The Emperor's Spy

Rome #1

by M.C. Scott

Rome is burning. Only one man can save it.

The Emperor: Nero, Emperor of Rome and all her provinces, feared by his subjects for his temper and cruelty, is in possession of an ancient document predicting that Rome will burn.

The Spy: Sebastos Pantera, assassin and spy for the Roman Legions, is ordered to stop the impending cataclysm. He knows that if he does not, his life - and those of thousands of others - are in terrible danger.

The Chariot Boy: Math, a young charioteer, is a pawn drawn into the deadly game between the Emperor and the Spy, where death stalks the drivers - on the track and off it.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Roman, Mystery, Adventure, Ancient

594 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 7, 2009

About the author

aka Manda Scott

ABOUT M.C. SCOTT

MC Scott.... qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Glasgow University and spent fifteen years in Newmarket and Cambridge specialising in anaesthesia and intensive care, before turning to writing as an alternative, less sleep-deprived, profession. Of the ten novels so far published, the first four were contemporary crime thrillers. The first, 'Hen's Teeth' was short listed for the Orange prize in 1997; the third, 'Stronger than Death' was awarded an Arts Council of England prize for Literature and the fourth, 'No Good Deed', was nominated in the 'Best Crime Novel' category of the prestigious US Edgar Awards in 2003.

In 2001, the first of the internationally bestselling 'Boudica: Dreaming' series was published: 'Boudica: Dreaming the Eagle'. The last, 'Boudica: Dreaming the Serpent Spear' was published in 2006. Together, these four novels explore the life and times of Boudica, the war-leader of the Eceni who lead the revolt against Rome in 61 AD.

In 2007, 'The Crystal Skull' was published –a stand-alone contemporary thriller with a Tudor thread, which visited the Mayan end-of-world concepts (which suggest the world will end on 21/12/2012) and the myths and legends surrounding the thirteen crystal skulls which, when brought together, will either transcend the end of this age – or bring it about.It has been translated into 23 different languages, from Slovenian and Slovakian to Chinese.

The latest novel, 'Rome: The Emperor's Spy', was published on 1st January 2010.

This is a historical spy thriller set in the same universe as the Boudica cycle – three of the surviving characters from the Boudica: Dreaming books are key to the plot. A faster, sharper, harder text which examines the early decades of Christianity, it concludes that the fire was lit by the man we have come to know as St Paul, who, as a Roman agent had been sent to bring the Hebrews into the Imperial fold, but who went native, and began to believe his own fiction.

The Emperor's Spy is first in a series of at least four novels following the life of Sebastos Abdes Pantera, the spy known as the Leopard, and those who endeavour to help him.

The sequel, Rome: The Spy's Revenge, will be published in March 2011. The paperback of The Emperor's Spy will be released in January 2011

M.C. Scott runs shamanic dreaming workshops which teach the basis of the dreaming described in the Boudica series.

Reviews

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**

Read this book in 2012, and its the 1st volume of the wonderful "Rome" quartet of books.

This tale sets off in the year AD 63 during the reign of Emperor Nero, a cruel and dangerous man and so feared by all his subjects, and he's possession of a secret document with the insurance that Rome will burn soon.

Our main protagonist, the Spy and assassin for the Roman legions, Sebastos Pantera, a man with many secrets of his own, and he's ordered to stop this catastrophe by the Emperor, before disaster will struck Rome and all its inhabitants.

Also an important figure in this tale is the Chariot Boy, Math, and he's a pawn in the deadly game that is played out between the Emperor and the Spy, where death stalks every driver on and off the track.

What is to follow is a thrilling and suspenseful Roman adventure, in which the author brings Rome to life in her own remarkable fashion and where the reign of Nero is wonderfully pictured with all its cruelty and madness, and in this environment Sebastos Pantera must find his lethal way in this game of brutality and death.

Highly recommended, for this is a wonderful start to this great 4 part series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "An Intriguing Emperor's Spy Begin"!

[John McDermott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alastair Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Magical Journey Back in Time

Historical fiction is one of those genres that has to be done accurately or not at all. There are too many authors out there writing ‘historical fiction’ that should be re-categorised as ‘delusional fantasy’ because they don’t understand the time period, haven’t bothered researching it and wind up making it all up as they go along. Historical fiction can’t be written by the seat of your pants, you need to understand your world and be true to it.
It was with hesitation therefore that I picked up Manda Scott’s The Emperor’s Spy. Not because she writes bad historical fiction, but because she writes it so well I don’t want leave the world she’s created. I read her Dreaming Series a few years ago, which chronicled the life of one of my all time favourite heroines, Boudica and because of that I was reluctant to move on. But eventually I did and was reunited with Cunomar, Math and Cardoc from the Dreaming series and was drawn into the landscape of Roman Gaul, transported to Alexandria and finally back to Rome in time for the famous fire. Along the way I learned much about ancient Gaul, Egypt, Judea and Rome. She has an eye for detail that is staggering in its complexity. Her books need to be read two or three times over a number of months to pick up on things you’ve missed, and in that way Scott is in a class of her own. There are very few writers who drive me back to their books again and again just for the pleasure of reading something again. You get an eerie sense when reading Scott’s books that she really has been there before.
It’s for that reason I’ve often said that her work, along with certain other authors, should be used as secondary reading material in history classes. If you want to get teenagers interested in history, stop giving them dates and names they can’t pronounce and give them a good historical novel. Once their imaginations are fired up their brains will kick into gear and they’ll want to explore the era further.
With the Dreaming series she had little primary material to go on but using secondary material and no small amount of imagining, managed to create a believable fictional world that felt as if she had used her time machine to go back and interview principal characters. I’m sure she must have one tucked away in a shed somewhere. With The Emperor’s Spy she’s done much the same thing, introducing us to Jesus, or Justus, Saulos, known to us as the apostle Paul and Nero. Her rendering of the events in the immediate aftermath of the crucifixion will rattle some people, but in the style of a Dan Brown she’s certainly laid out how the myth of a mysterious resurrection might have occurred. Similarly, Saulos is portrayed as a psychopathic egomaniac determined to destroy Rome and Jerusalem in order to bring about a new theocracy.
The major protagonist, Pantera is one of my favourite characters because of his development throughout the story. He has a nobility about him that makes you wish he really had existed just the way he was portrayed. He is Nero's spy, much against his will but to defy Nero is to invite death. It is Pantera's task to track down the Apostate who wants to torch Rome and Jerusalem before he carries out his plan. Like with the last series you know how it ends but it's a thrill to travel with characters through an ancient world. You almost feel part of them and that is the mark of a talented storyteller.
And at the end of the book, after those two words The End there was a surprise waiting for me. A short story titled The Last Roman that rewrites history as if Boudica triumphed against Suetonius and drove the legions from Britain. I met once again characters I’d met in the Dreaming series and found myself wondering, what if? I don’t think other reviewers have mentioned it, but for those of us who really wanted her to win she’s blessed us with The Last Roman. It’s a short story, simply written, and yet the alternative history shows how close we came to a totally different view of history. One where our ancestors forged their own identity instead of labouring under a Roman yoke for four hundred years. The short story is available in both the paperback and Kindle versions.
The Emperor’s Spy is one of the best novels I’ve read this year and I’m already looking forward to reading the next book in the series, as well as going back to the Dreaming series once more, just to greet old characters again. If you are interested in exploring her views further she provides a reading list at the end and the reasons she used those sources. She also tells us where she has changed something to suit the story. It's up to you if you want to read this bit first or start at the beginning.
Gladly given five out of five.

[Paula Lofting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rome is burning. Only one man can save it.

The Emperor: Nero, Emperor of Rome and all her provinces, feared by his subjects for his temper and cruelty, is in possession of an ancient document predicting that Rome will burn.


The Spy: Sebastos Pantera, assassin and spy for the Roman Legions, is ordered to stop the impending cataclysm. He knows that if he does not, his life - and those of thousands of others - are in terrible danger.

The Chariot Boy: Math, a young charioteer, is a pawn drawn into the deadly game between the Emperor and the Spy, where death stalks the drivers - on the track and off it

Manda Scott is a new author I have discovered who has the ability to turn what could be an ordinary sentence into a work of art. Her style had me drawing in breath with her talent for crafting words that mesmerise you with its beauty. Sebastos Pantera, loved his name - the Leopard, has returned to Gaul after working under cover in Britannia, that wild and untamed province of the Roman empire. There he had become absorbed into the lives of the Britons, living a double life for 5 years before tragedy ends that phase in his life and he is transported back into the service of Nero, his lord. Nero has a job for him; he must stop an ancient prophecy from being fulfilled, or Rome will burn, a little boy he loves will die and many other lives will be in jeopardy.

Math, as the boy is known is drawn to Pantera who becomes his mentor and in drawing Math into Nero's world, he also embroils other characters in the plot: Hannah, the exotic beauty from Alexandria with a secret so dangerous, it could destroy them all; Ajax, the scarred charioteer whom has looked after Math since he was born; Shimon,the Hebrew who knows Hannah's secret. Somehow the characters are all destined to meet and each have their part to play in finding a way to destroy the prophecy.

But none of them could count on the evil that watches them; silent,hidden and unexpected. It will eventually catch up with them and when it does, there will be no telling what horrors await them.

Scott's characters are both colourful and alive with realism. They bounce of the pages in a way that will have you thinking of them day and night. You care about them, you know them like your friends, your enemies and your loved ones. As each chapter ended, I was ready for the next, desperate to know what happened next until only sleep stopped me from reading. The plot is carefully laid out and nothing is left to the imagination.

I'm not a great Roman scholar, but Scott seems to know what she is talking about and adds an author's note at the end. Her chariot racing scenes were perhaps a little long for my liking but there was no doubt that she could craft the details of them as if she had actually been there.

At times, her writing was so embellished, it was a little ambiguous and you had to really read the sentence a few time over to work out the meaning. Apart from this one small criticism, this book in my opinion is a literary masterpiece.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

How can the author make an exciting subject so boring?

[Keith Currie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sebastos Abdes Pantera is the physically maimed, mentally scarred, unwilling spy for the unbalanced emperor Nero. His task is to find out who is planning to burn the city of Rome to the ground and to stop them. As we know that the city did burn (in 64 A.D.) we also know that he fails in this primary task. I found this novel a real mixed bag. On the one hand Scott can write an impressive tale which carries the reader relentlessly along. She is excellent at scene setting and descriptive depiction of context - I especially like the way that she evokes the sense of smell and colour in the Roman empire. She also can draw a sympathetic picture of the her characters, even the unattractive ones - I was especially impressed with the plausible twist she gives on the emperor Nero, too often in other novels unduly close to the rather comical portrayal by Peter Ustinov in Quo Vadis.
On the other hand there was much that I could not accept. I was not convinced by the philosopher Seneca as the spymaster, and certainly not by the way this aged man could effortlessly make his way, apparently on his own, throughout the empire. I was not convinced by Ajax the charioteer who could shrug off wounds which should have been fatal. But my three main gripes are these: I could not believe in the portrayal of Saulos, aka the apostle Paul. Yes, the idea of Paul as a Christian terrorist is an intriguing one, but not as in this novel where he is established as blacker than black sadist, and as the villain (as well as Pantera's arch enemy) of the sequels. My second gripe is this: the novel carries too much baggage from the author's earlier series on Boudicca. Those who have not read those books and come to this series fresh may find this cloying and irritating - I certainly did. Finally, this novel suffers from the problem that all novels which are part of a series face - it is incomplete. Thus the powerful momentum which is evident throughout is fatally dissipated in the ending which fizzles out in preparation for the next book in the series. I don't know if I will bother to stay with Pantera and his adventures.

[S.J.A. Turney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rome series (a general series note to give you an idea of my impression of Manda’s writing and this series in particular.) All good historical fiction is written in an absorbing fashion, such that the reader enjoys every turn of the page. Often, an embellishment is added – just a word, a speech, a turn of phrase, even a physical description – that is so well-written and gorgeous in its own right, that it makes the whole novel. The Rome books in particular, and Manda’s writing in general, takes that embellishment and stretches it to cover the whole book. The entire tale is an embellishment. The whole of every one of the Rome books I’ve read is so beautifully constructed, finely crafted and gracefully, magnificently worded, that the whole book is one long triumph of the writer’s art.

Rome: The Emperor’s Spy is a complex tale, drawing together a number of apparently disparate threads into one story so deep and important that it’s simply impossible not to be impressed. The cover tells the reader that a prophecy predicts that Rome will burn and that Nero (an oft 2-dimensional character in Literature) will set the hero to preventing it.

Therein lies the obvious problem: anyone who is going to read this book likely knows enough of the history to know how the book is likely to end (Rome in flames). On first inspection, it’s a pointless tale. Only it isn’t. I try not to give spoilers in my reviews but the upshot (plot-wise) with this book is not the characters trying to stop an event that we all know is going to happen, but the things that lead to that event, that lead to the characters reaching that event, and what effects the event has upon them. A chariot racing driver with scars and deadly secrets, a young sneak-thief and horse tender, an Imperial spy with a history among both Jews and Britons, a woman from Alexandria with the most exotic secret of all. How these people fit into a plot with an apparently forewritten ending is stunning.

The Emperor’s spy is a tale of the sharpest, cleverest of men of the era following an ancient Sibylline prophecy and, two of them respectively trying to bring it about or to prevent it. The prophecy tells us that Rome will burn at a specific time, and that this will in turn bring about the destruction of Jerusalem. Can mere mortal men and women (for all their knowledge and skills) prevent such a thing?

Manda builds a plausible alternative to the acknowledged historical events that lead up to the great fire of Rome. Her story does not shy from a new and innovative treatment of a certain famous/infamous sect that was blamed in records for the fire. Her characters are as diverse as any I have discovered in any tale, drawing from the druidic culture of Boudiccan Britain, through the Sibylline oracles, the exotic (if mean) streets of Alexandria, the hotbed of trouble that is Neronian Judea, and the greatest city in the world: Rome itself. Gradually, as the story opens up, the reader is exposed to new and astounding secrets and truths, and each one comes as a greater surprise than the previous, often to the characters involved as much as to the reader.

The settings are evocative and breathtaking, the people wicked, ironic, deep, emotive, brave and so much more, and the story so beautifully woven that it defies simple explanation. Pantera himself is a particularly complex, clever and intricate character.

As the story draws to a close it makes the reader want to read more, and it is exceedingly lucky for us all that Manda has since written two more Rome novels.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manda Scott is a brilliant writer. Such a talent.
It has been a couple years since I read some of her Boudica series and while I don't always love her story I do always love the writing quality.
The Emperor's spy is no different. The writing is highly skilled and even though her story didn't always appeal to me, the skill of her writing is never in question.

I believe, for my tastes, the story of Pantera here in The Emperor's Spy has much more to offer me than the Boudica story and I loved the read for most of the book.
From the get go, this book had me hooked. I enjoy a good spy or assassin character and Sebastos Abdes Pantera was one of the best. Cool headed, slippery, charismatic. He is a character I can really sink my imagination into. He is also a character, amoung a few others, who have been carried over from the Boudica series, but by no means do you have to read the Boudica books to enjoy The Emperor's Spy.

I did give it 4 stars not 5 and here's why. While the novelty of the Chariot racing delighted me in the beginning, throughout the rest of the book it wore off and I lost interest in it. I felt there was too much blow by blow of chariot racing, but I am sure this won't be reflected in all readers experience with this book.
The other thing that truly bothered me has to do with the ending and I will hide it in a spoiler so as not to ruin the ending of this book for anyone. I don't get much out of tender love scenes. The touching, the stroking, the adoring. I find it a weakness in women's writing, so when I made it through nearly the entire book without any love scenes I was thinking this may be pushing 5 star for me. But then the party was over. And the last few chapters of this book would have been much better suited to a book written especially for women. The love making scene in the dying chapters seemed more about creating a future storyline than a natural progression for the characters. The author needed the main female character to be pregnant going into the second book and so she threw in this bizarrely timed love scene in order to create that plot line. I am sure it could have been done with a lot less women's historical fiction feel to it and at a much more believable time in the story.


On a final note. The book does rewrite the bible, so if you are heavy into not having Christianity questioned then I wouldn't recommend this book to you.

[Paul Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well now, my faithful legion of readers, I am somewhat baffled. I actually started to read this novel about five years ago, but through the vicissitudes of life, I never finished it. I, as you may have guessed by now, have finished after finding it snugged up with my collection of Tom Clancy novels, and then re-reading the beginning chapters. The tale takes place during the reign of Nero and while there are many plots and subplots, the famous episode of the burning of Rome is the focal point of the narrative. Nero is often depicted as a spoiled narcissist caring nothing except for his own pleasure and power. The author does indeed include those elements of his character, but also shows a side that cares deeply, if a bit mercurial, about the well being of his people. As for the famous fire and who caused it, it has been speculated that Christians were the culprits. Here is where the author transcends the oft repeated cause and takes it further, having the fire played out as a Sibylline prophecy with some surprises as to who runs with that prophecy and seeks Rome's downfall. Indeed, I was taken aback slightly with this particular look at what I was brought up to believe about God and Jesus...not that that is a bad thing, by the way. I hesitate to say more as to not be a spoiler. Hint - be sure to read the author's notes at the end. So, my peeps and fellow travelers, I absolutely recommend this highly entertaining rendering of Nero and his fire. After all, not only do you get that aspect, but also a spy tale, a charioteer tale, and remnants of the Boudiccan revolt all wrapped up in a superbly written book guaranteed to keep you turning the pages. 5 stars

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy a good book based in ancient Rome and I think this was one of the better stories I've read in this setting.

Sebastos Pantera is the emperor's spy. Having returned from Britain heartsick and wounded, he has no wish to continue spying. All that changes when he meets Math, a young man with a natural bent toward spying and a wish to be a chariot racer. With Math's future at stake and Emperor Nero determined to stop Rome from burning, Pantera returns to what he knows best, spying.

From the first chapter I was captured by the story. Having been forewarned there was a biblical aspect to the book I spent the entire time trying to figure out who was a biblical character and who was not. It by no means follows the traditional story and instead follows a more technical, though just as unproven, version of events. All of which is explained in the historical note at the end. While this book is possible to read without having read the Boudica series I would strongly suggest doing so. I had the feeling I was missing a large portion of the background on several of the characters, especially toward the end of the book. The author did a wonderful job describing roman life and the chariot races were very well done. It was well written, with great characters and plenty of excitement.

[☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if Jesus didn’t die on the cross for our sins? What if it was all a ruse to gather people and raise them against Rome?

This is the premise this book is based off: Jesus did not die on the cross, He was, in fact, taken off it and then brought up to the tomb still alive. The resurrection was hence fabricated by men for a greater interest – to see Rome destroyed.

Fair warning: this review may turn controversial by the end. I have never read ‘alternative historical fiction’ before, so color me surprised when the heretical words came pouring in! Especially as I immediately did not clock the story to be that. Still, when I did, I was intrigued. I don't believe we should stay trapped in bubbles of our own making, nor did I think the author necessarily took this premise to be the truth. She simply built a story around the famous burning of Rome - that historically has been accredited to Christians, though historians still debate about what actually happened. Right...huh...? More on that later.

This event has its own mysterious aspects, as well as the resurrection also has especially for someone who lacks faith. Combining these two, the author creates a story in which historical figures from the Bible appear (almost in anonymity*, as names aren’t explicitly stated) to act alongside her own self-made characters in an espionage action book taking place during AD 64. (*For example, Jesus is never called by the name Jesus or Yeshua. He is referred as “the Galilean”; “The Galilean was everyone’s hero, even if he was the enemy. His growing band of followers drew young men from all quarters of Judaea, uniting them in hatred of Rome and its rue.” Obviously, it becomes apparent who this character is supposed to represent, but if you are not familiar with the Bible or are simply distracted, you may miss it at first).

The book features Pantera as one of, if not, the main character. When he was a child, he witnessed his father helping The Galilean, thus contributing to that ploy. In Pantera’s eyes, that constituted as deceit and betrayal, so he fled to Rome. There, under the teaching of Seneca, he became a spy. We only truly meet him, however, as an adult, in his thirties, after life and his service to the romans have treated him poorly and left him permanently scarred, though his famous spy skills have prevailed.

In an orchestrated plan by Seneca to re-encounter Pantera, we meet Math as he is tasked to follow the latter. Math… oh, that poor boy and, without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite character. At first, I believed him to be at least 13-years-old, then the book jump scared me with his actual age. He starts as a mere 9-year-old boy and ends the book with just 10y. He also fits the perfect description of a street rat, an “urchin”. In his father’s words: “He is a thief and a seller of himself” and “has learned to be an urban creature”.

Math is, of course, much more than that. He is not only a talented apprentice rider of the chariot, but he also possesses a great talent for spying, which Pantera takes immediate interest in. He also has a home to return to, although he seems to prefer to keep living the lifestyle of the “dock boys” (whoring and stealing). His lifeline truly is the care people around Math have for him. Characters like Hannah and Ajax, as well as his father, and eventually Pantera, make their priority to protect Math from himself and, eventually, from Rome (and what comes with it).

More characters like Saulos, Akakios, Seneca, and Hypatia color this story in their own way. Most importantly, they interconnect with each other, creating dynamics worth following.

At times, I found the writing convoluted. Difficult to understand, really. Just like the Bible’s names are not explicitly told to us, the plot moves without the author spelling it out to you. You just slowly realize it and let it sink in. This could be either amazingly or frustratingly done, as you may imagine. There are also a lot of horse-talks (after a quick research, I found out the author was a veterinarian), that although certainly knowledgeable, stalled the plot as well. I felt the plot particularly dragging in the middle, not due to those descriptions necessarily, but more because of the writing itself. The first part was definitely the strongest, the finale lost momentum for me. Relationships were being formed that I was quite confused about since the characters barely interacted on page and yet started to love each other? Alright.

What really is the plot? I think I have left some hints, but to summarize: it essentially follows Pantera, under the command of Emperor Nero, as he tries to put a stop to the prophecy that foretells the ruin of the city – Rome will burn. Of course, it becomes more contrived than this, with all the characters having their own path, but it is the core of the book.

Speaking of the man himself. Emperor Nero was just as detestable as he was gripping, as imposing as he was perverse. Truly portrayed how non-fiction works describe him to be. As I have mentioned before, Pantera is connected to him through his work as a spy, and unfortunately, Math will also be a subject of great interest to Nero for far more perverted reasons. As Poros puts it to Math: “Your entire team’s only here because Nero wants to bed you, not for your horses or the skill of your driver.” So yeah, as I said the cast really put their efforts to save Math from Rome (read this as Nero).

I fairly enjoyed this first book. The setting of Ancient Rome was well built, I felt like I was walking those streets, meeting characters from hundreds of years ago. The espionage and political intrigue captivated me mainly through the characters that I ended up caring about (take care Math, please).

All the characters felt like their own person with their own struggles, past lives, intelligence and with strong will to act on what they believed. As I said, I appreciated Math more than the others, maybe because he felt so vulnerable yet, so capable of himself and of growing. Pantera turns into a sort of mentor figure to him; someone he can admire and look up to. Hannah, the healer, raised and trained among Sybils, plays a central role; she is a figure that really moved the plot in more ways than one… more I won’t say. I feel like I rarely mentioned Ajax, the main driver of Math’s chariot Green team, an older brother to Math, but I also really liked him and I’m curious to see more of his character. However, I must also bring the criticism of lack of nuance (a pet peeve of mine): everything is black or white. There are good and bad characters, and that’s all the exploration they will be getting. Sigh.

Now… there are indeed aspects that felt a bit too wild for me and strayed completely from historical facts. You can be an atheist or follow a different religion/spirituality and still recognize the historical reality of biblical figures, knowing they were, after all, living breathing people, with life registers. That doesn’t involve faith, just research. And that’s the reason why I characterized this story as “alternative” historical fiction, and not just mere historical fiction. It leans heavily on conspiracy theories to explore “what ifs” and give, essentially, new fictional roles to these people. And that is how this story is conceived. Nonetheless, it doesn’t lose interest, I’d argue that it may gain even more. Naturally, there were things that bothered me, and especially how a certain character was portrayed. I can’t venture much without spoilers.

//SPOILERS. So, the vilification of St.Paul was a bit insane. St.Paul, or how he is called in the book, Saulos (from Saul), was left and right torturing, killing, and deceiving people to fulfill his political interest. He read as a cult leader, really. Hannah – that is a whole mess by itself, as she is portrayed as one of the three children The Galilean had with Mary Magdalene (again, no historical reality here, but the readers must roll with it) – accuses Saulos of not knowing her father and tests his credibility in front of his followers: “You know nothing about this man you claim to revere. Not a single thing about his life except his death, which you have twisted for your own ends! (…) You never met him. You never spoke to him. And you are not his apostle. You despise and are despised by the men who fought at his side (…).”

All of this can be drawn from historical facts and then twisted with the author’s own interpretation to build such story! St.Paul never met Jesus, that is a fact. He had conflicts and points of divergence with the apostles because of Torah Law, that is another fact. However, after this speech, Shimon (that is inspired by apostle Simon Peter), denies the resurrection and corroborates with Hannah on her accusations… Shimon calls for the other apostles, and they start believing that to be true: The Galilean did not resurrect (which is the truth in this book).

But now I’m confused! The apostles that met Jesus in life were the first to see, believe and preach the resurrection wayyyy before St.Paul changed his ways and started to follow Him too. As I said, besides the Hannah plot that is heavily taken from conspiracies and doesn’t stand on nothing else, the rest could be “credible” somehow. Even Saulos being a Roman agent could "match" some facts, as St.Paul indeed was, before conversion, his name known as Saul, an active persecutor of early Christians, but as a Pharisee. Obviously, OBVIOUSLY, the author had to make this plot work somehow, and things like the apostles being the first believers and agents of faith in Jesus as God HAD to be changed and taken off. How else could it work? If the closest to Him, and not only, were ready to die and be made martyr for that truth that was seen to them, how could you make it work if you did not change historical facts? END OF SPOILERS.\\

ON THE AUTHOR. I said I would speak later on what the author believes the truth to be… So, I committed the HUGE mistake of reading the author's note... She genuinely believes the most plausible explanation is that St. Paul was a Roman agent “tasked with suppressing the growing anti-Roman insurgency”. In her daring opinion she says how he was “a failed Pharisee who lacked the necessary grasp of logic to be taken on as a rabbi, the embittered Paul joined what was, in effect, the military police run by the Sadducees”.

When I read this, my face fell, I physically cringed. I couldn’t believe that the author IS a believer of conspiracy theories. It’s like reading a cool sci-fi book that explores the idea of the Earth being flat, and then at the end the author jumpscares you with her actual flat Earth beliefs. I wish it wouldn’t ruin my enjoyment, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, sure, she has the right to own an opinion on the matter, it’s the overall confidence and arrogant tone in her final notes that irks me. She holds no historian degree (or anything of the sort), to do such a bold statement and not raise my eyebrows.

Spouting ideas dismissed by academia as mere conspiracy theories is, unfortunately, entirely on brand. Manda Scott believes/practices Shamanic Dreaming (Shamanism) - a “modern extension of indigenous spiritualties” (quote from her website, she has courses for it and everything, lol). So, for more sensitive readers, keep all this in mind regarding the level of irreverence with which she overall treats Christianity and biblical figures in this book.

WILL THIS AFFECT THE RATING? Is innocence bliss? In this case, I would believe so. I deliberately tried to suspend my disbelief the best I could and keep an open mind, but the author's voice was LOUD. I am someone that absolutely disagrees that people should not read from an author they have different opinions or ideals from. It’s such a limited, small mentality. If that were the case, if I only read from people I fully align myself with, then I would barely read. So no, my rating is solely based on this author’s fictionalized story, not her beliefs. I mentioned them because I debated heavily on if that should be reflected on the rating. (And because I found it all to be a bit crazy and worth a mention).

A small reflection: If we all read a bit more outside of our bubble; if people understood that they often willingly put themselves in safe, bubbly wrapped echo chambers, that would be a great start. Isn’t the point of reading to understand different perspectives, rather than only those we are comfortable with? Different doesn’t only mean a reality foreign to your own, but a point of view you also have learned to reject. I can’t count the number of times I read a book that had predominant elements that conflicted with my personal ideals, and I was still able to find enjoyment in them. I believe that type of mentality is true open-mindedness, not the pre-curated open-mindedness that most people engage in nowadays. You are not practicing true open-mindedness if you just engage in things you already believe, agree and are comfortable with – that is selective tolerance!

Circle. All the same. Snow/Coin ahh criticism.

- Beginning: 5☆
- Middle: 3☆
- Ending: 2/2,5☆

Final rating: 3.5☆

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time taken to read - in and out over 6 days

Pages - 589

Publisher - Bantam

Source - Think a friend gave me it

Blurb from Goodreads

From the bestselling author of the Boudica novels, The Fire of Rome is a gripping race-against-time historical adventure in the bestselling tradition of Robert Harris's Pompeii.
AD 34: Sebastos Pantera is twelve. Training for the time when he too will be a soldier of Rome, he follows his father to a garden tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem where he watches him greet two men and a heavily pregnant woman. In a moment that changes his life forever, he sees a wounded revolutionary being brought out of the tomb alive . . .
Twenty years later, Pantera returns from five years undercover in Britannia as assassin and spy for the Legions. He is sick of spying, but a deadly combination of old loyalties and a sense of unfinished business combine to lure him homeward to the city of Rome where, his former mentor and spymaster, the Machiavellian Seneca the Younger, charges him with rooting out the revolutionaries responsible for the city's seething unrest. Pantera discovers that the main troublemaker is none other than his closest friend, Saulos, a recent convert to the new religion of Christianity, and Saulos is planning the biggest single act of terrorism the Roman Empire has known.
Spying, forbidden secrets, an ancient manuscript and an apocalyptic fire combine in a gripping thriller that will change the way we think about the ancient world.


My Review

I think this is my first time reading this author and I believe this is part of a series. Often I will say yeah you can pick a book up and read it as a standalone and according to fantastic fiction this is book one in a four book series. I don't know like the afterword talks about the characters in this book, like they appeared in other books so is it from the standalones? I don't know but I do feel I kinda missed out on some stuff. There is apparently a Boudicca series so I think maybe had I read them first I would have had much more of a feel for these characters.

There is a fair few central characters, assassins, baddies but I was like wait is this a good guy or a bad guy. The authors note at the end of the book I kind of wish I had read first as it gives you so much info/history about the time period we have just read. The book is around the time Nero is ruling (the prologue is set during Emperor Tiberius) and the characters from the first timeline we do get some crossover.

I don't know a lot of the history/timeline of the Romans/Emperor's so it is certainly interesting/bloody/shocking/graphic. I mean the ten year old kid being objectified and lusted over is really uncomfortable. Debauchery, murder, violence like I think the author is very true to the time period and clearly done a lot of research.

I just found there was so much going on, different timelines, different characters, always shadiness, barbaric practises and I am the first to admit I am having a lot of readers block so a lot of the issue is me for this one. There is a lot to read, some stuff went over my head but the stuff I did tune into was engaging but otherwise maybe just too much scope, too many storylines/characters. I dunno, did I like it, yeah but I am not sure I would be running to get book two, 3/5.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I calculated recently that at a rate of a book a week for seventy years, I would still not have read some remarkable literature. Let's simplify the maths to an even seventy fifties: three thousand five hundred books. Not enough, simply not enough books to have left in my wake by the time I am called to the Great Library in the Sky. That leaves precious little time for books which bring no joy, offer no education, deliver no richness to my 3,500-book existence. And so to M.C. Scott's 'Rome: The Emperor's Spy'.

I tried; believe me, I tried. Despite not really finding a reason to push on into the middle of the book within the first few chapters my love of Roman history and that thing in my reader self that makes me think very long and very hard about abandoning The Printed Word forced me on. But I have reached the point where to continue would be folly. The setting is likable enough, it being the Roman Empire, albeit not the city itself. But not one of the characters, despite their travails in the opening two hundred pages, has drawn from me one iota of sympathy, in fact of any feeling at all. Nothing. I do not need to love the characters of a book to like the book, but (especially in a character-driven work) I need to be able to feel something for someone within.

I pick up every collection of pages covered in the ideas of others wanting to fall in love with their words, anticipating the wonder of what lies within. If I read any further in 'The Emperor's Spy' I shall quite possibly be denying myself the opportunity to find that wonder elsewhere, and I can't do that. R:TES is not the worst book I have ever picked up, but I can find no reason to pick it up again.

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable fast paced read that gave me a new impression of Nero and the burning of Rome. I liked the mix of characters but since this is my first book by this author, I did feel at a little bit of a disadvantage as to knowing the back histoyr and felt a bit cheated at the end when I wanted it to end properly - rather than with a carry on toward the next book. It does have an ending, don't get me wrong, but I prefer something more permanent. I liked the racing scenes very much and the descriptions of the fire, but I could have done without the bit between Pantera and Hannah toward the end. I loved Math and Pantera particularly as characters but all were well drawn. This was a very well written story and I'd definitely read more by this author.

[Redfox5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I didn't dislike this book, there was nothing particularly gripping about it. The beginning was somewhat confusing and it took me awhile to figure out who everyone was in the story.

The plot was a 'spy story' but personally I found the chariot racing side of things more exciting. And although I liked the characters, it didn't go beyond that. And it's no surprise everyone was in love with Hannah because apart from Hypatia, who most of the characters don't meet, she is pretty much the only female in the book.

I would only recommend this book if you are really into your Roman tales, if not then best avoid. I'm not planning to read the others in the series.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather disappointing. I was hoping for a heroic romp through Rome but what I got was a soft story, over stuffed with pseudo religious clap trap. Too many characters that I cared little or nothing about and unrealistic scenes that just didn't keep the action flowing. This book could have been 200 pages shorter. A real struggle to get to the end.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just kept getting thrown out of the book and couldn’t finish it. Every glance was laden with melodrama. Every fragment of conversation was ripe with feeling and inexpressible emotion. And half of this among strangers.

[MEF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex, slowly revealed truths and relationships, violence and intrigue set against the backdrop of Rome’s enormous far reaching power. Mystical at times and with gripping descriptions of life and the daily dangers of 65AD . Just staying alive seems a challenge to the modern eye. Add in a man who has to actively seek danger in order to fulfill promises to those he loves and orders from a merciless and vain emperor and you have a gripping read .

[Shane Findlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on myriad glowing reviews I expected better but was not disappointed. I’ve recently purchased the entire series. I hope that was not a mistake. 3.5⭐️

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manda Scott is best known for her Boudica novels. These four novels describe the transformation of Breaca into the Boudica, the celebrated warrior queen of the Iceni who dealt Britain’s Roman overlords their greatest defeat and humiliation. In Rome: The Emperor’s Spy, the first in a new set of novels, Scott becomes M.C. Scott and we are taken into the larger world of the Roman empire, from Gaul to Jerusalem, Alexandria and Rome itself. Chief among the characters looms Nero himself. We couldn’t be closer to imperial Rome’s political intrigue.

As the novel opens in 1st-century AD Jerusalem, we witness a young boy watching his father, a Roman soldier, hand over the still breathing body of a crucifixion victim to a woman and a zealot. Wanting nothing more than to be a citizen of Rome, the child sees this as a betrayal and he immediately sets off alone to Alexandria and Seneca, a great teacher and philosopher. When we meet the boy again, he has grown in to Sebastos Abdes Pantera, the emperor’s spy. We are now in Gaul amongst its finest charioteers.

Much of the action of the novel is presented from the perspective of Math, a young boy who works with the chariot horses, who has used his wits and beauty to pick pockets and whore. At first sight he is captivated by the charisma and bearing of Pantera and he sets out to become as good a spy, following him into the night, hiding under water troughs, taking beatings when he is caught.

This is where knowledge of the legacy of the Boudica novels would help. Math, his father Caradoc and other characters will be known to readers of the earlier novels and would explain why, once he has learnt of the true identity of Math, Pantera swears to defend him with his life. He’s not alone, Math is also protect by healer and mystic – and extremely likeable – Hannah.

The emperor’s spy then has two missions, to protect Math (not least from Nero) and to work for the emperor to discover the truth behind a legacy that foretells the burning of Rome. All this against the backdrop of chariot racing, and the schemes of Nero’s chief agent Akakios and the less obvious intentions of Shimon the Zealot and Saulos, the quiet and kind leatherworker in the chariot compound.

Anyone with some knowledge of history knows that Rome did burn, whether Nero fiddled or not. At the time Christians took the blame and this novel takes a look at whether that blame is deserved, tracing the first spark back to the rescue of the young Judean from his tomb in Jerusalem.

My confession is that I have read the first of the Boudica novels but I did not enjoy it, possibly because I could find no empathy with the characters or with their world. This, however, did not affect my appreciation of Rome: The Emperor’s Spy. A knowledge of the characters from earlier novels is not essential, their strength in these pages makes each stand alone. This novel is full of action, not least the fearful chariot races, pursuits through busy city streets, close combat and the inevitable inferno. But the action is matched by a most captivating narrative. Each character, from Nero himself through to a fleeting encounter in the street, is intriguing. Pantera in particular is a remarkable creation. As for his backstory…

No doubt one can argue about Scott’s explanation of the role of Christianity in the burning of Rome, not to mention her interpretation of the figures of Paul and Jesus, but the background, the characters and story are so well drawn, the details of ancient life and towns so clear, that this novel is a joy to read. It isn’t short but I read it in two days. Luckily, Part 2 - Rome: The Coming of the King - is already available.M.C. ScottThe Emperor's Spy

[Martin Lake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent historical novel, one which blends character driven narrative with tightly plotted action. It is easy to let either action or character dominate the other; MC Scott avoids this by peopling her novel with a range of vibrant characters placed in dread peril.
As the author of The Lost King: Resistance, I was intrigued that one of her central characters is a young boy of about my protagonist's age, with all the opportunities which this gives to engage the reader. Math is a wonderful creation who will live long in my memory.
I loved many things about this book. One is that people of different ages play key roles whether young like Math or old like Shimon and Seneca. The other is that there are strong female characters. They are tough-minded, sensitive and sensual and move the plot and the world of the book. I hope to see more of Hannah in particular in future novels.
Scott's writing is sensual and alluring. As I read the book I was thrown into the furnace heat of Alexandria and the fetid stews of Rome: '…the dawn mist rising from the river draped itself wetly over the stalls, saturating them all in the Tiber's bouquet of drowned rats and duck shit and mud.'
She is also adept at the telling and insightful phrase: 'His bare feet were hard as hooves from a lifetime's unshod wanderings.' Lovely writing.
There were a few occasions when I felt the characters placement in a scene was stretching the probable, serving the plot rather than the milieu or the characters' motivations but these were few.
I most especially liked the way in which much of the conflict was not about warfare and fighting, although there was plenty of that. There was competition between chariot racing teams, fighting to master wilful horses, exhausting battles against immense fires, the clash of different beliefs and the conflict of loving too many people. Real conflicts which churned my heart and caused me tears.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one because an old friend has arranged for the author to come talk to her new book group on a weekend when I'm up in the area visiting family, and didn't actually mean to finish it just yet. It's set in AD 64, around the build up to the fire where Nero proverbially fiddled while Rome burned. It's the first in a series, but this series actually follows an earlier one about the Boudiccan revolt. There were a lot of things where it referred back, and I got the feeling there'd be some "a-ha" moments that would fill in some gaps for people who'd read the earlier books that I missed. Had I had a choice, I'd have preferred to read these in order, but the local book shop only had the Rome books on the shelves and I wasn't sure I'd have time to read it if I asked them to order it. The characters are well-drawn and feel natural, and the historical detail is well thought out. I was really enjoying this and trying to string it out until nearer the deadline, but went to bed last night with 200 pages to go. Unfortunately the twenty minutes reading I'd planned to do took me to the point when fire broke out and the action hotted up (no pun intended). So I just had to keep going to find out what happened next! Eventually finished at 2am and kind of wish I hadn't stayed up that late this morning! Would definitely recommend it, but possibly after the 4 Boudiccan books.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having a good appetite for what might be called the: "Boy's Own Adventure", type historical fiction of this era (Scarrow's Eagle Series for example), I thought that I would try something a little more character based and with slightly less focus on the action. Well, I certainly got that. The book's development of several key characters over such a prolonged period, did make for what I found to be a weighty read in places. The importance of religion to the various characters was also a new approach for me. However, the focus on spiritual issues and beliefs of the the various characters, does eventually lead into the fascinating introduction of a well known early Christian leader as a key player within an increasingly faster paced plot. This take on Rome / Early Christian / break away Hebrew Sects, was what eventually got me hooked and as Rome heads to its infamous fire, the mix of history and myth blurs superbly to become indistinguishable, as the action and intrigue and dangerously unpredictable behaviour of Emperor Nero all combine to reward the plodding reader such as myself with a thrilling second half. In summary, a slow starter, intelligent, sometimes bleak, but ultimately rewarding novel of Rome.

[Beorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book wanting to enjoy it far more than I ended up doing so. After flicking through the authors Boudica series - which I will read properly later - I gave myself the wrong impression that this book would have the same level of infectious appeal.

The best way I can describe this novel is if I were to compare it to it's cinematic equal. It is far more like those Hollywood epics churned out in the 1950s set in Rome or around Romans that were still relatively safe with most if not all of the visceral brutality of the period airbrushed out.
The biggest disappointment for me is that this doesn't have the visceral bloody plot, none of the deep menacing intrigue nor raw down-to-earth humanity that half a dozen Roman fiction authors do so well.

That's not to say that this is a poorly written book. Far from it. It is very well written, with quite a cinematic feel to it. It is just that it feels too middle-of-the-road for my particular tastes. It's all just too safe, and for a series that centres around a talented spy, there's precious little weight to the intrigue or mystery either, at least to me.

Disappointing.

[Graham Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light hearted romp - Dan Brown does Ben Hur with a dash of James Bond. Personally these Roman spy novels work better for me than Scott's Boudica books. Normally her interpersonal relationships between characters are predictably melodramatic, but in this genre there is thankfully no room for character development. The pacing is better (though all her books seem about 100 pages too long) and I don't mind that all the characters are super heroes/villains in my airport-read action adventures. There are lots of set pieces, cliff hangers in mandatory ancient locations and the sheer cheek of putting Jesus' daughter in a bisexual love triangle between Hypatia - the lesbian mother of science and our sandaled James Bond would make Dan Brown blush. Evangelical Christians may find this novel problematic. I thought it so wonderfully silly it was camp. Certainly there are Southpark comedy moments in the fight club hoedowns between St Pete(secret weapon olive staff) & St Paul. Bwahaha! Alas (after reading the deeply earnest end notes) I have a feeling Ms Scott takes herself far more seriously than we should.

[The Idle Woman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manda Scott; the Emperor Nero; chariot-racing; mystery cults; a love triangle; and an imperial spy fighting against time to prevent disaster: it’s a formidably tempting combination. Needless to say, I’ve been itching to read this ever since I finished the last of the Boudica novels and was finally able to wait no longer. And it thoroughly lived up to expectations, as I tore breathlessly through an audacious, fast-paced story, plotted with an almost Dunnettian dexterity.

However, one thing is worth making clear right from the off. Although one could, in theory, read this as a standalone novel, its full richness and meaning will only become clear if you have already read the Boudica books. From that point of view, the Rome series must be regarded – at least in this opening instalment – as a sequel, rather than an independent story. But it’s a sequel that turns the story in a completely new direction, with new characters and a new mission: taut, daring and extremely well-crafted...

For the rest of the review, please visit my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/01/26/r...

[C.M. Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Manda Scottsdale style of writing, although I think if I put half the things
Sat my editor that she gets away with like long sentences and certain structure, then my editor would be cutting and cropping...but that may be my loss as it comes across well and I like the style she writes in, it's what makes it her and makes me think I will keep certain traits of my writing the way I like them.

Okay, the book. Well I was delighted that the Rome series really does follow on from the Boudicca series while still being strong as a stand alone read. We have new characters right up until a point that brings the series together for those of us who enjoyed Boudicca.

I won't go into the plot and story, only to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, it is unique amongst the many books written about the times of Rome and I recommend it highly. Great research and fantastic storytelling has brought us another wonderful Manda Scott book. I hav already ordered the next one!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

M.C. Scott is my new favorite author! The setting is Rome during the Reign of the Emperor Nero. The story opens in the summer of AD 63. If you like to go back in time and space via poignant historical fiction, this book is for you. The characters (some real-life historical figures)come to life in a new way, you may become so attached,or disgusted with the heroes and the villains that you will almost become a part of the story. The chariot races, the horses, and the men, women, and children who train, protect and drive them is fascinating. This book is a first class spy-thriller, as several of the characters find themselves locked into an ancient underground which gives the term deep-cover a whole new meaning. Finally, spicy romance develops,and this intertwined with life and death circumstances, adds a whole new dimension to the plot.

[Lance McMurchy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book failed on two counts: firstly, it struggled to pique my interest and seem rather dull; secondly, it failed as an historical novel by manipulating the facts as an attempt to make the story better, and to vilify a historical figure base on the author presuppositions. Sorry, but St Paul doesn’t look anything like the Machiavellian character in the book, based on his letters and the book of Acts. The same Paul who said, ‘Do not repay anyone evil for evil.’ And, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him’. And, sorry, I don’t think he ever got to Gaul

[Michal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave this book a try, read half of it, but I do not want to continue. The characters and the setting seem somehow artificial to me, maybe the author should have done more research (or show that she did)? This is quite surprising because others' reviews indicate that they found the book very immersive and well written. I cannot second the opinion. In any case, I might be reading one of the later books in the series to see how it developed, but at this point I am way too disappointed.

2 stars

Second reading: 3.4 stars