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Legionnaire #2
The Sea of Grass
Forbidden from returning to Aquila, Marcus Venandus responds to a plea from a half-brother he has never met to aid him in the far away land called the Jeweled Hills. When pirates shut down the sea routes the legion officer and his two trusted companions are forced to join a caravan to make the slower journey north across the treacherous Sea of Grass. Yet this may not prove to be the safer choice. A mysterious shaman has sworn to drench the plains in the blood of foreigners and his mastery over storms gives him the teeth to fulfill his oath. As chaos envelopes the trail, it will fall to Marcus to organize the defense and try to shepherd the frightened civilians of the caravan to safety again.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2018
19 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Gilbert M. Stack
96 books78 followersGilbert M. Stack has been creating stories almost since he began speaking, and publishing fiction and non-fiction since 2006. A professional historian, Gilbert delights in bringing the past to life in his fiction, depicting characters who are both true to their time and empathetic with modern sensibilities. His work has appeared in several issues of Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Michelle, and their son, Michael.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 26, 2019
Even better than volume 1
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: February 1, 2018
Language: English
ASIN: B077P6FDVV
219 pages
This full length novel continues the story of Tribune Marcus Venandus begun in the novella, THE FIRE ISLANDS. On his way to visit his half brother, he and his companions find that they must travel overland because of pirate activity at sea. Unfortunately the tribes of the Sea of Grass have united under a magic wielding leader who is determined to destroy all foreigners including the caravan with which Marcus is traveling. He is also planning to destroy the Aquilan forts strung across the Sea of Grass to protect the caravan route. The situation is even more dangerous than those faced by John Wayne in the movies of the cavalry trilogy. After dealing with the little problem of thousands of hostile tribesmen, Marcus moves on to even greater problems.
Marcus was shocked to discover that his brother, Señor Juan Pablo Cazador, is an extremely wealthy merchant - a dishonorable profession to a patrician of Aquila no matter how much money is involved. Then he learns that his brother has been murdered. He is horrified to discover that he is the heir and that the political and foreign policy situation is so dangerous that the safety of all the cities of the Jeweled Hills and the Jeweled Coast is dependent upon his stepping into his brother's place. Thus setting the stage for volume three in the series.
I believe that THE SEA OF GRASS is even better than the introductory novella, THE FIRE ISLANDS. I plan to soon begin the next volume in the series. I should not have waited so long to start reading this series.
Review of Kindle edition
Publication date: February 1, 2018
Language: English
ASIN: B077P6FDVV
219 pages
This full length novel continues the story of Tribune Marcus Venandus begun in the novella, THE FIRE ISLANDS. On his way to visit his half brother, he and his companions find that they must travel overland because of pirate activity at sea. Unfortunately the tribes of the Sea of Grass have united under a magic wielding leader who is determined to destroy all foreigners including the caravan with which Marcus is traveling. He is also planning to destroy the Aquilan forts strung across the Sea of Grass to protect the caravan route. The situation is even more dangerous than those faced by John Wayne in the movies of the cavalry trilogy. After dealing with the little problem of thousands of hostile tribesmen, Marcus moves on to even greater problems.
Marcus was shocked to discover that his brother, Señor Juan Pablo Cazador, is an extremely wealthy merchant - a dishonorable profession to a patrician of Aquila no matter how much money is involved. Then he learns that his brother has been murdered. He is horrified to discover that he is the heir and that the political and foreign policy situation is so dangerous that the safety of all the cities of the Jeweled Hills and the Jeweled Coast is dependent upon his stepping into his brother's place. Thus setting the stage for volume three in the series.
I believe that THE SEA OF GRASS is even better than the introductory novella, THE FIRE ISLANDS. I plan to soon begin the next volume in the series. I should not have waited so long to start reading this series.
May 14, 2025
I’m taking advantage of Goodreads interesting policy that permits authors to review their own novels to talk about the inspirations that led me to write this book.
The Sea of Grass continues my exploration into whether or not good fantasy novels can be based on periods other than those linked to the European Middle Ages. The setting of the story is the borderlands abutting the Aquilan Empire—an analog of ancient Rome, if Rome had incorporated magic into its legions and was located in a different world with different peoples and races on its borders.
My hero, Aquilan Patrician Marcus Venandus, was exiled at the end of the previous book for the “crime” of saving the day (and therefore making his incompetent superiors look bad). While waiting for the politics of the situation to work itself out in Aquila, he is taking advantage of his sudden freedom from legion responsibilities to visit his half-brother in the city of Amatista in the Jeweled Hills. Unfortunately, increases in pirate activity have temporarily closed the sea lanes and he and his two trusted subordinates are forced to travel overland across the Sea of Grass—a great plain similar to that of the American west. Have you wondered how legions would have guarded wagon trains? That’s the crux of the situation Marcus finds himself in—except, of course, that he lacks his beloved legions to help him resolve the problem.
In addition to good action, I think fantasy novels also thrive on the clashes of cultures. On a superficial level, this usually comes to play in warfare, but I wanted to get into much more depth than that. So in the Sea of Grass I introduce two of the central races that dominate the Jeweled Hills to which Marcus is traveling—the overly civilized Gente and the Gota, their barbarian conquerors.
Writing about different races can be very difficult. It’s just too easy for the reader to become confused about who is who in the tale. So to clarify the situation, I carefully built differences in appearance, speech patterns, and of course names, so that, hopefully, the moment a character opens his or her mouth it will be clear which cultural group he or she belongs to.
The Sea of Grass was a tremendous amount of fun to write. The tribes of the Sea of Grass are up in arms and no one appears to be ready to stop them from purging all foreigners from the plains. No one, that is, but Marcus Venandus.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The Sea of Grass continues my exploration into whether or not good fantasy novels can be based on periods other than those linked to the European Middle Ages. The setting of the story is the borderlands abutting the Aquilan Empire—an analog of ancient Rome, if Rome had incorporated magic into its legions and was located in a different world with different peoples and races on its borders.
My hero, Aquilan Patrician Marcus Venandus, was exiled at the end of the previous book for the “crime” of saving the day (and therefore making his incompetent superiors look bad). While waiting for the politics of the situation to work itself out in Aquila, he is taking advantage of his sudden freedom from legion responsibilities to visit his half-brother in the city of Amatista in the Jeweled Hills. Unfortunately, increases in pirate activity have temporarily closed the sea lanes and he and his two trusted subordinates are forced to travel overland across the Sea of Grass—a great plain similar to that of the American west. Have you wondered how legions would have guarded wagon trains? That’s the crux of the situation Marcus finds himself in—except, of course, that he lacks his beloved legions to help him resolve the problem.
In addition to good action, I think fantasy novels also thrive on the clashes of cultures. On a superficial level, this usually comes to play in warfare, but I wanted to get into much more depth than that. So in the Sea of Grass I introduce two of the central races that dominate the Jeweled Hills to which Marcus is traveling—the overly civilized Gente and the Gota, their barbarian conquerors.
Writing about different races can be very difficult. It’s just too easy for the reader to become confused about who is who in the tale. So to clarify the situation, I carefully built differences in appearance, speech patterns, and of course names, so that, hopefully, the moment a character opens his or her mouth it will be clear which cultural group he or she belongs to.
The Sea of Grass was a tremendous amount of fun to write. The tribes of the Sea of Grass are up in arms and no one appears to be ready to stop them from purging all foreigners from the plains. No one, that is, but Marcus Venandus.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
February 6, 2018
I eagerly looked forward to the second title in this Legionnaire series and was not disappointed. But I was surprised, because so much about the tone of the piece had changed at first. In the Fire Islands, our hero the Tribune Marcus faced a very different kind of challenge. I loved it and expected more of the same. But when he moves into his politically-driven exile on the Sea of Grass a lot changes besides the terrain. In the Fire Islands he was facing a desperate situation and forced to attack. Now Marcus encounters more of a mystery in the early going, and when the threat becomes clear he must instead defend. It's fabulous, and all the terrific qualities I enjoyed about the first book came around the bend in spades. Quality versus quantity, discipline against foul magics and loyalty over fear, it's all here again in a fun, gritty second installment.
The plot arc of Marcus the hero moves forward as he carries a mysterious, almost unwanted legacy with him out of his Fire Islands adventure. And also with him are some of his most loyal followers from the former cadre he commanded. Now we meet new characters and I've already picked out two or three to insist Gil Stack keep for chapter three! I wouldn't miss that for anything.
If you love either heroic fantasy with a flavor of military history, or even if you just wondered "what if the Romans had lived here or then", this series is a must-read. Hail Marcus!
The plot arc of Marcus the hero moves forward as he carries a mysterious, almost unwanted legacy with him out of his Fire Islands adventure. And also with him are some of his most loyal followers from the former cadre he commanded. Now we meet new characters and I've already picked out two or three to insist Gil Stack keep for chapter three! I wouldn't miss that for anything.
If you love either heroic fantasy with a flavor of military history, or even if you just wondered "what if the Romans had lived here or then", this series is a must-read. Hail Marcus!
May 7, 2019
Gilbert M. Stack impressed with The Fire Islands -- Volume I in his Legionnaire Series. This seems to be a trend for the chronicled adventures of Marcus Venandus - Tribune. The Sea of Grass is a rousing tale of adventure where we are again immersed in Stack's imaginary empire which only gains more and more depth with each volume. I found this novel quicker to absorb than The Fire Islands, having a background this go-round with the terminology.
As with any fantasy based on the Roman era, battles and intrigues are rife. These intrigues Marcus is quickly learning to thread, coming off exactly as one would wish of a hero - he doesn't care for the politics of being a soldier. It is in the heat of confrontation where Marcus' true brilliance is realized as he is able to scrounge from what little he has on-hand to come up with stratagem after stratagem to fight his enemies -- in this instance a horde of barbaric savages against whom Marcus must martial his defenses in the form of a rag tag band of legionnaires and a bunch of civilians among whom he is traveling.
It doesn't help matters that the mysterious shaman rebel rouser is a magician who is able to call down the lightnings! Beware, Marcus!
As with any fantasy based on the Roman era, battles and intrigues are rife. These intrigues Marcus is quickly learning to thread, coming off exactly as one would wish of a hero - he doesn't care for the politics of being a soldier. It is in the heat of confrontation where Marcus' true brilliance is realized as he is able to scrounge from what little he has on-hand to come up with stratagem after stratagem to fight his enemies -- in this instance a horde of barbaric savages against whom Marcus must martial his defenses in the form of a rag tag band of legionnaires and a bunch of civilians among whom he is traveling.
It doesn't help matters that the mysterious shaman rebel rouser is a magician who is able to call down the lightnings! Beware, Marcus!
October 26, 2019
I enjoyed the character progression of Tribune Marcus. This is a strong tale and well told.
May 31, 2020
An excellent continuation to the Marcus Venandus saga
The story of Tribune Marcus Venandus continues in this full-length novel. Marcus journeys to see his half-brother by traveling with a caravan from one fort to another, but the tribes of the Sea of Grass have united under a magic shaman who wants to kill all strangers.
In this primitive land, hordes of savages under the evil shaman's magic attack Marcus and his legionnaires. Each attack becomes greater and more threatening as Marcus strives to save the caravan. With each encounter and setback, Marcus finds resources to cope.
At Fort Defiance, they shouted, "Here they come!"
Marcus ordered, "Swords! Kill the bastards."
Book two of the Legionnaire series builds on the first, and we find that Marcus is as resourceful, brave, and intelligent as ever.
The story of Tribune Marcus Venandus continues in this full-length novel. Marcus journeys to see his half-brother by traveling with a caravan from one fort to another, but the tribes of the Sea of Grass have united under a magic shaman who wants to kill all strangers.
In this primitive land, hordes of savages under the evil shaman's magic attack Marcus and his legionnaires. Each attack becomes greater and more threatening as Marcus strives to save the caravan. With each encounter and setback, Marcus finds resources to cope.
At Fort Defiance, they shouted, "Here they come!"
Marcus ordered, "Swords! Kill the bastards."
Book two of the Legionnaire series builds on the first, and we find that Marcus is as resourceful, brave, and intelligent as ever.
January 23, 2020
This is for the audiobook version.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
It was silly of me to listen to book 1 and then go to book 3 without listening to book 2. Interestingly, despite knowing the outcome to book 2 and hearing it referenced in book 3, the "Jewelled Hills" I was looking forward to the "Sea of Grass". Whilst I usually don't scrutinise for the military and tactical defences in books I read, I find the way that the author explains them a lot easier to understand than in many other fantasy books.
In this book, Marcus Vernandos begins his exile from Aquilla by travelling to visit his brother in one of the cities to the north of the continent, Amatista. The usual sea routes seem to be plagued by pirates, more so than usual, and Marcus has no choice, but to take the overland route through the plains, called the Sea of Grass to get to his brother.
This entire book centers on the journey to Amatista, which starts of as a routine and slightly dangerous, thanks to the tribes that call the plains home, wagon trail. What it ends up is a desperate siege with overwhelming odds against an angry powerful shaman with a strangely familiar (at least to Marcus due to his adventure in the Fire islands) medallion amplifying those powers to rain destruction on any foreigner daring to step on the plains.
Marcus evolves as a character, he is slowly coming to realise that there are plenty of Aquillans that do not do justice to his home country and it's often the worse examples of Aquillan forces that are sent to the far places such as the forts stationed through the Sea of Grass. He also comes to appreciate the people from different races that are travelling with him, such as the honor-bound Henthe and the fierce Gotha.
One of the big strengths of this book is the introduction of all the different characters that are not used as a one dimensional cut-out to add to the story. Instead, even more minor characters like the Gotha lord's wives or the black band legionnaire Lysander have a distinctive voice and add, rather than detract from the story.
One of my very few complaints in the book is that the author doesn't tie up the loose ends in the end of the book. It feels like there should be a chapter after the main battle that deals with all the characters introduced during the book. Having listened to the next book in the series, I know the fate of some, but not all and I feel the book is poorer for it.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
It was silly of me to listen to book 1 and then go to book 3 without listening to book 2. Interestingly, despite knowing the outcome to book 2 and hearing it referenced in book 3, the "Jewelled Hills" I was looking forward to the "Sea of Grass". Whilst I usually don't scrutinise for the military and tactical defences in books I read, I find the way that the author explains them a lot easier to understand than in many other fantasy books.
In this book, Marcus Vernandos begins his exile from Aquilla by travelling to visit his brother in one of the cities to the north of the continent, Amatista. The usual sea routes seem to be plagued by pirates, more so than usual, and Marcus has no choice, but to take the overland route through the plains, called the Sea of Grass to get to his brother.
This entire book centers on the journey to Amatista, which starts of as a routine and slightly dangerous, thanks to the tribes that call the plains home, wagon trail. What it ends up is a desperate siege with overwhelming odds against an angry powerful shaman with a strangely familiar (at least to Marcus due to his adventure in the Fire islands) medallion amplifying those powers to rain destruction on any foreigner daring to step on the plains.
Marcus evolves as a character, he is slowly coming to realise that there are plenty of Aquillans that do not do justice to his home country and it's often the worse examples of Aquillan forces that are sent to the far places such as the forts stationed through the Sea of Grass. He also comes to appreciate the people from different races that are travelling with him, such as the honor-bound Henthe and the fierce Gotha.
One of the big strengths of this book is the introduction of all the different characters that are not used as a one dimensional cut-out to add to the story. Instead, even more minor characters like the Gotha lord's wives or the black band legionnaire Lysander have a distinctive voice and add, rather than detract from the story.
One of my very few complaints in the book is that the author doesn't tie up the loose ends in the end of the book. It feels like there should be a chapter after the main battle that deals with all the characters introduced during the book. Having listened to the next book in the series, I know the fate of some, but not all and I feel the book is poorer for it.
August 21, 2019
This is an extremely worthy sequel to The Fire Islands. Picking up, for all intents and purposes, where the first novel left off, the second installment of the series follows Marcus as he begins his exile and journeys to visit his half-brother. The road - such as it is - crosses the Sea of Grass.
While the first novel seemed to be inspired by polynesian culture, this novel seems more attuned to the Eurasian steppes. Unfortunately, the story necessitated that the reader didn't ultimately learn much about the cultures of the region. Instead, we gain some insight into how life would be for merchants (traveling by caravan) as well as the hardships and frustrations faced by legionnaires assigned to more remote outposts.
As with the first novel, the author's grasp of Roman culture, military tactics, weaponry, etc, were meticulous and much information was conveyed concisely but clearly. The action was vivid, and the pacing of the story was on point.
Many of the characters are new and they are well fleshed-out with obvious strengths and weaknesses. We gain some additional insight into Marcus's character as well.
The one element that I felt could have been improved was in the editing. There were a fair number of small errors that I think should have been caught. Mostly, homonyms were the problem (load stone/lodestone, grieves/greaves, etc), but there was at least one instance of improper plural, and I think one character's name was misspelled on one occasion. I do not recall these types of errors from the first novel.
Even so, I still love this character, this universe, and this series. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into book 3!
I received a complimentary review copy through the author.
While the first novel seemed to be inspired by polynesian culture, this novel seems more attuned to the Eurasian steppes. Unfortunately, the story necessitated that the reader didn't ultimately learn much about the cultures of the region. Instead, we gain some insight into how life would be for merchants (traveling by caravan) as well as the hardships and frustrations faced by legionnaires assigned to more remote outposts.
As with the first novel, the author's grasp of Roman culture, military tactics, weaponry, etc, were meticulous and much information was conveyed concisely but clearly. The action was vivid, and the pacing of the story was on point.
Many of the characters are new and they are well fleshed-out with obvious strengths and weaknesses. We gain some additional insight into Marcus's character as well.
The one element that I felt could have been improved was in the editing. There were a fair number of small errors that I think should have been caught. Mostly, homonyms were the problem (load stone/lodestone, grieves/greaves, etc), but there was at least one instance of improper plural, and I think one character's name was misspelled on one occasion. I do not recall these types of errors from the first novel.
Even so, I still love this character, this universe, and this series. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into book 3!
I received a complimentary review copy through the author.
November 8, 2019
Even after the overwhelming victory at the Fire Islands and his promotion to Tribune, Marcus Venandus is forbidden to return to Aquila due to a hasty, baseless reaction by the Senate. Faced with this unexpected opportunity, Marcus decides to honor his brother’s request to visit him in the Jeweled Hills. Unable to secure a ship for the journey, Marcus, his Red and Black Vigils, must take the more dangerous overland route. With bandits and raiders on the rise and a rebellious shaman making threats along the trail, will Marcus and his friends arrive in the Jeweled Hills? I suspect Tribune Marcus will be called upon once again, as in the Fire Islands, to take command and save the day. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
February 26, 2018
I loved this book. Better that the first title in the series "The Fire Islands". The action is a lot faster and the characters have a more easy flow feel to them. I didn't know anything about caravans so I really enjoyed the tid-bits of caravan culture. The battles are great! They are detailed enough that you can feel the scene with out having to reread bits to understand what is happening (which I often have to do with other authors). The ending surprised me and left me wanting more!
March 6, 2021
Interesting
A known author, writing within his own genre and producing a good, interesting story of life within the army and dealing with the politics associated. In summary, good, interesting and worth reading.
A known author, writing within his own genre and producing a good, interesting story of life within the army and dealing with the politics associated. In summary, good, interesting and worth reading.
March 26, 2023
Delving into history with a twist
Going down the rabbit hole of history to find a not-medieval fantasy setting was a great idea. I’m really enjoying having a new found love of Legions with a dash of adventure.
Going down the rabbit hole of history to find a not-medieval fantasy setting was a great idea. I’m really enjoying having a new found love of Legions with a dash of adventure.
December 6, 2024
A brilliant follow up
July 20, 2021
I'm reviewing the whole series, so I'll do a quick one here. This was a fun read, a historical fantasy take on a Roman commander with mages and witch doctors who can call on the dead. I liked some of the historical touches, such as the rancour between different ranks of legionaries, and the political wrangling that went on behind the scenes. The narrator is great, and even adds in some sound effects, like in a studio play, although not all are successful.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews