The Gate of Fire

This is the second book in the Oath of Empire series, set in an alternate Roman Empire circa A.D. 623. Prince Maxian, younger brother to Galen, Emperor of the Western Empire (Rome), and Heraclius, Emperor of the Eastern Empire (Constantinople), has returned to Rome to disrupt the magical power of the centuries-old oath of allegiance to the Emperor that all legionnaires take. Maxian believes the oath constrains citizens to a narrow path, stifling creativity as well as any thought of disobedience, and he intends to use all his sorcerous power--and the help of Alexander the Great and Gaius Julius Caesar, whom he has raised from the dead--to succeed. The Empire, meanwhile, is threatened by multiple enemies: The insane Persian necromancer Dahak is determined to raise an army by any means to regain the Peacock Throne toppled by the Empire. Zoë, niece of Palmyra's Queen Zenobia, and her ragged but determined followers plot revenge on Rome for allowing the Persians to sack and destroy their beloved city. And in the deserts of Iraq, a man named Mohammed is driven by a prophetic vision to build an army against the Empire. Harlan's attention to detail is impressive, at times overwhelming, as he fills the broad canvas of his hypothetical Roman Empire. Readers with the stamina to follow every thread of the multitudinous plot lines here will find a vigorously imagined, thought-provoking story. --Charlene Brusso

If someone were to ask what this reader's thoughts are on Thomas Harlan's second book in the Oath of Empire series, off the top of my head I would say that it is mighty descriptive. Not a slight detail is overlooked on anything written about the beard on Mohammed's face, the hair on Maxian's head, the legionary ensemble that Thyatis wore, or the makeup applied on Anastasia's face, to mention just a few examples. Add in the manner in which Harlan elucidates the dankness of narrow corridors, the tinny murmuring of Brunhilde, treacherous ink-black skies, and unrelenting desert heat, then the reader is easily immersed in the scenery and action. No audiovisual assistance is necessary here.

Still, no story could get any more engaging without getting drawn into the psyche of the dramatis personae. Whether it is the emotional scarring that drives Zoë to delirium, the initial confusion and frustration Nicholas feels when he meets his new charges, or the exhilaration that wells up within Dwyrin while learning to master his power in the heat of ambush, the reader could either empathize with, pity, or praise the character.

As for the story itself, and the different plot threads that weave around it, I find that this follow-up to The Shadow of Ararat is a slight improvement as far as character development and the introduction of new characters are concerned. I guess I must also admit that I was awfully hungry to know what becomes of the key characters following the events of Shadow.

For starters, I could not help but wonder how the Mohammed storyline would unfold in Gate. In reading Shadow I spotted an obvious foreshadowing where Mohammed the warrior-merchant discloses that he was on some sort of spiritual quest. Taking just the name "Mohammed" and this spiritual quest, I put the two together and predicted that this noble figure would establish a religion unlike any other in the world of Oath. The prediction was correct. In the continuing saga, Mohammed spreads this new faith and the rest is alternate history.

The Mohammed yarn is just but one in the fabric of Gate. Plenty more stuff has been weaved into this intricate textile. Now I'm curious to know what Gaius Julius and Alexandros are up to after Maxian released them from service.

So on to the next book called The Storm of Heaven...