Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite

Scott Forbes Crawford’s Silk Road Centurion is an action-packed, riveting historical fiction and adventure story, set in the steppes of Central Asia, in the Gobi Desert and the borderlands of western China. In 53 B.C. the Roman centurion Manius Titinius is captured by the Kets, a nomadic desert tribe, skilled horsemen, and fierce warriors, who are one of the Xiongnu tribes. Together with other captive Roman soldiers, Manius begins a forced and brutal march from Parthia to the Ket settlement. Manius is determined to escape. Tethered and caged, Manius fights his enslavement at every opportunity. When Chinese captives join him as slaves, he learns to speak Chinese. As the story unfolds, Manius escapes and is rescued from his Xiongnu pursuers by a Chinese family. He finds refuge in their farming village. He knows the Xiongnu will hunt him down. Wu Bo, the old Chinese warrior who rescued him, persuades him to help defend the villagers against the Xiongnu. The story twists and turns as Manius fights and tastes defeat again and again. Will he ever return to Rome?

Compelling and captivating, I was drawn into Silk Road Centurion with its exceptional character development and rich and evocative worldbuilding. I liked the character development of the Roman centurion Manius Titinius as his life and world shift from being a free Roman to enslavement, unable to understand the Xiongnu and Chinese languages. I liked how Manius’ character, his inner turmoil, and his resilience emerge through his interactions with other characters, and when he is alone. I particularly liked the way Manius’ prayers and oaths to the goddess Fortuna are intertwined with the relentless challenges he faces, willing himself to take revenge, to escape, to die as a Roman soldier. The story is a page-turner as the prose pulsates with tension, dangers, and near-death experiences. The novel vividly captures life in the Gobi Desert and the Chinese borderlands through the lives of other characters. The story sprang to life through the friendship between two soldiers: Manius, the young Roman centurion, and Wu Bo, the old Chinese warrior. A great read indeed! Scott Forbes Crawford’s Silk Road Centurion is a well-crafted and masterfully written story of memorable characters, courage, resilience, loyalty, and sacrifice.