When Ulster’s shamed King, Mac Nessa, places a bounty on his head, Conall of the Victories—Ériu’s last hope—finds himself on the run, leaving the tyrant free to seize the high kingship.
Fleeing to the icy north, Conall swears an oath to Malthe, a Jutish jarl. Together, they unite with other northern tribes, forging a powerful alliance to push back the encroaching Roman legions threatening the vast forests of Germania. After a hard-fought battle in Teutoburg, they return to Lindholm only to find betrayal and tragedy have struck, destroying the tranquility of the peaceful settlement.
When the druid Genonn arrives with Mac Nessa’s son, Cúscraid. Conall decides to renege on his oath and fight for his homeland. With the unwavering strength of the shieldmaiden Skadi, Conall returns to Ériu, ready to fight for the kingdoms he holds dear.
Embark on a thrilling adventure that uniquely blends historical fantasy fiction with heart-pounding action. Bernard Cornwell meets JohnGwynne in this seat-of-your-pants narrative, promising a reading experience that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
The Milesians, a four-book series, offers a unique journey through Ancient Irish pre-history in the early first century. It is an epic tale of war and blood, politics and infighting, love and loss, set in a time when life was hard and brutality the norm.
Follow the exploits of the druid Elder Council as they do everything necessary to protect the Celtic Clans. Watch kingdoms rise and fall at the time when Christ was proclaimed the Messiah and executed at Golgotha.
Follow the boy warrior, Cú Chulainn, from when Conall Cernach discovers him in a hidden settlement in the Cuala Mountains. Watch as he defies the expectations of adult warriors with his exploits until he is tragically ambushed and murdered in the Windy Gap.
Watch as the Warrior Queen of Connacht, Medb, wreaks vengeance on the man who brutalised her while she bathed: Conchobar Mac Nessa, the king of Ulster.
Follow Conall of the Victories as he aids Genonn in his hunt for his father’s murderer, only to find Mac Nessa has put a price on his head, forcing him to flee Ireland.
The first book in the series has received high praise from the international bestselling author of Epic, Conor Kostick, who described it as “The grim and dirty version, as if Cú Chulainn was a historical person, thoroughly enjoyable.”
My next release is fast approaching. This is the period I find most stressful: adding editor’s final comments. Last minute proofreading. General stressing over whether it will flop or fly. Why do I do this to myself?
Anyhoo, here’s a map of the Battle of Teutoburg, which features heavily in the story. How can a book about the Milesian’s feature the battle, I hear you call. Check it out, you might be pleasantly surprised.
With a hundred and eighty thousand views in less than a year, my Royal Road journey is about to become even more exciting. If you are yet to discover the enjoyment of a fast paced adventure for free, check it out here.
But wait, there’s more. I am soon to start my new portal fantasy: Through the Portal: Bechuille. It is a Portal Fantasy Quest with bad guys and good guys, demons and magic. Everything you might want from such an adventure.
There is often at least one glaring plot hole or significant deus ex machina in the Reacher books, such as Reacher getting arrested for murder in a remote location when the victim turns out to be a brother he hasn’t seen in years.
“Persuader” is no exception. The very idea that the person he is undercover to investigate had been “murdered” by him ten years earlier, and yet didn’t recognize him—despite Reacher using his real name—is beyond ludicrous. Child tries to gloss over this by Reacher not being involved in the historic investigation. However, that gloss doesn’t hold up: they looked into his records when he first arrived, which would have included photographs. Quinn would have recognized him. The flimsy two-second exchange of “No, I don’t know you; oh, wait, now I do” is, at best, lame. The situation isn’t helped by the boy Richard suddenly acquiring a Beretta and the balls to use it, which he uses to prevent Reacher from killing Quinn in the dining room. This leads to an unnecessarily drawn-out sequence where Reacher fights against the sea before ultimately finishing the job with a chisel.
Additionally, why did the dinner party guests drive him off a cliff instead of just shooting him? This decision seems to exist solely to add five pages of Reacher gasping for breath underwater.
In my reading of other Reacher novels, I found room to forgive similar examples, recognizing the books as light relief and the plot holes as mere distractions.
That said, the frequent, unsignalled flashbacks in this story threw me off. Flashbacks are fine as long as the reader knows when they start and end. In “Persuader,” I had to stop multiple times and rewind to realize we were once again in the past. I also found a lack of research somewhat irritating. It doesn’t matter how many steroids a bodybuilder consumes; a kick in the kidneys from anyone—especially a 6-foot-5-inch monster like Reacher—is going to hurt. Rasputin’s legendary resilience has raised many eyebrows, but it pales in comparison to Quinn surviving two headshots, a shot to the heart, and a fall of 120 feet onto rocks, only to be swept away by the tide. A shotgun shell, even a Brenneke, won’t cut a man in two. While it may create a mess, this level of gratuitous gore is inaccurate.
Finally, there’s the issue of padding. While I suspect other Reacher novels may have the same problem, I didn’t notice it as much because I wasn’t continually distracted by unmarked flashbacks. However, at times, “Persuader” reads more like specifications in a Jane’s catalogue of light arms—details that no reader really needs or wants.
Recommendation
I gave “Persuader” 2 out of 5 stars. I can overlook the plot holes, but not when so many other issues exist. If you’re a Reacher fan, you might not notice.
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