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The Steam Empire Chronicles #2
Copper Centurion
Rome Seeks Vengeance
In his Award Winning Debut Novel Brass Legionnaire, author Daniel Ottalini introduced us to the world of Roman Steampunk as Julius Brutus Caesar and his royal commanding officer Constantine Appius fought to save the city of Brittenburg from total devastation. Now, Rome looks to avenge the actions of the Nortlanders and invades the north. But saddled with political oversight, inept leadership and a resourcefully cunning enemy, the expedition walks a fine line between glory and destruction. With their technology failing, it will be down to swords and shields in the next novel of the Steam Empire Chronicles, Copper Centurion.
In his Award Winning Debut Novel Brass Legionnaire, author Daniel Ottalini introduced us to the world of Roman Steampunk as Julius Brutus Caesar and his royal commanding officer Constantine Appius fought to save the city of Brittenburg from total devastation. Now, Rome looks to avenge the actions of the Nortlanders and invades the north. But saddled with political oversight, inept leadership and a resourcefully cunning enemy, the expedition walks a fine line between glory and destruction. With their technology failing, it will be down to swords and shields in the next novel of the Steam Empire Chronicles, Copper Centurion.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2013
7 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Ottalini
12 books27 followersDaniel Ottalini is a teacher, writer, and amateur historian. His interests include reading everything from nonfiction to sci-fi and amazing others with his knowledge of random facts. When not working with his students, he is most likely writing some more or catching much needed rest. He lives in Maryland.
Ottalini's last novel - Laurel Emperor - brings the Steam Empire Chronicles to a close. From the award-winning Brass Legionnaire to the thrilling conclusion of Laurel Emperor, Ottalini deftly weaves a tale of intrigue, rebellion, a Mongol invasion, mechanical elephants, airships, love, and even togas. What more could you ask for in a series?
Be sure to check out his latest novella - the Last Gladiator - a prequel to the world of the Steam Empire Chronicles.
Ottalini's last novel - Laurel Emperor - brings the Steam Empire Chronicles to a close. From the award-winning Brass Legionnaire to the thrilling conclusion of Laurel Emperor, Ottalini deftly weaves a tale of intrigue, rebellion, a Mongol invasion, mechanical elephants, airships, love, and even togas. What more could you ask for in a series?
Be sure to check out his latest novella - the Last Gladiator - a prequel to the world of the Steam Empire Chronicles.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 19, 2013
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this for proof and honest reviewing!
Copper Centurion is the second book in The Steam Empire Chronicles, and follows the evens right after Brass Legionnaire. This means, while you can follow along well enough to what's going on in the novel, reading the first one helps set up the who and what and wherefore and I feel makes a stronger foundation for the characters. So, spoilers for the first novel: Julius Caesar--not that one, another one--is a regular Roman citizen who decides to join up with the new Legion. He meets up with another guy, Constantine, who just happens to be second in line to the throne, then first when a botched assassination attempt kills his older brother but fail to kill him. There is bonding, a large spread conspiracy, Roman steampunk galore, and a siege that leaves the city of Brittenburg flooded and Julius's family M.I.A.
Caught up? Good. Now--
We leave off with Rome preparing for war against the Nortlanders, Julius eager to spill their barbarian blood due to his personal grievances. This is good since it gives him a little more character depth, and my previous complaint about his lack of attention on his family is addressed...largely by him becoming a bit of a vengeance filled prat, who denies help to Nortlander civilians because of his bitterness. This leaves Gwendryn, his Gallic second in command and good friend to knock sense into him about not being the evil he's fighting against.
How I imagined the Gwendryn and Julius argument only with the fictional inclusion of beer. I think Gwendryn would approve, because beer.
I appreciate this flaw in Julius since it allows a real time inspection of character growth, building a small foothold of emotional investment and interpersonal development that was only covered in the first novel with broad strokes. It also allows him to change and get emotional payoff later in the novel when he deals with certain Roman slaves. Julius's half is the narrower, more human focus of the novel: with smaller stakes but more detail and investment.
The other main character, Constantine, is given the novel's political intrigue and this one is handled broadly. Again, not a bad thing, but there is less connection to his personal motives and he lacks the dynamism that Julius gained in this novel. A few transitions explaining the movements off screen that might have better served him as a character, but we do get more insight from the engaging secondary characters such as Alexandros and newcomers Gravus and Octavia.
My favorite scene was probably the one with Gravus giving Constantine a philosophical debate about the excesses of Rome's wealth. He provided a much needed conflict for Constantine to deal with by being the heir to the throne when the rest of the novel was an external conflict of bashing in barbarian helmets. Which, don't get me wrong, I love me some fighting and rousing speeches of honor and glory, but I also love political intrigue. And stories about a long lasting Roman Empire is full of ripe for the picking histories to build on. Still, this novel is more brisk adventure story and I can't blame anyone who doesn't want to take seven hundred pages to describe all the intricacies of political ramblings G.R.R.M. style. Readers who want a sense of intrigue but really want to get to the good parts will appreciate this, those that find their favorite scenes tend to be slow built exposition of "now you see how my plan has come together" may find a taste of it here, but not enough to really sink their teeth into.
See? Fight scenes! Entertaining!
Octavia Pelia, the other new character, might have actually overtaken Constantine in character dimensions with the help of flashbacks detailing her past tragedies and the reasons why she's such a hardnosed senator who insists in coming along on the campaign even though as a woman and a politician she's doubly resented by the legionnaires. This was a welcome inclusion for any possible contribution she may have to future political developments, and she's pretty practical when it comes down to plot concerns. Octavia and Constantine do develop somewhat of an instant attraction that I would have liked to have seen teased out a little more but I can't fault the reasoning for her to cozy up to someone soon to be the most powerful figure in Rome who happens to also be a decent guy.
Seriously, he's the next Roman Emperor. I can't blame her for having aspirations.
As for the main plot of Copper Centurion, with most characters established, it heads into the thick of it quickly enough. A very nice break from other second in a series books is that Ottalini allows the book to have a definite end without a major cliffhanger. Are there unresolved matters to be addressed in a third book? Absolutely! But there's also a resolution and the characters you are interested in and no attempt at gimmicky "tune in next week" dramatics. Plenty of books do the cliffhanger right, but more than not I've seen a second book used basically as a bridge from beginning to third act. It's refreshing to see Copper Centurion treated as a story of its own. I wouldn't have minded seeing the epilogue include Julius finally getting to properly reunite with his sister though. You know, when there is time for hugging and not imminent danger of an unstable coup. Is that too much to wish for?
As a whole, Copper Centurion still has moments where I wished there was more to the story: more backstory, more intrigue, more explanation of how the world works and the character interactions play out. What it does deliver is still solidly entertaining and improves upon the first novel. So if readers check out the first one and like it, this is definitely worth reading. And if you happen to like this one I'm sure you'd come back for another installment.
Because the odds of the next one involving more explosions is pretty good. Bread and circuses and explosions.
Copper Centurion is the second book in The Steam Empire Chronicles, and follows the evens right after Brass Legionnaire. This means, while you can follow along well enough to what's going on in the novel, reading the first one helps set up the who and what and wherefore and I feel makes a stronger foundation for the characters. So, spoilers for the first novel: Julius Caesar--not that one, another one--is a regular Roman citizen who decides to join up with the new Legion. He meets up with another guy, Constantine, who just happens to be second in line to the throne, then first when a botched assassination attempt kills his older brother but fail to kill him. There is bonding, a large spread conspiracy, Roman steampunk galore, and a siege that leaves the city of Brittenburg flooded and Julius's family M.I.A.
Caught up? Good. Now--
We leave off with Rome preparing for war against the Nortlanders, Julius eager to spill their barbarian blood due to his personal grievances. This is good since it gives him a little more character depth, and my previous complaint about his lack of attention on his family is addressed...largely by him becoming a bit of a vengeance filled prat, who denies help to Nortlander civilians because of his bitterness. This leaves Gwendryn, his Gallic second in command and good friend to knock sense into him about not being the evil he's fighting against.
How I imagined the Gwendryn and Julius argument only with the fictional inclusion of beer. I think Gwendryn would approve, because beer.
I appreciate this flaw in Julius since it allows a real time inspection of character growth, building a small foothold of emotional investment and interpersonal development that was only covered in the first novel with broad strokes. It also allows him to change and get emotional payoff later in the novel when he deals with certain Roman slaves. Julius's half is the narrower, more human focus of the novel: with smaller stakes but more detail and investment.
The other main character, Constantine, is given the novel's political intrigue and this one is handled broadly. Again, not a bad thing, but there is less connection to his personal motives and he lacks the dynamism that Julius gained in this novel. A few transitions explaining the movements off screen that might have better served him as a character, but we do get more insight from the engaging secondary characters such as Alexandros and newcomers Gravus and Octavia.
My favorite scene was probably the one with Gravus giving Constantine a philosophical debate about the excesses of Rome's wealth. He provided a much needed conflict for Constantine to deal with by being the heir to the throne when the rest of the novel was an external conflict of bashing in barbarian helmets. Which, don't get me wrong, I love me some fighting and rousing speeches of honor and glory, but I also love political intrigue. And stories about a long lasting Roman Empire is full of ripe for the picking histories to build on. Still, this novel is more brisk adventure story and I can't blame anyone who doesn't want to take seven hundred pages to describe all the intricacies of political ramblings G.R.R.M. style. Readers who want a sense of intrigue but really want to get to the good parts will appreciate this, those that find their favorite scenes tend to be slow built exposition of "now you see how my plan has come together" may find a taste of it here, but not enough to really sink their teeth into.
See? Fight scenes! Entertaining!
Octavia Pelia, the other new character, might have actually overtaken Constantine in character dimensions with the help of flashbacks detailing her past tragedies and the reasons why she's such a hardnosed senator who insists in coming along on the campaign even though as a woman and a politician she's doubly resented by the legionnaires. This was a welcome inclusion for any possible contribution she may have to future political developments, and she's pretty practical when it comes down to plot concerns. Octavia and Constantine do develop somewhat of an instant attraction that I would have liked to have seen teased out a little more but I can't fault the reasoning for her to cozy up to someone soon to be the most powerful figure in Rome who happens to also be a decent guy.
Seriously, he's the next Roman Emperor. I can't blame her for having aspirations.
As for the main plot of Copper Centurion, with most characters established, it heads into the thick of it quickly enough. A very nice break from other second in a series books is that Ottalini allows the book to have a definite end without a major cliffhanger. Are there unresolved matters to be addressed in a third book? Absolutely! But there's also a resolution and the characters you are interested in and no attempt at gimmicky "tune in next week" dramatics. Plenty of books do the cliffhanger right, but more than not I've seen a second book used basically as a bridge from beginning to third act. It's refreshing to see Copper Centurion treated as a story of its own. I wouldn't have minded seeing the epilogue include Julius finally getting to properly reunite with his sister though. You know, when there is time for hugging and not imminent danger of an unstable coup. Is that too much to wish for?
As a whole, Copper Centurion still has moments where I wished there was more to the story: more backstory, more intrigue, more explanation of how the world works and the character interactions play out. What it does deliver is still solidly entertaining and improves upon the first novel. So if readers check out the first one and like it, this is definitely worth reading. And if you happen to like this one I'm sure you'd come back for another installment.
Because the odds of the next one involving more explosions is pretty good. Bread and circuses and explosions.
June 10, 2019
Great read.
May 8, 2013
I was thrilled to get a review copy from the author.
For those of you who want a little something other than the usual Victorian London steampunk, have I got something fresh for you. Image a world where Rome did not fall, a world of Roman steampunk technology. That’s what you will find in Daniel Ottalini’s Steam Empire Chronicles — Copper Centurion.
It’s all there, steam-powered automated creatures, Roman weapons, armor, and airship battles.
" High above the battlefield, Constantine gripped the railing of the H.M.A.S. Scioparto. Though temporarily blinded by ash and smoke, Constantine could hear the sounds of war. He walked through the haze, keeping one hand tight on the warm metal rail. He could feel the ship turning below him, and suddenly they were out of the smoke and into the bright morning sunshine.
Below him lay a tapestry of fire and explosions. The air fleet had received orders to secure the airspace above so-called Vulcan’s Island. There had been no opposition as the squadron dropped into optimum targeting range, low over the settlements and forts. The ash and smoke from the burning villages around the island was proving more challenging than the island’s defenders."
The characters are well-written and believable. The pace of the story is crisp and fast. The cover art and interior art are excellent. I didn’t have any problems picking up the story with part two, although, I am sure that I would have gotten more out of it if I had read the first book. I strongly suggest reading Brass Legionnaire (Volume 1) first. I’d also suggest reading through the TERMINOLOGY at the end of the book. Having said that, Copper Centurion is an excellent read.
I enjoyed every minute this ebook and I highly recommend it. I give it 4 1/2 Roman airships out of 5.
For those of you who want a little something other than the usual Victorian London steampunk, have I got something fresh for you. Image a world where Rome did not fall, a world of Roman steampunk technology. That’s what you will find in Daniel Ottalini’s Steam Empire Chronicles — Copper Centurion.
It’s all there, steam-powered automated creatures, Roman weapons, armor, and airship battles.
" High above the battlefield, Constantine gripped the railing of the H.M.A.S. Scioparto. Though temporarily blinded by ash and smoke, Constantine could hear the sounds of war. He walked through the haze, keeping one hand tight on the warm metal rail. He could feel the ship turning below him, and suddenly they were out of the smoke and into the bright morning sunshine.
Below him lay a tapestry of fire and explosions. The air fleet had received orders to secure the airspace above so-called Vulcan’s Island. There had been no opposition as the squadron dropped into optimum targeting range, low over the settlements and forts. The ash and smoke from the burning villages around the island was proving more challenging than the island’s defenders."
The characters are well-written and believable. The pace of the story is crisp and fast. The cover art and interior art are excellent. I didn’t have any problems picking up the story with part two, although, I am sure that I would have gotten more out of it if I had read the first book. I strongly suggest reading Brass Legionnaire (Volume 1) first. I’d also suggest reading through the TERMINOLOGY at the end of the book. Having said that, Copper Centurion is an excellent read.
I enjoyed every minute this ebook and I highly recommend it. I give it 4 1/2 Roman airships out of 5.
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