In a nutshell, this series will probably appeal to readers who are looking for light entertainment rather than any serious Ancient Roman-based fiction.
I read the first book in the Forgotten Legion trilogy by Ben Kane. I probably wouldn’t have bothered with the second book, except I bought all three on special offer from a local bookshop, and they keep me occupied while I’m in the sauna in prep for a total hip replacement.
So, what are the problems?
Apart from one-dimensional characters and a highly suspect premise, the author spent far too many words on detail of no genuine interest to a reader. For instance, when Fabiola arrives at Alesia, she studies the construction of Caesar’s defences with an engineer’s eye for detail, a definite info dump to display the author’s knowledge, of which the book has many more. And yet, his research can also be blasé. Take, for instance, his use of Irish Celtic names (Conall, to name but one) for Gaulish tribesmen or cutting off an enemy’s head with a single stroke of a gladius—a short stabbing sword. He also has Tarquinius, Brennus, and Romulus waltzing through a battle as if they’re invisible. Followed by two of them crossing thousands of miles of barren land without supplies or issues. A band of cutthroat pirates then accosts them, which ends on a cliffhanger. When we return, it’s two years later and they have joined the pirates with no explanation of how or why.
In the first book, the author introduces augury and foretelling, and then spends far too much of his time having his characters practice it with phenomenal accuracy—bringing the book into the fantasy genre. In the first book, it was only Tarquinius (at least in terms of main characters). In the second book, they’re all at it and we even get the occasional druid thrown in to really dump it on with a trowel. The reality was that soothsaying was a scam used by Roman patricians to justify their actions, much like the divine right of kings from slightly more modern times.
Taking aside the aforementioned quirks, the biggest issue with the Forgotten Legion series is a lack of historical accuracy. There are little ones, such as Brutus presenting a prostitute to Caesar while away on campaign, which is not only historically inaccurate but beyond ludicrous. However, there are also large ones that impact the story greatly. Tarquinius joining a legion in the streets of Rome at a time when only landed Romans were eligible; Pompey marching the III legion to Rome when it was banned—in fact, Caesar crossing the Rubicon with his legions presaged the start of the civil war; Pompey and Caesar openly enemies at a time when they were still trying to appease each other because of a need for plebeian support. The list continues.
The author claims in his bio to have a fascination with Roman history. He even claims he “…walked Hadrian’s Wall in full Roman military dress, including hobnailed boots.” That statement sums it up for me: Roman legionaries didn’t wear hobnailed boots, but caligae, which were sandals.
Recommendation
If you are a historian—especially of ancient classical themes—I don’t think you would get beyond the author’s lack of critical research.
For the rest of you, if you are just looking for light entertainment or fantasy, then it might be the book for you. If, however, you are looking for solid historical fiction, I would stick to authors like Steven Saylor and Bernard Cornwell.
3/5
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