Product Description

The story opens on the day that the Western Roman Empire collapses finally in 470AD, with the city itself over-run. In the preceeding months a small group of British Roman soldiers, led by a true hero, have journeyed to the city and have arrived just before the final climax. The task they have set themselves is to save the spirit of the empire by rescuing the young son of the last Emperor, Romulus Augustus. Having found him and taken him away they decide to journey across northern Europe as there are strong rumours that an entire Legion of the Roman Army has remained loyal to Rome and has become an independent unit. They hope by finding the Legion and establishing the boy as the legitmate Emperor a stand can be taken and the Empire revived. However, their search is fruitless and eventually the leader and the child return to the Britain of the Dark Ages, where they re-emerge in legend as Merlin and Arthur Pendragon

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23168 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

About the Author
Valerio Massimo Manfredi is Professor of Classical Archaeology at Luigi Bocconi University in Milan. He has published nine works of fiction, including the Alexander trilogy which has been translated into 24 languages in 38 countries, and the film rights for which have been acquired by Universal Pictures/Dreamworks. He has written and hosted documentaries on the ancient world, and has written screenplys for cinema and television. He lives with his family in the countryside near Bologna, Italy.

Customer Reviews

Historic accuracy - who cares? A good yarn
Yes, if you are looking for a historically accurate acount of the fall of Rome and it's last emperor then this isn't it. But Manfredi accepts that in his notes at the back of the book. As other reviewers have stated this book can almost be split into halfs. The first half of the book is concerned with the plight of Romulus and how he is going to be rescued then the second half follows the flight of the heros (and heroin to be politically correct). Some saw this half the book as a bad movie script with an easily discernable plot. Although you can guess that they will reach their destination it is thrilling to find out how they overcome the various obstacles. The presentation of Aurelius as a hero with dark secret in his past is refreshing as he isn't a perfect hero. The ending also comes under scrutiny as it links in with Arthurian legend. What you must remember when reading this ending is that it is fiction and it is a beautiful lead into the legendary kings tale. After all Geoffrey Monmouth's version in 14th century of Arthur as a Knight in shining armour is far less accurate then this ending is. It is a very easy read although i suppose you do have to let the words wash over you a bit as the translation can make the speech seem very American movie-esque. There is bad language so any parents might want to note this before reading/buying for their children. It's not my favourite Manfredi (that's Spartan) but a good read regardless

Interesting premise; squandered story-telling
I looked forward to reading this as it is a sadly neglected period of history (and historical fiction). The 1st third of the book was fine but thereafter I forced myself to finish the book. The latter third of the book I found very irritating.

I found the translation poor tending to use Italian forms of English renditions of classical names (if that makes sense). The grasp of the history was sadly superficial and I came across numerous inaccuracies presumably kept to keep the story flowing or to humour the ignorance of the reader (and the author).

It started off OK but I felt the book was a disappointment; the various events of the time have been squandered in a rather vain attempt to link the collapse of the Western Roman Empire with the rise of Arthurian Britain. Oh well, overambitious. I have been put off from reading his Alexander books (I think these have probably been better written by other authors).

Frivolous fun
Overall this was a fine read, which sustained one's interest through 400+ pages. It is, however, laden with numerous typical modern fiction resonances such as the overused themes of freedom and revenge, and the tough warrior woman (Livia; compare Xena) and the friendly black (one-time) gladiator (Batiatus; compare Draba in "Spartacus" and Juba in "Gladiator"). Although it is perhaps more than unfair in general to point out historical mistakes in a work of fiction, especially one that has fantasy elements in it, the author's credentials as a historian and archaeologists are emphasized and he himself makes a note at the end of the novel of his use of various historical sources; therefore I will make a few points about inacuracies and anachronisms. The Emperor Romulus was not taken to Capri but to the villa of Lucullus near Naples (where he may have remained for decades, along with his mother). Arthur (and not his father) was said (in one late source only) to have fought at Mount Badon (which would have occurred around A.D. 500 and not shortly after A.D. 476), defeating Anglo-Saxons (and not Wortigern). Stirrups (p. 65) are first known from China around the third century but did not reach the West until about the eighth century. Pumpkins (pp. 107 and 115-116) are a new world product, though some sort of squash may here be meant (as in the standard translations of Seneca's 'Pumpkinification of Claudius'). And it is difficult to believe that the admiralty in Misenus signaled hours with bells (pp. 115 and 117), something unknown until centuries later (note that this is a standard anachronism in Shakespeare's Roman plays, as in, for instance, 'Antony and Cleopatra' 3.13). Much of these points are no doubt little more than tiresome nitpicking but I would have been more satisfied if the author had been able to meld what is found of Romulus in the sources with what is found of Arthur in the sources in a more convincing manner.