Description:
It is AD 312. Rome teeters on the brink of war. Constantine's army is on the move. On the Rhine frontier, Brandulf Rex, a pagan Germanic barbarian, joins the Roman army as a spy and special forces operative. Down in Rome, Junia Flavia, the lovely and pious daughter of a nominally Christian senator, finds herself embroiled in anti-Christian politics as she works on behalf of the church.
As armies converge and forces beyond Rex's and Flavia's controls threaten to destroy everything they have worked for, these two people from different worlds will have to work together to bring down the evil Emperor Maxentius. But his villainous plans and devious henchmen are not easily overcome. Will the barbarian warrior and the senator's daughter live to see the Empire bow the knee to Christ? Or will their part in the story of Constantine's rise meet an untimely and brutal end?
Travel back to one of the most pivotal eras in history--a time when devotion to the pagan gods was fading and the Roman Empire was being conquered by the sign of the cross.
About the Author:
Bryan Litfin grew up in Dallas, TX; Oxford, England; and Memphis, TN. He earned a degree in print journalism from the University of Tennessee, a master's degree in historical theology at Dallas Seminary, and a Ph.D. in the field of ancient church history at the University of Virginia. He now works at Moody Publishers in Chicago, IL.
My Thoughts:
I want to start this review by saying that I didn’t finish this book. I read almost half before deciding it wasn’t for me. I’d never read anything from this author before and was excited to read a book set in very early Rome. But I found more than I was expecting between the pages - more violence, more disturbingly described pagan rituals, more darkness.
I do want to say that I think Mr. Litfin is a very good writer. This book is obviously painstakingly researched and his writing style is engaging. I do really appreciate his attention to detail and desire to keep the story true to events, as explained in the historical note. That to say, I probably should have been expecting the violence and debauchery described, but it still took me aback. I don’t know that I would say that it’s graphic, but in some places, even the simple bluntness of the description was more than sufficient. There’s also a LOT of rather specifically described death, something I personally don’t really ever need to imagine. I also question the use of some more modern language that sounded very strange for the setting and time period.
I will also say that I found it interesting to read a woman’s perspective written by a man. I hope that doesn’t sound bad. I just didn’t find Flavia’s character very interesting. She honestly seemed more often like a spoiled rich girl than a grown woman willing to die for her faith. At least in the first part of the book. And while Rex was an interesting character, I frequently found him quite mercenary and willing to take a life rather than sparing it. So neither of them were characters I particularly connected with and I didn’t really care enough to really want to know how their story would end. I do hope that there was more character development by the end, though I can’t speak to the accuracy of that.
I do truly believe that there is a book for every person and I hope people who would enjoy this book find it. I wouldn’t say that it’s a bad story or seek to discourage someone who enjoys this genre from reading it. It simply wasn’t my “cup of tea.”
*My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book! I wasn’t required to write a review, positive or otherwise, and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wow! It's been a while since I've written a review for a book that I didn't particularly care for - which is great! But it also stretched some thought processing and word-rearranging that I haven't used lately.
As always, thank you so much for stopping by! If you'd like to learn more about this book, maybe read some other reviews to get a more complete picture, there are links below.
Have a lovely day!
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