Sometimes you feel like you’re the last to discover some authors and their works. This is what happened with Gordon Doherty and Simon Turney as it’s their first book I read and found it fascinating.
Growing up in a Latin country I study Ancient Rome history but you don’t learn a lot about Diocletianus and his era. We learn that Constantine was the one who issued the Edictum Mediolanense (Edict of Milan) that gave Christianity a legal status and we learned that he defeated Maxentius at Battle of the Milvian Bridge. The legend says that Constatine had a vision of a cross and a voice that said "In hoc signo vinces"  (With this sign you will win).
I learned something more reading Julian by Gore Vidal (one of my top ten favourite books) as Constantine family was a bit complex.
I never heard anything about Maxentius (I saw his Basilica in Rome) and it seemed that he was lost in history.
All this long blah blah to say that I started this book with some notions of the historical timeframe and was happy to read it because it helped to learn more about these two important characters of Roman History.
The books is a fascinating, fast paced and gripping read told by the POVs of the two different main characters.
It’s full of action, battles, court intrigue and I loved how well researched and vivid the historical background is.
The story has a dual POV, one for Constatine and one for Maxentius. They are both fleshed out and well thought characters: Constatine the ambitious military type, Maxentius more intellectual and a dreamer.
On the background the history and the decadence of the Empire.
I appreciated the historical notes at the end of the book because they helped to distinguish between historical fact and fiction.
I think this is an excellent historical fiction and I can’t wait to read the next book .
Many thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine