Centurion in the Land of the Fae

Roman Centurion Arrius Marcus Niger (Arri) of the 9th Legion hadn't planned on dying in Britain. Lying in a cold bog, abandoned by his officers, and surrounded by dead cohorts. Unfortunately, that's exactly where he is--dying but not dead. Around the dismal battlefield British barbarians and other beings with their own plans roam about, killing...and worse. Dying had its own sort of honor--and Arri isn't sure he wants to survive the loss of all of his friends. The beings who find him don't give him that choice.Arri isn't interested in serving as a slave, but the Tuatha de Danann who "rescue" him need him and are prepared to do whatever it takes to get his help--willing or not. In order to win a ten-thousand year-old war, the Tuatha find they're in desperate need of Roman ingenuity and believe that Arri is the man to deliver. According to them, Arri's intense memories of his now-dead fellow soldiers may be essential in saving human-kind from extinction.Arri doesn't have a problem with saving humanity (well, he's not entirely sure about barbarians). Unfortunately, it doesn't take him long to discover that his rescuers are (a) only marginally human themselves; (b) pathological liars; and (c) so self-absorbed that it isn't completely clear that they'd care whether humanity vanishes as long as they can continue their own parties. Arri struggles to find his place in this alien land, and fights to keep his mind clear in a world where the Tuatha can simply reach into his brain and transform his emotions. Reluctantly, finds himself taking on leadership of an army of humans--Kellsuf, "men of the void," as the Tuatha call them--but he's still not sure he wants to fight a war the Tuatha have deliberately brought upon themselves.Author J. E. Bruce launches an important fantasy series with SNAKESTONE AND SWORD, the first volume in A CENTURION IN THE LAND OF THE FAE. Arri is a damaged but engaging protagonist forced to choose when all of the choices are bad, living in a world where all of the rules are turned upside down. Bruce's background as a forensic archaeologist lets her bring the Early Roman Empire period to life, and the Fae settings are equally well researched and real. Mixing action with thoughtful insight, SNAKESTONE AND SWORD is an exciting read.

The fate of the earth, according to his Tuatha masters, depends on Arrius Marcus Niger (Arri) and his legion defeating the enemy in battle. Arri has trained his men, built a powerful Roman-style legion, complete with engines of destruction and even a small cavalry, and is ready to battle, but what happens next? Have he and his legion been abandoned on a distant world. Given the way the Tuatha have played with his memories and his will, is it coincidence that nobody ever spoke to him about what after the battle, or that he never thought to ask?When he gets his first look at the "enemy," Arri and his legionaires have more questions. Clearly they're outnumbered--another lie. Clearly, too, their enemy was seen as disposable by their masters. Which brings up the question, is the battle really just butchery in preparation for hungry aliens to dine.Now that he's away from his Tuatha masters, now that the tampering of his brain has finally stopped, Arri realizes he has more to worry about than a single battle against human foes. His Tuatha masters provided him only a few weeks supply of food, how will his men survive after that. His Tuatha masters sent an all-male army. How will they react when they learn their "enemy" includes hundreds of women? The biggest worry, though, is that the battle was no secret and humans are a much-desired prey.Author J. E. Bruce continues the adventure she began with SNAKESTONE AND SWORD. Bruce really brings the Roman legion to life, with believable use of the weapons and tactics that once conquered our world and might now conquer Arri's new world. Of course, in our world, the Romans never faced flesh-eating aliens in space ships or modern weapons. Far more than a purely military adventure, however, HIDE AND SIDHE digs deep into the personality of a man who makes himself responsible for the survival of the human species on a new world.