Legionary: Gods & Emperors

Legionary, Book 5

By: Gordon Doherty

Narrated by: Adrian Hobart

A tale of adventure and military brotherhood in the legions of Rome

The fate of the East rests on the edge of a sword as the legions and the Goths march to war…

378 AD: Fritigern's Gothic horde tightens its iron grip on Thracia and only a handful of well-walled cities to the south remain in imperial hands. The few tattered legions pinned in these cities can only watch on from the battlements as smoke rises across their lost lands and the Goths roam at will, pillaging and extorting. Every Roman—legionary or citizen—speaks of only one thing: the Emperors of East and West, Valens and Gratian, who are said to be closing swiftly on this war-stricken land, each bringing with them vast armies capable of vanquishing the horde.

Awaiting the relief armies in Constantinople, Centurion Pavo and the XI Claudia prepare as best they can. The Gothic War has taken much from each of them, and none more so than Pavo. But still he and his fellow officers cling to the chance that two lost to them might yet return: their leaders, Tribunus Gallus and Primus Pilus Dexion—Pavo's brother—have not been seen or heard from since setting off on a mission to Emperor Gratian's court in the West. Some are sure they must have fallen, yet Pavo refuses to give up hope, instead whetting his blade and praying that fate will guide the pair back in time for the clash that is to come: a clash that promises to end the Gothic War – for the empire's finest legions are destined to meet Fritigern's ferocious masses… on the plains of Adrianople.

©2023 Gordon Doherty (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Enjoyed the story

Enjoyed the story and looking forward to the next. Duty honor, country (empire), brotherhood, the struggle of good against evil. What more can you ask for?

Good story with poor reader

The story is great, and follows that era of a Roman history fairly accurately. The reader, however, pauses a lot and struggles with certain words. They could have picked someone with more knowledge what he was talking about.

Narrator did fine.

Narrator is fine, speaks a little halting but does well.


The over arching story is, Okay at best, the same as Gordon's usual stories. the battles are bloody, most enemies are cartoonishly evil, eye rollingly so. My favorite part is always the Roman spies. From Legionary series to Born on the border these spies are always the most ridiculously stupid evil characters. If you don't mind some swords and sandles style nonsense, it's a good time, mostly but this one felt weaker due to one of it's side stories.

I have stuck with Gordon since legionary and have been waiting for the famous battle but this is a struggle to get through and thats mainly for the subplot.

Light spoiler ahead

probably one of the ridiculous subplot I have read. so a character hides in a goofy suicide squad style military formation right? sure, happens all the time. he is hidding in them because no one would look at a bunch of raging guys only fit to die right? Wrong Roman spies all over this century. Gordon literally wrote how this unit was marked for death and the Emperor sends them in the first wave for everything, they are fodder and they know it. So, why would these wildly selfish highly trained spies hide in units that are meant to all die in the ranks? it's so ridiculous that you can see it coming a mile a way. what would all these spies benefiting by sitting in a unit like this? it's so silly it hurts.

I will warn you that subplot is hard to listen to/read