Raven: Defier of Rome (Enemy of the Empire, 1)
In the reign of Antoninus Pius, the Roman Empire is largely at peace – the Pax Romana. Lofthouse sets his novel in the fiercely tribal land of Germania in 144 AD, where Alaric Hengiston finds himself on the Roman hit list and hunted by the frumentarii (secret police). As Lord of the Ravensworn, his 500 warriors are loyal and willing to die for his cause, and they are indeed formidable, but constant war takes its toll. In an effort to find who is really behind the murderous hunt for him, Alaric renews his long-standing alliance with Ketill Lambertson, chief of the Harii, and with their warrior force they journey to the tribal lands of the Chauci. Here Alaric is drawn into a standoff pitting tribe against tribe and forcing him to confront his past.
Lofthouse doesn’t sugarcoat his characters, cutthroats and thieves the lot of them! These traits keep the reader guessing who will betray whom and when, and this propels a race for the finish line. For me, the age-old conundrum of making less than likeable characters even marginally empathetic teetered at the start, and for an adventure of this nature, it is essential to like the protagonist, however badly behaved. The contemporary tone makes some of the early exposition rather dry. That said, Adam Lofthouse is a prolific author with meticulously detailed research on his side, and his familiarity with crafting non-stop action and adventure is prominently on display even when I was not thoroughly engaged in the times. Once the slowish early pace picks up, it never flags, so it’s definitely well worth diving in for the long haul. The denouement is surprising and segues smoothly into the sequel – Outlaw: Nemesis of Rome, set in 150 AD.
