What do you think?
Rate this book
The Byzantine Saga #4
The Devil's Treasure
Ravenna, 619 AD At fifteen, Rodi is the youngest agent in the Byzantine Empire’s Intelligence Bureau. Fraud, forger, blackmailer, snoop, hypocrite, thief – none of it loses him a moment’s sleep. It’s the murder that’s his problem. It shouldn’t be like this. His plan seemed as neat and elegant as anything the Bureau ever arranged. Find a child-murderer, cannibal and all-round beast, and lean on him to do the business – then have an alibi elsewhere in Ravenna while it was done. Only, everything has gone disastrously wrong, and Rodi is chased through early mediaeval Italy by the directors of an illegal and obscene cult. What do these people want of Rodi? What is Prince Aripert’s latest money-making scam? What is Simeon the Jew’s actual involvement in this? Can Rodi stay alive in the snake-pit of Lombard court politics? Is there a message in the nightly riot of his dreams? In this fourth instalment of his “Rodi Series,” Richard Blake paints his usual canvas of a world pushed along who-knows-where on its vast and sordid under-belly – a delight for those who know his work, and an introduction for those who know him not. Praise for Other Novels by Richard Blake… ‘Fascinating to read, very well written, an intriguing plot and I enjoyed it very much.’ - Derek Jacobi, star of I Claudius and Gladiator ‘Vivid characters, devious plotting and buckets of gore are enhanced by his unfamiliar choice of period…. Nasty, fun and educational.’ - The Daily Telegraph ‘He knows how to deliver a fast-paced story and his grasp of the period is impressively detailed.’ - The Mail on Sunday ‘A rollicking and raunchy read . . . Anyone who enjoys their history with large dollops of action, sex, intrigue and, above all, fun will absolutely love this novel.’ - Historical Novels ‘It would be hard to over-praise this extraordinary series, a near-perfect blend of historical detail and atmosphere with the plot of a conspiracy thriller, vivid characters, high philosophy and vulgar comedy.’ - The Morning Star Richard Blake is an historian, broadcaster and university lecturer. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.
283 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 10, 2017
13 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Richard Blake
79 books68 followersA pseudonym of Dr Sean Gabb.
Richard Blake is a writer, broadcaster and teacher. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.
For Hodder & Stoughton, he has written the following six historical novels: "Conspiracies of Rome" (2008), "Terror of Constantinople" (2009), "Blood of Alexandria" (2010), "Sword of Damascus" (2011), "Ghosts of Athens" (2012), "Curse of Babylon" (2013). These have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Greek, Slovak, Hungarian, Indonesian, and Chinese.
In 2015, Hodder & Stoughton republished all six novels in two omnibus volumes: "Death of Rome Saga 1" and "Death of Rome Saga 2."
As Sean Gabb, he has written these novels: "The Column of Phocas" (2006 - historical), "The Churchill Memorandum" (2011 - alternate history thriller), and "The Break" (post-apocalyptic science fiction). This novel was published in 2014, and nominated for the Prometheus Award, but has now been acquired by Caffeine Nights and withdrawn for republication in 2016 under the name Richard Blake. A further novel, "The York Deviation" (alternate history fantasy), is awaiting publication.
He also writes for Endeavour Press. His first historical novel for Endeavour, "Game of Empires," was published in May 2015. His next in this series, "Death in Ravenna," was published in August 2016. Hist next, "Crown of Empire," will be published in April 2016.
You can follow him on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/richard.blak...
You can also follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BlakeTheWriter
His personal website is - http://www.richardblake.me.uk/
Richard Blake is a writer, broadcaster and teacher. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.
For Hodder & Stoughton, he has written the following six historical novels: "Conspiracies of Rome" (2008), "Terror of Constantinople" (2009), "Blood of Alexandria" (2010), "Sword of Damascus" (2011), "Ghosts of Athens" (2012), "Curse of Babylon" (2013). These have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Greek, Slovak, Hungarian, Indonesian, and Chinese.
In 2015, Hodder & Stoughton republished all six novels in two omnibus volumes: "Death of Rome Saga 1" and "Death of Rome Saga 2."
As Sean Gabb, he has written these novels: "The Column of Phocas" (2006 - historical), "The Churchill Memorandum" (2011 - alternate history thriller), and "The Break" (post-apocalyptic science fiction). This novel was published in 2014, and nominated for the Prometheus Award, but has now been acquired by Caffeine Nights and withdrawn for republication in 2016 under the name Richard Blake. A further novel, "The York Deviation" (alternate history fantasy), is awaiting publication.
He also writes for Endeavour Press. His first historical novel for Endeavour, "Game of Empires," was published in May 2015. His next in this series, "Death in Ravenna," was published in August 2016. Hist next, "Crown of Empire," will be published in April 2016.
You can follow him on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/richard.blak...
You can also follow him on Twitter - https://twitter.com/BlakeTheWriter
His personal website is - http://www.richardblake.me.uk/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 1, 2018
A bit of a struggle.
I really struggled with this, both stylistically and with the actual story. I found the writing just didn't grip me and that the plot had to many unanswered questions.
Having said that it was well researched and I do appear to be in the minority.
I really struggled with this, both stylistically and with the actual story. I found the writing just didn't grip me and that the plot had to many unanswered questions.
Having said that it was well researched and I do appear to be in the minority.
sff-ok-bx
July 13, 2025Bx,Rokp
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews