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  • Fire in the East - Warrior of Rome

  • By: Harry Sidebottom
  • Narrated by: Nick Boulton
  • Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (189 ratings)
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Fire in the East - Warrior of Rome cover art

Fire in the East - Warrior of Rome

By: Harry Sidebottom
Narrated by: Nick Boulton
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Summary

AD 255; the Roman Imperium is stretched to breaking point, its authority and might challenged throughout the territories and along every border. Yet the most lethal threat lurks far to the east in Persia, where the massing forces of the Sassanid Empire loom with fiery menace.

The far-flung and isolated citadel of Arete faces out across the wasteland, awaiting the inevitable invasion. One man is sent to marshal the defences of this lonely city; one man to shore up the crumbling walls of a once indomitable symbol of Roman power; a man whose name itself means war, a man called Ballista.

Alone, Ballista is called to muster the forces and the courage to stand first and to stand hard against the greatest enemy ever to confront the Imperium.

©2008 Dr Harry Sidebottom (P)2008 WF Howes Ltd

What listeners say about Fire in the East - Warrior of Rome

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Worth Persevering With

This is a really decent story and once it starts the action is excellently narrated with clearly discernible character voices. The problem, for me at least, is that the author seems so determined to demonstrate his knowledge of ancient tribes and geography that he mentions endless characters and places that barely have any relevance to the story. At times the book reads like an old, dry history text book.

I found it well worth persevering with but there is some parts which I think could have been massively trimmed to keep the story moving at a less somnolent pace.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Next books missing!!

This was a fantastic book, perhaps the most historically accurate writer of 'Roman Fiction' this doesn't stop the author from also producing a cracking story with good characters. Narrator does a great job too.

My only gripe is that books 2 and 3 in the series are not currently availiable although the 4th book is! Where's the sense in that?!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

Extremely well read by the narrator. I found the detail and pace just right for me. A very very enjoyable purchase and I am very much looking forward to the second book, hopefully it wont be too long in coming...

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

warrior of rome fire in the east

Fantastic!!!!!!!!stick with it the second part is worth the wait.
Can't wait for part 2 King of Kings.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent nook

I have read the entire series, they are brilliant reads. this audio rendition was no disappointment, well read it brought life to the characters and story. not sure why the other titles aren't available.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good yarn, nice historical context.

Good story written by someone with detailed understanding of the historical context. Occasionally let down by rather pruriant depiction of female characters.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent introduction to age old conflicts

The battle between East and West is age old fought out since ancient times by Greeks and Persians (though with a lot of ambiguity as to national identity and loyalty at times) and then by the Romans against the Sassanids, the new kids on a very old block. Sidebottom plunges into the action, the heroic but fallible Ballista is an outsider, a barbarian imperial hostage risen to senior military command and sent on what rapidly comes clear is a suicide mission with a rag tag army defending a frontier town against the might of the Sassanids (and they were mighty, frequently contesting much of Asia Minor and the wider Middle East with the Romans and its successor state of Byzantium and often winning).

The action evokes the Alamo, the siege of Minas Tirith in the Lord of the Rings with a sheen of I Claudius or Count Belisarius, the characters are good and believable. Sidebottom is an academic with a Buchanesque touch; this comes totally recommended and the narration is brillant.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Money very well spent

Solid and authentic. Excellent plot and characterisation fantastically augmented by Nick Boulton's smooth and inventive narration. He has to be one of the best voices on Audible.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Well read but a bit slow

The author clearly knows what he is writing about. It's well written and the occasional explanations for the uninitiated are done with a light touch. The characters are vividly drawn, not just the warrior Ballista but also what you might call his war household, his bodyguard and secretary (both slaves) in particular.

The problem for me was that it took a long time to get going and only really kicks off with the siege, which would have been quite thrilling if I hadn't had to wait quite so long to get there. It's a shame because it is an interesting story.

The reading is excellent, characters clearly delineated by use of accent and tone, perfect phrasing and just the right voice to suit the moment. I can see what the characters look like just by their voice, including some who are not lead characters such as the supercilious patrician Roman soldier and the Christian priest. He also manages to re-create the noise of battle just with the voice which can't be easy.

So top marks for the reading which brought the book to life as far as that was possible.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book

This book is a must read for people who enjoy historical fiction. The story is well planned and moves at a pace. Ballista is a character hero who is complex and engaging.

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1 person found this helpful