Game of Empires Richard Blake 9781530780969 Books
Download As PDF : Game of Empires Richard Blake 9781530780969 Books
First in Richard Blake’s "Rodi Chronicles" - a thrilling historical novella, perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow, Bernard Cornwall and Conn Iggulden.
Constantinople, 617 AD
Though he’s only 14, Rodi thinks today is the last day of his life.
Plucked from the condemned cell, it becomes the first.
His intelligence and skill as a forger are too valuable to be wasted in a public execution. Recruited and trained by the Imperial Secret Service, his job is to seek out and destroy the enemies of Byzantium.
This is a story that takes you from the glittering palaces and sordid streets and brothels of the Imperial City, to the barbarian-ravaged provinces, to high mountain tops fringed with pine.
Here, Rodi must prove himself in a contest with the devotees of an obscene and bloody idol and with a Persian spy.
Can young Rodi win the ruthless Game of Empires…?
Praise for Other Novels by Richard Blake
"Fascinating to read, very well written, an intriguing plot and I enjoyed it very much." (Derek Jacobi, star of I Claudius and Gladiator)
"Vivid characters, devious plotting and buckets of gore are enhanced by his unfamiliar choice of period…. Nasty, fun and educational." (The Daily Telegraph)
"He knows how to deliver a fast-paced story and his grasp of the period is impressively detailed." (The Mail on Sunday)
"A rollicking and raunchy read . . . Anyone who enjoys their history with large dollops of action, sex, intrigue and, above all, fun will absolutely love this novel." (Historical Novels)
"It would be hard to over-praise this extraordinary series, a near-perfect blend of historical detail and atmosphere with the plot of a conspiracy thriller, vivid characters, high philosophy and vulgar comedy." (The Morning Star)
Richard Blake is a historian, broadcaster and university lecturer. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.
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Game of Empires Richard Blake 9781530780969 Books
Tales of intrigue or mystery set in ancient Rome or the European Middle Ages are usually full of people and institutions readers recognize—the Roman Senate, a Caesar, a Pope, a religious order. Placing a tale in Byzantium introduces challenging political and geographical complications since the players are so unfamiliar and the politics tortuous. That’s part of Richard Blake’s problem in “Game of Empires,” the first book of his Byzantine Saga.The story starts off well enough, introducing a clever young hero Rodi and the powerful politician who rescues him from certain execution to serve as a spy for what remains of the eastern half of the Roman Empire in the early 7th century. The boy proves his mettle in an early adventure and is then sent off to the provinces on a vague mission with a naïve would-be-missionary/martyr for cover.
For the remainder of “Game of Empires,” Rodi and others spend an inordinate number of pages traipsing through a forest to do what? We’re not quite sure for a long time, but Rodi and the priest do deal with idols, orgies, pagans, and slaughter before it’s all over.
Rodi is certainly a character with possibilities, and perhaps later books in the series are more compelling. But I’m not sure I need to find out.
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Game of Empires Richard Blake 9781530780969 Books Reviews
Nothing really happens, its sort of a love story with some famous landmarks in the background...
Another great Bernie Gunther novel. well I suppose you either love the author's style or hate it. What I like is the research on some of the murky aspects of various countries' dealings with the 3rd Reich. And in this book the horrific details of what was happening in Yugoslavia, gives you some background about the hatreds that erupted in the 90's.
I reccomend this for any of you that enjoy stories in the Roman era of time. This author gives you detailed accountings of the people/what and how they do it. It is worth your while to read.
This review refers to a novella by Richard Blake/Dr.Sean Gabb, Game of Empires. It continues the series of novels starting with Conspiracies of Rome and falls in time after the last one Curse of Babylon but can be read alone. This is a short spy story. It comes from someone with a definite point of view (British libertarian and secular) yet he has a deep understanding of the period More understanding than other novelists and most professional historians. Set during the ghastly war between the Roman Empire and the Persian it is an important period (early 600's) to know something about. You see the fighting weakened both empires and allowed the religion of Islam to take over the Middle-East. You will find it easy to read with the characters speaking in a modern vernacular. Some would fault the whole thought processes of the characters as being "too modern," I do not. The spy-craft is fascinating. It doesn't have the detailed tapestry that the full novels have, perhaps this is the core of a novel which is yet to be published?
Also I find some problem with the treatment of religion. This was a devout age by all accounts. The Christian faith was central to life in ways we would find hard to fathom. You don't gather every color of marble imaginable to build a church or seek to kill your opponent in obscure doctrinal differences without really really really believing. Yet the few devout characters in the story are depicted as starry-eyed fools or worse. Perhaps the author intends to say religion wasn't as important in the era as we think?
In the earlier novels some have objected to the violence, drug use, necrophilia, sexuality, torture, a too early introduction of the Thematic System and other things. I'm uncomfortable occasionally but the plots & characters are plausible. The author also clearly believes the Emperor Heraclius was incompetent and gives the reigns successes to his underlings fictional Aelric and real Priscus and Patriarch Sergius. Given our present knowledge that's a stretch. But we won't be digging anytime soon in Syria or any other Islamic country to find out. Overall this novella like the other novels before it are very well worth reading.
It took me less than three days to finish reading "Game of Empires", which was a rollicking read that never lost my interest. Set in a period of time(Seventh Century A.D.) rarely covered in historical fiction. From the dark and dangerous backstreets of Constantinople to the barbarian infested forests of Thrace, Richard Blake is able to reconstruct a compelling and believable world. The protagonist, Roderic of Aquiella
acts as a vulnerable and flawed character which ultimately makes him more human and easy to connect with. The flaws of the book center around it's short length (I wanted more!!) and should also add more detail to it's supporting characters. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a quick read filled with action and adventure along with a love for history.
Tales of intrigue or mystery set in ancient Rome or the European Middle Ages are usually full of people and institutions readers recognize—the Roman Senate, a Caesar, a Pope, a religious order. Placing a tale in Byzantium introduces challenging political and geographical complications since the players are so unfamiliar and the politics tortuous. That’s part of Richard Blake’s problem in “Game of Empires,” the first book of his Byzantine Saga.
The story starts off well enough, introducing a clever young hero Rodi and the powerful politician who rescues him from certain execution to serve as a spy for what remains of the eastern half of the Roman Empire in the early 7th century. The boy proves his mettle in an early adventure and is then sent off to the provinces on a vague mission with a naïve would-be-missionary/martyr for cover.
For the remainder of “Game of Empires,” Rodi and others spend an inordinate number of pages traipsing through a forest to do what? We’re not quite sure for a long time, but Rodi and the priest do deal with idols, orgies, pagans, and slaughter before it’s all over.
Rodi is certainly a character with possibilities, and perhaps later books in the series are more compelling. But I’m not sure I need to find out.
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