TITLE: Maximus
AUTHOR: Richard L. Black
Page Count: 464 pages
Genre: Fiction / Christian / Historical
Format: Hardcover
RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2015
About the Book
Maximus has never known peace. In command of one of Rome’s finest legions, he and his closest friend, Androcles, have fought side by side to uphold the glory of the empire.
But at the end of a long and bloody campaign, Maximus begins to question his purpose, his past, and the gods he has been taught to believe in.
When word reaches Rome of a man named Jesus who is causing a stir in faraway Judaea, Maximus and Androcles are sent, disguised as Jews, to ascertain the truth of the situation: Is this Jesus merely a radical preacher, or is he instigating a revolution against Rome?
As Maximus immerses himself in Jewish culture, he must confront questions that could change his life: Is it possible this carpenter from Nazareth is the Son of God? Is it possible for a man of war to live a life of peace?
My Review
I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book for an honest review.
Maximus is about two Roman centurions who go undercover as Jews so that they can get close enough to Jesus to find out if he’s a threat to the Roman Empire. They’re not sure what to expect, but they find a culture that they could be happy to stay in and they realize that Jesus is not a threat to the Roman Empire and that he could be so much more.
When I read the description of Maximus, I was excited to read it. I like to read novels based on the Bible. It was obvious that Richard L. Black did a lot of research for this book and it was full of history. I was disappointed that there wasn’t more about Jesus in the person. Most of the time it just mentioned that he’d preached somewhere or was staying in someone’s house.
I had difficulty connecting with the characters. The potential was there, but for some reason I just didn’t connect. I couldn’t even get excited about the romances, which were sweet, but there wasn’t enough interaction between the people to really get to know what was going on between them.
I think anyone interested in historical Christian fiction would like this book because there is a lot of historical information within the pages.
About the Author
Richard L. Black is a writer with a background in the software industry who has worked closely with Department of Defense and intelligence community, an experience which informs his writing style which shows a flair for undercover mystery and intrigue. A native of San Diego, he now lives with his family in the Southwest and is an avid car enthusiast and guitar player. This is his debut novel.
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