companion book to a wild breakout novel, Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City, this book picks up a couple of months after the completion of the first one. Of course, you might have thought that the siege was broken in the first book, but no, that’s never mentioned and the barbarian leader Ogus, outside the battered walls, still wants everyone in the city dead (gruesomely). So this time, our story comes from an actor of plays and a playwright (he publishes them like he’s grinding sausages) named Notker. His other skills include witty impersonations of political figures. So he’s been invited to a party in the garb of Lysimachus, the darling gladiator from the first book who is now seen as the original savior of the city (people have totally forgotten Engineer Orhan (a slave and “foreigner”, biGods)).

A couple of things Notker does not know that night – first, that Lysimachus will actually be at the party and probably not happy with his impersonation. And second, that a huge siege engine just launched a massive boulder, now in flight, that is going to demolish the house seconds before Notker arrives (sparing him embarrassment, no doubt).

Notker goes into hiding but eventually city officials (some from a first book and not operating in any official capacity) seek him out – if course, they need the master impersonator to keep Lysimachus alive for the good of the city. He has no choice and must play along. But like the first novel, he begins to see better ways of handling the defenses, the gladiatorial Themes, the city officials, the cabal and the general populace. The question is – will he slip out the back door with a fortune or will he stay to see the fight to the end.

A great book and great sequel for the first. If you didn’t follow my recommendation for the first part of trilogy, well, shame on you. Run down to a bookstore and pick up a copy of Sixteen Ways. Otherwise, if you have, well, you’ll want to know what happens next, right?

Great fun! Trust me.

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