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Sword of Empire: Centurion

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Sword of Empire: Centurion

By: Richard Foreman
Narrated by: Sam Devereaux
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Summary

Rome 174 AD. As the war continues in the north, Marcus Aurelius orders Gaius Maximus and Rufus Atticus to return to Rome. Enemies lurk in the shadows in the capital, spreading propaganda and sowing dissent. The praetorian guards must lure their enemies out - and defeat them. Yet Maximus is returning home for something, or rather someone, else: Aurelia. The soldier will be caught between his duty and his happiness. Rufus Atticus will also be forced to make a choice, between the duty he owes to his Emperor and the duty he owes to his family. Triumph and tragedy may prove to be two sides of the same coin. The centurions will be caught-up in a web of intrigue - as well as a battle on the streets of Rome - that will decide the fate of Marcus Aurelius and the Empire.

Sword of Empire: Centurion is the sequel to the best-selling novella Sword of Empire: Praetorian. For fans of Simon Scarrow, Harry Sidebottom, and Conn Iggulden.

©2014 Richard Foreman (P)2016 Audible, Inc. Ancient Historical Rome Thriller & Suspense Stoicism Fiction Mystery
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Enjoyable for readers who like tales set in Rome, around 174 AD, of infidelity and family intrigue, long, at times convoluted, sentences and the occasional inconsistent reversion to 'older' styles of speech, such as 'She reddened not her lips with ocre' and 'slowed but halted not'. Some street fighting, murder and lascivious behaviour from all except the Emperor.
Narration was again by Sam Devereaux, whose most pleasant voice was still overly slow in it's performance.
Good cover art, though

What would you say if I cut your tongue out?"

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Not sure where to begin with this one. It's set in a time and is a genre I enjoy.
This was the exception to the rule.
Ridiculous over use of similie that felt like the author was using filler waffle to get the word count up.
The story did not flow, was seriously lacking in substance and was predicable, mostly.
Then there was the narration. Good grief, the basic narration of the non character text, was average.
However, the attempts at voice acting was cringeworthy.
I did listen to the end to ensure that I could review this fairly. Gosh, it was terrible.
I tried to find something positive to say and I actually found 2 points.
1. It was free with audible plus. If I had paid for this I would have felt cheated.
2. It was short although it felt longer.
One to miss. I will not be bothering with the rest of the series.

A least it was free

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I liked the cover but that was the best bit. The dialogue was stilted, the story line thin, the action sequences formulaic and the reading unconvincing.

Over complex dialogue

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