★★★★☆ Emperor's Spear, by Alex Gough
Silus and Atius struggle with moral quandaries
Emperor’s Spear
Alex Gough
Silus and Atius struggle with moral quandaries
Silus has won a kind of reprieve from active duty as an Arcanus. He's enjoying down time on the small Italian island of Lipari with his ward Tituria. Atius spent some time with him there, but got bored and went back to work. Atius was sent into Germania Magna (Greater Germany) on a secret, delicate, diplomatic mission, which ran into trouble. Oclatinius, boss of the Arcani, shows up on Lipari to convince Silus to track Atius down.
So, that happens. It's a good story. It is not the first time Silus has had to make difficult moral decisions. But the stakes are higher in Emperor's Spear than in previous novels in the Imperial Assassin. series. This is the first time it really felt to me as if doing the Right Thing touched on Silus's essential self.
Good story.