10-06-2002, 06:11 PM
I have read two of Allan Massey's Roman novels - "Caesar" and "Antony" - and found them both to be absolutely suberb. The first is narrated by Decimus Brutus and gives a real sense of the brooding of the conspirators in the build-up to Caesar's assassination. It also portrays Brutus as a loyal friend of Caesar who slowly becomes more and more unsettled by his friend's rise to glory. Slowly he becomes increasingly jealous and self-justifying and tries to explain his actions as those of a man of principle.<br>
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Antony, on the other hand, is part narrated by Mark Antony himself, but Brutus is recalled as weak and treacherous. Antony, conversely, is brash, headstrong and a real soldier's soldier, but he is ultimately unable to cope with the rapidly changing Roman world that is becoming increasingly dominated by the aloof upstart Octavian.<br>
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Both very well researched and both put real emotional flesh on the historical bones of famous and familiar Roman figures. The author also kindly includes a short who's who at the beginning of each novel which helps understand some of the dynamics between the characters. If you can track these books down, they're well worth the effort. <p></p><i></i>
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Antony, on the other hand, is part narrated by Mark Antony himself, but Brutus is recalled as weak and treacherous. Antony, conversely, is brash, headstrong and a real soldier's soldier, but he is ultimately unable to cope with the rapidly changing Roman world that is becoming increasingly dominated by the aloof upstart Octavian.<br>
<br>
Both very well researched and both put real emotional flesh on the historical bones of famous and familiar Roman figures. The author also kindly includes a short who's who at the beginning of each novel which helps understand some of the dynamics between the characters. If you can track these books down, they're well worth the effort. <p></p><i></i>
