The Wolf's Gold: Empire V

Moving on to Book 5 we know what we can expect in the series, and fortunately this outing we are not beaten over the head with the plot to kill our hero. Backstory of that plot is tendered (where it probably shouldn't have been) or should have been given us much earlier. For a secret plot with reasons that are to be kept secret not only does all romans who we encounter seem to know of it, but they know of it at the very edges of the empire which gives us the truth that it is not secret and that every person we are going to meet in the story knows why our hero is trying to hide his identity and why every can see right through that artifice.Which takes away an entire star rating and tells us once more that Riches should stick to the main plot line of each vignette. Further, engaging in credible plot devices for marching a couple cohorts all over Europe could be employed. Cato and Macro, since they are detached officers, have much more credibility in the hands of Scarrow as those heroes march all over the empire. Here in Empire you have to suspend your disbelief many times for not only SuperComicBook Hero Marcus, our protagonist, smarter than any other officer, despite his just being past boyhood, and all the other baggage he has been given by Riches.So, look past that. Riches once you ignore why the Cohort has marched 1000s of miles, finds a villain to fight. Does it well, and is ready to march on. The mistake here is to make our heroes confront Villains from all over. There were enough in Brittania to milk that for many books, as Scarrow showed in his series before moving on.Perhaps an editor who could think through this plot holes could have suggested a better way to handle things. Or perhaps, smaller sequences with different characters acting across the empire. Not just one protagonist whose entire being makes for him to be a square peg trying to be jammed into a round hole.

Great Book of a VG series. Have enjoyed it very much.I'd say a solid 5-star rating.I would like to provide further textual content on that Rating as part of this Review, however am unable to do so.The ACDLT has restricted my ability to Comment or Reply (and doing so without any prior warning, any specific notification, any identification of specific alleged problems or appeal).That being so, an inability to respond to Review comments by others (positive, negative, indifferent) would be unfair to myself and others. I would therefore request no Comments (or, if so, recognize that I do not have an ability to respond to same).But it is a solid 5-star book in this genre.

Entry number 5 in the Empire series finds the Tungrians and their colleagues up against some devious foes as they're ordered to protect a lucrative gold mining operation. Entry number 5 also finds the author on top of his game as he spins a yarn that is full of drama, camaraderie, plot twists and surprises. It is certainly fair to say that Anthony Riches knows how to pen a battle scene from the grisly outcome to the imaginative tactics employed. The author also gives us a glimpse of the future through Centurion Corvus and his dreams along with some news from Rome concerning his family and who ordered them killed. All in all, The Wolf's Gold is a thrilling romp through some formidable terrain both in terms of the countryside and in the Imperial political scene (in other words, if the Emperor ain't happy, ain't no one safe.) :-) 4.4 stars

In spite of killing off many characters in the 4 books so far - in some ways a way of maintaining tension for no one is safe - with each book, I grow more attached to the core group. As well as writing a great story, AR brings the reader into the romance that comes between men who place their lives in each other's hands.He also is taking us on a tour of the empire at a tempestuous timeI have enjoyed all his books and look forward to reading more in the future

I have read all previous volumes in this series and enjoyed them moderately. Overall, they are far from the Cornwell/Scarrow class, but at least readable. This issue, however, is hard to take seriously. It is written in the modern jargon, replete with gratuitous profanity, scarcely believable characters, unrealistic scenarios, implausible plot. I think this will be my last purchase of works by this author.

The continuation of a good series. Characters are brilliant with the scenes describing everyday life as a legionnaire and warrior. The clear and easy way that his words build a picture of life and the adventure that this tale weaves makes this a good read.

Excellent reading on the Roman Empire. Fast paced and gives an excellent idea as to times of the Roman Empire. Author knows his business, both historical as well as writing ability.

I did not like this book, it's slow and boring

I found that this book - volume 5 of the adventures of Marcus Aquila - was just as good as the previous episode. It very much shared the same qualities. There are however a few little twists that make it into something a bit different.The first quality is that this book can be read on its own, just like The Leopard Sword, because it contains enough elements to inform the reader about most of the important developments that happened in the previous episodes. This is probably worth mentioning because it is not that frequent in series. It is, however, preferable to read the volumes one after the other.Another "usual" ingredient found in Anthony Riches is the "barrack-speech" style and bantering that he uses (and sometimes perhaps over-uses) for his various Roman auxiliary heroes. In this respect, he is a bit of an "anti-Sidebottom". The latter will "treat" you to your lesson in Latin and Greek culture, with quotations of the classics liberally spread across the book. The former will treat you with the swearing, crude jokes and multiple biological and sexual references (all in modern English) that you can probably find among troopers in army around the world, both now and then. Regardless of your personal preferences, both devices are intended to engage the reader and make the story "feel" real. Both styles work rather well, as far as I am concerned, although, for both authors, there is always the risk of over-doing it and this can sometimes happen.A related point is that whole story is largely built around dialogues, descriptions of places and battles and fights. The dialogues are frequently used to tell the reader what has happened in a more lively way, with the added benefit of making the story more "faced-paced" and also giving the reader the impression that the book is "action-packed". Another of Riches' devices that he typically uses to make the story feel and sound "real" is the interesting mixture he introduces with plots and intrigues, "workplace" rivalries between two senior officers coming from different backgrounds, arrogance and incompetence and the whole spectrum of feelings and behaviours that a reader somewhat expects to find in any human organization.Then you have the historical research that backs up each of his books, including this one. While this might be less obvious than in Sidebottom's books, where it is very much on display (at the risk of annoying some readers), it is very much present. There were, for instance, very rich and productive gold mines in Dacia, as this was probably one of the main reasons for the Romans to attack and conquer the Dacian Kingdom in the first place, although this could make the border strategically more difficult to defend. There were also rivalries and tensions between Roman officers, especially between the professional centurions, prefects and equestrian tribunes on the one hand, and the amateur large stripe Tribunes and Legates who still came from the senatorial order at the time. At least initially, and despite holding the highest ranks, the amateurs from the senatorial class were at an obvious disadvantage. If they were intelligent and wanted to become competent, then they had to listen to, gain the respect of and become accepted by the professional officers and the men. One of the quickest ways to start doing so was to be seen as sharing the same fate and sufferings as them. For instance, that could mean marching with them on foot (at least part of the time) instead of riding on horseback as they were entitled to. This - the need for any officer to be accepted and respected by the men he commands - is also something that has not changed very much with modern armies.Another of Riches' little twists in a similar vein is the song that the Auxiliary Tungrian cohorts are made to sing about the cavalry and what they do to their horses. Superficially, a reader may find it amusingly coarse, although this might be somehow missing the main point and purpose of "the exercise". The real reason is to keep the men from thinking about their sufferings and exhaustion so that they can cover the last few miles without giving up, therefore saving the men's lives and keeping the unit together. This kind of technique is still used nowadays, as the author seems to know very well.The reign of Commodus (180-192) was also a reign of terror, as depicted in the book, and in which any senatorial family and any rich family more generally, could become the Emperor's target and/or the target of his henchmen. This was not new. It happened a number of times before under the reigns of Tiberius, with Sejanus in particular, and under Caligula and Nero. The practice went way back, with the proscriptions of Sylla under the Republic being an example. One of the motivations was to get hold of their wealth. Another one was to physically eliminate anyone who potentially could become the focus of an opposition. A third was to confiscate the assets of the wealthiest, possibly on trumped up charges of treason, and to redistribute them to your own henchmen and supporters. The three motivations were closely linked.Another interesting feature in this volume is Riches' use of a technique we already saw hikm using in "the Leopard Sword" (and in previous volumes). While Marcus Aquila is still very much the hero of the story, he gets to share the "main role" in this episode with Scaurus. We learn quite a bit about the past of the latter character, his connection with a rather powerful general who we will certainly come across again and his ability at playing the politico-military game. In the previous episode, the "co-hero" was rather Frontius.Finally, there are the "barbarians". Here again, there is more to it than meets the eye. What looks and feels like a bit of caricature at times ("good Romans versus bad Barbarians") is quite a bit more subtle once you scratch below the surface. Riches is in fact showing us the perspective and the biases of the Roman side. There are some notional "good Barbarians" (for instance the Tungrians and the cohorts of Britons) and these are the ones that fight alongside the Romans as allies or auxiliaries, essentially do as they are told and are likely, within time, to become entirely assimilated by the Empire. The others are, of course, the "bad barbarians", because they essentially refuse the Roman order and raid the Empire. The book also shows that, in practice, things tended to be rather more complicated and people could change sides, although I will stop there to avoid spoilers. One last comment is about the Sarmatians. Once again, Anthony Riches historical note is rather excellent and he is perfectly correct in alluding to the fact that the Sarmatians gave the Romans a very good run for their money. Their combination of heavy lance cavalry and horse archers was particularly dreaded by the Roman army and they would represent a major threat for the Romans for at least another two centuries after the events taking place in this book.

I have been sucked into the story of Centurion 'Corvus' in the same way as Simon Scarrow's Cato.This is another excellent addiotn to the story involving some serious double dealing and treachery in Dacia.The battle scenes are a little (but only a little) less 'full on' as compared to the first four in the series but there is no denying the horror of this type of fightingIts a well plotted story with the Romans facing down barbarians and traitors within their own side and it fair cracks along. One point is the dark humour through out the book which I would imagine is common to soldiers through the yearsAnd as my title suggests this just felt too short - but leaves me waiting for the next installment where there is just a suggestion that a trip to Rome may be in the offing ..

This 2and novel was Excellent what a great read with plenty of twists and turns. Once you start it youcannotput it down. I have the next novel and hope it will be just as exciting.

This is another series which I really like, telling stories about the Roman Legionairres and their way of life, coupled to the Generals and Legates etc who fight their way through the book, fighting the various hordes of barbarians on their way to securing a great Empire. The first book should be absorbed first before taking them in turn to the culmination of this last one in the series.The author is on a par to the other great writers who compose the action and bloodshed Itruly love, I RECOMMEND this series to anyone who likes this type of book, I WOULD SAY TRY THEM YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED. D Bowen.

Anthony Riches series re a Roman Aristocrat who loses his family and is a great success in the legion, however the praise is well shared for others in the story.