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Vespasian #1-3
Tribune of Rome, Rome's Executioner, False God of Rome
Tribune of RomeAD 26: Sixteen-year-old Vespasian leaves his family farm for Rome. However, he soon finds himself out of his depth, making dangerous enemies (and dangerous friends - like the young Caligula) and becomes ensnared in a conspiracy against Tiberius. Vespasian flees the city to take up his position as tribune in an unfashionable legion on the Balkan frontier. Unblooded and inexperienced, he must lead his men in savage battle with hostile mountain tribes...Rome's ExecutionerThracia, AD 30: Even after four years military service at the edge of the Roman world, Vespasian can't escape the tumultuous politics of an Empire on the brink of disintegration. His patrons in Rome charge him with the clandestine extraction of an old enemy from a fortress on the banks of the Danube before it falls to the Roman legion besieging it. Vespasian's mission is the key move in a deadly struggle for the right to rule the Roman Empire... False God of RomeRome, AD 34: Vespasian is serving as a military officer on the outskirts of the Empire. But political events in Rome draw him back to the city. The new emperor Caligula forms an extravagant project to bridge the bay of Neapolis and ride over it wearing Alexander's breastplate. And it falls to Vespasian to travel to Alexandria and steal it from Alexander's mausoleum. Vespasian's mission will lead to violence, mayhem and theft - and in the end, to a betrayal so great it will echo through the ages...BOOKS 1-3 IN THE VESPASIAN SERIES______________________________________________Don't miss Robert Fabbri's epic new series Alexander's Legacy
1167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2014
62 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Robert Fabbri
56 books343 followersRobert Fabbri read Drama and Theatre at London University and has worked in film and TV for 25 years. He is an assistant director and has worked on productions such as Hornblower, Hellraiser, Patriot Games and Billy Elliot. Now, his life-long passion for ancient history, especially for that of the Roman Empire, has drawn him to write his first novel. He lives in London and Berlin.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 18, 2023
A great book let down (in my opinion) by the completely misleading representation of both Jesus and Paul. The suggestion that Yeshua (Jesus) was married and had children is only conjecture and no reliable sources contain this information. The implication that his body was taken away from the tomb was made by the Romans, but his body was never produced and those who believed he had risen from the dead and claimed to see him alive were prepared to die for that belief.
Likewise the presentation of Paulus (Paul) as the captain of the guard that arrested Yeshua in the garden is again a much later conjecture and contradicts his own statement recorded in the Bible that he had never met Yeshua. The earliest reference in the Bible is to Paulus as a young man looking after the cloaks of those who stoned Stephanos (Stephen) to death, and his later testimony says he was trained as a Pharisee under Gamaliel. Best guess is that his timeline would have him in Damascus between 35 and 38 AD and then travelling to Jerusalem in 38 AD to meet the Jewish elders of the church there.
The portrayal of Paulus as a hate-filled killer of his fellow Jews in Alexandria seems to be motivated more by a desire to mis-represent Christians than to give a plausible historical reference. While the riots did happen, it is unlikely that they were instigated by Christians or that Paulus was there, or that he was so full of hate for his fellow Jews. His letters in the Bible do not contain anything of that attitude. The references to "the Jews" in the New Testament could be references to Judaeans or a particular group of Jews, especially as the first followers of Jesus were all themselves Jews. The attitude of some Christians towards Jews described in Fabbri's account does not really occur until much later.
The way the references to Yeshua and Paulus are presented in Fabbri's account seems designed more to discredit Christianity than to give us an insight into history. Fabbri is good at letting us know where he has used different characters to move the plot along, or to give a credible guess as to whether a character could have been present. While he admits to there being no historical reference to Paulus being in Alexandria, the portrayal of his character seems far removed from what we find out about him elsewhere.
I was disappointed by these misleading references, but enjoyed the book as a whole, especially the portrayal of both Caligula and Vespasian.
Likewise the presentation of Paulus (Paul) as the captain of the guard that arrested Yeshua in the garden is again a much later conjecture and contradicts his own statement recorded in the Bible that he had never met Yeshua. The earliest reference in the Bible is to Paulus as a young man looking after the cloaks of those who stoned Stephanos (Stephen) to death, and his later testimony says he was trained as a Pharisee under Gamaliel. Best guess is that his timeline would have him in Damascus between 35 and 38 AD and then travelling to Jerusalem in 38 AD to meet the Jewish elders of the church there.
The portrayal of Paulus as a hate-filled killer of his fellow Jews in Alexandria seems to be motivated more by a desire to mis-represent Christians than to give a plausible historical reference. While the riots did happen, it is unlikely that they were instigated by Christians or that Paulus was there, or that he was so full of hate for his fellow Jews. His letters in the Bible do not contain anything of that attitude. The references to "the Jews" in the New Testament could be references to Judaeans or a particular group of Jews, especially as the first followers of Jesus were all themselves Jews. The attitude of some Christians towards Jews described in Fabbri's account does not really occur until much later.
The way the references to Yeshua and Paulus are presented in Fabbri's account seems designed more to discredit Christianity than to give us an insight into history. Fabbri is good at letting us know where he has used different characters to move the plot along, or to give a credible guess as to whether a character could have been present. While he admits to there being no historical reference to Paulus being in Alexandria, the portrayal of his character seems far removed from what we find out about him elsewhere.
I was disappointed by these misleading references, but enjoyed the book as a whole, especially the portrayal of both Caligula and Vespasian.
July 5, 2018
Mai letto libro storico più bello, dal carattere avvincente e lo stile fluido e avvolgente.
Le vicende narrate, per quanto romanzate, sono fatti reali della nostra Roma Antica e denotano in tanti piccoli particolari il profondo studio profuso per ricreare le atmosfere e gli ambienti, gli usi e i costumi ai tempi di Vespasiano.
Una lettura più che consigliata.
Le vicende narrate, per quanto romanzate, sono fatti reali della nostra Roma Antica e denotano in tanti piccoli particolari il profondo studio profuso per ricreare le atmosfere e gli ambienti, gli usi e i costumi ai tempi di Vespasiano.
Una lettura più che consigliata.
January 3, 2021
Great read
Characters are well built and bear sufficient and significant connection to recorded history. Shifts to keep the hero at the center of the action feel rational and don't detract. Buying next in series
Characters are well built and bear sufficient and significant connection to recorded history. Shifts to keep the hero at the center of the action feel rational and don't detract. Buying next in series
February 5, 2018
Not a Good read
Very predictable. Not a lot of real history . I would not recommend starting this series of books. Wish I hadn’t started!
Very predictable. Not a lot of real history . I would not recommend starting this series of books. Wish I hadn’t started!
July 19, 2018
Great read
Came for the story, learned a lot about history. Looking forward to reading the next books. Robert Fabbri, well done!
Came for the story, learned a lot about history. Looking forward to reading the next books. Robert Fabbri, well done!
June 20, 2020
An easy read, but feels like a poor man's Iggulden.
April 2, 2022
IL TRIBUNO (***)
Al di là dell’obliterazione dell’io cosciente…
Quando un uomo vede Roma per la prima volta e ne sente il potere, si rende conto di essere insignificante di fronte a una città così magnifica, e di avere solo due scelte: servirla o farsi annientare, perché ignorarla è impossibile.
(pagina 48)
E’ proprio vero: tempus fugit!
Vespasiano continuò ad avanzare massacrando senza pietà donne giovani e vecchie, belle e macilente; per lui non faceva differenza, Era pieno di odio e gelida furia. Quella che provava non era la frenetica esaltazione della battaglia. Era il risveglio del desiderio profondo, che ogni uomo serba in sé, di veder morire le persone non appartenenti alla sua tribù o al suo credo, sapendo di potersi sentire purificato soltanto con la loro morte.
(pagine 242 e 243)
IL GIUSTIZIERE DI ROMA (****)
Questo secondo volume migliora dal sopore da quando Vespasiano si reca all’isola di Capri per incontrare Tiberio.
Come riportato sulla copertina, condivido l’idea che Fabbri sia insuperabile nel raccontare le scene di azione, resta carente nel resto.
IL GENERALE DI ROMA (***)
Sei stato toccato dal Vento del Bennu e ti sei immerso nella luce del suo fuoco. Amun lo sa, e io ne sono stato testimone.
Cos’é il Bennu?
L’uccello sacro d’Egitto, la cui morte e rinascita segna la fine di un’epoca e l’inizio di una nuova. Un uomo che si sia immerso nella sua luce, e che abbia sentito il vento delle sue ali mentre sbattono per consentirgli di volare verso la città santa di Heliopolis e di fare il nido sull’altare di Ra, è destinato a svolgere un ruolo nella nuova epoca. Nella tua lingua, conosci questo uccello come la Fenice.
(576)
Al di là dell’obliterazione dell’io cosciente…
Quando un uomo vede Roma per la prima volta e ne sente il potere, si rende conto di essere insignificante di fronte a una città così magnifica, e di avere solo due scelte: servirla o farsi annientare, perché ignorarla è impossibile.
(pagina 48)
E’ proprio vero: tempus fugit!
Vespasiano continuò ad avanzare massacrando senza pietà donne giovani e vecchie, belle e macilente; per lui non faceva differenza, Era pieno di odio e gelida furia. Quella che provava non era la frenetica esaltazione della battaglia. Era il risveglio del desiderio profondo, che ogni uomo serba in sé, di veder morire le persone non appartenenti alla sua tribù o al suo credo, sapendo di potersi sentire purificato soltanto con la loro morte.
(pagine 242 e 243)
IL GIUSTIZIERE DI ROMA (****)
Questo secondo volume migliora dal sopore da quando Vespasiano si reca all’isola di Capri per incontrare Tiberio.
Come riportato sulla copertina, condivido l’idea che Fabbri sia insuperabile nel raccontare le scene di azione, resta carente nel resto.
IL GENERALE DI ROMA (***)
Sei stato toccato dal Vento del Bennu e ti sei immerso nella luce del suo fuoco. Amun lo sa, e io ne sono stato testimone.
Cos’é il Bennu?
L’uccello sacro d’Egitto, la cui morte e rinascita segna la fine di un’epoca e l’inizio di una nuova. Un uomo che si sia immerso nella sua luce, e che abbia sentito il vento delle sue ali mentre sbattono per consentirgli di volare verso la città santa di Heliopolis e di fare il nido sull’altare di Ra, è destinato a svolgere un ruolo nella nuova epoca. Nella tua lingua, conosci questo uccello come la Fenice.
(576)
March 16, 2015
4 stelle perché per gli amanti del genere non dovrebbero lasciarselo sfuggire. Una stella in meno perché ogni tanto sembra voglia allungare un po' il brodo.. Più di quanto non sia lecitamente consentito. Inutile dire che il libro successivo della saga vai a comprarlo immediatamente, meglio se puoi scaricarlo da amazon il più velocemente possibile. Non si riesce a smettere. Ottimo.
November 13, 2015
Excellent read, I love his writing. The stories were rich with many layers of plots, sub plots, and even sub sub sub plots. The only gripe I guess I'd have was that the dialogue was a little too cheesy for me at times, but overall I really loved it!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews