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Sword of Empire #1
Praetorian
171AD.
Rome is at war with the northern tribes - and is yet to win a significant battle.
The Germanic armies have crossed the Danube and have attacked the Empire, slaughtering thousands.
The Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is losing the support of the people and the Senate.
Yet he has formed a plan he believes will change the balance of power in the region.
Aurelius has despatched an officer in the Praetorian Guard, the centurion Gaius Maximus, to escort the son and daughter of a powerful German tribal chief back to their village through enemy territory - in hope of arranging an alliance with Rome.
But Maximus, to complete his mission, must contest with enemies at home, as well as abroad.
One man will change the fate of an Empire, or die trying.
From the backstreets of Rome, to the forests of Germany, and onto the Battle of Pannonia, Sword of Empire: Praetorian is the first book in a new series from the bestselling author of the novel Augustus: Son of Rome - and the Sword of Rome collection of novellas about the campaigns of Julius Caesar.
For fans of Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane and Conn Iggulden.
Richard Foreman's books have been widely praised.
Praise for 'Augustus: Son of Rome'.
'Augustus: Son of Rome forges action and adventure with politics and philosophy. This superb story is drenched in both blood and wisdom - and puts Foreman on the map as the coming man of historical fiction'. - Saul David, Author of the Zulu Hart series.
Praise for Raffles: The Complete Innings.
“Classy, humorous and surprisingly touching tales of cricket, friendship and crime.” - David Blackburn, The Spectator.
Richard Foreman is the author of numerous best-selling books, including 'Augustus: Son of Rome' and the Raffles series of historical crime novellas. He is also the author of 'Warsaw', a literary novel set during the Second World War. He lives in London.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
Rome is at war with the northern tribes - and is yet to win a significant battle.
The Germanic armies have crossed the Danube and have attacked the Empire, slaughtering thousands.
The Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, is losing the support of the people and the Senate.
Yet he has formed a plan he believes will change the balance of power in the region.
Aurelius has despatched an officer in the Praetorian Guard, the centurion Gaius Maximus, to escort the son and daughter of a powerful German tribal chief back to their village through enemy territory - in hope of arranging an alliance with Rome.
But Maximus, to complete his mission, must contest with enemies at home, as well as abroad.
One man will change the fate of an Empire, or die trying.
From the backstreets of Rome, to the forests of Germany, and onto the Battle of Pannonia, Sword of Empire: Praetorian is the first book in a new series from the bestselling author of the novel Augustus: Son of Rome - and the Sword of Rome collection of novellas about the campaigns of Julius Caesar.
For fans of Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane and Conn Iggulden.
Richard Foreman's books have been widely praised.
Praise for 'Augustus: Son of Rome'.
'Augustus: Son of Rome forges action and adventure with politics and philosophy. This superb story is drenched in both blood and wisdom - and puts Foreman on the map as the coming man of historical fiction'. - Saul David, Author of the Zulu Hart series.
Praise for Raffles: The Complete Innings.
“Classy, humorous and surprisingly touching tales of cricket, friendship and crime.” - David Blackburn, The Spectator.
Richard Foreman is the author of numerous best-selling books, including 'Augustus: Son of Rome' and the Raffles series of historical crime novellas. He is also the author of 'Warsaw', a literary novel set during the Second World War. He lives in London.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
146 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2013
About the author
Richard Foreman
37 books78 followersRichard Foreman is the author of numerous best-selling Kindle books, including Augustus: Son of Rome and the Sword of Rome series of novellas which follow Julius Caesar and his centurion Lucius Oppius during their campaigns in Britain, Gaul and the Civil War. The stories are a blend of action, intrigue and Ancient History.
He is also the author of Warsaw, a literary novel set during the end of the Second World War, and the historical novel A Hero of Our Time, as well as the Raffles series of historical crime novellas.
His latest novel, Band of Brothers: The Game's Afoot, is a story is action, intrigue and historical insight set in medieval times.
He has worked as a literary consultant and publicist to a number of bestselling authors, including Tom Holland, Conn Iggulden and Simon Scarrow. He is now a publishing director at Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books, with his business partner Matthew Lynn.
He lives in London.
He is also the author of Warsaw, a literary novel set during the end of the Second World War, and the historical novel A Hero of Our Time, as well as the Raffles series of historical crime novellas.
His latest novel, Band of Brothers: The Game's Afoot, is a story is action, intrigue and historical insight set in medieval times.
He has worked as a literary consultant and publicist to a number of bestselling authors, including Tom Holland, Conn Iggulden and Simon Scarrow. He is now a publishing director at Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books, with his business partner Matthew Lynn.
He lives in London.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 27, 2017
This was a pretty good read for me.
The story was a slow burn at the beginning but when our main characters start their journey towards North it becomes engaging,keeping the reader attention till the end.
My favorite character is Maximus,I loved to discover his true self page after page and I appreciated his courage and the love for his family and Emperor.
August 4, 2024
( Format : Audiobook )
"Time is a river of passing events."
The novella starts with an attack on a young man and his sister, children of a German tribe leader, in Rome, 171, the man being left for dead and the girl taken with the attackers. It held great promise as an exciting, somewhat different tale. Although born German, both had lived and been educated in Roman society since childhood and believed themselves now to be fully Roman. But war with Germanic tribes was underway ...
Although subsequently moving into more troubled areas of military action, the story was uninspired in it's telling and not helped by the slow, rather flat performance by the narrator, Sam Deveraux (although increasing the the playback speed to 1.3 helped it on its it's way).
Interesting times, though. 'There is a storm coming, Rufus: the plague, the war ... And the rise of Christian dissidents.'
"Time is a river of passing events."
The novella starts with an attack on a young man and his sister, children of a German tribe leader, in Rome, 171, the man being left for dead and the girl taken with the attackers. It held great promise as an exciting, somewhat different tale. Although born German, both had lived and been educated in Roman society since childhood and believed themselves now to be fully Roman. But war with Germanic tribes was underway ...
Although subsequently moving into more troubled areas of military action, the story was uninspired in it's telling and not helped by the slow, rather flat performance by the narrator, Sam Deveraux (although increasing the the playback speed to 1.3 helped it on its it's way).
Interesting times, though. 'There is a storm coming, Rufus: the plague, the war ... And the rise of Christian dissidents.'
August 14, 2020
This is an action-packed adventure centered around a centurion in Marcus Aurelius' Praetorian Guard. Ancient Rome and the Germanic border are presented in all their glory and seediness as a backdrop to the protagonists' efforts to bring peace to the border by diplomacy, bribery or military might - whatever works. I was quickly wrapped up in the book, with its interesting characters, authentic sounding scenes and gripping plot. Like me, you will find it hard to put down!
December 7, 2023
I love all things to do with ancient Rome and came across this triolgy of books by this author as a complete fluke. I have never heard of said author or the series. It turned out to be an an unexpectedly wonderful find. The story was set at a thrilling pace, with equal mix action, drama, thriller, and a bit of romance thrown in. It paints a realistic picture of what life was like for a centurion in Ancient Rome around 176AD. I have bought the entire series, and I'm already on book two.
September 19, 2018
Roman History Arrives
Great story line.......decent action......very good characterization.......some flaws in socio-cultural research but minor in scope. All-in-all a good read both interesting & action oriented
Great story line.......decent action......very good characterization.......some flaws in socio-cultural research but minor in scope. All-in-all a good read both interesting & action oriented
May 8, 2023
Alright
The story was good. The characters were fairly interesting. I liked to learn more about this period in Roman history.
The story was good. The characters were fairly interesting. I liked to learn more about this period in Roman history.
February 24, 2025
SWISH!
Went the sword through this very short read.
Went the sword through this very short read.
November 30, 2025
Historically inaccurate YA romance with a bit of Roman ambience.
February 5, 2026
5 This is the second book that I have tried by this author. They are short books but I just couldn’t finish this one. The dialogue is bad, unappealing characters and some unlikely scenarios.
June 7, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this book in fact was very disappointed when it finished. But already have the next installment in line for this evening!
January 31, 2016
I greatly enjoyed the details of Roman life in this tale, and the characters were interesting. The author has definitely done some good research on the period, and it showed. Even though the beginning felt like it jumped around a little, it had a decent pace through the rest of the book. The dialogue struck me as somewhat stilted, but it’s difficult to portray what would be a different language, in a different culture, into modern English, and I understand that difficulty. I enjoyed the appearance of historical characters in the tale, such as Galen or Marcus Aurelius. I did feel somewhat jarred by the phrase, ‘What would Maximus do?’, as it reminded me of Jesus bumper stickers, but it worked in the context. The sprinkling of philosophy throughout the book was both appropriate and interesting.
January 10, 2014
Rome is at war with the German tribes and Emperor Marcus Aurelius has yet to win a battle. The book follows centurion Gaius Maximus on his mission to escort the son and daughter of a German tribal chief on a mission to forge an alliance.
This novella is a compelling mix of action and politics. It also touches on Roman culture and religion. The main characters are well-rounded and engaging, though some of the minor ones don't linger long enough to make an impression.
All in all entertaining historical fiction.
This novella is a compelling mix of action and politics. It also touches on Roman culture and religion. The main characters are well-rounded and engaging, though some of the minor ones don't linger long enough to make an impression.
All in all entertaining historical fiction.
January 21, 2016
I was really looking forward to reading this book after reading the summary, but I have found that its not really been one of the better books I have read that covers this period. The plot is good and solid but its not one for me and I can only give it three stars - I can see it appealing to lots of others so don't let my review put you off. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2016
Fine action novel
Good action an excellent add to the series. I enjoyed this installment very much. I thought The Standard Bearer was goo, but this one's better.
Good action an excellent add to the series. I enjoyed this installment very much. I thought The Standard Bearer was goo, but this one's better.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews