How to use this Page

I'd like to thank Ben Kane and Keith at St. Martin's Press for the review copy of The Silver Eagle and for an extra copy for one lucky reader! I'd reviewed Ben Kane's debut novel, the first in the series, called The Forgotten Legion. After reading The Forgotten Legion, I jotted down the release date of the next in the series. I enjoyed it that much. If you'd like to read my review of The Forgotten Legion and Ben Kane's account of what it was like getting his debut novel to market, head here.


The blurb:
Trapped in Parthia by Crassus's failed invasion, ten thousand legionaries are captured and marched to the edge of the known world - these men are the Forgotten Legion. Among them are Romulus, Brennus, and Tarquinius, all men with troubled pasts and good reason to hate Rome. Together the trio must face the savage tribes that surround them as well as the more treacherous enemies within the ranks of the legion itself.

The three friends' characters will be tested to the utter limit as they struggle to find a way back to Rome. Meanwhile, Fabiola, Romulus's twin sister, fights to survive and maintain hope in her brother's survival. Freed by her powerful lover but beset by enemies on all sides, she must travel to Gaul to find her lover, Caesar's right-hand man, where Vercingetorix threatens the life and the lives of all who rally around Caesar.

Review:
The Silver Eagle continues the interwoven stories of Ben Kane's debut novel, The Forgotten Legion. The series is set in the Roman Empire and its outskirts during the time of Julius Caesar, Pompey, Crassus, and Brutus. These historical figures play critical roles in Ben Kane's plots, but the lead protagonists are far from the seat of power. The heroes are largely taken from the conquered peoples and slaves of the Roman Empire.

We encounter the three close friends and legionaries of The Forgotten Legion again. The story continues after Crassus's failed invasion of Partha and these legionaries have been incorporated into the Parthan army. Tarquinius, the Etrucscan haruspex, is under increasing pressure by the Parthian commander Pacorus to read the future and help Parthia smash all opposition. As the Parthian troops face attacks from Scythians, Tarquinius's position becomes increasingly tenuous. Brennus, the famous gladiator and former slave from Gaul, struggles to keep up his spirit but antagonism from the Parthian troops and fellow legionaries constantly weigh him down. Brennus relies upon his friendship with Tarquinius and Romulus to keep him focused and motivated. Romulus, a former slave who proved himself to be a born warrior, dreams of returning to Rome and uniting his family. Romulus, Brennus, and Tarquinius are isolated and in danger - with no one to trust but each other, they must make the journey of thousands of miles.

Meanwhile, Fabiola, Romulus's beautiful twin sister, is established in Brutus's household. She's adapting to her life on her country estate when sudden violence erupts. Fabiola suddenly faces a struggle for her life and must rely on her wits, her beauty and the loyalty of those around her as she prepares to travel to Gaul to find Brutus and safety. I enjoy stories with where determined

Things have been a bit crazy for me this last week or so balancing the duties at my self-managed condo, catching up on my continuing legal education credits, and other aspects of my life. I haven't been posting much over the last two weeks and I've missed you guys.

I did want to mention a few recently released books that I'd been very eagerly awaiting. These have been on my wishlist/advance purchase list ever since I'd read the debut author's first novel.



Ben Kane's The Silver Eagle which follows the story of The Forgotten Legion came out on March 16, 2010. I'd discovered Ben Kane through the TLC Book Tour of The Forgotten Legion. If you haven't read the book yet and you enjoy novels about Ancient Rome filled with historical detail, intrigue, action, and stories of friendship, love and loyalty, I highly recommend it. You can read my review of The Forgotten Legion here. The Silver Eagle continues the story of the lead characters through key periods of Roman history. I was lucky enough to get a review copy of The Silver Eagle through Ben Kane and his publisher and started reading it immediately. Ben and St. Martin's Press have generously sponsored a copy for giveaway! I'll post my review of The Silver Eagle shortly along with the details for the giveaway!



The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag came out on March 9, 2010. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I loved the Alan Bradley's first novel, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie with his 11-year old sleuth, Flavia de Luce.

Welcome to the TLC Book Blog Tour of The Forgotten Legion by Ben Kane! We're fortunate to have Ben here with us today to share his experience writing his first novel, The Forgotten Legion and what it was like getting his book to market.

I asked Ben if he could write about his experience writing the book, finding an agent, and getting the book to market? What would he tell aspiring writers?

Starting on the path to write The Forgotten Legion, my first published novel, was a little unusual.

From as early as I can remember, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I duly became one, but after more than a decade in the workplace, I was totally disillusioned. Incredibly long hours, the difficulty of finding a practice where I wanted to stay long-term and the nightmare of being ‘on call’ had finally revealed that this was not the life for me.

But what else could I do? The highly trained field of veterinary medicine is such a narrow one that there are precious few options when it comes to changing career. Naive and full of enthusiasm, I rashly decided that I would become a bestselling historical fiction author. I sat down the same night and began writing about a Roman centurion in second century A.D. Britain. I spent two years on that book, spending approximately 10-20 hours a week writing or researching, as well as working full-time as a veterinarian. I spent large amounts of money on textbooks, and many weekends visiting Hadrian's Wall, becoming in the process somewhat of a Roman geek. I went on a residential writing course run by the Arvon Foundation, a charitable organisation in the UK. In short, writing became an obsession. Along with a rather wide stubborn streak, I believe this single-mindedness is one of the reasons for my breakthrough into mainstream publishing.

Needless to say, that first novel is still on the hard drive of my computer. After about two years, thinking it was ready, I sent the first three chapters to a number of agents. From each I received standard refusal letters, all of which include the immortal line: ‘This book is not for us’. I think it means ‘We don't think this book is good enough.’ It was then that luck, or fate, entered my life and I received a personal introduction to an agent. He read my three chapters, gave positive feedback and asked for a meeting. This in itself was a major step in the right direction.

The good news was that a week later, I had been signed up by my agent. To my delight, he reckoned that my writing wasn't too far off the mark to win a publishing deal. The bad news was that I had to write a totally new novel, something with broader scope and much greater public appeal. Some time, and a great deal of idea bashing later, the plot for The Forgotten Legion had emerged into the light. Over the next 18 months, I repeated the process that I had undergone for my first novel, except this time I spent 20-40 hours a week on my computer, all the while working full-time.

When it was done, I paid a freelance professional editor recommended by my agent to go over m