Field of Blood: Empire XV cover art

Field of Blood: Empire XV

Empire, Book 15

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Field of Blood: Empire XV

By: Anthony Riches
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About this listen

 A masterful novel of war, history and political intrigue, beloved by readers.
'Vivid military action, inner circle intrigue and Dumas-style characters'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'A++++'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'[Riches is] head and shoulders above his contemporaries'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Excellent historical adventure with a twist'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I absolutely LOVE this series'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



ONCE MORE THE ROMAN EMPIRE HAS BEEN TORN APART BY A WAR OF IMPERIAL SUCCESSION.

Following the Year of the Five Emperors, three are left in the field. A final bloody confrontation is inevitable as the ruthless Septimius Severus advances through Cappadocia and Cilicia on the heels of the retreating legions of the Emperor in the East, Percennius Niger.

Co-opted into Severus's legions are two veterans who, after long service, now crave peace: Gaius Rutilius Scaurus, restored to legion commander, and his client, the tribune Marcus Laticlavius Aquila. Unknown to all but a few, Marcus is an emperor killer. Perhaps this fate beckons him again...

As Niger retreats towards the impregnable fortress of Antioch, thus threatening to extend the conflict for years to come, it falls to these two men to plan a series of daring raids to delay the enemy.

But it is not long before they are cornered on a climactic field of blood. And on this sanguine soil, one of the imperial pretenders must be annihilated.©2026 Cold Steel Ltd Action & Adventure Ancient Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Military Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Thriller & Suspense War & Military War

Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR ANTHONY RICHES
Fast-paced and gripping "read-through-the-night" fiction with marvellous characters and occasional moments of dark humour. Some authors are better historians than they are storytellers. Anthony Riches is brilliant at both
A damn fine read . . . fast-paced, action-packed
A masterclass in military historical fiction
A master of the genre
Stands head and shoulders above in a crowded field . . . Real, live characters act out their battles on the northern borders with an accuracy of detail and depth of raw emotion that is a rare combination
A gripping narrative full of breathtaking action, unforgettable characters, and dazzling twists and turns
All stars
Most relevant
the story of Aquilla continues in this brilliant series , in the yr of 5 emperors, for fans of historical fiction the author is one of the best, weaving a fictional character with real people and events, not the Hollywood way of twisting fact for entertainment.
the narrator is good, but the opening credit given to the sad passing of the best narrator I've known, Saul Reichlin, will always be a tough act to follow.

continued excellence

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While this may well be a good story, as many of this series are, the performance is abysmal. The voice actor does not distinguish between characters, making it difficult to quickly grasp who is speaking, even when there are voice instructions in the text. With an audiobook you are paying for the performance as well as the story and this is not worth it. Please find a competent voice actor for the next book on the series. I only listened to as much as was needed to post this and am now off to buy the hard copy to hopefully enjoy the story.

Read by a talentless hack

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The narration is absolutely dreadful 0 distinction between characters and just honestly so droll ruined a good story just like the previous book. Such a shame we don’t have Saul reichlin anymore rest in peace

The terrible narrator however good story

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