The Book Plank

Best Alternate History of 2015 Alternate history, the genre that bends the "what once has been" into something new, into what might have also happened. I am a big history fan and seeing with what these authors came up with I can only try to hide my grin. The Mechanical must not be missed by anyone and especially me being a Dutchy. Ian Tregillis is best known for his alternate WWII story with the Milweed Tryptich, in The Mechanical  he take you back to The Netherlands in the 17th century. Where clakkers, automatons, are slaves to help us humans. It is a wonderful imagining of The Netherlands and Ian Tregillis really did his homework when he was re imagining several parts of The Netherlands. I am a big fan of Nick Brown's Agent of Rome series. I like the Roman times a lot, during a holiday in Rome I visited the Colosseum. Awesome I tell you. With every book the series just seems to get better. Nick Brown shows a lot of versatility in the build up of his story. Highlightin...

The Emperor's Silver by Nick Brown, Agent of Rome #5 Still recovering from his previous assignment in Arabia, imperial agent Cassius Corbulo has been spending most of his time and money on women and wine. Unfortunately for him, word of his achievements has reached the emperor Aurelian's deputy and he is sent north, tasked with smashing a counterfeiting gang. Cassius tracks the criminals to the city of Berytus, where his investigations are hampered by civil unrest and uncooperative officials, not to mention the personal problems of his servant Simo and bodyguard Indavara. Despite this - and intense pressure from his superiors - the young officer eventually closes in on the gang. But his enemies will do anything to protect their profits, and Cassius and Indavara soon find themselves fighting not only for the emperor, but for their very survival.    If you have been following my review of Nick Brown's Agent of Rome series (including short fiction pieces), you k...

The Black Stone by Nick Brown, Agent of Rome #4 273 AD. Obsessed by the solar religions of the east, the emperor Aurelian sets out to obtain every sacred object within his realm. But one - a mysterious rock said to channel the power of the sun god - lies beyond his reach. Warrior-priest Ilaha has captured the legendary stone and is using it to raise an army against Rome. For imperial agent Cassius Corbulo and ex-gladiator bodyguard Indavara, stopping him constitutes their greatest challenge yet. Assisted by a squad of undercover soldiers and a Saracen chieftain, they trek south across the deserts of Arabia, encountering sandstorms, murderous money-lenders and a ruthless German mercenary. And when they finally reach Ilaha's mountain fortress, they face thousands of warriors who will give their lives to protect him ... and the black stone. About two weeks ago I read Nick Brown's short story, Death This Day , which takes place before the actual events of The Siege ...

Death This Day by Nick Brown, An Agent of Rome story 265 AD. In the blazing desert wastes of Roman Syria death is never far away. Following a vicious battle between his squad of legionaries and a band of brigands, Oppius Rufus Serenus finds himself at the mercy of enemy warriors hell-bent on revenge, with only his dagger and his wits to defend himself... Roman Fiction (not to be mixed up with romance fiction!) has always been a genre that I liked to read, I have been reviewing a lot of short stories from Tor.com but didn't find such a story there, so I went through the author of who I read Roman stories and I wound up with Nick Brown, one of my favorite authors when it come down to this genre and as luck would have had it, he has written two short stories so far set in his Agent of Rome series. Now I wont go into too much detail regarding this series but it focuses on the frumentarii, Rome's secret service and it is just what you seek in Roman fiction. Ok but now onto...

Author Interview with Nick Brown Last year I was introduced to the first book of Nick Brown's Agent of Rome series: The Siege and I was very impressed. It was my first Roman fiction book, of course we all know the Roman times from the movies or series like gladiator or 300. But actually reading about it was just as or even more rewarding than watching a movie. Nick Brown's Agent of Rome does capture the essence of fighting but also steers into a yet unexplored area, the Roman secret service the frumentarii . Unfortunately I hadn't had the chance to read the second book The Imperial Banner, but The Far Shore made up for it big time. Recently there was an announcement that mentions that three more books will be added to the series over the course of 2014 till 2016, I have high hopes for them! Author Bio: Nick was born in Norwich in 1974. A keen reader from a young age, he graduated from Enid Blyton to Douglas Hill and JRR Tolkien, and from there to Ian Flemi...

The Far Shore by Nick Brown, Agent of Rome #3 When the deputy commander of Rome's Imperial Security Service is assassinated on the island of Rhodes, Cassius Corbulo swiftly finds himself embroiled in the investigation. Assisted once more by ex-gladiator bodyguard Indavara and servant Simo, his search for the truth is complicated by the involvement of the dead man's headstrong daughter, Annia. Braving hostile seas, Cassius and his allies follow the assassin's trail south aboard a ship captained by a roguish Carthaginian smuggler and manned by his disparate, dangerous crew. Their journey leads them to the farthest reaches of the empire; to a ruined city where the rules of Roman civilization have long been abandoned, and a deadly battle of wits with a brutal, relentless foe. When I read The Siege, Nick Brown’s debut in the Agent of Rome series, I was pleasantly surprised with the authenticity that he managed to show in this story. He gave from the beginning of t...