Marius' Mules Series by S. J. A. Turney
Marius' Mules #1
Marius' Mules #2
Marius' Mules #4
4.Conspiracy of Eagles
S. J. A. Turney
55BC and Caesar's army gathers in the north of Gaul, preparing to drive invading Germanic peoples from Gaul and to traverse the dangerous northern ocean bringing punishment to the tribes of Britannia for their assistance of Gaulish rebels. But Fronto's troubles don't stop there. As his burgeoning relationship with Lucilia steps to a new level, so do his responsibilities at home, a situation exacerbated by the disruptive influence of the villainous Clodius in the city, causing trouble and endangering those about whom Fronto cares most. With two troublesome new centurions, a selection of worthless and argumentative senior officers and the suspicious deaths of a number of notables, Fronto's year is about to take a turn for the unexpected.About the AuthorI live with my wife, my son and two (close approximations of) dogs in rural North Yorkshire, where my wife and I both grew up, surrounded by friends and family. A born and bred Yorkshireman with a love of the country, I cannot envisage spending my life anywhere else, though my anchor is sometimes tested as the wanderlust hits and we travel wherever I can find the breathtaking remains of the classical world. I have a love of travel and history, architecture and writing and those four interact well enough to keep me almost permanently busy. Since leaving school and University, I have tried a great number of careers, including car sales, insurance, software engineering, computer network management, civil service and even painting and decorating sales. I have lived in four counties and travelled as widely as time and budget allowed and find myself, on the cusp of my fortieth year, back where I began and finally doing something I love. Having written a number of unpublished short stories in my early days, I decided back in 2003 to try and write a full length novel. That was the start of Marius' Mules. Being a lover of Roman history, I decided to combine my love of writing and my love of classical history. Marius' Mules was followed two years later by Interregnum, my attempt to create a new fantasy story still with a heavy flavour of Rome. Since then, the success and popularity of both has spawned sequels to each work, with three or more tales in each series so far and more planned.
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Marius' Mules #6
Marius' Mules VI: Caesar's Vow
S. J. A. Turney
It is the eve of destruction. Gaul
seethes and bucks more than ever in revolt against the Roman invader,
with even Caesar's allies beginning to question their loyalty. A
conspiracy of Druids and Kings move the pieces into position in their
great game of independence, all led by the powerful Arverni exile
Vercingetorix. The lands of the Belgae burn in the vengeful aftermath of
a winter that saw countless Romans butchered by the rebel Eburone King:
Ambiorix. As Rome similarly begins to show its cracks and the
triumvirate of powerful men that have held together the crumbling
Republic move ever further apart, so Fronto returns to the army, once
more seeking his command under the great general. But Caesar
has made a vow to men and Gods alike to end the life of Ambiorix, and
naught will stand in the way of that vow's completion - not Gaul, nor
Roman, nor reason itself. As the world climbs towards the impending
cataclysm, Fronto finds himself thrust with a small group of companions
into the gloomy and dangerous sacred forest of his enemy in a hunt for
the one man who can halt the general's wrath and fulfill Caesar's vow.
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Marius' Mules #7
The Great Revolt
S. J. A. Turney
The pieces are in place. After many months of clandestine organisation, Vercingetorix, backed by the druids and leading an army of rebellious tribes, is ready to make his first moves towards independence for his people and the annihilation of Rome's presence in Gaul. Meanwhile, Caesar tends to business in Aquileia, unaware that he is cut off from the bulk of his army in the north by the rebellion. A desperate message brought to Fronto at Massilia spurs the forces of Rome into movement and Caesar is compelled to act in cunning and unexpected ways in order to recover the initiative. Fronto and his friends are heading for a clash of armies the likes of which the north has never seen, and the Tenth's legate is about to face his most trying year yet facing his opposite number - a chieftain of the Arverni - across the fields and hills of Gaul towards the greatest siege he's ever experienced: Alesia.
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Marius' Mules #12
Sands of Egypt
S. J. A. Turney
Winter, 48 BC. Caesar and his small force are trapped in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. Caught up in the dynastic struggles of the House of Ptolemy, the consul has sided with the clever and ruthless Queen Cleopatra. Her brother and fellow monarch Ptolemy XIII languishes in the palace, a hostage of Caesar’s, while a huge army under the command of the Egyptian general Achillas closes on the city to free him.With both the future of this ancient land and the safety of Caesar and his men at stake, Fronto and his friends face the terrible task of holding an unfamiliar city under siege, in the desperate hope that reinforcements will reach them before the enemy break in.But Egyptian reinforcements gather too, and with the interference of the youngest princess, Arsinoë, the future is far from written. Trapped, besieged and outnumbered, time is running out for the Romans, as shadows loom across the sands of Egypt
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