Devotio: The House of Mus

by William Kelso

Spring 298 BC. Rome is still a small, unsophisticated and upcoming nation of primitive farmers and citizens struggling to survive in central Italy. Bitter and deadly enemies surround the youthful republic. It is the period of true Roman greatness, an age of loyalty to land, city and the old Roman gods.

On the Liris frontier a hard fought peace exists between the hardy Roman colonists and the fiercely independent Samnite mountain tribes.

In the Roman colony of Sora, Gaius, an eighteen year old farmer's son has little inkling that his life is about to utterly change. As tragedy strikes he is forced on a journey that will lead him to the House of Mus and set him on the path to becoming one of the young republic's greatest soldiers.

As Rome prepares for the decisive battle for control of the Italian peninsula at a place called Sentinum, Gaius will witness an act of supreme Roman patriotism, an act of personal devotion that will leave him the sole heir to a noble and heroic tradition.

The House of Mus is the first instalment of the Devotio series.

Genres: Historical Fiction

345 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 18, 2013

About the author

Hello, my name is William Kelso.

My stories are all about ancient Rome and Carthage, especially the early to mid-republic as this was the age of true Roman greatness. I have written 25 books so far with an aim of reaching a 100.

Reviews

[Francis Mulhern · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of this book was intriguing and left me wanting more, but I found myself dragged away by 'life' and the things we have to do just to keep the wolves at bay. Having come back to it in the last few weeks I was once again transported to a period I know quite a lot about from my own books and research but the level of detail and associated research that the author must have done is very very good.
I've grown used to (and really enjoy) the way Kelso moves the pace from slow to fast and back again, driving the reader through various levels of pace to bring about dramatic tension and developing the storyline to give a very good insight into the thoughts of the characters as well as their actions.

Keep it up and I will continue to buy these excellent books :-)

Another great read and well recommended.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Roman Read

I have enjoyed William Kelso's other books and this did not dissapoint. The time period is not a common one in this type of book so it was quite refreshing.

[marc stafford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, it is a shame it had to end !

The characters were vivid and alive , the pace of the book was good and I would highly recommend this book.

[Eric S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cracking Good Read

I am a sucker for historical fiction from Roman history. This doesn’t disappoint.
Rome wasn’t the relentless force it became in the later Republic when it became the Empire of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar. The story has a propulsive energy with a great battle scene at its end. My congratulations to Mr. Kelso.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing was technically pedestrian but materiel and characters were fascinating. Good overview of Early Rome.

[Mary Rocco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very interested in Ancient Rome so I read it for the story, but the writing is mediocre. And, the editing/proofreading is dreadful.