The Byzantine Wager

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In 1182 two mercenaries travel to Constantinople to assassinate the emperor.

He really has it coming.

Based on a true story.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2023
Author: Bruce Freadrich

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 52
Views: 42,952

Chapters(105 total)

What readers say about The Byzantine Wager

“The Byzantine Wager is a highly entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable story, created using what I like to call the "Bernard Cornwell"-approach, by taking the framework of a well documented historical period or series of events, and weave your own characters…”
Mithradates EupatorRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“A wonderful historical fiction, focusing on an eventful few years in the Byzantine empire. The story is told through the eyes of a colorful cast of characters, some of which are actual historical figures. The pace is good and the grammar near flawless. B…”
TwoChaptersAndADreamRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(4)

Mithradates EupatorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Byzantine Wager is a highly entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable story, created using what I like to call the "Bernard Cornwell"-approach, by taking the framework of a well documented historical period or series of events, and weave your own characters, their stories and your own personal flair into the historical narrative. In Wager's case, the setting is the brief and tyrannical reign of Emperor of the Romans Andronikos I Komnenos, the main characters a pair of sellswords sent by the lord of Montferrat to find out what happened to his son, who had married into the Byzantine royal family. From there on a story of palace intrigue, royal succession crises and dynastic in-fighting slowly plays out.
The writing style, Freadrich's pen rather, is light where it needs to be, and heavy on details where it is necessary, very well painting the visual spectacle of the Queen of Cities, the races of the Hippodrome, and the skulking of unsavoury characters in the half-shadows. Some chapters are wholly dedicated to providing at least a somewhat understandable overview of the dynastic and political situation that drives the politically tuned-in and important characters. These passages often slightly echo the main source material, the Annals of Niketas Choniates, but that is in my opinion the way to go, and I quite like it -it breaks up the "ground floor" view that the main duo is working with most of the time.
Grammar-wise, there are only a few hiccups here and there, and the majority of these are related to the oft-times overly long Greek cognomens. The rest of the text flows freely without any major grammatical interruptions.
The story is not yet finished, but has started to really shoot forward and ramp up these last chapters, moving from outside the planning of political machinations of those both outside and inside the Blachernae Palace, to actual action happening. Not that there isn't fights and violence not happening before that, just that it goes from beyond simple br
TwoChaptersAndADreamRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A wonderful historical fiction, focusing on an eventful few years in the Byzantine empire. The story is told through the eyes of a colorful cast of characters, some of which are actual historical figures. The pace is good and the grammar near flawless. Be warned however that the story does not shy away from the darker parts of humanity.
Void_CrafterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Obligatory "There are not many chapters at time of review, but what is here looks like a great start." I find this story very enjoyable and personally cannot wait for when it has more chapters, I bet they'll be just as good as what is there so far. (Also I recommend you just go read the story rather than my review, I think the story speaks for itself.)
Style: the story plays out a lot like how a Shakespearean play would; skipping between important scene s and focusing on conversations and interactions. This allows it to have some of the best pacing I've seen in a while. There are a few times where the POV shifts, but it is done well and mostly done to establish context and move the story, but that may not be your cup of tea.
Story: This story is historical fiction, but unlike most of its kind it doesn't play out like bad fanfiction. The story tracks the historical events, but the actual story revolves around two fictional mercenaries; with most of the story happening in gaps between recorded history. But as the story is just getting it's legs I can't claim to see the whole.
Grammar: haven't found any errors. Also the integration of other languages is done pretty well.
Character: Most of all the characters are round with complexities, flaws, wants etc; and those that are not seem to just not have enough "screen time." Most of the characters are likable, and those that aren't are well written antagonists. The story isn't long enough enough for character arcs so can't speak to that.
Final Note: the story has some very well written medieval politics, with all that comes with that. Additionally the author seems to know their stuff when it comes to historical information which adds a lot to the story.
God of LiesRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
For lovers of ancient Rome and constaninople - you are in for a treat! This semi-true plot to kill an emperor, via wagers, chariot races, brutal deaths and more is written in a deliciously irreverant style - often death is met with a rough shrug - appropriate I suspect to the times. The emperor is truly hateful and yes - he has it coming!
The prologue opens with the elderly emperor Andronikos already in captivity and awaiting death. What follows is how we got here. We witness the rise of Andronikos at a time when he is not emperor... not yet. We have therefore something of antihero origin story, as well as the protagonist's plot to assassinate him. I love a villain I can empathise with and see in development.
The style varies between the coarse in the moment, and the lofty narrator of the broader history unfolding (certainly helpful, as it's not a period I am highly familiar with). Footnotes also assist - I love it when a writer bothers to consider their audience's needs! Indeed, the writer is clearly something of an expert in the history involved, as their terminology, complete with latin, is spot on. Chapters are of a comfortable bitesize read, and the story is still ongoing, so I can't yet judge how everything will resolve, but I am certainly loving the journey!