Book review: Savage City by Sophia McDougall

SAVAGE CITY

Sophia McDougall, Gollancz, 2011, £12.99, pb, 424pp, 9780575094888

In this alternative history, Rome has never fallen, and is still a major player on the world stage in the 21st century. But there is trouble both internally and externally.  The Nionian Empire (=Japan) is slowly advancing, and may be about to win the arms race.  In Rome, the Colosseum has just been bombed by a terrorist, killing the current emperor outright, and gravely wounding his heir.  The future of the Roman Empire ultimately rests with a brother and sister from Britannia, but can they and their supporters survive in a hostile Empire?

This is the third volume in the Romanitas triology, and I haven't read the other two volumes. For the most part, this was not a barrier to enjoying the story.  This is a well imagined, bedded in, alternative world, and felt very plausible throughout.  There are changes in the technology, but it was easy to work out what they approximate to in our world. In addition, there are maps showing the Romanitas world, plus very useful chronologies detailing the alternative time line. 

The book is epic in scale, with the interior life of the many characters very well realised. It is a triumphant conclusion to the series. McDougall is one to watch. 

(This review appeared in Historical Novels Review, November 2011, pages 56-57)

Book Review: Empire: Fortress of the Spears by Anthony Riches

EMPIRE: FORTRESS OF SPEARS

Anthony Riches, Hodder & Stoughton, 2011, £12.99, hb, 340pp, 9780340920367

Young Marcus Aquila (calling himself Centurion Corvus) has hidden himself in the Roman Army, and is serving in one of Rome’s most far-flung outposts: the northern frontier in Britannia. But the emperor’s assassins are closing in, wanting to kill Marcus.  Meanwhile, he’s fighting a hard and nasty campaign against the Caledonian tribes. Will Marcus survive the dirty war, and will the assassins catch up with him?

This is the third outing for Riches’ Empire series set in the late 2^nd century. The author chooses, for the most part, to use translations of the Roman names of places, so that those of us who have learnt the Latin names are left wondering which fort is being referred to. There is a map in the front of the book, fortunately, but it doesn’t include the Roman name of, for example, White Strength, so we need to be certain of our geography. 

Riches subscribes to the Scarrow School of Roman Swearing, so readers of a delicate disposition be warned. The harsh realities of war are to the fore, and this novel is firmly in the historical adventure genre. Madcap heroic deeds, violence, intrigue and mayhem all make this a perfect book for fans of tales of the Roman Army.

(This review first appear in the Historical Novels Review, August 2011)