Blood and steel

by Harry Sidebottom

Rome, AD238. An assassin masked as Emperor Maximinus' messenger murders the Prefect and announces to Rome that their Emperor is dead in the north and that Gordian I and II have taken the Throne of the Caesars. But Maximinus is not dead. Secretly he is gathering an army on the banks of the Danube waiting for his moment to strike on the Goths. In Rome, the Gordiani are enthroned and Maximus denounced as an enemy of the state along with any known followers. As bloodshed ensues on the streets, and news spreads back to Maximinus, tension rise in the fight for the imperial purple, which will culminate in a mighty battle of Carthage.

More by Harry Sidebottom

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?