2019-05-26
This isn’t a bad book. In fact, much of it is quite superb, rich with detail and even the characters come alive in the period. It convincingly portrays something of life on the Roman frontier in Britain.
Where it falls down are a couple of reasons. The first is easily overlooked, as many male writers do this, namely by having women throw themselves at the feet of the male hero for no apparent reason.
The second was more disappointing, in that this book follows something of the thriller format, but the reveal is so convoluted that I had to read it twice. Without going into spoilers, it involves Ferox figuring everything out through by lack of evidence. You read that right.
Which is a shame because this is a promising book, let down by trying to be so twisty it stopped making sense. Even still, I’ll still buy the sequel to see how things develop, because plotting aside Goldsworthy has otherwise done an accomplished job here.
Rating: 3/5