Warrior

Agricola, Book 2

In Nero's Rome, ambition is a dangerous thing...

Agricola has won renown for his military exploits in Britannia. Now returned to Rome with his new family, he seeks to rise further—but life in the greatest city on earth proves more difficult than he expected. Roman politics are on a knife-edge—often literally. The Emperor Nero is unpredictable, the manner of his rule unstable.

Agricola soon finds himself posted to the troublesome province of Asia Minor. The local governor is ambitious and dangerous. Falling foul of such a man could mean certain death... and yet a rebellious young warrior like Agricola cannot stay silent for long.

When Agricola experiences personal tragedy, he seeks revenge. Rome, meanwhile, burns in a great fire... but further tumult is to come in the wake of Nero's death. Agricola must tread a careful path to stay alive through the Year of the Four Emperors... a year of blood and ruin throughout the empire.

©2025 Simon Turney (P)2025 W. F. Howes Ltd

Solid historical fiction

Set during the Year of the Four Emperors, Gnaeus Julius Agricola is the second novel of historical fiction following a little known Roman Politician and Military Leader who had an outsized impact on Rome’s conquest of Britannia. The character development and supporting cast are good, and the drama surrounding actual historical events is interesting and enjoyable.

Can’t wait for the next!

I love the Agricola series! It’s gotta be my favorite Turney book series so far. Great storytelling and Mark is a great voice actor. Would recommend!

The pace of the story moves quickly and the historical accuracy is welcome bonus.

I don't care much for the voice inflections used for some of the characters. Some of them are borderline obnoxious, and difficult to listen to, including that of the main charachter.

Disappointment

The narrator possessed a distinguished speaking voice. However, he down-shifted to a mincing, foppish delivery for Agricola, a brave Roman centurion, the main character of the story. I found the experience most distasteful. Furthermore, the story style and content was weak in comparison to other authors of similar works with whom I am familiar

Not as good as the 1st book in the series

Too much of the story is about Agricola’s time away from Britannia. This should not have been a whole book. Maybe half a book at best, or several chapters.