Hadrian's Wall: A Novel
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Product Description
Product Description
A fusion of Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire" and the movie "Braveheart", this is a novel of ancient warfare, lethal politics, and the final great clash of Roman and Celtic culture.
About the Author
William Dietrich is a novelist, Pulitzer-winning journalist, historian and naturalist.
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First Sentence
The northern wind blew across the ridge with a howl like an army of barbarians. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The northern wind blew across the ridge with a howl like an army of barbarians. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Set in AD 368, this is the tale of the investigation of Drago (a Roman inspector) into the mysterious disappearance of a young, beautiful Roman bride called Valeria who arrived in Britain to marry Tribune Marcus Flavius. Interrogating her slaves and various others who knew her, Drago hopes to be able to piece together what actually happened, and whilst at first this might seem an intriguing story, it falls flat for a number of reasons.
Firstly, there are hardly any likable characters in the book. The heroine Valeria is a spoilt, thoughtless, self-centered creature whose disappearance causes seemingly little discomfort to her priggish, dull husband. Her lover Arden Caratacus is one-dimensional, the villian Galba is boorish and implausible and the plot line lacks creditablity. For example, Valeria runs off in the night to warn her youthful admirer Clodius that he is being set up by Galba. Why not just send a message by a trusted slave ? How come she and her maid can speak fluent Celtic in a matter of days ? Would a well brought-up Roman lady adapt and prefer the rough tribal way of life so soon ?
The author also has Asa, (Valeria's Celtic love rival) compare someone to a lizard ! Lizards in Scotland ! The slave Odo is introduced and quickly disguarded as though the writer changed his mind half way through. Little feeling for the Roman military life is conveyed and the ending is lack-lustre.
On the plus side, the feeling of disintergration of the old Roman way of life is conveyed well, and the physical discriptions of the land round the Wall are good. In addition, the scenes with Drago and his prisoners have an vividness and a better quality of writing than the rest of the novel. However, Simon Scarrow, Linsay Davis and the other Roman mysery authors can rest assured that their readers won't be deserting them in the near future for this effort.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If the subtitle reflects the authors research abilities, then I would have misgivings about the actual content. The word "England" had not even been thought of, let alone applied, during the Roman occupation. What is wrong with subtitling the book "A Novel of Roman Britain".
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
23 reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
A romance novel disguised as historical fiction
17 Oct 2005
Format:Hardcover
I absolutely have to agree with the sentiments of the spotlight reviewer: this is a romance novel masquerading as a novel about the legions in Britain. I hate writing bad reviews, but I feel that there are a lot of readers like myself who will pick this book up hoping for one thing and finding something completely different and not to their tastes. I was so looking forward to reading this book too! Finding it in the bookstore last spring was a delightful surprise since good novels about Rome and her legions are rather sparse on the ground. The book itself turned out to be a disappointing let down for me since it is actually a romance novel set in Britain during the time of the Roman occupation. If you like novels about 17 year old girls acting childishly and selfishly, with rather immature ideas about love and romance, who luckily happen to find their dream mate in a handsome, highland king who panders to their sense of how the world should work, well, then this is probably a great book. If you are seeking historical detail, gritty realism, character development, accuracy, believable and intelligent plotting, you'll probably be a whole lot happier with Colleen McCullough's Rome series. I read half of this novel before casting it aside. This one is misrepresented on the dust cover, so beware.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
If you like romance novels, this one is pretty good
24 Jun 2004
Format:Hardcover
I was fooled by the cover and endorsements on the jacket. I was expecting Roman Legions battling it out with barbarians. There is one great battle at the end, but this is really a romance novel set in 375 AD Britain. Tribune Galba Brassidius expects to be the new commander of the Petriana cavalry at the Hadrian Wall fort Petrianais, but he is supplanted by an inexperienced Praefectus, Marcus Flavius, from Rome. Marcus has obtained the post through a financial arrangement with a Roman senator. In exchange for money, Marcus gets the new posting and the hand of the senator's daughter, Valeria. This arrangement gives him the prestige of a senatorial connection, and a field command to further his career. An irate Galba has his own agenda. He has been dealing on both sides of Hadrian's Wall, and he enlists the aide of a Celtic Chieftain, Arden Caratacus, to kidnap Valeria. Galba hopes to incite war between the Celts and Romans and get Marius killed, take his wife, and in the process, become a hero. A naive Valeria loathes Galba's crude advances, is puzzled by her husband's indifference, ignores the worship of young tribune Clodius, and struggles with her growing feelings for the young Celt, Arden. Valeria also ignores the advice of her wise slave Savia. Much of the story is related in the aftermath by Roman investigator Draco, who is trying to piece together the cause of the catastrophe.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Hadrian's Fence
13 Feb 2007
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I wish I could have enjoyed this book more. Dietrich treats the era well, and the idea of the Wall is relevant to our times, reminding one of the Berlin Wall and of the current American debate over the Fence on the Mexican Border.
As a Texan, and as a fan of Historical Fiction, I expected more about a collision of peoples and ideas and less of a romance novel.
Nevertheless, all characters were treated fairly and the plot was well developed. I will read more of Dietrich's work, but I do hope he gives up as a romance writer.
As a Texan, and as a fan of Historical Fiction, I expected more about a collision of peoples and ideas and less of a romance novel.
Nevertheless, all characters were treated fairly and the plot was well developed. I will read more of Dietrich's work, but I do hope he gives up as a romance writer.
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