The Last Hour is full of action right from page one, and it continues at a cracking pace throughout the rest of the book.
The story covers a period of twenty-four hours, during which time the protagonist, Ballista, is on a mission to save the emperor from an assassination plot, whilst at the same time trying to evade capture himself. Ancient Rome is vividly described, from the Tiber, its buildings, gardens and dark and dirty alleyways. It is easy to picture the city and its diverse inhabitants as Ballista travels from one area to another in his attempt to save the emperor.
The book is not perfect by any means. There were a couple of grammatical errors and I didn't enjoy the parts which were written in short sentences. The aim was to add to the tension: it didn't need it, and I'm afraid it didn't work for me. However, these are minor criticisms and I really enjoyed the book and would happily recommend it. And I learned a lot about ancient Rome, which was a bonus too.
The story covers a period of twenty-four hours, during which time the protagonist, Ballista, is on a mission to save the emperor from an assassination plot, whilst at the same time trying to evade capture himself. Ancient Rome is vividly described, from the Tiber, its buildings, gardens and dark and dirty alleyways. It is easy to picture the city and its diverse inhabitants as Ballista travels from one area to another in his attempt to save the emperor.
The book is not perfect by any means. There were a couple of grammatical errors and I didn't enjoy the parts which were written in short sentences. The aim was to add to the tension: it didn't need it, and I'm afraid it didn't work for me. However, these are minor criticisms and I really enjoyed the book and would happily recommend it. And I learned a lot about ancient Rome, which was a bonus too.