The Wolves of the North

A Warrior of Rome Novel, Book 5

By: Harry Sidebottom

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

In the fifth novel in Harry Sidebottom’s acclaimed and best selling Warrior of Rome historical fiction series, Ballista returns to undertake yet another epic mission - while the Roman Empire reels in chaos around him.

In AD 263, the Roman Empire is close to turmoil as violent uprisings threaten to shatter the fragile balance of power. In the north, the tribes are increasingly bold in their raids on the Imperium. Ballista must undertake his most treacherous journey yet. He must face the Heruli - the Eaters of Flesh, the Wolves of the North - the most brutal tribe of them all, and try to turn them against one another. As Ballista and his retinue make their journey, someone - or something - is hunting them, picking them off one by one, and leaving a trail of mutilated corpses and terror. Ballista is in a strange land, among strange people, but is it possible that the greatest threat may come from within his own circle?

Renowned for their skilled blending of action and historical accuracy, Sidebottom’s Warrior of Rome novels take the listener from the shouts of the battlefield to the whisperings of the emperor’s inner circle. Rich in detail and punctuated by harrowing action, there’s no better way to transport yourself back to the days of the Roman Empire.

©2013 Dr. Harry Sidebottom (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Sidebottom’s prose blazes with searing scholarship." ( Times (London), praise for the series)

Good but....

Very good but missing something. Maybe the little interest in stopping the the murders by anyone or even in taking personal precautions as the murders dog the travelers. Rest of story very good. Maybe the lack of concern mimics the times

great book, some spotty editing

the story and series as a whole is a wonderful historical fiction take on some areas of antiquity that are otherwise overlooked. the voice actor does a great job bringing the characters to life. only downside is the editors missed some sections and you have Deja vu as the same part gets read twice.

Amazing consistency

Engaging storylines. Fascinating characters. Obviously well researched. This is a period of Rome in history (the crisis of the third century) of which I knew very little.

Bad Recording!!!

At least five times the narrator, Stefan Rudnicki, re-reads the same sentence or even the same paragraph twice is a row! How did the editors not catch this? What the h*ll is going on?

Rudnicki pulls this book from a 3 to 4 star

Stefan Rudnicki is fantastic. Dr. Sidebottom is a good storyteller and an absolutely amazing historian, I have only one complaint. His books seem to jump from one scene to another. If I were to be physically reading the book, I don't think I would pick that up. This is where Mr. Rudnicki pulls through, on audio. His character voices are all notably different, yet consistent throughout the series. Dr Sidebottom's books we're available to me free through audibles plus catalog. The first two were enjoyable enough to continue but as the third book finished I had already prepared myself to purchase whatever came next. To my astonishment the whole series is free.

Series Continues with Much Action

Sidebotttom may be relatively new to the historical fiction novels regarding Rome but combined with Rudnicki & the authors academic background he is able to strike a good balance between action & history, plus Ballista is such a great character that many other good Roman series (Macro/Cato), they tend to be expendable which leads to all out fighting for ones life because they have nothing to lose

Plus, he had a great group of 'familia' from the beginning, although he lost a few he still has Maximus which I imagine a character similar to Gladiator the movies character, he gets his revenge, doesn't die, but gets placed into a legion of forlorn soldiers... Rudnicki brings Ballista to life & makes it much more interesting, I'm not sure if the series would be so entertaining without this narrator...

Worth the credits, all 5, some are better obviously but they all have a couple pitched battles, skirmishes, & other interesting social balances

Great descriptions, and detail. Really enjoyed Ballista’s ingenuity.

Battle scenes were well described, making it feel as though you were there. Learning of the various customs was very interesting. Really enjoyed Ballista’s ingenuity though the end seem to have him lose his cunning smarts.

Worst of the series

This one is not only bad, but it's also slow and draining. Imagine watching the extended editions of the LotR trilogy, but on half speed, and you get the pacing of this book. It's almost entirely a long, drawn-out traveling story, with their arrival at the settlement of a very self-important barbarian tribe only a moderate improvement. The big mystery in this one is "who's murdering the members of the expedition?" is moderately well written, but you're really down to two candidates by the last third of the book, and likely only one obvious one if you've closely paid attention. What really makes that particular plotline disappointing is that it really doesn't go anywhere. People are killed, and they chase the killer for a bit, but there is absolutely no payoff, nor does Ballista and co spend any real-time investigating the murders or trying to track down the murderer. It just happens til it doesn't, then they chase the guy. I wasn't expecting Sherlock Holmes on the Steppe, but this was still very disappointing.

Bottom line, the second trilogy isn't worth reading, and if you're hoping this one will get better from the first book, stop now. It absolutely does not.