Scholarship overwhelms a thin plot.
The scholarship is absolutely fascinating. Roman military tactics, military gear, colonial diplomacy, Roman dining habits, and their love of a nice, hot bath on the fringes of Empire ... Not so good if you were hoping that such insights might be woven into an engaging narrative.
Goldsworthy provides plenty of conflict -- his hero, Flavius Ferox, must protect a lovely Roman aristocratic lady, the wife of his commanding officer, from a Druid uprising -- and there are battles galore, and tricky encounters with local British and Celtic tribes. But the threat to the lovely Sulpicia Lepedina feels contrived, an excuse to make the long lists of legions engaging with the Druids, and their tactics personal for Ferox. It fails, because Goldworthy's characters feel like little more than the metal figures used for tabletop wargames, being moved around brilliantly plotted battlefields without much consideration of the real relationships between the people involved.
The scholarship is absolutely fascinating. Roman military tactics, military gear, colonial diplomacy, Roman dining habits, and their love of a nice, hot bath on the fringes of Empire ... Not so good if you were hoping that such insights might be woven into an engaging narrative.
Goldsworthy provides plenty of conflict -- his hero, Flavius Ferox, must protect a lovely Roman aristocratic lady, the wife of his commanding officer, from a Druid uprising -- and there are battles galore, and tricky encounters with local British and Celtic tribes. But the threat to the lovely Sulpicia Lepedina feels contrived, an excuse to make the long lists of legions engaging with the Druids, and their tactics personal for Ferox. It fails, because Goldworthy's characters feel like little more than the metal figures used for tabletop wargames, being moved around brilliantly plotted battlefields without much consideration of the real relationships between the people involved.
Probably the best Roman Army novel, and there are many, that I've read. Plenty of battle scenes in the style of Bernard Cornwell. Appealing main characters who are not stereotypes or cardboard cutouts. Believable and well worth the read. Written by a historian who specializes in the Roman army.
