Blog Tour - Gods of Rome

I am participating in the upcoming Blog Tour for "Gods of Rome" by Gordon Doherty & Simon Turney. "Gods of Rome" is the final part of the story of Constantine the Great and Maxentius.

Gods of Rome

For one to rule, the other must die.

312 AD is a year of horrific and brutal warfare. Constantine's northern army is a small force, plagued by religious rivalries, but seemingly unstoppable as they invade Maxentius' Italian heartlands. These relentless clashes, incidents of treachery and twists of fortune see Maxentius' armies driven back to Rome.

Constantine has his prize in sight, yet his army is diminished and on the verge of revolt. Maxentius meanwhile works to calm a restive and dissenting Roman populace. When the two forces clash in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, there are factors at work beyond their control and soon they are left with carnage.

There is only one way Constantine and Maxentius' rivalry will end. With one on a bloodied sword and the other the sole ruler of Rome...

My review here >>> Gods of Rome

Masters of Rome

Their rivalry will change the world forever.

As competition for the imperial throne intensifies, Constantine and Maxentius realise their childhood friendship cannot last. Each man struggles to control their respective quadrant of empire, battered by currents of politics, religion and personal tragedy, threatened by barbarian forces and enemies within.

With their positions becoming at once stronger and more troubled, the strained threads of their friendship begin to unravel. Unfortunate words and misunderstandings finally sever their ties, leaving them as bitter opponents in the greatest game of all, with the throne of Rome the prize.

It is a matter that can only be settled by outright war..

My review here >>> Masters of Rome

Sons of Rome

Four Emperors. Two Friends. One Destiny.

As twilight descends on the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire is but a shadow of its former self. Decades of usurping emperors, splinter kingdoms and savage wars have left the people beleaguered, the armies weary and the future uncertain. And into this chaos Emperor Diocletian steps, reforming the succession to allow for not one emperor to rule the world, but four.

Meanwhile, two boys share a chance meeting in the great city of Treverorum as Diocletian's dream is announced to the imperial court. Throughout the years that follow, they share heartbreak and glory as that dream sours and the empire endures an era of tyranny and dread. Their lives are inextricably linked, their destinies ever-converging as they rise through Rome's savage stations, to the zenith of empire. For Constantine and Maxentius, the purple robes beckon...

My review here >>> Sons of Rome

Review: Gods of Rome by Simon Turney & Gordon Doherty

Synopsis: For one to rule, the other must die.

312 AD is a year of horrific and brutal warfare. Constantine's northern army is a small force, plagued by religious rivalries, but seemingly unstoppable as they invade Maxentius' Italian heartlands. These relentless clashes, incidents of treachery and twists of fortune see Maxentius' armies driven back to Rome.

Constantine has his prize in sight, yet his army is diminished and on the verge of revolt. Maxentius meanwhile works to calm a restive and dissenting Roman populace. When the two forces clash in the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, there are factors at work beyond their control and soon they are left with carnage.

There is only one way Constantine and Maxentius' rivalry will end. With one on a bloodied sword and the other the sole ruler of Rome...

So, this latest follows on from the first two in the Rise of Emperors series in which two friends, now rivals, meet in the ultimate battle for Rome. As Edward Gibbon in his "The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire" states: "... though the characters of Constantine and Maxentius had very little affinity with each other, their situation and interest were the same ...... " - and that interest was Rome.

Gibbon further waxes lyrical on the virtues of Constantine over the vices of Maxentius, writing that "... though Constantine might view the conduct of Maxentius with abhorrence, and the situation of the Romans with compassion, we have no reason to presume that he would have taken up arms to punish the one or to relieve the other ..."

History is written by the victors, and the accounts are heavily one-sided in favour of Constantine, and by 312 (when our story opens), Constantine and Maxentius were engaged in open hostility with one another, although they were brothers-in‑law through Constantine's marriage to Fausta, sister of Maxentius. 

Many reasons are thrown about - Gibbon himself talks about some slight inflicted upon the statues of Constantine by Maxentius, whereupon: " ... Constantine no longer hesitated. He had deliberated with caution, he acted with vigour. He gave a private audience to the ambassadors who, in the name of the senate and people, conjured him to deliver Rome from a detested tyrant; and, without regarding the timid remonstrances of his council, he resolved to prevent the enemy, and to carry the war into the heart of Italy. ..."

And so it was that in the spring of 312, Constantine gathered an army and decided to oust Maxentius himself. He easily overran northern Italy, winning two major battles: the first near Turin, the second at Verona.  Upon hearing the news of Constantine's approach, Maxentius chose to make his stand in front of the Milvian Bridge.  Holding it was crucial if Maxentius was to keep his rival out of Rome.  Here history is a little blurred - Maxentius had probably partially destroyed the bridge during his preparations for a siege for he had a wooden or pontoon bridge constructed to get his army across the river, which he would then use to cut off Constantine's advance should that prove necessary.

As the battle turned, Maxentius decided to order a retreat, intending to make another stand at Rome itself. However, there was only one escape route - the pontoon bridge. Constantine's men inflicted heavy losses on the retreating army.  But we know the outcome of this battle - Constantine was the victor, whilst Maxentius was among the dead.  The battle gave Constantine undisputed control of the western half of the Roman Empire.

Whilst the focus of this narrative is on that fateful year of 312, there is still plenty going on, and despite the known outcome, you still can't help but hope that the underdog will triumph.

Neither man is hero or villain. Unlike the sources from this period, which reflect the propaganda of Constantine and present Maxentius as a brutal tyrant, authors Turney & Doherty provide a carefully constructed, and fluid narrative from the viewpoint of both. 

And as the reader progresses through the alternating narrative, you soon realise that both men share more in common than one would expect - both are beset by fractious factions within their support networks; both look to signs, omens and prophecies; both are surrounded by traitors, dissemblers and deceivers, religious discontents, and angry wives.

The authors' notes at the end provide a neat wrap up to this well researched and written series.

read more here:

Edward Gibbon: Chapter 14 - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Eusebius of Caesarea - Vita Constantine 

Review: Masters of Rome by Gordon Doherty & Simon Turney

Synopsis: Their rivalry will change the world forever.

As competition for the imperial throne intensifies, Constantine and Maxentius realise their childhood friendship cannot last. Each man struggles to control their respective quadrant of empire, battered by currents of politics, religion and personal tragedy, threatened by barbarian forces and enemies within.

With their positions becoming at once stronger and more troubled, the strained threads of their friendship begin to unravel. Unfortunate words and misunderstandings finally sever their ties, leaving them as bitter opponents in the greatest game of all, with the throne of Rome the prize.

It is a matter that can only be settled by outright war...

Book 2 in this series of the epic battle between Constantine and Maxentius for supremacy in Rome continues where Sons of Rome left off - 308AD and continues up to 312AD. Each man's story is again narrated by a single author, with an alternating overall narrative so that we get a sense of what is happening to both concurrently.

No spoilers here as events are well known - however the journey taken to get there is as thrilling and fresh as if it happened yesterday. It is not an easy journey for either man - both face the constant struggle to maintain their positions, both within and without the Roman Empire as territories are won and lost; there is personal tragedy and a deterioration of their fragile friendship; and religious dissent is on the rise as the supporters of Christ demand more freedom of worship; and add into the mix, the rise of rival contenders.

Though the more I read - and for me Constantine was ever present in my mind - the more I felt an empathy towards Maxentius. I was more drawn to his plight than his nemesis, for many of his deeds and achievements have latterly gone unrecognised. Maybe it has something to do with the way we like to support the underdog against an obviously stronger, experienced opponent. Maybe, it is just my knowing the outcome that has drawn me closer to getting to know this man more.

The final showdown take's place in book 3 for ".... it is in battle that this will end for one ..."

The struggle between Constantine and Maxentius is the only Roman civil war to be depicted on a monument and can be seen in the relief sculptures on the Arch for Constantine.

Review: Sons of Rome by Gordon Doherty & Simon Turney

Synopsis: Four Emperors. Two Friends. One Destiny.

As twilight descends on the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire is but a shadow of its former self. Decades of usurping emperors, splinter kingdoms and savage wars have left the people beleaguered, the armies weary and the future uncertain. And into this chaos Emperor Diocletian steps, reforming the succession to allow for not one emperor to rule the world, but four.

Meanwhile, two boys share a chance meeting in the great city of Treverorum as Diocletian's dream is announced to the imperial court. Throughout the years that follow, they share heartbreak and glory as that dream sours and the empire endures an era of tyranny and dread. Their lives are inextricably linked, their destinies ever-converging as they rise through Rome's savage stations, to the zenith of empire. For Constantine and Maxentius, the purple robes beckon... 

Wow. What a challenge - two authors - two characters - one book. Did they pull it off - sure did.

This is the story of Emperor Constantine and his rival Emperor Maxentius, Set in the 3rd and 4th Centuries AD, we follow our two main characters as they embark on their rise to power within the cesspit - "... the discoloured underbelly of the Empire with all its sickening ungliness ..." - that was Rome and the Roman Empire at the height of the religious persecutions.

The Roman Empire at this time was one of chaos and anarchy. Civil wars, petty rivalries, invasions from enemies both within and without, and disease were rending the empire so perilously that the Emperor Diocletian tried to bring order by distributing power to a four-ruler tetrarchy that would govern the four quarters of the empire. Simply put, the Tetrarchic Emperors (Diocletian, b, Galerius, and Constantius), were more or less sovereign in their own lands, and they travelled with their own imperial courts, administrators, secretaries, and armies. They were joined by blood and marriage and these relationships implied a line of succession. Galerius and Constantius would become Augusti after the departure of Diocletian and Maximian. Maximian's son Maxentius and Constantius's son Constantine would then become Caesars. In preparation for their future roles, Constantine and Maxentius were taken to Diocletian's court in Nicomedia. (source: Wikipedia). Could this model work - not for very long as each man's personal ambitions came to the fore.

It was also during the reign of Diocletian that the persecutions of Christians became more rampant and decidedly brutal with the result being death, torture, imprisonment, or dislocation for many Christians. This was and is an extremely complex subject with varying degrees of enforcement and tolerance - whereas Galerius and Diocletian were avid persecutors, Constantius (father of Constantine) was unenthusiastic. 

Each author provides the first person narrative for their character, as the stories run smoothly, contemporaneous, enhancing and contributing to the narrative of the other. 

Doherty takes on the character of the colossus - Constantine (below left). A man known to all as the Emperor who sanctioned the legitimised the religion of Christianity and made it the dominant religion of the Western (Roman) Empire. There is a plethora of information on Constantine - suffice to say that the youth of Constantine is presented in a very plausable, well crafted manner.

  

Turney tackles Maxentius (above right), an emperor about whom very little is known, and as such, had the more difficult tasks of constructing a narrative for this elusive monarch. Unlike the more militaristic Constantine, Maxentius is more the politician. He comes across as the more sympathetic of the two - the underdog - that one in instinctively drawn to him more - even more so if one is a student of this particular period. 

This could quite easily have been a fail but in this instance, it isn't. This is very well researched by authors who have an obvious passion (obsession?) for the period and their characters, and this story flows seamlessly.   It is the first in a series, for though whilst we begin at the end - the Battle of Milvian Bridge - we are far from it this outing as the tale continues with Masters of Rome.

For the purist, the last dozen pages are taken up with notes and Latin terms.