Published in: 2010
Pages: 384
Edition read: Paperback
Book #: Book 1 in the Gaius Valerius Verrens series
Book description:
The Roman grip on Britain is weakening. Emperor Nero has turned his face away from this far-flung outpost. The Druids are on the rise, spreading seeds of rebellion among the British tribes. Roman cruelty and exploitation has angered their British subjects. The warrior queen Boudicca will lead the tribes to war.
Standing against the rising tide of Boudicca’s rebellion is Roman Tribune, Gaius Valerius Verrens, Commander of the veteran legions at Colonia. Valerius leads the veterans in a last stand against the unstoppable horde of Boudicca’s rebel army. Step by step, the bloodied survivors are forced back into the Temple of Claudius. It is here that Valerius wins lifelong fame and the accolade Hero of Rome.
My review:
Reading that description, it sounds like Boudicca is the whole story here, but it isn’t. She doesn’t turn up til like 150 pages in. No, this book’s story is about Gaius, a young tribune who is in a foreign country, trying to do the soldier thing and do it well enough while he can before he gets called back to Rome to become a boring old lawyer or politician or something. He falls in love with a native girl, he fights in many battles, then Boudicca comes along and things get super interesting and a lot of people die, but Gaius just keeps on seeming to survive cause he’s kinda awesome (but super wounded by the end, poor dude).
It’s a slow-moving book with fast moving scenes, but the slow moving parts are really interesting because it’s all about these roman guys in Britain, and reading about their lives, which are so very different to ours, it’s really interesting.
I really wish that Boudicca was in the book more though, I wish we learnt more about her and what she was thinking and doing because she is a fascinating person from history, this strong woman who leads an army against the mighty romans to try and take back the country she loves. I guess I need to try and find a different book if I want to learn about her.
Final review:
Hero of Rome rating: 7/10
Would I re-read it? I think I would actually, it was interesting
Who would I recommend it to? Fans of roman and/or early British history would find this interesting; action fans might enjoy this; history buffs could potentially enjoy this book. It is bloody and gruesome though, so be forewarned.
Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8366236-hero-of-rome
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0552161330
Author’s website: http://www.douglas-jackson.net/books/hero-of-rome.html
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