The Amber Road

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

£0.00 for first 30 days

LIMITED TIME OFFER

Get 3 months for £0.99/mo

Get this deal

Try Premium Plus free

Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.

Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.

1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.

Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.

Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.

Access exclusive sales and deals.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Amber Road

By: Harry Sidebottom

Narrated by: Nick Boulton

Get this deal

Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

AD 264 - The Roman Empire is torn in two. The latest blazing novel in the Warrior of Rome series.

The western provinces - Gaul, Spain and Britain - have been seized; to the east, on the plains of northern Italy, armies muster. War is coming. Everyone must choose a side. Ballista must journey the Amber Road to the far north to Hyperborea, back to his original home and the people of his birth. Yet not all welcome Ballista’s return. Does treachery pose the greatest danger?

Historical

Mystery

Fiction

War

Rome

Listeners also enjoyed...

Marius' Mules I: The Invasion of Gaul cover art

Warrior: The Epic Story of Caratacus, Warrior Briton and Enemy of the Roman Empire cover art

Critic reviews

"Amazing, spectacular. Wonderful fight scenes, deft literary touches and salty dialogue" ( Daily Telegraph)

"Praise for the author: ‘Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship" ( The Times)

Most relevant

There's no denying it. Harry Sidebottom has to be one of the most knowledgeable of all the historical fiction authors and I definitely applaud his aim to both entertain and aloow for some education in the process. The depth of his knowledge shines through in all of the Ballista books and its a richly detailed world that his characters move through. That said, this book often felt more laboured than some of the earlier ones with for example regular lists of kingdoms and rulers that never played any real part in the book, seemingly only included to show that the research had been done.

The story is fine but I didn't find it as engaging as the other Ballista novels that I have read to date. (The books are designed to be read either stand alone or as an overall series). On top of that the ending seemed inconclusive to me. The good news is that Ballista, who really is a very strong character will live on in further novels, the not so good news is that, as I write, it looks likely we'll have to wait a couple of years before we see them emerge into the light of day.

To summarize this is not a bad book but it has its weak points. I would recommend the other Ballista novels as excellent stories to try first and then this one if you plan to continue following the adventures to come.