03-05-2001, 12:21 PM
Salve,<br>
<br>
Reading fiction with a historical setting is a favourite pastime, but as with movies I am always much distracted by details and their level of accuracy. The Rosemary Sutcliff novels were my childhood favourites and probably stimulated my interest in the Roman army as much as Connolly's <i> Het Romeinse leger</i>. Of the fiction with a Roman setting I think highly of <i> I, Claudius</i>. The sequel <i> Claudius the God</i> is in my view less, since Graves' Livia simply cannot be bested by another villaines like Messalina. His <i> Count Belisarius</i> did not achieve the same standard as the Claudius novels, but was a good read nevertheless. McCullough's <i> Grass crown</i> and <i> First man in Rome</i> I liked better than the following parts. Her caesar is not to my liking either. In that respect I like the portrayal of him as a monster by Massie better. The Leckie novels on Hannibal and Scipio Africanus contained many inaccurcies on military matters. Of the Roman detectives I like the Gordianus series by Saylor best. The Falco series by Lindsey Davies are also very enjoyable, certainly the most humurous, but they contain some inaccuracies (eg fully armed praetorians in Rome) and some I think deliberate anachronisms. the Maddox SPQR series are also good. I haven't yet read any of the Wishart books.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
<br>
Reading fiction with a historical setting is a favourite pastime, but as with movies I am always much distracted by details and their level of accuracy. The Rosemary Sutcliff novels were my childhood favourites and probably stimulated my interest in the Roman army as much as Connolly's <i> Het Romeinse leger</i>. Of the fiction with a Roman setting I think highly of <i> I, Claudius</i>. The sequel <i> Claudius the God</i> is in my view less, since Graves' Livia simply cannot be bested by another villaines like Messalina. His <i> Count Belisarius</i> did not achieve the same standard as the Claudius novels, but was a good read nevertheless. McCullough's <i> Grass crown</i> and <i> First man in Rome</i> I liked better than the following parts. Her caesar is not to my liking either. In that respect I like the portrayal of him as a monster by Massie better. The Leckie novels on Hannibal and Scipio Africanus contained many inaccurcies on military matters. Of the Roman detectives I like the Gordianus series by Saylor best. The Falco series by Lindsey Davies are also very enjoyable, certainly the most humurous, but they contain some inaccuracies (eg fully armed praetorians in Rome) and some I think deliberate anachronisms. the Maddox SPQR series are also good. I haven't yet read any of the Wishart books.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
