If you love Roman history, you are going to enjoy this book! I was hooked from page one!

Ryan Fleming did a fabulous job with this book, giving an in-depth view, and also bringing these characters to life. With Christianity just making an entrance in the Roman world, there were quite a few things to overcome.

The way this book was done made the characters feel alive again, while bringing a fresh perspective. Perfect weekend reading!

Interesting premise but the writing style doesn’t work for me. Too much exposition and no distinctive characterisation or voice. DNF

-- I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Many thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity. --

I had a hard time getting through this novel, if I'm being honest. It retells the story of the birth of Christianity through a cynical, Roman, lens, which in itself is an intriguing concept. John the Baptist, and later Jesus, are depicted as figureheads instated by Pontius Pilate in order to try and control the native crowds in Judea. However, especially when considering the author's afterword, it does not seem clear whether he is trying to write a novel or a historical account - without using proper historical methods.