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Marius’ Mules Books In Order

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Publication Order of Marius' Mules Books

The Invasion of Gaul (2009)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Belgae (2010)Description / Buy at Amazon
Gallia Invicta (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon
Conspiracy of Eagles (2012)Description / Buy at Amazon
Hades' Gate (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon
Caesar's Vow (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon
Prelude to War (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Great Revolt (2014)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sons of Taranis (2015)Description / Buy at Amazon
Pax Gallica (2016)Description / Buy at Amazon
Fields of Mars (2017)Description / Buy at Amazon
Tides of War (2018)Description / Buy at Amazon
Sands of Egypt (2019)Description / Buy at Amazon
Civil War (2020)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Last Battle (2021)Description / Buy at Amazon
The Ides of March (2023)Description / Buy at Amazon

Marius’ Mules is a Series of historical novels by S J A Turney. Simon lives in rural North Yorkshire alongside his wife, children dog, and rabbits. The British born author fell in love with Roman history and its heritage on Britain as he spent much of his childhood with his grandfather who loved to photograph Roman ruins. In fact, a tour to Hadrian’s Wall is one of the most poignant memories of his childhood. His fascination soon spread to other ancient civilizations in Byzantium, Greece, and Egypt though his focus always remained on Rome. Born and bred in rural England, he loves the architecture, and history of Britain though he spends a lot of his time traveling. His travels take him to ancient sites where he reads, researches and writes voraciously.

While he was interested in history, his early career took a very interesting path. He did everything from working in the Ministry of Agriculture before he moved on to work as a computer network management specialist and then finally settling into what he loved – the ancient world. During his time working different careers, he went back to college and graduated with a degree in classical history. With the spare time he could get when he was not working, he went back to the love of his life – Roman history. He decided to make the Gallic Wars of Caesar into a series of novels. He published the first of the Marius Mules volumes by 2002. The series of novels went on to become bestsellers, and garner international success and spawning many sequels. Over the years, Simon has expanded his repertoire to include Medieval, Fantasy, and Byzantine novels, though Roman remains his most popular. One of the most prolific writers in the sub-genre, he currently has more than 30 novels in print released through mainstream publishers and independently.

The Marius’ Mules Series by S J A Turney are Roman military history novels about the Gallic Wars that were waged by Caesar. The author got most of his material from the diaries of Caesar that described the wars. The novels follow the life and times of Caesar in his first year of the conquest of Gaul. Nonetheless, while they are derived from Caesar’s diaries and while Caesar is a central character, he is just but a hub around which the story of the lead characters revolve. The lead character in the novels is Fronto, a fictional figure that is one of the legates to Caesar alongside other military commanders. They provide advice and participate in the decision making regarding war tactics and in negotiation with the Gallic tribes. Caesar, while one of the most well-known historical figures never dominates the story which is instead driven by Fronto the legate. Fronto is a lovable commander who is credited with coming up with brilliant plans and solutions to the problems that Caesar and his army face in Gaul. While Julius Caesar provides the events, his commanders provide the personal touch and the detail to the events of the stories. The novels describe the obstacles and various battles the army fought and how they went about winning them, giving deeper insights into Roman military tactics of the age.

“The Invasion of Gaul” the first novel of the Marius’ Mules series is set in 58 BC Northern Italy. The Tenth Legion is camped and waiting for Julius Caesar their commander to arrive from Rome to lead them into Gaul. He is the most notorious general in Roman history and is known for his endless ambition. To help him in his quest to conquer Gaul is Marcus Falerius Fronto, a companion of the general, career soldier, and commander of the 10th Legion for more than a decade. While Gaul has been at peace with Rome for decades, Caesar is set on making a name for himself like his contemporary Pompey. His desire for greatness is driving him to engineer a conflict with the Celtic tribes of Gaul, which is certain to result in a war that will bring glory to Caesar and Rome. Fronto has been with Caesar for years and as a seasoned veteran he knows that working with Caesar means that intrigue and politics are unavoidable. But as Ceasar works on a plan to foment war with the Gallic tribes, Fronto will discover that political wars may just be as bruising as physical battles. In the quest for survival, he learns that old enemies may actually be more trustworthy than those that claim eternal friendship. Standing next to the Colossus that is Julius Caesar, even the most ethical man risks getting their clothes singed by his glow.

“The Belgae” the second novel of the series is set in 57 BC Gaul, where Fronto and his fellow officers are now facing the fearsome Belgae tribe. The tribe has brought together a large army from some of the fiercest subtribes in their confederation to face the Romans. While they are battling the Celts in Gaul, conspiracies and plots against Caesar are being planned and executed in Rome, and their effect is felt as far afield as in Gaul. The story recounts the subjugation of each Belgae tribe either through battles and skirmishes or through diplomacy. Caesar shows his underhandedness and cruelty and his use of other’s ideas for self-aggrandizement. Most of the best ideas that bring them victory are from his senior officers and Tetritus the engineering prodigy, none of whom get much of the credit they deserve. Nonetheless, while there is a lot of bile against Caesar including one by Paetus the ex-prefect, the man knows how to sidestep most of the traps set against him. It is overall a portrayal of Caesar as a power-hungry political animal who is ruthless in his ambition to achieve what he set out to do. Nonetheless, the novel is an intriguing look into the strategy and tactics and the everyday life of the officers of the Roman army.

“Gallia Invicta” the third novel of the Marius’ Mules series is set in 56 BC where Fronto and is fellow military commanders alongside their General Caesar are in Illyricum. The tribes of the Armorica in the north have rebelled against the exploitative rule of Crassus. They are massing against Rome and their rebellion is threatening to cause a chain reaction that could set Caesar and his legions back years. He needs to stamp out the uprising before it gets a chance to set the whole province of Gaul ablaze. In the meantime, the conspiracies and plots against Caesar in Rome have taken an unexpected turn. Fronto and his fellow officers are plunged into a world of intrigue, violence, and crime that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. The republic is on the verge of disaster even as the city is restive. Everything is about to change for Marcus Fronto as he embarks on a tumultuous year that takes the commanders and the legions from Illyricum to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pyrenees and the most important city of all – Rome.

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