I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. At times the author was a bit over descriptive in setting up scenes, but it didn’t take away from the story. With measured pacing, and the story not presented in fast action tidbits to facilitate short attention spans, the author finely tuned and developed the story. The protagonist and primary characters are well-crafted with each having their own motives and goals. None came off as filler to carry the plot forward. I was impressed how the author fleshed out the historical subtext around the central conflict in the story, that for me enhanced the book’s realism. And the subplots didn’t come off as superfluous, even though the one wrapping up at the end of the story came close to being a bit cliched. I also wish there was a bit more fleshed out as to Alphaios, the main character, and his interaction with a character from the previous novel, Robert. Their relationship here seemed a bit sterile; I thought the author could have cultivated it more enhancing why one of the characters came off as standoffish. Maybe because in the previous book, I saw their relationship was core to the plot on how the two characters helped each other to grow, and I was hoping for more of the same. Overall, did I say I enjoyed the book, and when I was able to make time, I finished it relatively quick. (With the minor issues, I would have given the story 4.5 stars, but I have no problem rating it 5. I found the novel memorable and well worth the time.)