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Sol Limitis
367 AD - A battle-hardened soldier is sent to the frozen north of Britannia on a personal mission from the Emperor. Conducting a desperate investigation from a hostile garrison on the crumbling frontier of Hadrian’s Wall, Atellus must struggle to survive in a wild and lawless land torn apart by the death throes of an over-stretched empire.
580 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 8, 2016
3 people want to read
About the author
James Collins
219 books26 followersJames has been living and writing in Greece since 2002. He lives with his partner on the small island of Symi where they have a photographic shop and art gallery.
Words
Since moving to Greece, James has concentrated solely on writing words rather than music, though he does still improvise on the keyboard. He first started writing stories as early on as he can remember, and has been trying to get it right ever since. Currently he is turning his fingers to screenplays but has also written award winning lyrics, books for musicals, and erotica, as well as novels and travel books. He has also written corporate plans, business plans for theatre companies, and housing strategies for local authorities, but let’s not get into that ‘writing as a job’ area. James prefers to stay in the unprofitable world of fiction writing and films.
Music
James learned to write music on the piano when he was six years old. When he was seven, he discovered manuscript paper, and his parents were a lot happier. Since then, he has written cantatas, the first at age 14, revues, musicals, choral works, piano pieces, cabaret songs, and lots of other bits and pieces. He can sometimes be seen playing live piano on Symi, and sometimes can be heard practising the clarinet and oboe, though not at the same time.
Words
Since moving to Greece, James has concentrated solely on writing words rather than music, though he does still improvise on the keyboard. He first started writing stories as early on as he can remember, and has been trying to get it right ever since. Currently he is turning his fingers to screenplays but has also written award winning lyrics, books for musicals, and erotica, as well as novels and travel books. He has also written corporate plans, business plans for theatre companies, and housing strategies for local authorities, but let’s not get into that ‘writing as a job’ area. James prefers to stay in the unprofitable world of fiction writing and films.
Music
James learned to write music on the piano when he was six years old. When he was seven, he discovered manuscript paper, and his parents were a lot happier. Since then, he has written cantatas, the first at age 14, revues, musicals, choral works, piano pieces, cabaret songs, and lots of other bits and pieces. He can sometimes be seen playing live piano on Symi, and sometimes can be heard practising the clarinet and oboe, though not at the same time.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 12, 2016
Wow! 5 *****'s and then some.
I have recently read several excellent novels fully deserving a 5-Star rating but this one is truly exceptional.
It is about a period in history which I will admit to being totally unfamiliar, 367AD, in the frozen wastes of Hadrians Wall, the northernmost reaches of the Roman Empire but after reading this book I just feel incredibly sorry for the people who had to live through it.
The setting is so desolate and the storyline so violent and grim that I almost felt guilty taking pleasure from reading it. The characterisation is superb, not just of the main protagonists but also of so many of the secondary and incidental personnel, who all have their roles to play in this intricate tale.
It could be considered a slow burner in the early stages with numerous plot twists and developments but, as all the pieces of the jigsaw start to fall into place, we hurtle towards the dramatic and exquisite conclusion with its own delicious twist. To cap it all, the literary quality is outstanding.
To say that 'I can't wait to read the next book in this series' is my understatement of the year so far.
I have recently read several excellent novels fully deserving a 5-Star rating but this one is truly exceptional.
It is about a period in history which I will admit to being totally unfamiliar, 367AD, in the frozen wastes of Hadrians Wall, the northernmost reaches of the Roman Empire but after reading this book I just feel incredibly sorry for the people who had to live through it.
The setting is so desolate and the storyline so violent and grim that I almost felt guilty taking pleasure from reading it. The characterisation is superb, not just of the main protagonists but also of so many of the secondary and incidental personnel, who all have their roles to play in this intricate tale.
It could be considered a slow burner in the early stages with numerous plot twists and developments but, as all the pieces of the jigsaw start to fall into place, we hurtle towards the dramatic and exquisite conclusion with its own delicious twist. To cap it all, the literary quality is outstanding.
To say that 'I can't wait to read the next book in this series' is my understatement of the year so far.
September 1, 2018
Man, that was a BEAST of a novel to get through. Full review available at RaeleighReads.
April 24, 2017
Sol Limitis
James Collins delivers from the outset of this merciless saga. The landscape of 367 AD, toward the end of Roman Britain, sees the protaganist, Atellus, pushing hard as a general against the grim-hard world of the Empire, during a freezing winter. This novel is bloody, violent and brilliantly descriptive, planting the reader in a time and place that's almost tangible, travelling the straight roads of Eboracum (York) to the stark landscape of Hadrian's Wall.
If you enjoy travelling back in time, the idea's just a page away.
James Collins delivers from the outset of this merciless saga. The landscape of 367 AD, toward the end of Roman Britain, sees the protaganist, Atellus, pushing hard as a general against the grim-hard world of the Empire, during a freezing winter. This novel is bloody, violent and brilliantly descriptive, planting the reader in a time and place that's almost tangible, travelling the straight roads of Eboracum (York) to the stark landscape of Hadrian's Wall.
If you enjoy travelling back in time, the idea's just a page away.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews