Patrick Larkin

Surprisingly good. The writing is solid, if not spectacular; the characters are likable; the plot is fast-paced and exciting, if rather predictable in places for those who know the source material--more on that below. Fine attention is paid to historical detail--though The Tribune, like many other modern novels on ancient Rome, portrays its Roman characters with comfortably modern religious sensibilities. (Ursula Le Guin's [b:Lavinia|2214574|Lavinia|Ursula K. Le show more Guin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328834317s/2214574.jpg|2220362] continues to be the best fictional treatment of Roman religious thought I've read.)

For the most part I was impressed by the author's weaving of the Biblical narrative into the story. The Tribune generally avoids preachiness, and the author clearly did his research into both Jewish and early Christian tradition. Certain characters are readily identifiable--Paulus, Marah (Magdalene), Yeshua--and all fit into the plot quite plausibly. I was a bit more surprised by the realization that the main character, Tribune Lucius Aurelius Valens, is supposed to be the gospel writer Luke. Since a number of Roman soldiers figure prominently in the Biblical narrative, I'm a bit curious as to why the author didn't just build his main Roman character around one of these, rather than changing Luke's background so drastically. From what I understand, though, this is the first book in a series; perhaps this question will be addressed more satisfactorily later.

All-in-all, an enjoyable read. show less

Lucius Aurelius Valens, a military tribune serving in Syria, is caught up in the feud between Germanicus and Piso. After Valens defies Piso, Germanicus puts him in charge of a Gallic auxiliary unit on its way to serve in Judaea to keep him out of Piso's reach. On the way, Valens finds the remains of a murdered senator and his bodyguard outside a village called Nazara.

The front cover displays a recommendation comparing this book to The Name of the Rose. All I can say is the author of the show more recommendation either hasn't read "The Name of the Rose" or hasn't read this book. Anybody who expects a similar level of complexity and subtlety is going to be sorely disappointed.

Basically the book combines two genres, Roman detective fiction (which I enjoy) and Biblical fiction (which I can't say I've read much of). Do not expect any nuanced exploration of character. We are left in no doubt who the goodies and baddies are. The twists and turns of the plot, though predictable enough, are reasonably well done, except for the final twist in the epilogue, which was totally pointless and turned me off reading the sequel, whenever it comes out. show less

Not bad, if certainly dated at this point. A covertly Soviet- (and Chinese-) backed North Korean conventional offensive into South Korea is repelled at great cost to the undermanned U.S. and ROK troops already there. The great power patronage is perhaps the most interesting angle, even with the Chinese deficiencies of the time, while considering this in anything like a modern light is difficult given the total lack of nuclear weapons or indeed, even ballistic missiles possessed by the North. show more

Suffers from the usual techno-thriller drawbacks of characterization (including an awkward love story subplot), and some early-on period racism mars things a bit (I can't speak to the "accuracy" of including it in this timeframe). But some sequences, particularly those focusing on the submarines and P-3 Orion aircraft involved in the cat-and-mouse play of ASW, are very engaging. At the very least, a great primer for the next round of Command: Modern Air and Naval Operations.

I may be being a bit harsh on this! With the current Stupid Missile Crisis in the news, some things that might otherwise be overlooked jump out in this. This is also a tighter read than the other novels of Bond's that I've made it through, Vortex and Cauldron. show less

I admit it, I am fond of military "what if" novels, and even though some of them are terrible, this is one is fine. Larry Bond was the co-author of the classic [b:Red Storm Rising|318525|Red Storm Rising|Tom Clancy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1173729031s/318525.jpg|5054712] book by [a:Tom Clancy|3892|Tom Clancy|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1407672935p2/3892.jpg] so he knows what to do.

The story here is, in short, it is around 1989 (publication day of the book) and North Korea invades show more South Korea, with enough pre-politics/actions to make it possible. As a reader you are left with the "can this actually happen" thoughts, and I think, hmm, probably not.

As usual the authors try to weave some personal stories and some romance into the books. Also as usual, that is not the authors' strongest cards. Personal parts, fine. Romance and female view... not the worst I have seen by far, but not great either. I guess, it is a male military history buff writing this in the late 1980s so from that point of view it is surprisingly really well done. show less