Lions of Rome: Praetorian, Book 4

This volume is, to me, the best of the four I have read. I am looking forward to reading the next volume. Mr. Turney is a master of research and weaves the story of fiction into believable history.

BLURBRufinus is dead, crumpled at the base of a cliff in far-off Dacia. Or so the world believes. Back in the west, secretly in the entourage of the fierce Septimius Severus, the young hero moves in the shadows with fellow conspirators in an attempt to finally bring down the would-be tyrant of Rome: Cleander.Under assumed names and in a variety of roles, the former Praetorian conspires with some of the most important men in Rome, bringing the city to the very brink of disaster in a grand and complex plot to cause the fall of the untouchable chamberlain.And as governors, prefects, Praetorians and consuls work their secret plots in the seedy underbelly of Rome, Rufinus finds he has an opportunity to settle old scores along the way.The empire is suffering. Rome is seething. Rufinus is back.REVIEWIn the most complex Praetorian yet, Mr. Turney has delivered yet another masterpiece bringing together every element in the city of Rome, in a taut thriller to bring down the vile Cleander. There are a lot of moving pieces on the game board as the Septimus Severus led conspiracy plays a long waiting game; everything has to be right for them to succeed. It is this long wait that could have been a negative as far as slowing the pace of the narrative, a lessening in the number of stars awarded. But, my dear readers, just as Rufinus chafes at the wait, you must also. Like Rufinus, I was growing impatient, but like Severus, the author knew best...the last quarter is justification for the wait. In fairness, the drawn out grain part, while causing anxious moments for the conspirators, and the occasional sigh by me, is in retrospect necessary to the narrative. When you're going after the most powerful "right hand man of The Emperor" since Sejanus, you better be sure all your plans are laid out in meticulous detail.  Besides, dear reader, the last quarter of the book is pure Turney excitement magic.Book four of this series is also a prime example of the research that the author employs in all of his books. The descriptions, for example, of the streets of Commodus' Rome makes the reader feel like he's walking down familiar byways. In addition to that level of detail, you have a more complete Rufinus. He is now an elite warrior/spy exuding confidence in all of his tasks - a killer when necessary - a wearer of many masks - yet still possessing a compassionate outlook and a questioning mind. Yes, my peeps and fellow travelers, ready yourself for time well spent as you read Lions of Rome.  5 Stars

In addition to all of the twists and turns, who would have expected to be rooting for the protagonist dog too. All the characters were masterfully developed into the story.

Although I’ve greatly enjoyed the first three “Praetorian” novels, I found this one disappointingly slow-paced.Author S.J.A. Turney has based his plot on a grain shortage in Rome that may have led to the fall of Commodus’s powerful chamberlain, Cleander. Our hero Rufinus, acting incognito as prefect of the Misenum fleet and then as an Urban Cohorts centurion, is brought at an early stage into a conspiracy to depose Cleander, which results in his fretting impatiently for a couple of years before it comes to fruition.In order to rouse public opinion against Cleander, the conspiracy requires the Roman populace—already struggling with bubonic plague—to suffer near-famine as well. Watching as Praetorian guardsmen slaughter innocent civilians protesting the shortage of grain, Rufinus tells himself that such cruelty is necessary in order to rid Rome of Cleander. However, I didn’t feel informed fully enough of Cleander’s wrongdoing to feel so phlegmatic about the people’s misery.There’s a satisfying denouement at last, but one wonders why reaching it took so long. Rufinus remains an engaging character throughout (I love the boxing background that allows him to outthink and flatten opponents), yet after all his battle experience, it seems odd for him to “shiver,” “shudder,” “twitch,” “wince,” and “panic” as often as he does. I hope for more self-confidence—and suspense!—in the next episode.

Captivating, keeps you involved from start to finish. Turney is a master of this stuff! Not sure how he does it, but its great

This book provides details behind an actual historical event laid out by a number of historians of the time and most recently Gibbon's book on Rome. It is the last book of a four part series on an individual caught up in the political intrigue in Rome during Commodus reign of 180-192 AD. You should read the other three first. The main character, Rufinus, in this book is part of a plan to bring down the Roman chamberlain, Cleander, who has essentially made himself emperor of Rome while Commodus lives in his estate near the sea and seven miles away. Cleander, who is a true historical character, and who is as vile as the book shows (and the previous books) needs to be overthrown in order to bring peace to the city of Rome. The book provides the intrigue in a very readable format and the main character is someone that at least I was very concerned about (and I expect you will be too). As in the previous books, Rufinus gets himself into a difficult situation, but survives (sorry if this ruins the story for you). There will be a follow-up historical fiction on this real individual during Commodus' reign. I look forward to it.

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Turney has a number of great characters to fall back on in this series. I’ve read a few disappointing books lately on the Roman Legions, so it was a pleasure to read Turkey’s very interesting well written story about the Roman Legions.Joe CorsoAuthor of Lafitte’s Treasure

We are back with Rufinus for his fourth adventure , you’d think after past events he would want the quiet life..not so.. he still wants to see the downfall of Cleander.Plot wise I think the author took a slight risk, although it worked pretty well, as the series takes a more fun tone at times. The author provides insights into this in his author notes and it was really interesting to see his thought process.So on with the nitty-gritty… Rufinus is for all intents and purposes is dead after a nasty fall from a cliff.. he survived barely and now he’s fit and healthy it’s time to get back to Cleander and his downfall. But he’s going to need the help of some likeminded and powerful individuals to do it.Along the way we learn more about the men sent to kill Dis, a frumentarius, loyal to the Emperor who was murdered way back at the start of the series and now he’s this close Rufinus vows to take vengeance.We see Rufinus tackle each foe In turn.. getting closer and closer until the time is right to strike..some chances come sooner than others and the waiting game certainly frustrates Rufinus whilst building up the tension for the reader.What Turney get’s spot on for me is the detailed plot. Whilst a little bit more outrageous with Rufinus changing his appearance to stay hidden time to time the frankly exciting and well planned plot was easy to get sucked in. You can see the cogs turning slowly as Rufinus works his way through his targets and the author managed to show his impressive knowledge of roles within the empire and how individuals would interact with each other day-to-day.I also really enjoyed the links to the past..I’m not going to say much but I’m glad Merc wasnt forgotten.Lions of Rome is a slow burner..not to steal a phrase but we are in the endgame now..and the pieces on the board need to be set in such a way that Cleander won’t see it coming! While you might feel the frustration just like Rufinus does the author knows just what to give his readers, just wait until you get to the last 3rd of the book when everything starts to come to fruition..you won’t want it to end!Overall a detailed and fun story that didn’t disappoint..i’m excited for more from the author although I fear he churns hits out faster than I can read them! HaOne final note for the author.. I missed Acheron greatly.. and for anyone who gets the reference don’t worry too much 🙂

I will admit that Simon Turney's Praetorian series didn't exactly pull me in to begin with. The first volume was a good opener, but the second left me cold. The third regained my interest, and this is the fourth in the series.Without giving too much of the earlier books away, Rufinus finds himself back in Rome in the extended entourage of Septimus Severus. But he has to use an alias, as his continued existence is known only to a few people. This gives him enormous advantages, but clearly makes life difficult, as he is unable to reveal himself to old friends.Commodus is still Emperor, but his Chamberlain, Cleander, is the real power in the city, and thus the main focus of a number of plots. Rufinus has his own reasons for wishing for the man's downfall. Severus has power and influence, and this enables him to place Rufinus in positions that will prove useful - and dangerous.The plot is well handled, and again, quite complex. Severus is happy to play the long game, and is something of a master at it. Quietly assuming control of local naval forces, and manipulating grain imports, he sets about rousing the people against Cleander. The roles that Rufinus finds himself in can seem a little far-fetched, but it is worth seeing where it all leads. After all, young aristocratic men did become Tribunes, and learnt on the job, rather than training and then being promoted. So why shouldn't Rufinus do the same?I was pleased that Senova played a more prominent part in this episode. She had seemed a bit of a spare part in the earlier books, but comes into her own here, displaying an intelligence and dynamism that sometimes exceeds those of Rufinus. I did miss his dog, Acheron, though the explanation for his absence was entirely reasonable.I did enjoy this episode in the series. I do, however, have reservations about the growth of the major characters. The author's other series have all been marked by his astute development of the people involved. We see them slowly maturing and acquiring the skills to achieve what they eventually do. Here, you do have to suspend disbelief a little more than usual when Rufinus and Senova suddenly seem to have acquired a new skill or knowledge out of the blue. But apart from that, it is a cracking story.

Turney is quite a good story-teller, so the plot line is reasonable. Beyond that, the novel reads like something written for “young adults”, with phrases like “his wicked regime”, and character development is not convincing. There is little emotional tension, and much of the time, one feels that he is just plodding through each step of his plot in a journeyman-like fashion in order to complete the book, rather than being able to create true tension and momentum in the narrative.I would still read his books for light entertainment, but compared to Conn Iggulden or Mary Renault, this is pedestrian stuff.

Book 4 of the Pretorian Rufinus. The bumbling early adventure of this Legionnaire promoted Pretorian Guard (Book 1, The Great Game) looked to have terminated in the closing scene of Eagles of Dascia (Book 3), but Rufinus has risen only to morph in alternative guise to keep his enemies at bay. The boy Legionnaire has become a formidable soldier as his enemies begin to realise. A real fan of SJA Turney and like Fronto in Marius Mules I am fan of Rufinus. For the many Macro and Cato fans that are yet to meet the books of SJA Turney you do not know what you are missing. They are superb. Highly recommended

The intrigue, skullduggery and everyday life of Ancient Rome is perfectly represented by this excellent wordsmith. To be able to weave a tale of fiction within the constraints of historical facts is a prerequisite of a story teller at the peak of his powers.I hope that this prolific author does not take too long to continue the story of Rufinus, Senova and Acheron .I look forward to reading Commodus which will be dealing with aspects of this book .I would have given this book 6 stars were I able to,.Myy favourite book for some time.Thank you Simon.