Valerio Massimo Manfredi

Although I liked some aspects of this novel, all in all it was a huge disappointment.
The author is an archaeology professor and while I cannot actually judge it, it seems to me that the novel is well researched.
I didn't know a lot about the ending of the Western Roman Empire and in the beginning, I had trouble understanding the context of the novel and the situation the characters were in, so I needed to do some quick research on the historical background. That was very interesting and I show more definitely learned something about that period of time, but I do think that the novel should have provided that context for the reader. Similarly, there are so many Roman place names, so I had to google a lot to find out where exactly the characters were headed and where they were journeying. Again, a simple map or reference guide/list of place names would have been so helpful.

Having said that, the first third of the text is a historical novel with a lot of background that convincingly describes the atmosphere of Italy at the fall of the Empire. Many Romans looking back in grief to what once was, many afraid of what will be. Others coming to terms with the fact that the world has changed, creating alliances with the "Barbarians", trying to make the best of the situation. I enjoyed the descriptions of the buildings and landscapes, the Latin phrases employed to create a more authentic atmosphere. There is a lot of action, sometimes too much, but the first third is a page turner.

The plot is not a difficult one: The Western Roman Empire is holding on to the shreds of its existence and the Barbarians have kidnapped Romulus, the young emperor. A group of soldiers, led by a woman with her own motives, try to free him. Romulus is still in the company of his teacher, who wants to take the boy to Britannia in order to fulfill a prophecy. It's apparent from the beginning that the novel connects the Arthurian legends to the story of the last - or the lost - legion. While that idea is not even that far-fetched (as far as I know, there is research indicating that the Arthurian legend might spring from a Roman soldier who fought against the Saxons), it seemed quite forced in this novel. From what the blurb promised, I was looking forward to a historical novel and not one with fantasy elements that feel artificial and inauthentic within the atmosphere established previously.

Well, I have written so much and have not even scratched what is most important to me and what disturbed me the most: The characterization. While I liked the first third of the novel the most and wish that it would have ended after that, it is also the part of the story where the characterization is the most superficial. Most characters are like action figurines, fighting and fighting, but the reader doesn't learn anything about them. Later, more is shown and explained, but the characterization is always artificial and inauthentic. The characters jump from one motivation to the next, they change their behavior without apparent reason or explanation. They present long monologues that don't fit the situation, and a lot of characterization is narrated instead of shown.

Moreover, the author has serious problems in creating a balanced female character. While Livia, the Venetian amazon, seems to be a strong female character, more often than not she is rather a sexual fantasy and a cardboard character. The male gaze is obvious throughout whenever female characters are present, even in situations when this is not appropriate or emphatic at all. This made me uncomfortable even just as a reader and, thankfully, not a woman in the story. An example: Romulus' mother has to stand in front of Odoacer, the "Barbarian" commander, who wants to persuade her to marry him. The author describes her proud bearing, but also her fear and her exhaustion, her disarrayed clothes - and not to forget, her perfect breasts. It is so UNNECESSARY!!!
I wanted to stop reading then, but it was like the proverbial train wreck.

And it even gets "better". There is also a Black character, the giant Batiatus. Every time he appears, his dark skin and his strength and bodily features need to be mentioned - which is highly disturbing considering the "tradition" of likening Black people to animals and reducing them to their physicality. Let's not forget that Batiatus should do the first watch in the night because he is invisible in the dark, that he should warm the freezing child emperor because he still has "the warmth of Africa" within him and that, of course, he needs horse's armor because he is too big for human armor.
I can't even.

It is sad because the novel has its merits and as described above there were aspects I enjoyed. But the characterization is a no go for me - especially in a novel not even twenty years old - and I don't see myself reading more from this author. show less

Saga magjepsëse e Aleksandrit të Madh vazhdon me “Shkretëtirat e Amonit”, me afreskun e tij drithëruese të pasioneve kontradiktore dhe personazheve të paharrueshme. Azia, djepi i qytetërimeve legjendare, pronësi e padiskutueshme e mbretit të madh të persëve: askush nuk do kishte guxuar as të përfytyronte idenë e pushtimit të një perandorie të tillë të pakufishme. Por Aleksandri me shokët e tij, e donin aventurën e pamundur. Mposhtën ushtrinë armike në fushë të show more hapur, duke pushtuar një e nga një të gjitha fortesat dhe urat, nga të cilat persët dominonin detin. Ai shkoi më tutje drejt rrafshnaltës anatoliane të mbuluar me dëborë, deri sa për u përball në Iso me ushtrinë e pafund të mbretit Dar, duke thyer formacionin e tij të fuqishëm. Dhe kështu Aleksandri bëhet sovrani i perandorisë më të madhe që ka ekzistuar ndonjëherë. Por kjo nuk i mjafton. Etja për pushtet e shtyu atë drejt Egjiptit, ku orakulli i Amonit, në zemër të shkretëtirës priste që t’i zbulonte një të vërtetë tronditëse: prejardhjen e tij hyjnore, fatin e një lavdie të pavdekshme.
E shkruar në mënyrë të përsosur, ky libër të transporton në një dimension të pakufishëm ndërmjet ëndrrës dhe realitetit, rruga e një njeriu të destinuar të bëhet mit.. show less

I've read about a third of it, and have added it to the Lifeline box. I can't stomach any more of its heavy-handed "tyrant rules, democracy drools". That's the young, handsome, capable, hunky, bad-ass, heroic, noble budding tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse vs the doddering, ugly, old, venal, indecisive, stupid, elected democratic rulers.

Now, extremely probably the democrats weren't all that great, and the tyrant had his good side. It is 400 BC, and the democrats of the time were really much show more more like aristocrats and plutocrats. Maybe there is a decent historical novel to be written about this interesting chunk of history. But this sharply black and white apologia for fascism is not it. show less

Saga magjepsëse e Aleksandrit të Madh vazhdon me “Shkretëtirat e Amonit”, me afreskun e tij drithëruese të pasioneve kontradiktore dhe personazheve të paharrueshme. Azia, djepi i qytetërimeve legjendare, pronësi e padiskutueshme e mbretit të madh të persëve: askush nuk do kishte guxuar as të përfytyronte idenë e pushtimit të një perandorie të tillë të pakufishme. Por Aleksandri me shokët e tij, e donin aventurën e pamundur. Mposhtën ushtrinë armike në fushë të show more hapur, duke pushtuar një e nga një të gjitha fortesat dhe urat, nga të cilat persët dominonin detin. Ai shkoi më tutje drejt rrafshnaltës anatoliane të mbuluar me dëborë, deri sa për u përball në Iso me ushtrinë e pafund të mbretit Dar, duke thyer formacionin e tij të fuqishëm. Dhe kështu Aleksandri bëhet sovrani i perandorisë më të madhe që ka ekzistuar ndonjëherë. Por kjo nuk i mjafton. Etja për pushtet e shtyu atë drejt Egjiptit, ku orakulli i Amonit, në zemër të shkretëtirës priste që t’i zbulonte një të vërtetë tronditëse: prejardhjen e tij hyjnore, fatin e një lavdie të pavdekshme. E shkruar në mënyrë të përsosur, ky libër të transporton në një dimension të pakufishëm ndërmjet ëndrrës dhe realitetit, rruga e një njeriu të destinuar të bëhet mit... show less