Bellatrix (Legion XXII Book Two) by Simon Turney

 

Bellatrix (Legion XXII Book Two) by Simon Turney.

Published 5th January 2023 by Aries, Head of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

Warrior and combat medic of the Twenty Second Legion, Titus Cervianus, must fight the armies of the fabled Warrior Queen in this blistering new Roman adventure from Simon Turney.

Egypt, 25 BC. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. And the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion. Formed from the personal guard of a conquered king, the Twenty Second's ways are strange to soldiers of the Empire - yet the legion has proved itself in the blistering heat of the desert.

Cervianus and his comrades march into the unknown as he and the Twenty Second Legion contend with the armies of the Bellatrix: the Warrior Queen of Kush. 

The Kushites and the Egyptians are united against the Roman presence in their lands - but there are complex political and military forces at work. 

Deep in the deserts, Cervianus and his comrades must brace themselves for a furious onslaught as they take on the might of the Bellatrix.

***********

Egypt, 25 AD. With Buhen secured from the Kushite invaders after a bloody battle, Cervianus and his fellow comrades of the XXII Legion are faced with the prospect of a foolhardy incursion into Kush to take on its infamous warrior queen Bellatrix, under the command of the increasingly unpopular Vitalis.

It is Cervianus' fate to be capsarius to the force of the First and Second cohorts who must march into the inhospitable desert towards the Kush stronghold of Napata, and attempt to survive its dangers - and be ready for battle when they get there.

Can they hope for victory in an environment that wants to see them dead, against a bloodthirsty foe, and under the command of a man who prizes fame above the welfare of his men?

Bellatrix is the second gripping adventure of Titus Cervianus, capsarius (combat medic) to the XXII Legion, following closely on from the exciting events of The Capsarius. 

Cervianus begins this story between a rock and a hard place, most likely destined to become collateral damage to Vitalis' vanity mission to subdue the kingdom of Kush and its warrior queen. The prospects of the XXII are certainly not looking bright given the task ahead, especially for the First and Second cohorts who must cross the desert wasteland to arrive at their battleground.

But in many ways, this Cervianus is very different to the naive, friendless, and extremely annoying young man who set foot of Alexandria not so long ago. He has made some firm friends, seen the reality of combat, and been forced to confront some of the intellectual principles he holds with high regard, while learning about the religious devotions of the people whose land he finds himself in - and all these factors will come into play in this second book.

Obviously, I am not going to give away spoilers about what happens, but I can tell you that Simon Turney uses his considerable talents to weave fact and fiction together to create another rip-roaring historical adventure that immerses you completely in the Roman world - this time, beyond the fringes of the Empire in an environment that has been little explored, deep into the territory of the ancient land of Kush.

Turney holds nothing back about the dangers of nature and human kind that Cervianus and his comrades in arms face on their journey, and the impact of the inevitable losses that result. You feel yourself trudging along beside these men in the heat and the dust, with despair dogging their heels. There are many difficult, and emotional moments to take in, but along the way you also get to know Cervianus and his friends all the better for them, learning so much more about their talents and the way they complement each other under exceptionally difficult circumstances. I grew to love them, to understand the importance of the dark humour that sustained them and forged the bonds of friendship, and felt every casualty with force - tears were shed.

In keeping with what I have come to expect from Turney, as one of my very favourite historical fiction writers, there is so much fantastic detail here about how Romans lived and died in pursuit of the glory of the Empire, even though many of them were born and bred far from Rome. There is also such lovely interplay between the intellectual ideas of science, and the mystique of religion, in the way Cervianus comes to terms with how intellect and belief can come together for good - which makes for a cracking climax to this story. I am always fascinated by the breadth of knowledge he has, and his dedication to learning, and it was very satisfying to see him finally receiving recognition for the personality traits that have previously made him unpopular amongst his colleagues - while still being kept grounded by his close friends.

I am rather sad to be leaving the XXII behind with this book, as the two volumes of Legion XXII have been a joy to consume. I am pretty sure that there are further adventures of the XXII to tell, which I certainly want to read, so my fingers are crossed that there may be more in the future. 

Bellatrix is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook formats.

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

About the author:

Simon Turney is from Yorkshire and, having spent much of his childhood visiting historic sites, fell in love with   heritage of the region. His fascination with the ancient world snowballed from there with great interest in Rome, , Greece and Byzantium. His works include the Marius' Mules and Praetorian series, the Tales of the Empire and The Damned Emperor series, and the Rise of Emperors books with Gordon Doherty. 

 lives in North Yorkshire with his family.