Since this is apparently the day I choose to link to literary reviews, I thought I might link to one of my own: a historical fiction review written for the Nova Britannia weblist. However, it turns out that some technical issue prevented it from reaching that group, so here is the full text:
This work of historical fiction uses the writings of
historians such as Gildas and Stephen Johnson to imagine life in Britain just
after the recall of the Roman army. The novel alternates between two members of
the Romanized provincial elite from the city of Viroconium, each trying to cope
with the anarchy caused by Rome's departure, and perhaps become involved in the
formation of a new society.
Although the author takes time to show the the implications
of contemporary international events, the characters and the interactions
between them are given at least as much attention. Perhaps to emphasize the
contrast between the two protagonists, the storyline of Cadogan revolves around
his relationships to his father, the other citizens of Viroconium, and a
stranger who comes to live with him, while that of Dinas looks more into the
psychology of each of each of his allies and less into how they relate to
him.
The best points of this book, in my opinion, were the
evolution of the conflict between Cadogan and his father Vintrex, the
exploration of why each of companions of Dinas follows him, and the
scenes showing how ordinary lives were affected by the loss of imperial
government. A cameo appearance by the semi-historical King Vortigern is also a
nice touch. The main weakness was some clumsiness in introducing some of the
background material, particularly toward the beginning. Cadogan's dealings with
his unwelcome guest Quartilla seemed implausible to me, but some may think
differently.
This book would be a fair choice for non-experts interested
in Late Antiquity/the Early Medieval Period, or even fans of post-Apocalyptic
literature, of which this could almost be considered an example.
