- Paperback: 326 pages
- Publisher: iUniverse (1 Aug 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0595280447
- ISBN-13: 978-0595280445
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.4 x 2.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,587,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Romans described the emperor Trajan as the 'perfect prince'. What made him so remarkable? This novel is a narrative historical account of the lives of the emperor and his consort. It describes the extraordinary events that brought the couple to power and the timeless achievements of that power. The book traces Trajan's early life as a soldier, through his marriage, service to Domitian and rise to influence, and looks at Plotina's early life in Provençe, her philosophical interests, and the events that allowed her to become a partner in greatness. It includes a unique recreation of Trajan's lost 'Dacian Commentaries' which cover the Balkan wars that Rome fought to bring Romania inside the Empire. And it traces the military expeditions that helped fulfill Trajan's expansionist dreams, reaching across Iraq, Iran, Arabia, and up into Southern Russia. All this is presented inside a dynamic narrative account that engages the reader.
About the Author
David Corson published 25 books, including his first narrative non-fiction work, Domitia and Domitian. He lived in Toronto, Canada until his death in 2001.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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Overall this book is a considerable disappointment. While the historical aspects, insofar as I am able to judge, seem to have been meticulously researched, the author proves completely unable to bring the character of a great Roman emperor to life. Trajan is wooden and lifeless, moving like a badly carved marionette across the stage of great events. It is impossible to gain any idea of what his internal life may have been. Plotina is somewhat more successfully recreated, and the reader is able to obtain a sense of what it may have been like to be a normal young woman with normal desires who has to come to terms with marriage to a man who will never be more than her friend. On the whole, I would not recommend this book. The author would have done better to write a straightforward history.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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2 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
History comes alive!
4 Nov 2003
I was excited to find this second book by David Corson as I had been wowed by his first novel, Domitia and Domitian. Corson has a way of allowing the reader to experience the everyday lives of his historical characters while keeping true to real historical events. In the opening chapters the reader gets a glimpse of the character-building childhood experiences of Trajan and Plotina. These experiences lay the foundations for the ensuing events that are overshadowed throughout by emotional turmoil amid political and social intrigue. The story is well written and the descriptive phrasing sets a visual stage with the lives of Trajan and Plotina unfolding as the events play out. It is evident that the novel has been meticulously researched with some wonderfully creative interpretation of historical events such as the Dacian Wars. I recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in history, in war and peace, in love, in politics, in exploring human nature or in simply a "good read".
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
The Perfect Prince and His Wife
11 Feb 2008
Amazon Verified Purchase
Until recently, I had no idea that David Corson had written his Trajan and Plotina. Having enjoyed his account Domitian and Domitia greatly I looked forward with a lot of anticipation to this book. Perhaps this novel does not quite measure up to his earlier book but Mr. Corson has given us a readable and highly enjoyable account of the lives of his subjects. Trajan and Plotina may seem a somewhat unlikely choice for a novel and in a way they remain the perfect prince and his perfect wife. The relationship between this married couple is one of intimate friendship, and I imagine that the real Plotina probably was a highly educated woman and that she was an intellectual support for her husband. So the relationship portrayed here is probably very close to the mark.
The novel is written in short episodes gathered into chapters recounting a period of years. There is a bit of skipping toward the beginning. We travel from 71 CE to 75 and jump through most of Domitian's reign with chapters covering 86-90 and 95-97. We miss a description of Trajan's consulship in 91 and his contacts with the emperor when one of his amici. It is almost as if the book was left unfinished due to the death of Mr. Corson but I understand that he had finished the book. Modern names are used for several familiar cities, for example Budapest, Genoa and Beirut, and Mr. Corson identifies the future emperor Antoninus as Pius in his book even though he acquired that name only as emperor. However, I don't know of a good way to tell the reader that, yes, this child is a future emperor, and this is a novel after all. .The writing is quite good and I especially liked the exciting description of a gladiatorial fight between two veteran fighters. The book gives dignity to the people being described without making them unapproachable or silly. While this is a novel that I would not consider light reading for someone interested in ancient history it is a perfect addition to their library.
The novel is written in short episodes gathered into chapters recounting a period of years. There is a bit of skipping toward the beginning. We travel from 71 CE to 75 and jump through most of Domitian's reign with chapters covering 86-90 and 95-97. We miss a description of Trajan's consulship in 91 and his contacts with the emperor when one of his amici. It is almost as if the book was left unfinished due to the death of Mr. Corson but I understand that he had finished the book. Modern names are used for several familiar cities, for example Budapest, Genoa and Beirut, and Mr. Corson identifies the future emperor Antoninus as Pius in his book even though he acquired that name only as emperor. However, I don't know of a good way to tell the reader that, yes, this child is a future emperor, and this is a novel after all. .The writing is quite good and I especially liked the exciting description of a gladiatorial fight between two veteran fighters. The book gives dignity to the people being described without making them unapproachable or silly. While this is a novel that I would not consider light reading for someone interested in ancient history it is a perfect addition to their library.
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