Rise of the Emperors: Sons of Rome

Davymac: Really enjoyed this book couldn't put it down liked the way it was written chapter by chapter alternating the main characters highly recommend this book

United Kingdom on May 26, 2023

t.harper: Love reading about the emperor's of Rome and there struggles. Great reading the two versions from each of the emporer ,s can't wait for book 2,

United Kingdom on May 05, 2023

John V: This has to be one of my favourite historical fiction novels. I read this for the first time close to its release date in hard back format and decided to re-read the Rise of Emperors series back to back. Gordon’s portrayal of Constantine is interesting as he portrays him as a grey character which makes the character more realistic and identifiable. Whilst Simon’s portrayal of Maxentius isn’t as a purely vilified character, as with other novels Simon makes these historical figures which are condemned by some, into more relatable, realistic and emotionally complex characters. This period of Roman history is fascinating with a power plays from various parties and this novel depicts both Constantine and Maxentius from their early childhood through to adulthood and their taking up the mantels of power. I look forward to re-reading book 2 in the series which I will start today. This is my favourite book in the series however as it introduced me to both authors and I’ve enjoyed all of their series I have read to date.

United Kingdom on Apr 20, 2023

James T. Nolte: Unlike previous books, this story lacked the excitement, sense of urgency that compels the reader to read the end of the page and onto the next. Really was expecting the story to pick up the pace at one point, never really happened. Not sure if moving into the sequel, looking to see what others have to say

United States on Feb 27, 2023

Robert J. McA: Well written and full of intrigue. A very gripping story with lots of side stories. The various personalities just shine.

United States on Dec 26, 2022

James Tivendale: I’ve been getting into more historical fiction this year, so when Head of Zeus approached me with their new Aries catalogue – an imprint of theirs that is focused on action and adventure books – I was pretty excited to see what they had on offer. I opted to pick up Doherty and Turney’s Sons of Rome as my first choice, and although it wasn’t the reading experience I was expecting, I had a great time with it.

“Now every journey has a story, but this one is a truly dark and tangled tale – one that would end, the very next day, in battle against my oldest friend…”

Sons of RomeSons of Rome is set in the Roman Empire from the 3rd-4th century AD. It follows two main characters, Constantine and Maxentius, both in the first-person perspective. The two voices of the protagonists were unique and distinctive so there was never a risk of confusion over whose chapter I was reading. The main distinction between the two players is that Constantine’s journey is martial whereas Maxentius’ is more political. We follow both of them concurrently as they age from youth to adulthood. They meet fleetingly throughout their lives when their paths crossover and they...

United Kingdom on Nov 23, 2022

Amazon Customer: Good accurate historical fiction of a time not often detailed in Roman history. But be ready to read several books in the series to get even the basics of how things play out

United States on Jun 11, 2022

Pete 478: I've been a fan of both authors for some time so was looking forward to diving into the story of the fight for the late Roman empire. I felt at times, this book hard going and long , it's written from the two perspectives of Maxentius and Constantine with alternate chapters from each perspective. I found this sometimes a bit hard to follow and I'm not sure the formula works well in this story. At times the story was a bit slow with little happening and seems to get a bit bogged down in detail of Roman life. A lot of Latin titles and words used which required looking up meanings in the glossary. Having said that it appears well researched and is a fascinating glimpse into the deadly machinations of Roman power and politics.

United Kingdom on Dec 03, 2021

James Dainis: The story is told in an interesting way. One chapter will be depicted through the mind of Constantine, and the next chapter will be depicted through the mind of Maximius. They are two men who start out as the best of friends but soon each becomes the Emperor of a part of the Roman empire and they then become enemies. From my point of view, most of the antagonism seems to be generated on the part of Maximius. It seems as if they should join forces but that is not the way of history. It all does make for a very interesting read.

United States on Oct 18, 2021

Donna Bull: "Well let me be the one to tell you of my deeds, both light and dark. What happened that afternoon on the road to Rome was neither an omen from the divine, nor a shrewd yarn to disguise mortal ambition: it was a moment of great realisation, and the culmination of a journey."

Sons is a fantastic beginning to this historical fiction series!! Set in 277AD, the story follows Maxentius and Constantine, two historical figures that I knew nothing about before beginning this series. The Roman Empire has been falling apart with succession issues, supply issues and Emperor Diocletian decides that the way to solve the succession problems is to create a Tetrarchy-instead of one Emperor, there will be four. Maxentius and Constantine are pulled into this world of Emperors and Caesars through their fathers, and as young men they become fast friends. This world of political backstabbing will not leave these friends untouched however, and this story of how their friendship develops and then strains apart is wonderful. The two POV's alternate as the well paced story moves along and so you get to see how each individuals decisions affect the other and how those decisions are viewed as the...

United States on Aug 12, 2021