[b:King of Kings|6698597|King of Kings (Warrior of Rome, #2)|Harry Sidebottom|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328017341s/6698597.jpg|6894298] is as interesting as the first installment of the series, but also clearly a "middle book". Other than in the first book, [b:Fire in the East|3979407|Fire in the East (Warrior of Rome, #1)|Harry Sidebottom|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327918373s/3979407.jpg|19248286], there is no continuous arch of events (at least not at first), but a series of episodes that highlight how the lead character, Ballista, loses imperial favor due to intrigue.
While the events weren't as spectacular or spell-binding as the siege of Arete featuring prominently in [b:Fire in the East|3979407|Fire in the East (Warrior of Rome, #1)|Harry Sidebottom|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327918373s/3979407.jpg|19248286], I kept reading mostly because by now I am interested in the fate of the characters and the developments in the empire. This curiosity kept me reading through the middle part and on towards a dramatic - and sadly cliffhanger - finish that reminded me strongly of why I truly like [Fire in the East], making me buy book 3 [b:Lion of the Sun|7968033|Lion Of The Sun (Warrior of Rome, #3)|Harry Sidebottom|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328454287s/7968033.jpg|12015294] directly after finishing this one. I hope that the increased speed and thrill found at the end of this book will continue in it.