Rome C AD408 is laid out to us as an Empire on the edge of collapse, it’s allies the Huns alongside Roman forces under the command of General Stilicho defeat the barbarian hordes & Rome is saved (for now).
The players are thus introduced, one being a hostage, that of Attila as a boy in Rome alongside other barbarian leaders sons, his grandfather King Uldin (of the Huns) having just fought alongside the Romans. General Stilicho & his wife Serena are a coupla who feature in Attila’s life, somewhat surrogate parents to him in an otherwise hostile environment. The Emperor & Princess Galla are front & centre in Attila’s world too along with various others namely a servant & a soldier, all who have some way influenced a young Attila as we read of his early life at the hands of Rome. Other hostages, namely the Vandal Princes Gesaric & Beric become his protagonists, they appearing in a few scenes.
So what else happens…..?
The sack of Rome by Alaric of the Goths is covered in the period but only through the eyes of a travelling Roman soldier (lieutenant which is a rank I don’t recognise as being Roman tbh) & not really done in any detail… its jus mentioned which is an omission I think.
The character of Attila is well played & I warmed to him instantly, strong, wilful & mindful of his roots whilst in the belly of Rome, certainly not seduced by its trappings as other hostages appear to be. Always distrustful, listening & gathering intelligence all the while, making plans to escape, its all believable as part of the story. Its the only part of the story, at it’s ending, that I truly enjoyed.
Some parts contain mystical nonsense which don’t really fit in with the story but perhaps fit with the superstitious nature of the period, some are a little fantastical though. A Druid, shaman & witch all make appearances & have to say I mostly cringed when I read those excerpts, expecting unicorns or cave trolls to pop outta the mist at any moment…….
The part about the Huns was quite interesting & probably the only part where you felt immersed in the period & the people. The Romans could have been from any era especially the soldiering element.
As you can derive from the last statement I did expect a little more historical detail. As for its substance, in truth I found it a similar read to the Simon Scarrow Macro & Cato series (even the Centurion in it is called Marco!), not great depth or intrigue but good fun nevertheless…… not a read that takes itself to seriously. The author even nicks a coupla immortal lines from the film Zulu during a battle scene!
Quite a contrast throughout the book, sometimes the historical detail is there & the context is sound at others its a boys own adventure whilst in patches it’s puerile crassness. Bit of a mash-up I’m trying to say but for the most part it did hold my attention & i would give it 3.25 stars for an enjoyable enough romp, although not the historical content I had expected or was looking for, rounded down to a 3.
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