The novel is set in 270 AD, and takes place during a precarious time for the Roman Empire. Having suffered through the rule of several weak emperors in a row, the empire is no longer quite what it was. And now Queen Zenobia of Palmyra, whose family has ruled Roman provinces east of the Mediterranean for a long time as caretakers for Rome, has now turned her armies against her former masters and started a rebellion. The Roman legions, for long considered invincible, have been crushed in battle after battle. Arabia, Palestine and Egypt have all fallen to the well-trained forces of the ambitious Queen. Now she has set her sights on Antioch, the rich and famous trading city.
The young Cassius Corbulo has just finished his training as an officer in the Roman army and been recruited into the intelligence branch. Sent to the East, he has been assigned task of rounding up wounded legionaries from various Roman outposts around Antioch. While doing this, he receives new orders to go to the Roman fort Alauran, take command there, and defend it until reinforcements can arrive.
This, of course, is not a trivial task for a young man without fighting experience. Roman soldiers are usually commanded by officers with decades of experience, and most centurions are almost twice as old as he is. Even so, and order is an order.
Cassius knows his task is borderline impossible. But what meets him at Alauran makes him quickly realize that the he had underestimated the difficulties. Outside he is met with a pile of bodies. And the legionaries remaining at Alauran are demoralized, undisciplined, and they have not received pay for far too long. Not to mention that the fortress itself is poorly maintained.
Even so, with a crack force of Palmyrans just days away and getting closer all the time, Cassius must forge order out of the chaos that reigns, repair the fortress, and somehow prepare himself and the men for upcoming battle. Somehow he must find a way, against impossible odds, and try to carry out his orders to the best of his ability. Before it is over, this will require all of his considerable resourcefulness and almost all of his resources.
The Siege is an excellent debut novel and delivers a thrilling and fascinating coming-of-age adventure that had me glued to my chair. Nick Brown does not make his young protagonist into a superman, but rather makes him into an excellent motivator and organizer – a man who listens, learns, thinks, and finds solutions. I liked that, in fact I have already looking forward to the sequel! The Siege is an intelligent, very enjoyable, and well written historical fiction novel.
Praise for Agent of Rome: The Siege:
‘Agent of Rome is a masterful debut from a new author completely at home in this era; the writing is deft, the action swift and bloody and the characters believable and engaging. I look forward greatly to the next one.’ (Manda Scott)
‘Once the action kicks off you won’t be able to put it down.’ (Anthony Riches, author of the Empire series)
‘Brown promises to be one of the most exciting sword-wielding writers in an ever-popular arena. In this, his debut, his principal is a 19-year-old fresh-faced officer commanding 100 men in defence of a Syrian stronghold against a vastly superior force. There are echoes of Beau Geste in this death-or-glory stand.’
(The Oxford Times)
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