The Noise of War: A Tale of Ancient Rome

This strong second book in the Sertorius Scrolls series (after The Man with Two Names) unfolds epically in 105 BCE in the aftermath of Arausio, Rome’s bloodiest defeat, with Roman statesman and war hero Quintus Sertorius wounded and suffering from survivor’s guilt. Sertorius narrates his memoir, recounting the loss of his eye, nightmares, and the devastating loss of 90,000 Roman soldiers, including his brother, to the Cimbri. After arriving at General Marius’s camp with 27 survivors, Sertorius is tasked with an espionage mission to infiltrate the Cimbri camp, in what’s now France, and gather intelligence on infantry, cavalry, infrastructure, arms, and armor. In disguise, he spends months with the filthy, barbaric Cimbri and their Tigurini allies, constantly fearing exposure. Days before a new Cimbri attack, and with suspicion growing, Sertorius flees with valuable intelligence and some Roman hostages he rescued. Soon after, there are gory, brutal battles with the Teutones and Cimbris. The novel is distinguished by finely drawn character, epic battle scenes, and a moral message of bravery, survival, leadership, and duty. This sequel reinforces Davis’s notable skill in explaining and embellishing ancient Roman history, and the figures who helped shape it, into suspenseful, dramatic prose. Davis’s tale will catapult fans of military adventures and historians into the politics and battlefields of ancient Rome. (BookLife)