Marius' Mules IX: Pax Gallica

Despite this reader's unfamiliarity with military matters, battle , combat and tactics, I've an abiding love of pre modern history. Mr. Turney portrays one of the defining moments of western civ as perceived and directly experienced by an intelligent, independent and grumpy high commander and his circle of collegues and family. Although no expert, the series is blessedly free of political anachronisms, and accurate. 5 stars for the select group of readers of military\political history

Turney spins an awesome tale, each twist and turn takes you from Northern Gaul to hispania Fronto faces enemies of the past he though were dead... And must survive to save Caeser and his own name

Fronto is back. Of course the book is a page turner and only my family and farm work got in the way of completing the book in three days. While Turney has mastered the art of pace, he deepens his skill in this book of building character. Turney creates an evil mystery character that is I think is his best adversary yet. But by the end of the book, the reader feels great sympathy for the "Smiling King". In pulling this off, Turnery explores one of the mysteries of men who stand shoulder to shoulder with each other in combat. The Greeks called this feeling "Philia". Loosely translated it means "Brotherly Love". But the actual feeling is much deeper than that. It is more like Maternal Love where the feelings are so strong that men will die for the other as many mother's might for their child. Added to this, Turney explores the impact of extreme trauma on the psyche. We finally understand why the Smiling King can be so cruel and with understanding can even accept this.Added to the action and the deep character work, Turney uses some very clever plot devices. The Legion involved in this book has a unique organizational aspect that infuses the first half of the book. And of course, we meet a new set of lead characters who arise from this idea. One of the aspects of Turney's books that I and many others like is that he creates many characters that stand out and that we get attached too. So while Fronto is front and centre (sad pun), there are many others who we cheer for. That is why so many of us get upset because Turney has a habit of killing off such men - but even here in this book there is a twist to this too.The Marius books follow the career of Julius Caesar through the eyes of Fronto. This volume covers an off year when all that happened to Caesar was that his troubles in Rome grew to being intolerable. IX ends with the Rubicon about to be crossed and Fronto returning to Caesar's side for the events that were to change the world. Needless to say I can't wait. Fortunately Turney has the work rate of a machine and we can confidently expect X next year.

Marcus Falerius Fronto and his family are exiled to Massilia. Fronto then rejoins Caesar in hopes that an alliance with him will regain what has been lost. Caesar gives him charge of a legion of veterans who are nearing retirement. Fronto is to take this legion to the area of Aquitania and release the men into retirement there to settle the land for Rome. But Fronto soon finds that things are not all peaceful in that region. A "Smiling King" has stirred the inhabitants to rebellion and soon Fronto has to use his aged veterans in an attempt to put down the revolt.The book starts out with a simple plot line. Perhaps too simple so things have to be stretched out to fill 400 pages. I got rather tired of the legion moving on and on and finding village after village deserted or Roman citizens left for dead in various and creative ways. Okay I get it; could we just move on to find out why this is happening? It really was starting to get very tedious.When it was time to confront this Smiling King in battle, things started to get a bit unbelievable. The enemy is holed up in a fortress that neither Fronto nor his advisors can find a way to assault. The solution? Just show a chest of coins to one cohort, tell them it is all theirs if they successfully assault and they happily win the day, fighting ten to one odds and having to climb a ten foot high stone wall while doing so.An assault on another fortress has Fronto leading a party to sneak into the rear of the fortress and open the gates for the rest of the army. Interesting reading but after about forty pages this too becomes rather tedious. Surely a dozen or so pages could have sufficed to cover this.After that the book shifts from historical fiction to historical fantasy. Things just become too silly and unbelievable with no true historical facts. I really liked the previous books in this series and looked forward to reading this. I was sadly disappointed and just started to flip through the pages of the last one third of the book to finish. I hope Mr. Turney gets back on track and turns out a more believable plot line in the next novel.(I am giving this a 3 star rating based more on the past enjoyment of the series, rather than the 2 star rating that I feel it truly deserves.)

Fronto is indeed back, and as with all Turney's Marius' Mules novels, Fronto is the focus of a larger, fascinating world that rests lightly but firmly on history. This book has two main features that compliment each other to devastating effect: a spare and intense story of the simplest kind, the unrelenting pursuit of one man by another, and the larger story of these men's past.Turney weaves his characters into history so well that it seems that he has invented the whole of the ancient world just to support and surround them. It's always a surprise to me that something that seems so inevitable in the story's circumstances is actually true. The chase that Fronto is trapped in is so fierce and horrifying that it contrasts completely with the wide surrounding world that is this series' specialty.It's one of the most fast-moving and suspenseful novels in the series, and the most deeply personal and heartbreaking. Oddly, the very fact that this novel in the series holds much of Fronto's early history seems to make it a natural stand-alone novel, and a good entry point for a reader new to these wonderful books.

Bought this book on a Wednesday evening, finished it just before dinner the following Sunday... and relished every moment spent with it.It is a marvellous read and another stunning entry in one of of the best series of historical novels it has ever been my privilege to discover and enjoy. My general rule is that I must now read a book from my "Ready List" before returning to this series and the next book in it. However, the Crossing of the Rubicon beckons and, right now, I am recalling an old adage about rules and their being meant to be broken.If you enjoy well-written historical fiction full of well-rounded characters that the reader cannot resist but investing in, then this book (and the series to which it belongs) are heartily recommended.

This series has followed Marcus Falerius Fronto, a member of an old, but not particularly distinguished family. Following the events of the last book, he has been exiled from Rome, and the authorities are seizing all his assets and property. So he escapes with his extended family to Massilia, but soon finds he won't be safe even there. So he makes the decision that he has to go back to his old commander and try and revive his fortunes. When he reaches Caesar's camp with his old friend Galronus, and a few close followers, they agree a deal. In return for Caesar's offer of future help, Fronto agrees to lead a force to restore order in Aquitania and establish some veteran colonies there to secure the area for the future.But neither Caesar nor Fronto are fully aware of the task he will face. The area has never really been colonised or controlled by Rome, and the tribes who inhabit the mountains are largely unknown to the Romans. And now those tribes have been brought together by a mysterious and chilling new leader, who is determined to destroy Caesar. It becomes clear that Fronto has to find this new King of the Mountains and eliminate him; but when he finally comes face to face with the man, he is shaken to the core.This book is slightly different to most of the others in the series so far. They have generally concentrated on fairly well known historical events, and fitted Fronto's story around them. Here, Fronto is the story. For it turns into a voyage into his past; events long forgotten or suppressed in his memory return to haunt him, and he has to face the results of his own actions many years before. It delves further into Fronto's mind than in any earlier in the series. His life is precarious now, outlawed, he has to risk everything to protect his family and followers. He may still have the power of a legion at his command, but on a personal level he is the weakest he has ever been.As usual, Simon Turney weaves a strong tale. There are twists and turns - and a few major surprises - but the central framework of Fronto and his closest companions is still there. Believable, three-dimensional people who sometimes find themselves out of their depth. If you've enjoyed the series so far, you'll certainly enjoy this sojourn into Fronto's past. If not, I'd suggest you don't start with this book but go back to the beginning and enjoy the saga in full.*You can read the full version of this review on my blog; there is a link on my profile page*

All books in this series are brilliant. Simon has written the books extremely well. They are all full of action, suspense, excitement and they will leave you wanting to turn the page. I kept saying just one more chapter as I couldn’t put these books down.The characters are well thought out and portrayed in the books. You instantly become attached to Fronto and his companions especially Galronus.As a fan of Harry Sidebottom, , Anthony Riches, Ben Kane and Simon Scarrow, Simon is 100% on par with these authors.If you have read any of their books then these books are definitely WELL WORTH the investment. You will not be disappointed.

I did wonder where this story was going to lead. Set between the Gallic Wars and the events following Caesars crossing of the Rubicon.Si Turney has not failed in writing a cracking story from start to finish, filling in a lot of past events from the previous books that I have always wanted to know a bit more about, but would have not been as appropriate in the other story lines. A great way to tell a bit of Fronto's family history and serving days as a young Tribune in Hispania.There are old and new characters, including a ghost from the past which, to me is one of the best portrayals of a villain in any of the books so far. There are so many layers to this powerful character and so well peeled away at to understand what drives them.The action and the authors whit is also there throughout the book. I particularly liked the idea of aging veterans, near of past retirement, (I know the feeling) on the march with a goal to sort out a problem of an uprising of several tribes in the Pyrenees led by a certain character, resettling on the way.This book is most definitely a page turner written by a great story teller.

A fantastic return to the adventures of Fronto. Yet again our hero isn't having things easy but at least he has a legion, of sorts, to back him up.I've followed this series from the beginning and, as with any series, you wonder if the author can maintain the quality of adventure, intrigue and pure blood and guts battle scenes and heroics from book to book. At the same time they have to add depth to the main characters, introduce new ones; good guys and a very, very bad one, keep you interested and give you a nod to the next volume.Well never fear, S.J.A.T has done that and more. For the first time in a long time I literally had a spine tingling moment while immersed in reading one of the battle scenes. A key battle grows in intensity whilst the storm approaches its zenith and as the battle reaches its tipping point a centurion exhorts his veteran troops for a final push! Sounds simple but, in my opinion, this book is an example of brilliant writing from an accomplished author.Would I recommend this book? I think you know the answer to that and what a twist regarding the villain of the piece!