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Tomes of the Dead #5
Tomes of the Dead: Anno Mortis
40 AD, Rome. Slaves are disappearing, the bodies of the dead are being stolen and mysterious shipments arrive from Egypt in the dead of night. Behind it all are the powerful Cult of Isis, searching for a way to breach the barrier between life and death. The only people who can stop them are a gladiator, a slave and an over-sexed teenager - and a stranger who just may be a god.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
3 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Levene
57 books80 followersBritish author, editor and tv storyliner.
Educated at Clare College, Cambridge.
She has written books for Virgin's Doctor Who line, Abbadon books and Black Flame.
She also writes for Doctor Who Magazine and SFX.
Educated at Clare College, Cambridge.
She has written books for Virgin's Doctor Who line, Abbadon books and Black Flame.
She also writes for Doctor Who Magazine and SFX.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 5, 2010
Anno Mortis gives someone like myself, who enjoys both fantasy and horror, something to keep themselves entertained for several hours. This book takes place during the final days of Caligula's reign and while it has the shadows of real history in it with several historical figures we are given zombies along with Egyptian, Roman, and Norse gods to make the package complete.
The cult of Isis wants to rip open the gates that separates the realm of the living and the dead. The cultists themselves do not realize the power behind their high priestest, whose has nothing less than the destruction of virtually every living thing in her sights.
Standing against her and her allies is a ragtag group of misfits, including a barbarian warrior woman, a slave, a mysterious northman, and a drunken teenage citizen.
The story dips back and forth between the world of the living and the netherworld and introduces us to gods and their stories. Zombies are a perk here, the results of the evil designs of both mortals and gods alike.
Rebecca Levene does a very nice job of putting this story together and making all the pieces fit very nicely. She manipulates both history and mythology (multiple mythologies at that) quite well to fit the tale she wanted to tell. The story moves fast, is easy to follow, and is quite a ride.
The cult of Isis wants to rip open the gates that separates the realm of the living and the dead. The cultists themselves do not realize the power behind their high priestest, whose has nothing less than the destruction of virtually every living thing in her sights.
Standing against her and her allies is a ragtag group of misfits, including a barbarian warrior woman, a slave, a mysterious northman, and a drunken teenage citizen.
The story dips back and forth between the world of the living and the netherworld and introduces us to gods and their stories. Zombies are a perk here, the results of the evil designs of both mortals and gods alike.
Rebecca Levene does a very nice job of putting this story together and making all the pieces fit very nicely. She manipulates both history and mythology (multiple mythologies at that) quite well to fit the tale she wanted to tell. The story moves fast, is easy to follow, and is quite a ride.
August 26, 2011
Okay, so this is a guilty pleasure. It takes outrageous liberties with real history and mythology, but it's clearly all in fun. The pace is breathless, the plot clever, and the characters appealing. Classy pulp fiction.
August 21, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3060779.html
A delightful romp of zombies taking over Rome and bringing about the end of the reign of Caligula, with only a plucky young British barbarian woman, a slave and a debauched pratrician to prevent them Taking Over The World. Zombies not so much my thing, but I have an affection for Roman history and enjoyed this.
A delightful romp of zombies taking over Rome and bringing about the end of the reign of Caligula, with only a plucky young British barbarian woman, a slave and a debauched pratrician to prevent them Taking Over The World. Zombies not so much my thing, but I have an affection for Roman history and enjoyed this.
April 18, 2016
I'm always on the lookout for cool zombie stories, so when I saw this book that combines zombies with ancient Rome I had to give it a try.
And when in the first chapter the lead characters are introduced, who are (with one exception) based on historical figures, I knew I made the right decision in picking this book up.
It is so much fun!
The zombie mayhem takes a while to start, but the story was so intriguing and cool that I didn't mind having to wait for the zombies to get really going. I will also confess that even though there are a couple of viewpoint characters, which I usually am not a fan of, that here it worked for me. I liked reading about all of them, and never felt like skimming to get to the good parts. All of it was good in my opinion.
Of course this is a zombie story, so it's more about the adventure, mayhem and action than the character development, so keep that in mind when you give this a try. Still I can tell yo
And when in the first chapter the lead characters are introduced, who are (with one exception) based on historical figures, I knew I made the right decision in picking this book up.
It is so much fun!
The zombie mayhem takes a while to start, but the story was so intriguing and cool that I didn't mind having to wait for the zombies to get really going. I will also confess that even though there are a couple of viewpoint characters, which I usually am not a fan of, that here it worked for me. I liked reading about all of them, and never felt like skimming to get to the good parts. All of it was good in my opinion.
Of course this is a zombie story, so it's more about the adventure, mayhem and action than the character development, so keep that in mind when you give this a try. Still I can tell yo
May 4, 2016
On the one hand this really IS just a trashy zombie novel. That being said, the use of the setting and historical figures was handled pretty well, and the story involving gods from multiple pantheons and the larger cosmic roles many of them play was a really pleasant surprise. I found it worth the money. Probably won't appeal to those who like their zombie tales on the juicier side, but that suited me just fine.
June 11, 2016
That was a lot better than I expected. With a story about zombies in ancient Rome, I was expecting some good pulpy fun. This book certainly delivers, and then some. The characters - both fictional and historical - are well handled and believable and the story works very well indeed.
This is well worth a read.
This is well worth a read.
July 21, 2013
This was better than some of these books but if I hear 'spittle' or 'little boy' again I'm going to scream.
January 6, 2014
A little slow to get going but once it does, it's worthwhile. Stick with it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews