The Encircling Sea

De: Adrian Goldsworthy

Narrado por: Peter Noble

Flavius Ferox, Briton turned Roman centurion, is charged with keeping Rome's empire intact. But from his base at Vindolanda on the northern frontier of Britannia, he feels enemies closing in on him from all sides. Ambitious leaders await the chance to carve out empires of their own while men nearer at hand speak in whispers of war and the destruction of Rome.

And now new threats are reaching Ferox's ears. Stories about the boat-dwelling men of the night who have cursed the land and come ashore only to feast on men's flesh. These are just rumours for now. But Ferox knows that rumours stem from truth. And that no one on this isle is safe from the great encircling sea....

©2018 Adrian Goldsworthy (P)2018 W. F. Howes Ltd

Pirates fires blood and glory!

Even better than Vindolanda. You can feel the salt air and the agony of battle.

Excellent.

Theres no one I've read who can describe a Roman battle like Goldworrhy.

But more than understanding formations, procedures, and tactics, Goldworthy has an insight into the vicious and dire nature of men in battle that I honestly have never encountered before.

I highly recommend the entire series and look forward to reading more of Goldworthy.

If you like ancient Rome and ancient history, you simply can't go wrong with this guy.

Another Colleen McCullough

Goldsworthy does for Roman Britain what McCullough did for Republican Rome. I had a fair idea of what the mechanics looked like, but this was like seeing the machine in operation. If you are interested in Rome, the Roman Army and/or Roman Britain this novel brings the history to life.

Great continuation of historical fiction series

This story builds on the groundwork laid in "Vindolanda" by referencing events in the first book without rehashing them. Readers should definitely read that book first.

Several familiar characters reappear in a faster-paced story. I rather enjoyed the slow burn of the first book's narrative and found "The Encircling Sea" to be comparatively light on world-building.

Still, the story is exciting and introduces new historical themes, and Ferox retains his status as a gruff but trustworthy protagonist.

Peter Noble's narration is fantastic as always. Interesting to note that he dug a bit deeper for the northern accent, particularly with Vindex's dialogue.

Well Worth the Wait

I had first noticed the hardcover edition of this book at least six months ago and was so hoping it would come out in audio version that I even contact the author. Unfortunately, he did not yet know at that time what was the status of the audiobook.
Fortunately it came out and although I had several other books in the cue, I downloaded the book and away we went.

What sets this historical novel apart from others in the same genre is the author is a historian on Roman history. If you have not listened to his histories, I strongly recommend them. This is a story of a Roman centurion set in Roman Britain, plain and simple, his heroism, ingenuity and mastery of arms. The realism comes through and it is very enjoyable.

Unfortunately, now starts the long wait for the next installment.