Hodder & Stoughton | 2021 (11 November) | 321p | Bought copy | Buy the book
It is December AD 192 and Marcus Aquila, known and loved by many in his disguise as Marcus Corvus, has returned to Rome, his identity once more hidden. He has a mission and it is a deadly one. The mentor of Marcus’s commander Scaurus has plans. His name is Pertinax. He is a respected and honoured member of the Senate and he and many like him have had more than enough of the megalomaniac gladiator emperor Commodus. The news that Commodus intends to murder Pertinax and many of his colleagues on New Year’s Day is the final desperate straw. But to kill Commodus, a man of Herculean strength, protected by his Praetorians, will take a soldier like no other. But Marcus Aquila is no ordinary man. His swordfighting skills in the arena and on the battlefield are legendary and his hatred and hunger for vengeance against Commodus are unequalled. The soldiers and politicians of Rome wait and watch in the wings. Each has an agenda and each will be merciless.
Where to start with my love of this series, Empire, by Anthony Riches…. This is the twelfth in the series and it continues the run of enthralling, hugely entertaining and involving action thrillers set during the reign of one of Rome’s most bonkers emperors (which is saying something). You don’t need to have read them all to enjoy Vengeance but, if you have, you’ll have more of an idea of why Marcus and Scaurus are prepared to embark on what is surely a suicide mission. The world of the early books in the series was kinder to Marcus in some ways – he had a family to support him in his exile. Now his world is smaller, focused and he is supported by his old comrades, Britons, Tungrians, Syrians, Greeks – many of whom are built like an ox. They all adore Marcus. Now they’re going to step into the lion’s den to keep him safe.
Vengeance is a thriller from start to finish. It is so exciting! It’s full of underhand trickery, plotting, rather dim and bitter Praetorians, gladiatorial combat, lascivious feasting, senate pomposity, palace politics, and it is all brilliantly done. Anthony Riches knows his stuff and I love how this book is set in Rome, some of it even in the palace, above and below stairs. It’s full of fascinating details – such as how people can access certain areas of the palace and how Commodus was fed his daily feast of gladiators to fight. We see what life was like as a servant in the palace, as a mistress, as a soldier. And, what I find completely fascinating, how a conspiracy comes into shape and how ideals and greed just don’t get along. Rome as a society and power seems both knowable and totally alien. I love it.
And then there’s Commodus. We may know him from Gladiator but there’s much more to him here. Not long before the Pandemic hit, I went to Rome and I saw the astonishing statue of the emperor as Hercules. What a beautiful statue. Here we see the madness behind it unveiled. I love how Anthony Riches does that. He takes the known facts, buildings and dates and builds such an enthralling story around them.
Vengeance is, with no doubt at all, one of my favourites of this fabulous series. It’s such a good self-contained story in its own right that I think anyone would enjoy it. You’d then, no doubt, fill your shelves with the other eleven books in the series, so you can see what life was like in those long ago days when the young Marcus found himself on the front line in Britannia serving alongside a bunch of terrifying warriors that we have now come to love so much. More, please!
Other reviews
Empire I: Wounds of Honour
Empire II: Arrows of Fury
Empire III: Fortress of Spears
Empire IV: The Leopard Sword
Empire V: The Wolf’s Gold
Empire VI: The Eagle’s Vengeance
Empire VII: The Emperor’s Knives
Empire VIII: Thunder of the Gods
Empire X: The Scorpion’s Strike
Empire IX: Altar of Blood
Empire X: The Scorpion’s Strike
Empire XI: River of Gold
Betrayal: The Centurions I
Onslaught: The Centurions II
Retribution – The Centurions III
An interview for The Eagle’s Vengeance
An interview for The Emperor’s Knives
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