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Betrayal: The Centurions I

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Betrayal: The Centurions I

By: Anthony Riches
Narrated by: Mark Noble
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Rome, AD 68. Nero has committed suicide. One hundred years of imperial rule by the descendants of Julius Caesar has ended, and chaos rules.

His successor Galba dismisses the incorruptible Germans of the Imperial Bodyguard for the crime of loyalty to the dead emperor. Ordering them back to their homeland he releases a Batavi officer from a Roman prison to be their prefect. But Julius Civilis is not the loyal servant of empire that he seems.

Four centurions, two Batavi and two Roman, will be caught up in the intrigues and the battles that follow - as friends, as victims, as leaders and as enemies.

Hramn is First Spear of the Bodyguard. Fiercely proud of his men's honour, and furious at their disgrace, he leads them back to the Batavi homeland to face an uncertain future.

Alcaeus is a centurion with the tribe's cohorts serving Rome on the northern frontier - men whose fighting skills prove crucial as Roman vies with Roman for the throne. A wolf-priest of Hercules, he wields the authority of his god and his own fighting prowess.

Marius is a Roman, first spear of the Fifth Legion: a self-made man who hates politics, but cannot avoid them in a year of murderous intrigue.

Aquillius, former first spear of the Eighth Augustan, like Hramn, is in disgrace for refusing to dishonour his oath of loyalty. But their paths will lead them to opposite sides of an unforgiving war.

And Civilis, Kivilaz to his countrymen, heroic leader, Roman citizen and patriotic Batavi, will change both the course of the Empire's destiny and that of the centurions.

(P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton©2017 Anthony Riches Action & Adventure Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction Rome Military War Mystery Bodyguard
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Where does Betrayal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have very much enjoyed Antony Riches previous books so I looked forward to his latest offering this is however somewhat different in style.

The backdrop to this novel is the year of the four Emperors this took place in the year AD 69, in which four emperors ruled in succession: Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and finally Vespasian. This prompted by the suicide of the emperor Nero in 68 was followed by a brief period of civil war.

This means that to fully cover the topic must have been difficult, especially when it also introduces the revolt of the Batavi which took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior ( It was an uprising against the Roman Empire started by the Batavi, a small but militarily powerful Germanic tribe that inhabited the delta of the river Rhine; and joined by some neighbouring Germanic tribes,

The writer spends a lot of time outlining the events that took place there being such confusion during the year AD 69 The book as such is short on the action that Antony Riches has treated us to in the past ... that said I did enjoy the book The reader did a very good job narrating a complicated tail and look forward to Mr Riches next book in the hope that he returns to a more action packed offering

Would you be willing to try another book from Anthony Riches? Why or why not?

Yes he an excellent writer

Which character – as performed by Mark Noble – was your favourite?

The Batavi

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The action scenes

Any additional comments?

Next time less explanation and more action please

A difficult topic to write about

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It’s unusual to read such a multi faceted story of the Roman Empire, both from the side of the empire and its auxiliary countries. I found the characters subtleties and thought processes fascinating. Motivation for actions were clearly described.
There seemed few of the stereotypes I often find in such fiction. A great performance by the narrator as well

Compelling and complex story

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I must say I enjoyed it. But it was tough trying to remember the Roman names and who they were. If this was a book, I could flip back to see who Claudius something something is but kinda difficult with an audio book. But if you have a good memory, this is worth it.

Get the book.

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Good story, strong characters, exceptionally well performed by Mark Noble - you really can't ask for more.

Superb Listen

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Although I found most aspects of the book very enjoyable
I found that there were to many characters
With similar names
Which I’ve got to admit at times confused me

Betrayal

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