Author:Harry Sidebottom
AN EPIC STORY OF EMPIRE, HEROES, TREACHERY, COURAGE, AND MOST OF ALL, BRUTAL BLOODY WARFARE . . .
'Enthralling and exciting, you will struggle to put this book down' 5***** READER REVIEW
'A cracking story. Sidebottom's detailed knowledge of the period is remarkable' 5***** READER REVIEW
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The year is AD 255.
The Roman Imperium is stretched to breaking point, with its might and authority challenged along every border.
The greatest threat lies in Persia to the east, where the massing forces of the Sassanid Empire loom with fiery menace. There the isolated Roman citadel of Arete awaits inevitable invasion.
One man is sent to marshal the defences and shore up crumbling walls. A man whose name itself means war:
Ballista.
Alone, Ballista is called to muster the forces and the courage to stand first and to stand hard against the greatest enemy ever to confront the Imperium . . .
With a spectacular flair for sheer explosive action and knuckle-whitening drama, fans of Bernard Cornwell will love this recreation of the ancient world.
Praise for Harry Sidebottom:
'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' The Times
'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy
Kennedy is described in the literary press as not only one of our finest, but also one of our most humane, writers
—— Church TimesDay confirms, if confirmation were needed, that Kennedy is a singular, superlative author. I hope that the judges of this year's Man Booker prize pay particular attention to it
—— Stuart Kelly , Scotland on SundayKennedy does bleak the way the Russians do epic; unremittingly, awesomely and undershot with redeeming humour
—— Gillian Bowditch , Sunday TimesOnce again, Kennedy brilliantly interweaves over-wrought internal dialogue with external outrageous acts. The unfolding tenderness of nature and of amity blend superbly with the casualness of daily horror
—— Catherine Taylor , Independent on SundayDay is more than a novel, it is an investigations into the difficulties of being alive
—— Eileen Battersby , Irish TimesDay is a very good novel. It is largely about love, as most novels are, but the author's skill with language... makes the average cliché unique... Historical details become flesh and funny in her hand
—— Katy Guest , IndependentAL Kennedy has built a reputation as one of the fiercest, most bloody minded and thrilling British writers and her new novel more than backs that up... Day is an utterly engrossing read
—— MetroDay is a remarkable performance
—— Jane Shilling , Sunday TelegraphThis is a remarkably clean lined book, of highly literary construction, that still feels huge and wide ranging. Day is a forceful, wholly achieved piece of work by a writer of enormous power. It ought to win all the prizes going
—— Tim Martin , Daily TelegraphWell deserved to win the 2007 Costa book of the year award...sophisticated texture...Ms Kennedy manages to make every battle truism fresh
—— EconomistA brilliantly spare examination of loneliness and the search for forgiveness in an unforgiving world… superbly atmospheric… This is Greene at his most existential and metaphysically dense… It remains an astonishing achievement
—— Douglas Kennedy , Writing MagazineAstounding... This...is the best [Greene novel]...brimming with pain and rage. If you ever have aspirations to write a novel, read Greene. He's the perfect writer's writer
—— Emma Kennedy author of Letters from Brenda , WeekA constantly engaging and witty novel from a tremendously clever writer.
—— TelegraphPlausiby drawn....strong central characters, interesting subplots and well-sketched minor characters.
—— TLSAs idiosyncratic as it is ambitious...given shape and purpose by a true literary craftsman. The book both keeps you reading and makes you think.
—— Sally Cousins , Sunday TelegraphI drank in Nigel Farndale's The Blasphemer in huge lungfuls, and mourned it when it was finished. For anyone who loved Saturday, Atonement or Birdsong, this is the generational novel at its best.
—— Mail on Sunday