- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Little, Brown & Company; 1st printing edition (6 Feb 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0316861588
- ISBN-13: 978-0316861588
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,470,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The Druid King is another addition to this thriving post-Gladiator historical-action novel sub-genre. It is 60 BC and Julius Caesar has much of the world in his grasp as his armies march relentlessly onwards. Key to his strategy is the defeat of Gaul, but Caesar had not expected the resistance he faces from one man known as Vercingetorix, a great warrior who lived in exile after the death of his father and studied magic with the Druids of the forest. After becoming the sovereign he attempts to rouse the people of Gaul into an army to fight Caesar as the Emperor's army approaches. A Roman victory could secure Caesar the power he craves, but can Vercingetorix lead the people into battle or is it a fight they have no hope of winning?
Blending, history, myth and a dab of fantasy, The Druid King is a pacy, fun and engaging read that demands little in the way of prior historical knowledge but delivers plenty in terms of good story telling, human characters and plenty of action. --Jon Snow
Product Description
By 60 BC the Romans had conquered much of the known world, for few dared to oppose the relentless expansion of the Republic, and those who did . failed. And now Julius Caesar has turned his attention to the invasion of Gaul. Victory there will give him the power he craves - but one man stands against him: Vercingetorix. Vercingetorix knows that the people of Gaul must fight, or else face the destruction of their culture and enslavement to another. Yet few at first believe that Vercingetorix can unite the divided tribes of Gaul, fewer still that he can lead them on to victory. But as the legions battle for survival Caesar soon realises that this time Rome may be fighting a war it cannot win .
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very badly written and inaccurate novel. It has rotten characterisation and worse than that it is so inaccurate about the period, the characters and the druids that it is pitiful. Read Morgan llewelyns "Druids" if the story interests you. And give this book a massive miss
Format:Paperback
As a fan of classical historical fiction, I picked up this book with some knowledge of the events portrayed (thank you Scarrow, Igguldonn, Goldsworthy et al) and was originally intrigued as I had never read an account of the Gallic War from the Gauls side. However, just a few pages in and the mass of inaccurate historical references was very painful! For those looking for an intresting historical read with action and believable/accurate events, don't read this! It was such an opurtinity to tell a story that has rarely been told and such a let down! Finishing the book was a real struggle and all it needed was a mock 'Gladiator' walking through a field of corn ending to get no stars from me.
Format:Hardcover
If you trust the cover text, Spinrad tells the story of the events of Caesar' years in Gaul, mostly from the perspective of the young Avernian leader Vercingetorix.
His two main characters are mostly okay, if you don't look too closely.
Caesar advocated against capital punishment in the case of the Catilinarians and was never accused of murder, not even by his bitterest opponents. Together with Pompey and Crassus he formed a triumvirate, they did not share a consulship. His office of Pontifex maximus was for life. His perfect memory, attested by his ability to call out the centurions' names in the midst of a battle would not let him forget Marah. If he hadn't adopted Caesarion, he would have done even less for a foreigner.
Vercingetorix is not the innocent boy portrayed here, or a French version of Siegfried, even with the inclusion of a Brunnhilda - character (Rhia). For the slightest offence he cut off ears and pierced eyes of his soldiers. He made the war much bloodier and did not change the outcome: thousands died in vain for him. It is his responsibility to feed the Mandubians at Alesia, not Caesar's. (C., by the way, didn't either - barely enough food for HIS men.) However, it is quite possible that he was taken with Caesar's charisma, at first.
Spinrad is best when it comes to mystical scenes, the visions of Vercingetorix, written in the present tense, are the most readable part of the novel. I don't know enough about druidism to know if that was common practice.
However, as far as the battle scenes are concerned, they are PURE FANTASY. Spinrad really should know his stuff better, the Gallic Wars are easily available.
To name some of the grossest mistakes:
The Teutons were eliminated by Marius in 102 BC already. Caesar fought 120,000 Suebii in a tough battle, which was saved by P. Crassus' intervention. It was far from the easy skirmish Spinrad portrays.
Therefore his German cavalry are most probably Ubians who stayed faithfully with him all through 52 and the following years.
Avaricum had joined the Gallic cause long before Caesar's arrival. He took the town after a 25 day siege. Greek fire was never employed: Caesar wanted to get the food. Vercingetorix was close by almost the entire time but never showed the courage to fight Caesar directly.
And Gergovia and Alesia...
Well, read the commentaries on the Gallic War yourself!
His two main characters are mostly okay, if you don't look too closely.
Caesar advocated against capital punishment in the case of the Catilinarians and was never accused of murder, not even by his bitterest opponents. Together with Pompey and Crassus he formed a triumvirate, they did not share a consulship. His office of Pontifex maximus was for life. His perfect memory, attested by his ability to call out the centurions' names in the midst of a battle would not let him forget Marah. If he hadn't adopted Caesarion, he would have done even less for a foreigner.
Vercingetorix is not the innocent boy portrayed here, or a French version of Siegfried, even with the inclusion of a Brunnhilda - character (Rhia). For the slightest offence he cut off ears and pierced eyes of his soldiers. He made the war much bloodier and did not change the outcome: thousands died in vain for him. It is his responsibility to feed the Mandubians at Alesia, not Caesar's. (C., by the way, didn't either - barely enough food for HIS men.) However, it is quite possible that he was taken with Caesar's charisma, at first.
Spinrad is best when it comes to mystical scenes, the visions of Vercingetorix, written in the present tense, are the most readable part of the novel. I don't know enough about druidism to know if that was common practice.
However, as far as the battle scenes are concerned, they are PURE FANTASY. Spinrad really should know his stuff better, the Gallic Wars are easily available.
To name some of the grossest mistakes:
The Teutons were eliminated by Marius in 102 BC already. Caesar fought 120,000 Suebii in a tough battle, which was saved by P. Crassus' intervention. It was far from the easy skirmish Spinrad portrays.
Therefore his German cavalry are most probably Ubians who stayed faithfully with him all through 52 and the following years.
Avaricum had joined the Gallic cause long before Caesar's arrival. He took the town after a 25 day siege. Greek fire was never employed: Caesar wanted to get the food. Vercingetorix was close by almost the entire time but never showed the courage to fight Caesar directly.
And Gergovia and Alesia...
Well, read the commentaries on the Gallic War yourself!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Slow start, brutal finish
I was impressed when I found out that this author predominately writes science fiction rather than historical books. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Lee Hanley
A Sweeping Historical Novel
By 60 BC the might of the Roman legions had conquered most of the known world and to be fair had improved the lot of most of the defeated nations. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2005 by J. Chippindale
An historical epic.
Like the fictional Hagar the Horrible and the real, post 911e-mailer/apologiser Jo - now would be a good day to bury some bad news -Moore, Norman Spinrad sucks on a lemon and... Read more
Published on 21 April 2004 by S Smyth
I wanted to like this book
I have fond memories of reading Spinrad in the seventies when he specialised in SF, and am keenly interested in Celtic culture. Read more
Published on 12 July 2003
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