I bought this book because I am familiar with the geography and was interested to see how the author depicted it in Roman times. I’m not an expert on Roman Britain, but the author appears to have done her research and the settings feel solid. The characterization and dialogue less so.
So … after the initial head chopping, we quickly find out what a thoroughly messed-up character our Roman 00VII is, even by the standards of the time. Discede Mendip Hills morator, says M. By Jupiter, we think, it’s going to take an extraordinary plot and a pretty feisty British maiden to sort this guy out.
Cue maiden, who is the same maiden our hero had a fling with some years before at the other end of the country, quite a coincidence. Said maiden has since metamorphosed into a responsible leader, coincidentally embroiled in the very plot our hero is trying to thwart. There follows a lot of un-Romanly agonising. Given the alacrity with which our hero whips out his gladius to solve his professional issues, one begins to wish he would apply the same principle elsewhere. Worked last time.
The plot hops around both geography and genre. It feels like a mystery at first (murder, clues, flawed character) but it quickly becomes evident who dunnit and why. The plot then reverts to a 00VII caper (evil mastermind planning world domination, Big Fight Scene). There’s a danger of it turning into Lord of the Rings at one point, but it doesn’t, Ave Angerona. The romance thread runs through it, but it’s too cosy and predictable.
This is an undemanding book. The historical background is interesting but the plot has little to make the reader think. I did feel compelled to complete the book, primarily to find out if our hero finally gets his act together, so the author has done her job. I expected a twist at the end to usher in a sequel, but it all seems to end happily. Perhaps too happily?
This is a debut novel, so congratulations to the author on getting published. It isn’t really my kind of book, but doubtlessly many will like it. A more focussed plot and more stringent editing might usefully be applied to further books, in my opinion.
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