Legion

Rating:
Summary: Superb Recreation of the Roman Army
Review: As a military historian and museum curator I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone interested in the military of the Ancient World. It is a delight both as a wonderful story and in its description of Roman military life, what it might actually have been like to be there. This book does a better job than any other I have read in portraying the true spirit of the professional Roman soldier of the early Empire. I'm also struck by the image of Cenurion Rufio as the defender of his culture very much in the way our military today is defending us from other forms of barbarism. A friend of mine so liked this book he sent a copy to his son who is a cadet at West Point.
I can hardly wait for another installment on the life of Centurion Rufio.

Rating:
Summary: Legion
Review: Here Altimari, captures a Rome that at its core pivots on the virtues of a few. That he captures this in a profound way shows his understanding of both the military and the culture of those times. He introduces several key charachters who in Rufio one witnesses an experience and a face of life with all its barbs, turmoils and victories, which could easily be caste in another time to depict similar qualities. The work is sound and the style is such that once picked up it is not easily put down as the pace of the writing moves one quickly through a great read. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The Pleasure Is All Mine
Review: I am easily bored and easily entertained. This book was very enjoyable to read and it was one of those that made me sorry to see the book end. Why the book was good, I can't tell you, but it was worth the read. If you enjoy historical novels, this will please you. Now I need to go and find out more about the Suebi people......

Rating:
Summary: Just Right!
Review: I've been interested in Ancient Rome ever since seeing "Gladiator." I happened upon Altimari's "Legion" and loved it. Through the eyes of a Greek slave, the reader experiences the daily lives and battle strategies of Roman soldiers. "Legion" is the perfect book--a balance between learning facts and details about a subject and getting lost in an exciting story. Oh, and woman-to-woman, be prepared to fall in love with "Legion's" Rufio the Centurion.

Rating:
Summary: Hail Rufio!
Review: LEGION by William Altimari is the best work of fiction I have read in a very long time. I found myself staying up far too late at night as the end of each exciting chapter drew me into the next few pages. Oh just a peek won't hurt; just had to know what was going to happen next! LEGION is a fresh take on the armies of Rome, not set in Rome, but in a far-flung outpost. Altimari has skillfully recreated the day to day existence of a Legion, and woven into the fabric of historical details a compelling tale. From the first day that the main character, a Centurion named Quintus Flavius Rufio, arrives at the Roman fort in Gaul, life for men of the 25th Legion changes. Set in the First Century B.C., on the eve of a massive invasion of German Barbarians, Rufio takes command of a century of raw recruits, whom he must not only train to fight, but to stand their ground, and push back the onslaught. LEGION is a thrilling tale, made hugely enjoyable by Altimari's tight writing, with well developed, strong male and female characters, [and I ain't talking muscles]. The narrative is inviting, tense, pithy, witty, and often laugh out loud funny. The battle scenes left me firmly gripping my copy of LEGION. Altimari has created a ripping yarn that deserves to be made into an epic film. LEGION is the book I am recommending to all my friends. Hail Rufio! Hail Altimari!

Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction at its best
Review: Legion is one of those rare books that captures the reader's attention and keeps you reading long after you meant to stop for the night. The pace and the detail of the book are excellent as Altimari cleverly inserts details of life in a Roman Legion into the story; you learn what it meant to serve in the army of Rome while you read the book. The reader is also given enough information to see some of what is coming in future pages, but never knowing for sure how it will turn out or what twists might arise. Readers will also appreciate the depth to which many of the characters are developed, particularly Centurion Rufio. Much of the early part of the book is a journey of discovery into the personality of Rufio and at the end of the journey one feels like they actually know Rufio.
Careful readers will also enjoy how Altimari uses the setting on the frontier of the civilized world to build the tension in the story. In a style comparable to classic western novels, the main conflict in the story deals with survival on the frontier and the types of people and actions that are needed to settle a wild land. If you love characters such as Shane or Hondo, you will love Rufio. Finally, while the final battle scene is fictional, many of the actions are based on events from real battles in Roman history. This makes the battle come alive and gives the reader a sense of being in the thick of real combat; just as a reader smells the smoke of battle in a Patrick O'Brian tale you feel the crash of the front lines in Legion.

Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction at its best
Review: Legion is one of those rare books that captures the reader's attention and keeps you reading long after you meant to stop for the night. The pace and the detail of the book are excellent as Altimari cleverly inserts details of life in a Roman Legion into the story; you learn what it meant to serve in the army of Rome while you read the book. The reader is also given enough information to see some of what is coming in future pages, but never knowing for sure how it will turn out or what twists might arise. Readers will also appreciate the depth to which many of the characters are developed, particularly Centurion Rufio. Much of the early part of the book is a journey of discovery into the personality of Rufio and at the end of the journey one feels like they actually know Rufio.
Careful readers will also enjoy how Altimari uses the setting on the frontier of the civilized world to build the tension in the story. In a style comparable to classic western novels, the main conflict in the story deals with survival on the frontier and the types of people and actions that are needed to settle a wild land. If you love characters such as Shane or Hondo, you will love Rufio. Finally, while the final battle scene is fictional, many of the actions are based on events from real battles in Roman history. This makes the battle come alive and gives the reader a sense of being in the thick of real combat; just as a reader smells the smoke of battle in a Patrick O'Brian tale you feel the crash of the front lines in Legion.

Rating:
Summary: A challenger to Pressfield
Review: Legion is subperb.

The author draws the reader into a bloody battle between Romans and Celts versus German invaders in a manner that, at some points, raises the hair on the back of the neck.

Some may find the love story a bit too "Hollywood" or predictable for their liking, but the protagonist is such an admirable character that you may find yourself smiling at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Romans on the Rhine
Review: The reason that there is a market for historical fiction is that it enables one to learn about history in the most painless way possible: being entertained by a good story. The best historical fiction is that which goes into a great amount of detail into the lives and customs of a people in a time and place, and also gives us believable and complex characters who remain true to their times. This novel is very successful in that it gives us a great amount of rich detail, but is somewhat less successful in its character development, which is not terribly nuanced.

The story primarily has to do with a Roman centurion, Rufio, who is sent to the German frontier at a time shortly before Christ in order to train his new recruits and organize his veterans to defend Gaul against massing German invaders. There is just a ton of stuff about the life of the Roman soldier in those days, and the detail is just outstanding. The fort in which they live, for example, is a masterpiece of military construction. It is surrounded by zigzagging trenches, designed in such a way that an attacking enemy would be exposed to withering fire. The walls around the fort are made of turf, impervious to fire and to rain. We learn that all Roman forts were constructed in this same way.

The inside of the fort is also fascinatingly reconstructed. The soldiers, of course, live in barracks--made of timber, plastered and white-washed--but they are spacious and clean. We are told what equipment and clothing is assigned to them, and what they wear in battle and at leisure. A great deal of care it seems went into their footwear, the famous Roman hobnailed sandals. It perhaps comes as no surprise that they ate well, but it is nevertheless an interesting detail, and one which one normally does not encounter in stories of war. The centurion's living quarters are much more spacious, designed to taste, with memorabilia, maps, and books; austere perhaps, but not necessarily Spartan. Interestingly, and again not surprisingly, much of their time is spent on paperwork and administrative tasks.

The author spends a great deal of time on their training as well. The primary weapon is the short sword, as one might have guessed, but the shield is used as an offensive weapon as well. At the first contact with the enemy, it is forcefully shoved forward in order to knock him off balance.

Along with this we get descriptions of the colorful Gauls and the barbaric Germans, their towns, the surrounding forests, the way they live and the way they fight. The Roman soldiers, of course, spend their leisure time in the Gallic town, drinking and chasing females, and one gets a pretty good idea that in many respects the military has not changed much over the centuries. Also excellent and often humorous is the dialogue between the soldiers, which is filled with the banter, light insults and sarcasm typical of the military, and unlike so much of the unrealistic, "Yes sir, no sir, of course sir," nonsense found in most novels of this type.

If there is a flaw, it is that the characters are drawn just a bit too broadly. The commander of the Romans is young, but oh-so-wise, experienced and terribly concerned with the welfare of his men. The primary female characters are all staggeringly beautiful, exotic and strong-willed. The Germans are devious and barbaric. Worst, perhaps, is Rufio, who is almost godlike in his wisdom and strength, and who is worshipped by Gaul and Roman alike.

The final battle is terrific, bloodily realistic and captivating, but you don't exactly have to be an expert in literature or history to figure out way ahead of time how it is going to turn out.

That's okay, though. These are pretty minor quibbles. The novel more than makes up for them with its outstanding detail, splendid research, and compelling narrative. It is a fine addition to the historical fiction genre.


Rating:
Summary: Uninspired and very predictable
Review: The similarities between this book and "Eagle in the Snow" are staggering. Both are about the trials and tribulations of training and preparing a Roman Legion for an impending battle with the barbarian hordes, both set the legion on the Germanic frontier, both have very similar plots, the tension building for that climatic all out fight for survival and both centre around a commanding officer, heroic and just. The only striking difference between the novels, is Breem's is set at the sunset of the Roman Empire whilst Altmari sets his book at its birth.

Well, there is one other difference, Wallace Breem writes a masterful work that delights, enthrals and leaves the reader thoroughly satisfied with their reading experience. "Eagle" is quite simply a masterpiece in the genre. Altimari's clone, is little more than that, a facsimile of the original. It is a text that follows a well trod path and offers nothing new to the reader at all. The plot is tired and predictable, the characters are less inspiring than a third rate soap opera and at times the novel feels unfinished and rushed.

The author likes to flaunt his knowledge of the history behind the story and will often bore you senseless with an unnecessary description of the obvious, in fact he is often rather patronising in his insistence to outline every historical aspect. What was a penny nasty quickly becomes a stodgy historical text for first graders.

Of course, my review is entirely subjective, what I found to be a very poor piece of literature, others may enjoy, clearly from the other reviews many people did enjoy "Legion". I would say though, that if you want a gripping book look first to the recently republished Breem novel, an infinitely superior book, or if a good series interests you search out the novels of Simon Scarrow. If you want to read up on the real history of the period, for a good introduction (and minus the condescending pretensions of Altimari) look for one of the books by Adrian Goldsworthy.

A good book is retained in my library, the mediocre passed on to charity shops, "Legion" was thrown on the fire.