Arrius Vol II: Legacy

For a second book in a trilogy, this novel was as strong as the first. Further gripping adventures of Marcus Junius Arrius. Now the praefectus of two auxiliary forts, one south of and one north of the Wall, Arrius sets about successfully to raise morale in the two forts, and to undo the damage to mens' spirits by his predecessor, the draconian Matias Betto. Arrius is still plagued by his old nemesis, who had been with him at the same battle in Judaea, the cowardly Tribune Querinius. Querinius had also been reassigned to Britannia. More and more Arrius comes to the realization the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent civilians is wrong; his conscience had first begun to bother him at the wholesale brutality of the Roman Army towards all show more indigenous people in Judaea. He feels the same during a battle with one of the Britannian tribes, not wanting to kill a woman and her simple son; he lets them go. Ilya, a Selgovan woman, and he develop deep feelings for each other. After an assassination attempt on his life in which he is forced on horseback over a steep cliff, a Selgovan rescues him for his own purposes and then in their settlement he is restored to health. High Chief Beldorach wants him to arrange a treaty between Rome and the Selgovans--[so the opportunistic Beldorach can unite the tribes to fight the Romans.] After Arrius returns he has to undo the evil Betto, temporarily in charge during his absence, has done. From the indiscreet words of Arrius' second-in-command and from Ilya herself, Betto learns of her background and that Beldorach is Ilya's cousin. Arrius is subjected to a treason inquiry as to if he's a spy using Ilya as a conduit to get information to her cousin. The situation certainly looks suspicious. Acquitted, he finds out another wall is to be built north of the one already there and that the tribes living between them will be forced to flee north or be wiped out completely; he then has to decide something that will affect the rest of his life.

I considered this book, beside the adventurous side, very thoughtful in exploring Arrius' feelings as to the way Rome waged war and its attitude towards "collateral damage". He can no longer accept this thinking. I liked the author's giving us a taste of how one of the native tribes might have lived. On the back outside cover, the name of Tribune Querinius was misspelt.

Highly recommended. show less