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Edge of Empire #1
Siege
"An excellent, exciting debut. Gripping, gritty and blood-spattered. Fans of Roman historical adventure will love it!" Matthew Harffy
AD 139.
Lucius Faenius Felix arrives in Britannia to command the First Nervana, a renowned cohort drawn from the homelands of the fierce Nervii tribe. The soldier has been recently cheated out of his ancestral estates - and is still grieving from the mysterious murder of his father.
Along with Cai Martis, a veteran cavalry Prefect, the young officer uncovers news of a conspiracy. The resurgent Novantae, a ferocious tribe led by the determined war-chief, Barra, aim to put the Romans to the sword and win back the province.
Surrounded and cut off by their enemies, Lucius and Cai must lead their cohort through hostile territory. Conquer or be conquered.
The Romans attempt to send a message through enemy lines.
The First Nervana make a desperate final stand behind the walls of their fort.
Did the message get through?
Lucius and Cai know all too well what is at stake. Victory or death.
Recommended for fans of Simon Scarrow, Harry Sidebottom and Ben Kane.
Alistair Tosh was born and raised in the Dumfriesshire countryside. He now lives in north Lancashire with his wife and dog. Edge of Empire is his first novel.
AD 139.
Lucius Faenius Felix arrives in Britannia to command the First Nervana, a renowned cohort drawn from the homelands of the fierce Nervii tribe. The soldier has been recently cheated out of his ancestral estates - and is still grieving from the mysterious murder of his father.
Along with Cai Martis, a veteran cavalry Prefect, the young officer uncovers news of a conspiracy. The resurgent Novantae, a ferocious tribe led by the determined war-chief, Barra, aim to put the Romans to the sword and win back the province.
Surrounded and cut off by their enemies, Lucius and Cai must lead their cohort through hostile territory. Conquer or be conquered.
The Romans attempt to send a message through enemy lines.
The First Nervana make a desperate final stand behind the walls of their fort.
Did the message get through?
Lucius and Cai know all too well what is at stake. Victory or death.
Recommended for fans of Simon Scarrow, Harry Sidebottom and Ben Kane.
Alistair Tosh was born and raised in the Dumfriesshire countryside. He now lives in north Lancashire with his wife and dog. Edge of Empire is his first novel.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 9, 2024
Vivid battle scenes. Relatable characters. Loved it. 5⭐️
December 23, 2022
Plenty of blood and guts!
The country beyond Hadrian's Wall was known as the "arse end of the Empire", and with good reason. The Romans fought for years to conquer and assimilate the Scottish and Pictish tribes but, without success. Casualties, on both sides, must have been horrendous. This was the story of auxiliary soldiers, fighting Rome's battles in the far north of Britannia. Many of these soldiers were from German tribes, assimilated into a Roman way of life. They did not possess Roman citizenship and, as such, could not serve in the legions proper. However, they were fierce and loyal soldiers and this was their story. A beguiling tale of heroism, friendship and mutual loyalty borne out of family misfortune. Well recommended!
The country beyond Hadrian's Wall was known as the "arse end of the Empire", and with good reason. The Romans fought for years to conquer and assimilate the Scottish and Pictish tribes but, without success. Casualties, on both sides, must have been horrendous. This was the story of auxiliary soldiers, fighting Rome's battles in the far north of Britannia. Many of these soldiers were from German tribes, assimilated into a Roman way of life. They did not possess Roman citizenship and, as such, could not serve in the legions proper. However, they were fierce and loyal soldiers and this was their story. A beguiling tale of heroism, friendship and mutual loyalty borne out of family misfortune. Well recommended!
November 8, 2023
action book
Pretty well set up! First battle setting stage good action in the middle and overwhelming battle at the end! The book depicted how horrible it must have been and unpleasant to have bodies lying there for several days, in heat etc!
Pretty well set up! First battle setting stage good action in the middle and overwhelming battle at the end! The book depicted how horrible it must have been and unpleasant to have bodies lying there for several days, in heat etc!
March 13, 2023
Fighting with the best
This book is up there with the names of this genre. Would be an interesting intellectual gladiatorial contest between the likes of Tosh, Scarrow and Turney to name a few.
Bravo sir, Bravo.
This book is up there with the names of this genre. Would be an interesting intellectual gladiatorial contest between the likes of Tosh, Scarrow and Turney to name a few.
Bravo sir, Bravo.
July 2, 2023
Great read
Many books are written about this era, but unfortunately many fall short -this book I'd one that I am happy to say is not only a good read, it sits easily within the must read grouping. Really looking forward to the next book.
Many books are written about this era, but unfortunately many fall short -this book I'd one that I am happy to say is not only a good read, it sits easily within the must read grouping. Really looking forward to the next book.
September 4, 2023
Amazing battle scenes
I could not put this book down and once we got to the battle of the siege of was truly gripping the descriptions of the fighting amazing a book not to be missed I can't wait to read the next one in the series
I could not put this book down and once we got to the battle of the siege of was truly gripping the descriptions of the fighting amazing a book not to be missed I can't wait to read the next one in the series
March 24, 2022
brilliant
Absolutely riveting. Could not put this book down. Action packed throughout. Cannot wait for book two release. Thank you for this first class book.
Absolutely riveting. Could not put this book down. Action packed throughout. Cannot wait for book two release. Thank you for this first class book.
November 24, 2022
Good effort
Good story, pace is good, not too flowery. Still needs a good proofread, but that is a particular bugbear of mine. Going straight to the sequel.
Good story, pace is good, not too flowery. Still needs a good proofread, but that is a particular bugbear of mine. Going straight to the sequel.
May 25, 2022
The reader is plunged straight into the hard life of a Roman solder via a detailed and vivid depiction of military life recognisable to anybody who has served in a modern military unit. Of course, this is not the era of digitally assisted warfare, but the author shows us exactly how effectively the technology and tactics of the time are used by the Roman military. The emphasis on training and discipline, camaraderie, gallows humour and colourful language reinforces the whole narrative.
The character of Lucius matures under battle. The author does not make the error of going from incompetent newbie to battle-hardened hero, but starts his character’s journey at a reasonable level. Lucius is inexperienced, but intelligent and quick-witted by nature – characteristics essential for a young officer posted to a hostile environment. Relationships such as with Cai develop at a natural pace, as does our knowledge of the range of characters. The personal stories of soldiers and civilians, and their emotional engagement, both round out the characters themselves and increase the stakes (and up the tension for the reader!)
Talking of pace, this varies nicely; sometimes ferocious, other times more relaxed giving the reader breathing space, yet still with an underlying anxiety. The plot is inevitable; the tribes will crash down on our heroes. How they deal with it provides much of the tension.
The richness of detail in this story makes it an alluring read. There are few, if any, historical sources describing the Antonine invasion, so any attempted reconstruction would not be easy. Governor Urbicus must have campaigned against the Votadini and the Selgovae of the Scottish Borders region, the Damnonii of Strathclyde and the Novantae of Dumfries and Galloway. All three of the legions of Britain would have taken part (Legio II Augusta based at Caerleon, the Sixth Victrix based at York and the Twentieth Valeria Victrix based at Chester), as they are all mentioned on the inscriptions recording building work along the Antonine Wall. This legionary core was, no doubt, backed up by a substantial contingent of auxiliary units such as the Nervii in this story. The author has filled in the gap in the sources intelligently and confidently.
Overall, it reminded me of Adrian Goldsworthy’s ‘The Fort’ which I very much enjoyed.
On the production side, the cover is just right, conveying the light in the dark of the cohort’s situation and the hardness of their dilemma. Red is always a good choice for Roman historical fiction! Unfortunately, some of the poor punctuation and typographical mistakes in the edition reviewed jarred, e.g. ‘Trubunus’ for ‘Tribunus’ in the first line of the story and incorrect use of apostrophes for plurals or placed singly for plural nouns. A little attention to the formatting, particularly indenting, would also make the story more relaxed to the eye.
However, once these are cleared up, I would heartily recommend this to a reader who is looking for a new author of Roman fiction. A second in the series is on its way, I understand. Excellent! I shall be reading it.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
The character of Lucius matures under battle. The author does not make the error of going from incompetent newbie to battle-hardened hero, but starts his character’s journey at a reasonable level. Lucius is inexperienced, but intelligent and quick-witted by nature – characteristics essential for a young officer posted to a hostile environment. Relationships such as with Cai develop at a natural pace, as does our knowledge of the range of characters. The personal stories of soldiers and civilians, and their emotional engagement, both round out the characters themselves and increase the stakes (and up the tension for the reader!)
Talking of pace, this varies nicely; sometimes ferocious, other times more relaxed giving the reader breathing space, yet still with an underlying anxiety. The plot is inevitable; the tribes will crash down on our heroes. How they deal with it provides much of the tension.
The richness of detail in this story makes it an alluring read. There are few, if any, historical sources describing the Antonine invasion, so any attempted reconstruction would not be easy. Governor Urbicus must have campaigned against the Votadini and the Selgovae of the Scottish Borders region, the Damnonii of Strathclyde and the Novantae of Dumfries and Galloway. All three of the legions of Britain would have taken part (Legio II Augusta based at Caerleon, the Sixth Victrix based at York and the Twentieth Valeria Victrix based at Chester), as they are all mentioned on the inscriptions recording building work along the Antonine Wall. This legionary core was, no doubt, backed up by a substantial contingent of auxiliary units such as the Nervii in this story. The author has filled in the gap in the sources intelligently and confidently.
Overall, it reminded me of Adrian Goldsworthy’s ‘The Fort’ which I very much enjoyed.
On the production side, the cover is just right, conveying the light in the dark of the cohort’s situation and the hardness of their dilemma. Red is always a good choice for Roman historical fiction! Unfortunately, some of the poor punctuation and typographical mistakes in the edition reviewed jarred, e.g. ‘Trubunus’ for ‘Tribunus’ in the first line of the story and incorrect use of apostrophes for plurals or placed singly for plural nouns. A little attention to the formatting, particularly indenting, would also make the story more relaxed to the eye.
However, once these are cleared up, I would heartily recommend this to a reader who is looking for a new author of Roman fiction. A second in the series is on its way, I understand. Excellent! I shall be reading it.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
May 26, 2023
Very good depiction of battles with dense details for those who like that genre. The characters - not so good - stilted and have a cardboard cut out quality - you are either good or bad. Was it necessary to have a noble savage who could save the protagonist's life in return for him having saved the noble savage? Isnt that a little bit of a trope? Stick to the action and put more depth and complexity into the characters. The very best of the Roam authors show you how this should be done.
September 21, 2024
Good new Roman fiction
The story started a little slow (for me), but he did a good job using this to build the story. The viewpoint from the Auxiliary forces was unique. The dedication of client state forces in the Roman Legions was something I have pondered; were they really completely loyal to Rome? I think the answer is the universal answer of all Soldiers; they are loyal to each other and will see their duty done. I look forward to the next installment of this story.
The story started a little slow (for me), but he did a good job using this to build the story. The viewpoint from the Auxiliary forces was unique. The dedication of client state forces in the Roman Legions was something I have pondered; were they really completely loyal to Rome? I think the answer is the universal answer of all Soldiers; they are loyal to each other and will see their duty done. I look forward to the next installment of this story.
January 4, 2024
A good enough story with all the elements one would expect from a standard swords-and-sandals adventure, if a little thin on the detail that makes good historical fiction.
The pervasive grammar and syntax mistakes, however, made reading this quite a chore. It reads like a second draft that escaped the editor’s notice.
The pervasive grammar and syntax mistakes, however, made reading this quite a chore. It reads like a second draft that escaped the editor’s notice.
December 31, 2022
This is a great historical fiction, if you have even a small interest in this era I would fully recommend this book. The pacing is great with a consistent story so confusion or loss of interest is kept to a minimum.
January 12, 2023
Great read
As a native of Luguvallium, I recognised the scenery and locations which were so well described. Great action sequences, well drawn characters, excellent technical accuracy. Loved it!
As a native of Luguvallium, I recognised the scenery and locations which were so well described. Great action sequences, well drawn characters, excellent technical accuracy. Loved it!
March 16, 2023
a long fight
Great read on the go throughout. Hope book 2 has the same effect . Great characters bringing a real feel.
Great read on the go throughout. Hope book 2 has the same effect . Great characters bringing a real feel.
May 20, 2023
great read
Well worth picking this book up - very difficult to put it down . Definitely one of the better Roman era sagas I gave read !
Well worth picking this book up - very difficult to put it down . Definitely one of the better Roman era sagas I gave read !
May 30, 2023
Narrative just didn’t hang together well and the protagonists were thinly drawn.
June 2, 2023
A book worth reading
This is the first book I have read by this author. I think his writing is up there with Scarrow and Fabbri. Book 2 next.
This is the first book I have read by this author. I think his writing is up there with Scarrow and Fabbri. Book 2 next.
July 14, 2023
Great Read
If you enjoy books about the Roman legions, then get this book.
Joe Corso
Author of the Starlight Club Series.
If you enjoy books about the Roman legions, then get this book.
Joe Corso
Author of the Starlight Club Series.
August 6, 2023
moves and winds
Historically flavored, distinct characters, good mix of surprises and foreshadowing. The story flows through lots of twists and turns. A pleasure.
Historically flavored, distinct characters, good mix of surprises and foreshadowing. The story flows through lots of twists and turns. A pleasure.
September 22, 2023
Great story.
Great story but the book has some typos that are just a little distracting..The major battle was well written but a little meandering.
Great story but the book has some typos that are just a little distracting..The major battle was well written but a little meandering.
November 25, 2023
Enjoyable light read with good characterisation.
December 16, 2023
More Gore than Story
More gore than story. The battles are too long and draw out leaving the characters very shallow. The end is more focused on a next novel than a good ending.
More gore than story. The battles are too long and draw out leaving the characters very shallow. The end is more focused on a next novel than a good ending.
January 14, 2024
Good Storytelling
A good story but short on historical details. Somewhat predictable storyline. Overall entertaining. Looked forward to reading it each night.
A good story but short on historical details. Somewhat predictable storyline. Overall entertaining. Looked forward to reading it each night.
January 16, 2024
Great read
Loved the characters and battles little love lots of heartache some history throughout plus some honor and respect for the enemy
Loved the characters and battles little love lots of heartache some history throughout plus some honor and respect for the enemy
February 11, 2024
Hard to put down!
Very enjoyable, loved the characters and flow. No typos or grammatical errors until the last 20%. By then I didn't care! Just bought the next book.
Very enjoyable, loved the characters and flow. No typos or grammatical errors until the last 20%. By then I didn't care! Just bought the next book.
May 29, 2024
Opinion of Siege
An excellent read ,keeps you on your toes, and excited to see what comes next .looking forward to the next book
An excellent read ,keeps you on your toes, and excited to see what comes next .looking forward to the next book
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews