The Shards of Heaven (Shards of Heaven, #1)

by Michael Livingston

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar's ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar's legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods--or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

Michael Livingston's The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

• ISBN10: 0765380315
• ISBN13: 9780765380319
• Publish Date: 24 November 2015 (first published 10 November 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 September 2021
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

Julius Caesar is dead - who will now rule Rome? Will it be Octavion, one of Caesar's adopted sons? Or will it be Cleopatra and Mark Antony who prevail and set Caesar's true son on the throne? Added into the mix is Juba, another adopted son of Caesar who burns with revenge and is searching for the Shards of Heaven in order to carry it out. When he find a shard and learns its powers, how far will he go to find the others?

In some ways, this book is excellent. The overall writing style fits the story, and the descriptions of the places and the battles are fantastic. There is a lot of religion (Judeo-Christian) about 3/4 of the way through this book - so much at that point that it was jarring and felt somewhat out of place. It was woven in better after that, but I honestly started to wonder if I had accidentally picked up a book meant for a religious audience. That in itself would not a bad thing, but it felt somewhat...abrupt...the way it was done.

The characters do seem to suffer somewhat in the story. There were only two characters that I really managed to feel much for, and neither of them were main characters. They contributed quite a bit, but were definitely not focal points. The main characters all seem shallowly drawn, though I have hope that they will be more fleshed out in the next book. I'm hoping it's just a result of so much happening in this book to get things started.

Overall, though, I really did like the story. It's an intriguing story line, and one that could be amazing from here on out. It's somewhat difficult to explain more about that without giving spoilers. Suffice to say that there are secret societies, questions of Gods vs. God, and battles galore. It's quite the intertwining of fantasy and history, and I do look forward to reading the next book. I will probably recommend this to a few friends, but I will also probably look to get the sequel from the library vs. purchasing it to keep.

[Lianne]

I was approved an ARC of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2015/11/10/review-the-shards-of-heaven/

The Shards of Heaven was a fascinating read, an interesting mix of history and fantasy. There’s a bit of everything in this book that makes it really interesting: a smidge of magic and the larger-than-life forces at work, history, politics, intrigue, battles. I don’t read much historical fantasy but I thought the mix was quite seamless, so much so that it felt rather natural, such as taking familiar relics and giving it a fantastical twist, and its use affecting the outcome of major real-life battles such as the Battle at Actium.

The characters that populate this novel were also interesting, ranging from historical figures to other characters also involved in the vast struggle to find the shards either for personal gain or for protection. Here’s where the intrigue was really felt for you don’t really know whose side certain characters are on at times, what some of their motives are. Everyone’s scrambling to locate and secure a shard, powerful objects that can unleash powerful destruction, but the political situation also brings a myriad of other personal goals, for example Cleopatra’s ten-year-old daughter in a quest for revenge against Rome.

Overall I really enjoyed reading The Shards of Heaven. The infusion of fantasy into history was fantastic and will appeal to readers who enjoy politics and battles and fantasy. It’s also a solid first novel in a new series, setting up the characters and where their respective storylines are heading. I look forward to seeing where the characters head off to next in the next installment.