The Capsarius (Legion XXII Book One) by Simon Turney

 

The Capsarius (Legion XXII Book One) by Simon Turney.

Published 14th April 2022 by Aries, Head of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. And the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion...

Egypt. 25 BC. A former surgeon from the city of Ancyra, Titus Cervianus is now a capsarius – a combat medic. He is a pragmatist, a scientist – and deeply unpopular with his legion, the Twenty Second Deiotariana.

The Twenty Second have been sent to deal with uprisings in Egypt. Founded as the private army of one of Rome's most devoted allies, their ways are not the same as the other legions', which sets them apart and causes friction with their fellow soldiers.

Marching into the unknown, Cervianus will find unexpected allies: a local cavalryman and a troublesome lunatic. Both will be of critical importance as the young medic marches through the searing sands of the south, finding forbidden temples, hidden assassins, and worst of all, the warrior queen of Kush...

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Egypt, 25 BC: Former doctor surgeon Titus Cervianus now serves as a capsarius, a combat medic, with the XXII Legion, a world away from the comfortable life he once new in the city of Ancyra. His intellectual and pragmatic ways have made him unpopular with his barely literate comrades, who see him as unlucky, and he spends the majority of his time an outcast in the ranks of Twenty Second Deiotariana, unless his considerable medical skills are required.

The XXII Legion have been transferred from their home in Galatia to exotic Alexandria, part of a campaign to regain lands in the south of Egypt that were taken by the fierce warrior queen of Kush, and the battle ahead is going to be hard fought. Their situation is made worse by the fact the Twenty Second stem for the former private army of King Amyntas of Galatia, but have now been absorbed into the empire. Their ways are different to those of the soldiers they must fight alongside, and even though they are under the command of Roman senior officers they sit uncomfortably with the men of their fellow legions.

Cervianus is resigned to his lot as loner and butt of the bullying ways of his fellow fighting men, content to absorb all he can about the new experiences that await him in the strange land that he has only read about, but as the Twenty Second embark on their mission into the unknown he not only finds allies in the truculent new comer Ulyxes, and the local auxiliary cavalryman Shanti, but also learns that perhaps superstition and the will of the Gods might have some bearing on his fate after all - especially under the command of a man who sees a chance to grab some glory in the battles that lie ahead, even if it means losing many men in the process...

Simon Turney is one of my favourite authors of cracking historical fiction, and this new series about Legion XXII has everything I look for in one of his delicious adventures - a detailed and well researched background that both entertains and brings alive an authentic feeling of time and place; a well-crafted tale that keeps you glued to the page from beginning to end; and a multitude of engaging characters to love and loathe. 

I have not read anything that delves into the Egyptian arena of the Roman empire of this period before, especially one which goes beyond the fringes of the Mediterranean into the dark heart of Africa, which makes it fascinating. You can feel the weight of history seeping from the pages, and by following the story of the XXII as they experience the twists and turns of military and personal trials, Turney brings in many delectable threads to keep you busy. I particularly liked the way he explores the otherness of a legion with an unusual background, highlighting the reality of what life was like for the men from a far-flung part of the empire who are thrown into the middle of the ambitious plans of Rome; the poignancy of a land as old as time that is now chaffing under the yoke of a young upstart conqueror; the intricately examined clash of cultures, from customs, lifestyle, religion and superstition; and how the Nile is front and centre as the life-blood of this desert region.

The interplay between the characters is brilliant, focusing on the unlikely friendship between Cervianus  and Ulyxes, which allows some very amusing chuckle worthy moments, and as their relationship develops they learn from each other. Cervianus is quite an unusual protagonist, and the way he struggles to balance the different parts of his make-up brings an interesting depth to his character too - how to reconcile his need to follow the healing philosophy of Hippocrates and yet employ the brutality of a warrior is the contest he finds understandably most troubling. Talking of medical matters, this book beautifully tackles the conflicting ideas of differing therapeutic ideologies at this time, and the significance of these for the men of the legions, which I found very thought-provoking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from captivating start, to breath-taking finish. It's full to the brim with spellbinding history, gripping adventure, and surprising mystery. As a start to a new series, this is an winner, and I cannot wait to see what comes next in book two, Bellatrix.

The Capsarius is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Aries for sending me a hardcover copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Simon lives with his wife, children, rabbits and dog in rural North Yorkshire. Having spent much of his childhood visiting historic sites with his grandfather, a local photographer, Simon fell in love with the Roman heritage of the region, beginning with the world famous Hadrian's Wall. His fascination with the ancient world snowballed from there with great interest in Egypt, Greece and Byzantium, though his focus has always been Rome. A born and bred Yorkshireman with a love of country, history and architecture, Simon spends most of his rare free time travelling the world visiting historic sites, writing, researching the ancient world and reading voraciously.

Simon's early career meandered along an arcane and eclectic path of everything from the Ministry of Agriculture to computer network management before finally settling back into the ancient world. During those varied years, Simon returned to university study to complete an honours degree in classical history through the Open University. With what spare time he had available and a rekindled love of all things Roman, he set off on an epic journey to turn Caesar's Gallic War diaries into a novel accessible to all. The first volume of Marius' Mules was completed in 2003 and has garnered international success, bestseller status and rave reviews, spawning numerous sequels. Marius' Mules is still one of Simon's core series and although Roman fiction features highly he now has Byzantine, Fantasy and Medieval series, too, as well as several collaborations and short stories in other genres.

Now with in excess of 40 novels available and, Simon is a prolific writer, spanning genres and eras and releasing novels both independently and through renowned publishers including Canelo and Orion. Simon writes full time and is represented by MMB Creative literary agents.

Look out for Roman military novels featuring Caesar's Gallic Wars in the form of the bestselling Marius' Mules series, Roman thrillers in the Praetorian series, set during the troubled reign of Commodus, imperial intrigue in the Damned Emperors series and the Rise of Emperors series, epics of the Knights Templar, adventures around the 15th century Mediterranean world in the Ottoman Cycle, and a series of Historical Fantasy novels with a Roman flavour called the Tales of the Empire.