This was a brilliant and exciting story. I just loved all the description and action that this novel held. I couldn't put it down and had to binge read it in one sitting. I really loved how early into the story that the action started and remained throughout the book. It is the first book that I have read by the author and it certainly won't be the last. I just can't wait to read more. It was obvious that this author knew alot about roman history. It was sowell wrote that it played like a movie in my head. I forgot I was reading a book. The story has an amazing pace to it but it's so interesting that you will definitely won't want to stop reading this page turning novel. There characters were brilliant and realistic and so life like. I also loved how the author incorporated the eruption of Mt etna to the book. It was great reading about the author before and after the book it made the book better to understand and I got more involved in its progress. What better its like a real life history book and a real roller coaster ride that you are left wanting more. It was so close to a 5 star book but my head for some reason wouldn't let me give it.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating such a brilliant fast pace novel that made me feel emotionally invested in its development. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this very talented author. 
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog yesterday https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-burning-road-by-harry-sidebottom-bonnier-books-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

A really good read. Very very well researched. I love books about Rome and I felt that this one was one of the better research books I have read. A good story!

Fascinating read! As ever the book is meticulously researched, and Sidebottom’s knowledge of all things Roman shines through.

The Burning Road by Harry Sidebottom

It is AD 265 and the famous general Ballista is returning from Rome and the empire’s battlefields to his family in Sicily. With him travels Isangrim, the eldest son he barely knows. The journey is intended to remedy that but, from its outset, catastrophe piles on disaster and it becomes a fight for survival. The island is aflame with a slave revolt. The roads aren’t safe, luxurious villas have become slaughter houses, as slaves spill out from farms, mines and houses, following the man they believe to be their messiah. Many of them are recently captured Germanic warriors and Ballista, himself considered a barbarian by many of his equestrian class, as well as by his son, feels a connection but his mission is to keep his son safe, to find his family and defeat the brutal revolt.

Ballista is back! Most readers of Roman historical fiction will be familiar with Harry Sidebottom’s ‘Warrior of Rome’, who has been missing from the author’s more recent historical thrillers. The author continues his run of stand along thrillers set in the ancient world but this time he gives us Ballista as well and the result is, in my opinion, the best of his novels. This is no mean feat at all as it has serious competition.

The action is non-stop and immediate, beginning with the catastrophic sea voyage – this is hugely exciting! From then on, Ballista and Isangrim, or Marcus as his son wishes to be known, undergo ordeal after ordeal and Isangrim, a boy on the edge of young manhood, has to grow up fast and brutally. This is one of the great successes of the book, the growing relationship between Ballista and Marcus, who are worlds apart in so many ways, and the development of Marcus into Isangrim. The theme of barbarian versus Roman is a major one and so much of it is embodied in the remarkable figure of Ballista, whose reputation is formidable and yet he stands apart from Rome in many ways even though he is so important to it.

There is violence here but it’s not overdone and reflects the cruel lives endured by slaves. My sympathies were conflicted, there’s no black and white, but the revenge inflicted on owners is as horrifying as you’d imagine. The novel also raises the question of can there be such a thing as a ‘good’ owner. We have to remember that this is a novel about the Roman world, which is so different to our own, but the theme of slavery is timely and The Burning Road is a reminder that the empire was built on the ownership, labour and mistreatment of slaves. Sometimes that backfired as here, with the realisation that slaves far outnumbered their owners.

Harry Sidebottom, whose background is teaching classics at Oxford, really knows his stuff and he enriches his novels with his knowledge about warfare and society in the ancient world. One of the aspects of The Burning Road is that the author places Sicily firmly in its historical and mythological context. The thrilling story of Ballista’s journey across the burning island, so famous for its volcano, is also a story of Sicily’s legends and Greek battles of the past. They almost signpost Ballista’s heroic, epic journey.

I’m also glad to say that Ballista gets his chance to lead men in a fight once more and there are fantastic sections in which Ballista fights to save a town from attack. Sieges are one of my favourite aspects of Roman military fiction and few write of them as well as Harry Sidebottom.

It’s not often that I read a book in one day, let alone in one sitting, but that’s just what I did with The Burning Road. I’m not a fast reader and so I spent some wonderful hours one sunny Sunday in the garden engrossed in this novel, enjoying spending time with Ballista again and getting to know his son. I didn’t even move to have lunch! If you haven’t read any of the Ballista novels it doesn’t matter. The Burning Road stands alone brilliantly as a Roman thriller and as an outstanding historical novel.

Other reviews
Warrior of Rome I: Fire in the East
Iron and Rust: Throne of the Caesars I
Blood and Steel: Throne of the Caesars II
Fire and Sword: Throne of the Caesars III
The Last Hour
The Lost Ten
The Return

Perfidious Angle

It’s been quite a few years since Ballista’s family removed to Sicily and his older son is now approaching manhood. As the novel opens Ballista and his sulky teenage boy are on board ship on their way to Sicily to join the rest of the family after a long absence. Unknown to them, however, the whole island has risen in a slave revolt, and the ruling classes are fair game for slaughter, while villas burn and chaos increasingly rules. There are no armed troops on the island and no-one to stop the rampaging slaves.

Cue a storm at sea, shipwreck, and a long journey through hostile territory in an attempt to save the rest of the family before the slaves get them. Add father and son bonding, heroic struggles against the odds with rebel Germanic warriors, Messianic leaders, treacherous slave catchers, as well as the mountains and the elements in general. Then, too, there is a tour of late Roman Sicily, a leavening of provincial colour, and a spirited siege to round things off.

The author admits that he was influenced by McCarthy’s The Road, and there are some passages which clearly reference that work. I think too, there is a strong influence from a much older novel, Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, and perhaps, also, Philostratus’ Life of Apollonius of Tyana.

As for Ballista, who is now beginning to feel his age, cunning is very much to the fore, and treacherous and untrustworthy as his enemy might be, just remember that Ballista’s descendants became the English! Thus my title above.

The Burning Road sees Harry Sidebottom return to his Roman hero Ballista after a few years of writing standalones. While its not quite the triumphant ‘return to form’ that I was hoping for, its still an easy to enjoy book that was better than his last few efforts.

What I did enjoy about the latest book is the addition of his eldest son as a major character alongside Ballista. Seeing Ballista step away from the Roman commander role we generally see, and into that of a Roman father, was an enjoyable change of pace.

As ever the book is meticulously researched, and Sidebottom’s knowledge of all things Roman shines through. He has previously been guilty of being overly tedious and focusing on being too informative at the expense of the story. This time round I feel he gets the balance perfect.

All in all a good read, which means ill happily pick up another Ballista book in the future.

What an excellent piece of historical fiction! Gripping, well researched and entertaining.
It's action packed and I loved the relationship between father and son.
The historical background is vivid and well researched. It was a good way to learn something new about Ancient Rome history.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Marcus Clodius Ballista is on his way to Sicily to see his family when his ship is wrecked of the coast of the island.
After surviving the wreck, he and his son are attacked by men on horses and have to flee before capture.
Unbeknown to Ballista there has been a slave revolt on the island and no one is safe.
With no one he can trust, he must use his wits and vast experience to avoid capture in the vain hope he will be in time to rescue his family before they are taken. At the same time he somehow needs to figure out how to put down the slave rebellion. With the odds massively against him this might be the most dangerous undertaking of his life.
A truly outstanding book. The writing is exceptional. The scenes in the book are intense, fast-paced and hard hitting and has an enthralling main character that can only be described as superb.
This is a quite remarkable book by Harry Sidebottom and in my opinion no one writes Roman fiction better. Truly outstanding.

A gripping and believable story about the slave rebellion in Sicily in the 3rd Century, and its impact on a shipwrecked Roman father and son..
The storyline is taut, exciting, and bloody - perfect for this genre of novel. The author skillfully captures the emotions and terror of being shipwrecked at sea during a fierce storm. Some parts of the book were quite slow, but this was compensated by the gripping battle scenes.
Even though the rebel slaves were portrayed as the antagonists, I had a lot of sympathy for their cause and their abject plight. under Roman rule. Cruelty was shown to be rife on both sides of the conflict, but it is very hard to judge through 21st-century lenses. and filters.
Congratulations to Harry Sidebottom for creating another super historical novel.

After surviving shipwreck on the island of Sicily, Ballista and his oldest son, Isangrim (Marcus) find themselves on the opposite side of the island to the rest of Ballista's familia. But a slave uprising as erupted on the island. Leading the slave revolt is the self imposed leader Soter. Chased all across the island, will Ballista and Isangrim escape the slaves’ clutches and save their family from the resenting fury that has swept the isle of Sicily?
REVIEW: In a change to the normal settings of battle fields and pitched battles, The Burning Road is a tale of a father and sons’ relationship. From the absent father due to warring in far off lands, the son being brought up in the upper echelons of Rome, the tale bonds Ballista and Isangrim together. It shows the regrets of a father who has missed out on so much on his son’s life. The son who does not know how to live up to his fathers’ expectations and who, due to the influence of the Roman elite’s schooling, loathes his father’s barbarian origins. As the story progresses it relates the inevitable dawning realisation that every child must grow up. And Ballista now watches his eldest son transition from child into a young man.
That said, The Burning Road is still packed with action scenes as Ballista and Isangrim make their way across the island. The threat of constant capture, not knowing who to trust, and the inevitable culminating final confrontation between the slaves and Ballista.
The book also shows the brutality and inhumanity of slavery. How low mankind can go in the way they treat one another. And yet over 1500 years later slavery still exists in ways the Romans could never imagine.
VERDICT: 4****/5 A rollercoaster of emotions and thrilling action. The Burning Road is a homage to the bond between all fathers and sons.

This story starts with a shipwreck, that is so accurately portrayed, that I was reminded of the painting entitled The Raft of the Medusa. You could almost feel the wind and the freezing cold water, the terror and fear of the sailors and the chained slaves, it was so real!!
Then, once washed up on shore, the miserable survivors were attacked by unknown assailants on horseback, and then we learn about the slave uprising in Sicily, in 265 AD. Cruel owners get their come uppance, but our two main characters, Ballista and his son Marcus, are desperately hoping their family members are safe amongst these desperate and dangerous times.
The relationship between a distant father, ( due to being away on many campaigns) and his son, who is rapidly approaching manhood, is thoughtfully and wryly observed. One is older, losing his strength, but has great knowledge of campaigns and his fellow man, whereas the other is a callow youth, but he has a strong sense of honour and duty.
Throughout this story, the suspense was magnificent, not over the top, and the whole was really well researched and informative. Brilliant work from an author I have had the pleasure to review books from before. It has made Ancient Rome come alive, being both vivid and compelling in detail and character. One to add to the collection indeed!!.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Bonnier Books and Zaffre for my digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I have greatly enjoyed my being reacquainted with familiar characters, and look forward to more in this series.
A five star read. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and other outlets.

Historical fiction at its best! Harry Sidebottom is an excellent researcher and author, who's story about Ballista and his son Marcus kept me at the edge of my seat.
It all starts with their ship, heading for their family on Sicily, gets wrecked in a huge storm. You can practically feel the wind and the water, hear the sounds and experience the pain of the dying men aboard the ship.
But Ballista and Marcus survive, barely. After only a few minutes on the beach they encounter a group of man, a band of escaped slaves that gathered under the leadership of one of them. He calls himself Soter, and proclaims to be a god.
Well, it is the year 265 and although some masters treat their slaves as actual human beings, most of them do not and the slaves' lives are short and horrible. No wonder there were several uprisings. The author mentions a few interesting books where he got his inspiration for this book from.
Needless to say, the - sometimes literally - burning road is long and difficult and although there are happy moments, there is a lot of grief and pain.
The book is not only well-researched but also well-written, with lots of factual information but not so much that reading gets tedious. On the contrary, it makes me want to read more about this interesting (to say the least) period in history.

Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

This was an action packed story about a slave uprising in Sicily in Roman times and was quite bloodthirsty. The hero Ballista travels to Sicily to be with his family and ends up becoming the leader of the fightback against the slaves and to the city of Syracuse. Interesting story..

A really good read. It's due to the skill of Sidebottom's writing that I read and enjoy his books - not something you would expect of a 70 year old grandma. Ballista, ex-slave and now senior Roman soldier returns to Sicily to be with his family only to end up fighting a slave rebellion. The story is fast paced and there is much combat. The end did seem a little hurried.

A trip back in time to the 300's AD, When Rome ruled most of the known world and The slaves in Sicily were in rebellion. Marcus and His son were heading home after ten years away Marcus served the Empire's Army and His son at school.

The welcome wasn't the best Shipwrecked then attacked they have to find their way back home to his wife and family whilst being careful to not get killed. This is obviously important if you want to get home, but even a hero of Marcus's stature is not safe when the rebels gather. However he has experience and is battle savey where the slaves are not, but they have the numbers a few thousand against 2 and whoever they can find, and keep alive.

So this is full of action adventure and new experiences specially for the son 13 years of age yet determined to prove he is a man. There are some henace characters and some classic that you’ll want to meet just some from the safety of a book. I did enjoy this book hence 5 stars the suspense was well worked and built up plenty of edge of the seat moments. Loved the tunnels and other imaginative plots that grabbed your attention longer than you'd expect.

I'd describe this as highly recommended a 5 star read that would be great addition to your library if you like historical fiction from the Romans or of that hilke or sort. I think you will love it.

Sicily AD265 and the slaves have risen up killing and looting as they stream over the Island, nobody appears safe. Off the coast of Sicily Ballista (hero of many previous novels) is shipwrecked with his son Marcus, expecting to find safe haven on shore they find a land in chaos, and a dangerous one at that. Their family is on the island and so commences a desperate race to try and find them, not even knowing if they are still alive.
There is a lot to enjoy in this, as you would expect from the deft hand of the author. The background of the Rebellion is fascinating, that rare loss of control over the slave community and a stark reminder that the slaves had miserable lives and were worth less than animals. And it’s tense as the two try to find safety on their journey with no idea about who to trust and lacking both food and weapons. But it’s also about a father and son who don’t really know each-other. Ballista has been away on campaigns for so long his son is almost a stranger to him and neither are comfortable in their relationship. It gives an interesting perspective because Ballista takes a strategic view to everything but Marcus pushes back with a lot of “why” questions and as a reader you can see his conflict.
Despite the root here being slaves trying to overcome their (often) cruel masters the author gives you plenty to want and hope our pair survive their ordeal.
Good addition to the series.