Nick Brown (1)

Cassius has finished his tour of duty in the Imperial Security Service, i.e., "Grain-men". For this last exciting adventure, Emperor Aurelian is pitted against the usurper Tetricus, who at the time of the story, rules Gaul. Cassius is charged with finding and rescuing an abducted general who knows sensitive military intelligence information His superiors do no want this to fall into Tetricus' hands and spoil Aurelian's plans. This heart-stopping operation: a cliffhanger both actual AND metaphorical, ends with mixed results. Upon completion of this mission, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues, with an evil grain-man and his henchmen, hot on the trail of Cassius and his companions. Cassius and the others overcome difficulties to reach friendly territory. The story then includes a climactic battle between the two armies, comeuppance of the "baddies" and revelation of the life paths which bodyguard Indavara and servant Simo intend to follow. Cassius himself has found a strong woman worthy of him.

I regret this is the last of Cassius' adventures BUT in another way I'm glad the author has finished his story. I'd hate to see Cassius' adventures become repetitive and formulaic with umpteen novels. Too often that has happened with other series that start out well for the first few books, then degenerate; I could cite several examples... I've enjoyed the mix of type of adventures the trio has had, character growth through the novels and the characters' whole dynamics.

Highly recommended. I suggest reading Volume 1 first, the middle volumes in any order, and finishing up with this volume. Nick has tied up all loose ends neatly.… (mais)

An interesting and engrossing fantasy, which was hard to put down. The author took us into a faux late medieval world among the artisan and yeoman classes. Marik, the protagonist, arrives in the North country and as a "Souther", endures prejudice. He has fled his native country after cowardice on his part and seeks a new life somewhere new. After holding a temporary menial construction job, a moneylender, seeing his ability with a sword, hires him as a bodyguard to his daughters and charges him to deliver them safely to their mother. Marik endures shipwreck and only with his native intelligence and with the aid of a cabin boy, makes his way to the "Delta", now under the control of a vicious warlord with a mercenary army and a giant as main henchman. He joins a band of rebels, who hope to regain their country. He becomes the de facto leader of the band. All preparations for the final attack, the journey through the mangrove, and the attack itself were very exciting. This book may be the start of a new series.

I felt the book to be mainly a character study of Marik and his relation to others. He in some ways reminded me of the author's protagonist in his "Agent of Rome" series, although a better fighter. Although having an interesting premise, I felt it not as good as the earlier series. I felt the giant, Hammerhand, was a stereotype of any ogre in any fantasy. I wondered about the map; although well-drawn, should it not have been flipped: the East, where the giant came from being on the right as one looks at it and the West, where the Delta and the different islands nearby, be to the left: following cartography convention, with the same body of water separating them? Shouldn't there have been an insert of the islands, naming them, since they were important to the story?

Recommended.… (mais)

I am thrilled that Cassius, Simo, and Indavara are back and to follow them in this latest adventure--the best so far. In this novel, we look at abductions and the illegal slave-trade from two angles: the abducted [Indivara] and of Cassius and his nomad compatriots from the earliest novel in the series, "The Siege", searching for Kabir's daughter and two friends who have been abducted. Cassius is offered a [provisional] promotion with pay raise, as well as the option of leave visiting his folks. Although the options are tempting, his bond with Indavara is stronger; his companions both feel more like family now than his blood family. Cassius is obsessed with finding him, plus he feels strong loyalty to Kabir and family. Cassius goes AWOL. Their search leads them eventually to Byzantium by way of horrendous, obstacle-filled, labyrinthine journeys by land and water. Meanwhile, while in captivity and lying helpless at the mercy of others, Indavara has vivid dreams [or could they be memories of his earlier life?]. An escape attempt has failed miserably.

The author has outdone himself in all aspects of the novel--characterization, plot, pacing, consistency, plausibility, and readability with no vulgarity or profanity. I like how the author has brought in characters from precious novels: both in the flesh and "offstage" but important to the plot. I like how Cassius and co. are not afraid to show emotion other than anger.

Most highly recommended.… (mais)