Rome AD 9Augustus Caesar rules Imperial Rome at the height of its power, as the Roman Empire stretches across the known world. Cassius, son of one of her most powerful families, is the personification of Rome’s imperial strength: wealthy, popular, a war hero with a decorated military career – none of Rome’s fashionable parties are complete without him – except, he hides a secret. he hides a secret.
After his nerve is broken in Germany, the thought of genuine armed combat is enough to send him into a cold sweat of fear and shame. But this doesn’t dissuade him from living off a false reputation so he can continue a life of casual affairs, wine, and parties, as he is seduced by the many vices of Rome.
However his scandalous life is soon upset by a summons from the Emperor’s wife. It ends his happy decadent life and returns him to Germany to assist the Roman legions in their greatest ever trial, and the events that will resound down in history, in the dark forests of the Teutoburg…
“The classical world is brought vividly to life” Daily Mail – UK National Newspaper
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I loved this book. I have now bought the sequel.
Take the bloody experience of Roman Legions battling against the Barbarian hoards of Gaul, add to it rich descriptions of life in ancient Rome at a point just beyond the peak if its power, throw in some political intrigue, add interesting character development along the way, and you have a very entertaining, easy to read (and hard to put down) historical novel. I recommend it highly.
Three legions disappeared in the Roman province of Germania. A few made it back from the disaster. I had read a few novels with conjecture on the why and how this happened. This is the best I have read. Even knowing the background and grinding my teeth over the cheap solution to save the protagonist’s life, I read into the night. Good read, interesting characters-light on the Roman soldiers’ mind set.
An enjoyable read. I couldn’t put it down!
Damn good book
Good book! Interesting information about the Roman Legions! Enjoyed the story!
Fun, old-fashioned mystery. Glimpse of past era.
It was just okay somewhat historical. Seemed to drag. It was too repetitive about his previous cowardice which I found annoying. After the first ten plus times we got the point.
The curse words and steamy scenes turned me off this book.
I have found a new author to follow to satisfy my jones for good historical fiction.
Thomas M.D. Brooke is a new (to me anyway) author whose first novel, “Roman Mask,” caught my eye when it appeared on a list of suggested reads for me in the genre of historical fiction. As I have admitted several times in these reviews, I am a history buff and a sucker for well-written books of historical fiction. For me, these books not only entertain, but also educate me as well about the historical era in which they are set. For dramatic action, few creations of the author’s mind can replace the drama of actual historical events.
“Roman Mask” is a good example. The story revolves around the Roman efforts to pacify the restless Germanic tribes on its northern border. The story is related through the first-person narrative of Gaius Cassius Aprillis, son of a powerful Roman senator who is the governor of the province of Sicily. Cassius is his self-described wastrel son leading a life of excessive drinking and fast women, living in his father’s house in the City of Rome while his father resides in Sicily. Cassius is also a self-described coward having lost his nerve during a skirmish with the German barbarians in which the cohort of legionaries he commanded held the vital West-Gate Pass despite overwhelming odds. Cassius is hailed as a hero, but hides a dark secret that his nerves are shattered by the experience (in modern parlance, we would say that he suffers from PTSD), and he can no longer face the fears that accompany combat. He uses a false excuse to leave the legion and returns to Rome to hide his shame behind the facade of the always ready hero-soldier. Cassius fears that the truth will be apparent when he is summoned to met with the imperial family at the Circus Maximus and he is given the task of assisting the governor of Germania and acting as the liason between the Roman governor and the new king of one of the more powerful Germanic tribes who happens to be Cassius’ closest boyhood friend from the days that attended school together.
Cassius arrives on the frontier only to find that his services are not really needed. In search of something useful to do, he is assigned the duty of intelligence officer for Governor Varus. In that capacity he discovers that Varus is totally unprepared for the possibility of military action against the German tribes due to his single-minded pursuit of a peace initiative. Varus appears to have lucked out when the tribe with whom he is seeking an accord sends word that they are willing to engage in negotiations on Varus’ terms. However,information gets back to Cassius that the Roman peace delegation has been ambushed and slaughtered. This information suddenly transforms Varus into instant action, and he leads his entire force of three legions in a punitive epedition against the offending tribe. Due to his lack of planning and useful military intelligence, Varus leads his legions into a deadly ambush in the Teutoburg Forest which results in the wholesale destruction of the three legions. During this campaign, Cassius is presented with numerous opportunities to “regain” his courage which he does in order to survive, as one of the few Romans to escape from the slaughter alive. His hatred for his childhood friend who proves to be a treacherous ally proves to be a focusing lens for Cassius’ survival instincts.
The diaster of the Teutoburg Forest is considered by historians to be one of the single largest military diasters in history. Mr. Brooke clothes the bare historical bones with flesh and blood as seen through the eyes of Cassius, who, despite his protestations to the contrary, more and more comes to fit the vision others see in him, the ever-ready soldier hero. “Roman Mask” is the first book in the Cassius Diary series. After following his adventures in Germany, I was anxious to see what happens to Cassius next. Fortunately for me, Book 2, “Bedrock of Empire” was already available, and I am happily following Cassius on another assignment from the imperial family, this time to Spain. Please keep them coming Mr. Brooke.
Too much barbaric detail
Great novel of the best and worst of the Roman empire and legions.
Fascinating for a history buff! The description of the Roman Legions was amazing! I found myself reading long into the early morning
If you enjoy historical fiction this book is for you. I enjoyed the the character growth and the unexpected twists the story took. This was a great read.
Good historical basis.
Very enjoyable historical novel. Believable characters and interesting history.
Excellent Read.
Great historical novel. Characters greatly enhanced understanding of Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes.
while a bit slow or predicable at times, this is a good novel about Rome in the early part of the empire. The main character starts out a bit whinny but when the story picks up once in Germany, he becomes more interesting.