Waiting on Wednesday – Warrior by Simon Turney

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest entry to my Waiting on Wednesday series, I look at a cool upcoming historical fiction novel with Warrior by Simon Turney.

Amazon

This week I’m still in a massive historical fiction mood, and as I’ve mentioned a few times before, one of my favourite historical settings is the Roman empire. Due to its popularity and use in various media over the years, Roman historical fiction is one of the most prevalent historical fiction sub-genres, and there are some brilliant authors diving into various periods of Roman rule. One of my favourites is Simon Turney (who also writes as S. J. A Turney), who has written multiple cool books in this setting over the years, including the deeply compelling novel Commodus.

Earlier this year I became reacquainted with Turney again when I was lucky enough to receive a copy of his new book, Invader. The first book in his new Agricola series, Invader focused on the early career of the titular series protagonist, Gnaeus Julius Agricola, a man destined to become one of Rome’s greatest generals. Invader had a particularly fun narrative behind it which followed Agricola’s earliest exploits in Brittania, amid the start of Boudica’s revolt. This was an awesome book, and I had a ton of fun getting through it.

Due to how exciting and compelling Invader proved to be, I have been keeping an eye out for additional Agricola books, and I was excited to see that a sequel is coming out in early 2025, with Warrior. Continuing to follow the burgeoning career of the future general, Warrior sees Agricola forced to compete on a different battlefield of politics and royal influence, as the insanity of Nero works against him, and the Year of the Four Emperors begins. I love the sound of this cool upcoming book, and I am very curious to see how Turney envisions Agricola’s actions during this turbulent period of Roman history. I have no doubt Warrior is going to be a particularly impressive read, and I plan to dive into it the moment I get my hands on it. A fantastic, and highly anticipated upcoming read from an outstanding author.

Plot Synopsis:

The new thrilling Roman historical adventure in a series based around one of the most renowned and intriguing figures of Ancient Rome.

Agricola has won renown in the Roman army for his exploits in Britannia. Now returned to Rome with his new family, he seeks to rise further – but life in the greatest city on earth proves more difficult than he expected. The politics of Rome are on a knife-edge – often literally. The Emperor Nero is unpredictable, the manner of his rule unstable.

Agricola finds himself posted to the troublesome province of Asia Minor. The local governor is ambitious and dangerous… and has close family ties to Nero himself. Falling foul of such a man could mean certain death… and yet a rebellious young warrior like Agricola cannot stay silent for long.

With allies proving few and far between, Agricola experiences personal tragedy and soon seeks revenge. Rome, meanwhile, burns in a great fire… but further tumult is to come in the wake of Nero’s death. Agricola must tread a careful path to stay alive through the Year of the Four Emperors… a year of blood and ruin throughout the empire.