assassinated the Emperor Alexander Severus and his […]
Book Review: The Scent of Hyacinth by Sharrie Siebert Goff
May 3, 2017 By Leave a Comment
The Scent of Hyacinth is a sequel to the Arms of Quirinus, the first book in a series of historical fiction books about the Kings of Rome. The first book tells the story Romulus, the founder and first King of Rome, and this one tell of his successor, the long-reigning Numa Pompilius. Sherrie Siebert Goff […]
The Last Carthaginian is Now Available on Amazon and Kindle
March 11, 2017 By Leave a Comment
I have just published the third in my series of historical novels about the Second and Third Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. The Death of Carthage told the story of the Second and Third Punic Wars from the point of view of the Romans. In the Wake of Hannibal told the story of the […]
King John, Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval England by Marc Morris
October 31, 2016 By Leave a Comment
One of my English friends on Face Book says that King John is considered the worst king England ever had. After reading the details of King John’s life and reign in historian Marc Morris’s book, I would have to conclude that that is probably true. If I were to write a continuation of Plutarch’s Parallel […]
Book Review: The Vatican Princess by Charles Gortner
September 6, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, also known as Pope Alexander VI, and his mistress Vannozza dei Cattenei. She had three brothers, Cesare, Juan, and Gioffre. The elder two, Cesare and Juan were depraved monsters by any standard. Rodrigo probably should have hesitated before naming his daughter after a legendary Roman woman who […]
Book Review: Dictator by Robert Harris
July 22, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Anyone wanting an intensely vivid portrait of the history, politics and culture of the last years of the Roman Republic will want to read this book. Dictator is the third book of a series by Richard Harris based on the life of Marcus Tullius Cicero. The first book, Imperium, covers Cicero’s youth and his rise […]
Book Review: Galba’s Men by L.J. Trafford
July 7, 2016 By Leave a Comment
L.J. Trafford’s account of life in Caesar’s palace on the Palatine Hill is a sort of Upstairs Downstairs writ large. Upstairs are Caesar and his family, cronies and sycophants; downstairs are a multitude of slaves and freedmen, some of who are influential enough to influence the course of affairs of state. Keeping track of, and […]
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