S. Brabant
- 3
- reviews
- 0
- helpful votes
- 3
- ratings
-
Legionary: Gods & Emperors
- Legionary, Book 5
- By: Gordon Doherty
- Narrated by: Adrian Hobart
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
378 AD: Fritigern's Gothic horde tightens its iron grip on Thracia and only a handful of well-walled cities to the south remain in imperial hands. The few tattered legions pinned in these cities can only watch on from the battlements as smoke rises across their lost lands and the Goths roam at will, pillaging and extorting. Every Roman—legionary or citizen—speaks of only one thing: the Emperors of East and West, Valens and Gratian, who are said to be closing swiftly on this war-stricken land, each bringing with them vast armies capable of vanquishing the horde.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Narrator did fine.
- By S. Brabant on 12-22-24
- Legionary: Gods & Emperors
- Legionary, Book 5
- By: Gordon Doherty
- Narrated by: Adrian Hobart
Narrator did fine.
Reviewed: 12-22-24
Narrator is fine, speaks a little halting but does well.
The over arching story is, Okay at best, the same as Gordon's usual stories. the battles are bloody, most enemies are cartoonishly evil, eye rollingly so. My favorite part is always the Roman spies. From Legionary series to Born on the border these spies are always the most ridiculously stupid evil characters. If you don't mind some swords and sandles style nonsense, it's a good time, mostly but this one felt weaker due to one of it's side stories.
I have stuck with Gordon since legionary and have been waiting for the famous battle but this is a struggle to get through and thats mainly for the subplot.
Light spoiler ahead
probably one of the ridiculous subplot I have read. so a character hides in a goofy suicide squad style military formation right? sure, happens all the time. he is hidding in them because no one would look at a bunch of raging guys only fit to die right? Wrong Roman spies all over this century. Gordon literally wrote how this unit was marked for death and the Emperor sends them in the first wave for everything, they are fodder and they know it. So, why would these wildly selfish highly trained spies hide in units that are meant to all die in the ranks? it's so ridiculous that you can see it coming a mile a way. what would all these spies benefiting by sitting in a unit like this? it's so silly it hurts.
I will warn you that subplot is hard to listen to/read
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Strategos
- Born in the Borderlands, Strategos 1
- By: Gordon Doherty
- Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 95
When the falcon has flown, the mountain lion will charge from the east, and all Byzantium will quake. Only one man can save the empire ... the Haga!1046 AD. The Byzantine Empire teeters on full-blown war with the Seljuk Sultanate. In the borderlands of Eastern Anatolia, a land riven with bloodshed and doubt, young Apion's life is shattered in one swift and brutal Seljuk night raid. Only the benevolence of Mansur, a Seljuk farmer, offers him a second chance of happiness.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Bullseye
- By Daniel Abrams on 08-21-17
- Strategos
- Born in the Borderlands, Strategos 1
- By: Gordon Doherty
- Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
Solid but not without flaws.
Reviewed: 10-21-23
I enjoyed the narrator and book. I am one of the writer's long-time fans. however, this book suffers from a recurring issue that Doherty tends to lean towards. Pure, cartoonish and sometimes laughable evil.
Doherty has always had this need for cartoon villains, but for some reason, this one was over the top, to the point that it annoyed me. The structure of the evil agents is so ridiculous that it bleeds over to every single agent of the empire and, for me, stripped the immersion and fast-paced writing I enjoy from Doherty.
The story is good, the characters are memorable, and I adore that Doherty takes time to humanize the Truckish and Roman people in the story. With the expectation of the main bad guy you get the sejse that these are people and I love that.
I enjoyed that the footman of the Empire is shown as well drilled if not the best supplied. people tend to get the impression that the empire wholy focused on the famed Kataphract but that would be untenable. the Skutatoi (shield men) were the backbone of the army and held the enemy in place well, and that's shown in the novel.
Like all of Doherty's novels (with the exception of the dessert commandos legionary novel. that one was aweful.) I have no problem suggesting this book if you want to read a novel with mostly excellent characters and thoughtful humanizing moments, however as with all of Doherty's novels I would suggest reading or listening to them like they are summer movies. With all the TV and movie tropes that entails.
Love, betrayal, a great evil, and wildly and sometimes ridiculously bloody battles.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Amber Road
- Warrior of Rome, Book 6
- By: Harry Sidebottom
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 201
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 183
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 184
In AD 264, the Roman Empire has been torn in two. The western provinces - Gaul, Spain, and Britain - have been seized by Postumus, the pretender to the throne. To the east, on the plains of northern Italy, the armies of the emperor Gallienus muster, and he is keen to take his rightful place of power. A war between two emperors is coming, and everyone must choose a side.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Pedantic and soporific
- By Carlos on 02-04-14
- The Amber Road
- Warrior of Rome, Book 6
- By: Harry Sidebottom
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
story good Narrator sounded bored.
Reviewed: 09-16-17
Having been gifted a copy of the Audio book before this one by a friend I was treated with the voice of Nick boulton I was completely sucked in his voice acting blew me away and made tge world so much more real. the Americanized version however uses a man who is good but dosnt seem into it mayne its becuase i was spoiled but it was harder to get into it at first.
That said the story is slower but great and the Narrator is fine.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!