Summary
Set during the early first century A.D. period, Micah’s story begins when he is unexpectedly promoted from prefect of the auxiliary cavalry in the XVII Legion, to tribune of the first class, by Caesar’s direct order. Along with his body slave Lucius, they board a ship to Alexandria, Egypt and his new posting. Upon arrival, his old comrade named Quintus, delivers shocking news to him – that he is the acting commander of the III Legion and the proud owner of a pleasure slave, a gift from his old friend.
Oblivious to what truly awaits him, Micah arrives at his villa which is supposedly being maintained by the usual cadre of house slaves. He is utterly surprised by his discovery of a housekeeper who is a madam, a chef who is an Examiner in the Guild of Prostitutes, cooks and maids who are working girls, a chief porter who is a bouncer, and a majordomo who is a pimp and skimming from the household account. Moreover, he meets Appela, Veronica, and Gisela during his first self-assigned mission to clean out the corruption, acquire proper staff, and designate household helpers based on their abilities. How will these female slaves change Micah’s life, or better yet, how will Micah change theirs?
Review
Strength & Honor: Caesar’s Gambit is a historical fiction saga by Michael Pandolfo. There are many things I love about this book: (1) The characters, even minor supporting ones, are dynamic, well developed, and driven by deep-seated motivations, (2) the plot starts simple then escalates into a roller coaster ride of emotions and unexpected turns of events, (3) the writing style is eloquent yet easy to read, even if the story is set during the A.D. period, and lastly (4) though the narrative and dialogues purposely didn’t match the period to make it fun and entertaining to read, the author still preserved the feel of its historical setting through a well-depicted interpretation of life during the period.
In addition, this novel is very informative and contains useful information to help the reader understand it better. It has the list of characters and their roles, definition of terms, a simplified explanation of the Roman names, and the basic structure of the Roman Army.
Overall, I’m giving this book 5 out of 5 stars for its impeccable writing, humorous narrative and dialogues, well-developed characters, and surprising turns of events. I highly recommend it to ALL readers regardless of your preferred genre. This book is a MUST-READ!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HQZ7P4J/ref
Yorumlar