The Chiron Confession by Thomas Greanias Review

The Chiron Confession is a suspenseful read, full of action with a character you will strongly root for. It shows the author's richness of historical knowledge, entangling true story with fiction.

The Chiron Confession by Thomas Greanias
Series: Dominium Dei #1
Date Published: May 16,2017
Publisher: Atlantis Ink
Language: English
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Historical Fiction
ISBN: 9780996004046
Format: Paperback (I got an eARC via Netgalley for an honest review)

THE POWER AND THE PARANOIA

From Thomas Greanias, the New York Times bestselling author of Raising Atlantis, comes an epic adventure of ancient Rome that illuminates the gathering darkness of the 21st century.

The assassination of Caesar’s chief astrologer explodes into revelations of a secret Christian order known as “Rule of God.” It's penetrated the highest echelons of the empire. Its mission: to fulfill a decades-old prophecy predicting the exact day and hour that Caesar will die. Desperate to prove the oracles wrong, an increasingly erratic Caesar kills all suspected enemies. No one from slave to senator can escape his reign of terror.

Enter the innocent playwright Athanasius. Wrongly accused by jealous rivals of being Chiron, the elusive mastermind behind Rule of God, he is condemned to certain death in the unscripted "reality" of the arena.

Miraculously, he escapes, alone with a state secret that could destroy the empire. Hunted by assassins across the Mediterranean, his only hope is the terrorist order he was accused of masterminding, where the only way up or out is to kill or be killed.

A meticulously researched and masterfully crafted conspiracy thriller inspired by real people and events, The Chiron Confession is the unforgettable story of one man against the world.

Review

I understand that this book is an alternate history book and I don't have much knowledge on the Roman History. All the names involved and the dates checked out though according to WordWeb, just not the events that transpired. The events are very much similar but of course, the details fictional.

The plot was amazing but alas, a have a terrible grasp at geography. A map was provided but PDF images are hard to navigate to in Adobe Digital Editions that I thought, "Screw it, I'd just swing it." I just read the book as is (but not bothered by looking up names on WordWeb), and find the plot rather exciting despite the mishmash of settings.

On the get-go, I just thought, "Ill fate comes to unfortunate victims." That was due to the terrible fate that has befallen on Virtus, a Praetorian Guard assigned to Caelus, the then astrologer to Domitian, the Caesar of Rome. Though short, I rather like his narrative.

Domitian is a megalomaniac and yet insecure man. His doom has already been predicted by lots of astrologers and that's set by the stars and the cosmos to be on the 18th of September. Wanting to defy the gods, he is all set to prove the predictions wrong. If you're the next hired astrologer, it's safe to say that your ill fate is sealed. He treats himself as both Lord and God and demands others to do the same. If you don't, you'll find yourself dead. He wants to be so powerful (and fear the loss of it) that anything that doesn't coincide with his plans will be a cause for one's death.

Domitian is so paranoid, he suspects all of his highest staff of wanting to kill him and his wife too. Seriously, how do you sleep with someone on the same bed if this person is out to kill you? He is like the red queen in Alice in Wonderland who got nothing better to do than say, "Off with his head!" He's terrible but I find his actions quite comical.

I thought I'm already desensitized from gore but when the person involved is someone sensible and honorable even if you only met him in two pages, the effect was brutal to the core. I never thought I could be this emotionally affected. No one is safe in this book, everyone will find their unlikely demise. I was shookt a lot of times because characters just keep on dying.

When Athanasius was introduced, the book has become more exciting. That's how you get invested in this book: by following his life story, of how from being an innocent celebrated playwright (yet a hedonist), he was manipulated into being a person fated to die. He overcomes that lots of times, of course.

There's a conflict of power within the bowels of the Roman Empire and that involves three groups: the Caesar of Rome, the Church, and Dominium Dei. Athanasius was wrongly accused of being Chiron, the leader of the powerful Dei, bent on ousting Domitian that led Domitian in a decision to have him killed at the Coliseum (as grand as his written plays). Eventually, we'll find out how haphazard everyone's goal is, that control and influence ran rampant by one group or the other within each of their organizations. Yes, a popcorn is nice for this.

It was all fun until 75% into the book when a bunch of people just pop up, names that should ring a bell don't entice an awe, events that are meant to be shocking don't elicit emotions and the gist of things becomes so predictable (but the details so confusing).

I like it when the dead comes back (especially when they're people you invested with) but hate it when it's of a predictable fashion. This is the only thing I didn't like about this book: of someone rising from the dead that's so obviously going to happen. What I do love though is the lack of romance. Athanasius is hell-bent on achieving his goals albeit his new goal contradicts with the reason of his original goal.