The Wings of Mercury Audiobook By Travis Starnes cover art

The Wings of Mercury

Imperium Volume 2, Book 1

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The Wings of Mercury

By: Travis Starnes
Narrated by: Kevin Kemp
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A new war. A new enemy.

Nine years ago, Lt. Commander Ky, a test pilot from the future, was flung back in time to a world that never existed. In this world, Carthage won the Punic Wars and Rome was all but destroyed, pushed back to a corner of the British Isles. That war is over. With Ky's help, the Romans formed a new Britannic Empire, defeated the mighty Carthaginian Empire, and set up a new paradigm in Europe.

For five years, Britannia has led the Western world into peace. They have helped the recovering people from new alliances and nations, creating a more or less unified Europe. But the time of peace has ended. Shattered by a sudden, unprovoked attack from the East, using weapons equal to those developed in Britannia, war has returned. Now, Britannia rallies the Western countries into a new Western Alliance to stave off the Eastern threat.

The first book in a sequel series to Imperium.

©2023 Travis Starnes (P)2025 Podium Audio Alternate History Genre Fiction Science Fiction Time Travel War & Military War Rome
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Imperium represents the best alternate history plot that I have ever read/listened to. In fact, I could not emphasize enough how much I have been enjoying this series, and look forward to the next volume with anticipation. Hence, I highly recommend this series to most sci-fi aficionados, who are bound to love Imperium as much as I have.
My sincere congratulations to Travis Starnes and the narrator - Kevin Kemp!

A Marvelous Piece of Sci-Fi, BRAVO!

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There is some combination of genres that includes science fiction, time travel, history, and introducing technology or knowledge outside the current timeline with the challenges that creates that I enjoy tremendously, but few authors in this micro-genre really hit it out of the park for me. Often characters that lack depth, getting lost in the weeds of details without a sufficiently compelling storyline, or some other issue fails to engage my imagination in the thought experiment of the problem solving process. Olan Thorensen’s “Destiny’s Crucible” series is definitely my favorite in this micro-genre, but Travis Starnes “Imperium” series now stands in 2nd place. The series faltered a bit for me around the third book, but I’m so glad I kept going. I’m thrilled with this first installment of Imperium Volume II, and anxious to hear the rest. I am perhaps an outlier in the idiosyncrasies of a given series that spark my curiosity and enthusiasm, but if anything in my review resonates with you, definitely give this series a try. The narration is very well done, with most primary characters having clearly identifiable voices, and really adds to the experience. Kudos to Kevin Kemp for the excellent performance. I think Travis Starnes will appeal to a much wider audience than those who have come across his work so far. Taste is books is a very individual thing and I find it useful to know what other authors reviewers enjoy, so in case it’s helpful for someone, my favorites in sci-fi more broadly are Dennis E Taylor, John Scalzi and Andy Weir. Thanks Travis, and please keep the Imperium audiobooks coming!

Can’t wait for the next one!

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I cannot stress enough how great this series is. Once more Travis has delivered a compelling book in this incredible world.

Another spectacular entry.

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The war continues with the adversary in the east. I Can't wait for the next book!

Another great book!

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Hurry up and get the other book read. Very good storytelling and the narrator is just about perfect.

More please

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This is essentially the sixth book in the series, and while I really enjoyed the first three, I’m finding that the story now feels like it’s mostly filler. I’m not usually one to leave negative reviews — reading is subjective, and what one person dislikes, another might love — but I feel like I’ve reached the end of the road with this series.

The early books drew me in with strong characters and an interesting direction, and I was genuinely curious to see where things would go. But by the time I got halfway through this installment, I realized I no longer felt invested. The plot didn’t seem to be building toward anything meaningful — it’s more battleships, a new enemy, empire expansion, and spreading democracy (oddly, under a system that still includes an empress, a queen, and a cybernetically enhanced protagonist). The worldbuilding started to feel contradictory and overly stretched.

In short, this one didn’t work for me, and I don’t think I’ll continue with the series. Still, I hope others who are more into this type of long-form sci-fi will enjoy it more than I did.

The story is getting dry

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