Shield of the Rising Sun

Name: Shield of the Rising Sun
Rating: 4.4 (870 reviews)

by Adam Lofthouse Book 3 in the Path of Nemesis series.

First published 2020

Amazon

4.4(870)

The Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius. Albinus Silus has survived frontier war but carries the grief and trauma of what it has cost him. His service is noticed, and he is chosen for a delicate duty involving the emperor’s son and heir, Commodus.

Albinus must help prepare the young Caesar for leadership while protecting him from enemies inside and outside the empire. The assignment takes him from the Danube world towards Rome and the East, where military loyalty and imperial succession become inseparable.

Commodus's position as heir gives Albinus a duty that is political as well as protective. Marcus Aurelius needs continuity after years of war and plague, yet the qualities required of a successful prince cannot simply be taught through military example. The assignment places an experienced soldier beside a young man whose future character will affect the entire empire, sharpening the tension between loyalty to a dynasty and judgement of the individual who will inherit it.