The Amber Road

Warrior of Rome, Book 6

By: Harry Sidebottom

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

In the sixth novel in Harry Sidebottom's bestselling 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 264, the Roman Empire has been torn in two. The western provinces - Gaul, Spain, and Britain - have been seized by Postumus, the pretender to the throne. To the east, on the plains of northern Italy, the armies of the emperor Gallienus muster, and he is keen to take his rightful place of power. A war between two emperors is coming, and everyone must choose a side.

On a mission shrouded in secrecy and suspicion, Ballista is sent by Gallienus back to his home of Hyperborea, the place of the people of his birth, to raise an army against Postumus. This means Ballista must journey along the Amber Road to the far north. Along the way Ballista meets a fearsome, masked warlord who attacks, bringing fire and sword against Ballista and his men. And in his home of Hyperborea, not all welcome Ballista's return. In the battle between Postumus and Gallienus, only one can survive and be emperor.

Renowned for their skilled blending of action and historical accuracy, Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome novels take the reader from the shouts of the battlefield to the whisperings of the emperor's inner circle. Rich in detail and punctuated by harrowing action, these books will transport you back to the days of the Roman Empire.

©2014 Harry Sidebottom (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

One of Sidebottoms 2 best!

None of the “Warrior of Rome” series is a disappointment, but Amber road and Lion of the Sun sit at the top of the heap. Amber Road is a long look at the northern tribes, their ways and customs, as well as a deeper exploration of personalities. The narrator has been the same for the whole series, and Rudnicki is very good, and he too seems to grown into the personalities as the series go on. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I did, there are certainly less talented authors out there.

Lots going on, lost me

This book was odd, it came like the story jumped around a lot. I had to keep replaying sections because it didn’t make sense why these events were happening. I guess you call that drifting, therefore the story didn’t captivate me as the previous books did.

story good Narrator sounded bored.

Having been gifted a copy of the Audio book before this one by a friend I was treated with the voice of Nick boulton I was completely sucked in his voice acting blew me away and made tge world so much more real. the Americanized version however uses a man who is good but dosnt seem into it mayne its becuase i was spoiled but it was harder to get into it at first.

That said the story is slower but great and the Narrator is fine.

Historical fiction at it’s best

Harry Sidebottom, Oxford history professor, has written a great set of six books of the life of Ballista and his body guard Maximus. Ballista is a ‘barbarian ‘ who was sent to Rome as a hostage from Gaul in his youth. Thru his brains, braun and luck, he rises quickly as a Roman soldier and is directed by the Roman Emperor during the years 260-265 AD to carry out Roman duties. His travels thru the Mediterranean, Ephesus, Persia, the Caspian Sea and finally back to his roots along the Amber Road involve multiple battles, journeys, and plans to get himself out of the multiple life threatening situations. Very action packed, full of accurate historical information, intrigue of the Roman emperor and court, difficulties being a father and husband with Ballista’s long absences .
Great battle planning and fighting, accurate history, action packed, full of information about Roman, Persian and barbarian peoples . Great read, recommend nightly, a pleasure to read! Performance was outstanding also.

Enjoyed the entire series

The writing is wonderful and the reader’s performance was very well done. I really would like to have had one more book as I feel that there was no conclusion on the main character. The series is a good listen just feel like there’s more to be told. Perhaps that is how it should be. A test of your own moral stance as to the fate of the cursed oath breaker???

Roman adventure

Enjoyed all 5 books. Good story. Hopefully, there is a book six coming soon.

Bad History!

Sidebottom is an Oxford historian, so why is he using so many anachronisms??? Viking ships did not have sails until very late in the 7th Century, as late as 690! Ballista’s story takes place in the mid Third Century, the 200s, FOUR HUNDRED YEARS before the first time we see sails on viking boats (yes, boats, not even ships - viking watercraft in the 3rd Century were not large enough to class as “ships”, they were little more than dugout canoes). A historian should not take so much license, unless he just doesn’t know. In that case he shouldn’t be teaching at Oxford.

Never been more happy to end a series

In the whimpering, meandering conclusion to the Warrior of Rome series (at least those available on Audible), we are treated to more of the same; long, a few brief sieges, disconnected action scenes, long journies with little payoff, plotting, and Ballista feeling sorry for himself. Moderately more interesting than Book 5, this one offers more glimpses into more interesting stories with the rival Roman emperors squaring off, and their thoughts on various plots and stratagems, but, of course, all these plots are later resolved off-page, and we only hear about how they develop. Characters continue to make arbitrary decisions at the last second, and needed character development is often squashed because of this (looking at you, the final scene between Ballista and his lost lover!) Some of the fights are interesting, but most are short and confusing, with little in the way of the detailed and well-written descriptions we got in the first two books.

Bottom line, if you're like me, and enjoyed the first trilogy, steer clear of the second. If you made the mistake of listening up to this point, I'm sorry, but this one doesn't improve the second trilogy all that much.

kind of a let down

I thoroughly enjoyed the series 1-3, the historical accuracy, the characters, the action, and the continuity of the story. Even the books 4 and 5 were great. But the final book left so many loose ends it was hard to enjoy. The narration by Stefan Rudnecki was fantastic throughout. With that said the final book was still a good listen/read. it gave a nice back story to Ballista. I just hope Harry Sidebottom has more in store

Honestly I Think

The author was just as tired of the series as I am. This last book is more of the same: narrow escapes, lengthy journeys, hostile natives, pursuing enemies, and bloody hand-to-hand combat. Ballista, who's not changed since his Persian mission several years earlier (Bk. 1 Fire in the East) and who's failed in virtually every mission (not his fault) doesn't even feel like the main character anymore. The book's epilogue reduces him to a "by the way" impersonal finale.

What a letdown. However,on the plus side, the narrator either got better or I got used to him. I never felt his deep baritone and unhurried speaking was right for Ballista; his reading of the character was a bit too civilized for a northern barbarian. But Rudnicki, by this book, didn't distract me anymore.