The Book Plank

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 ...

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...