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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Roman Mask got off to a rocky start for me, but as soon as I stumbled across the name “Varus” I knew I was onto something. Our hero, Cassius Aprilis, was introduced to us as a spoiled rich kid, drinking and partying his way through an endless succession of meaningless days. This is not the kind of book I like and I almost put it down, but luckily I was saved by a plot twist when Augustus sent him to Germany as an aide to Governor Varus. Suddenly it all started to make sense. Our Cassius wasn’t really a wastrel; he was a tortured soul who felt like a fraud, as he was celebrated for a lucky break during a near-fatal campaign where he saved his fellow soldiers from almost certain death. What no one knew—except the reader—was that he suffered what can best be described as PTSD, and now he was being thrust back into service into what was destined to become one of Rome’s most disastrous defeats of all time. So now we get to watch him wriggle his way through a new assignment—trying to hide his cowardice—while at the same time we get to see a thorough and engrossing description of Varus’s folly.
Due to their immense hubris, the Romans assumed that every conquered culture would be grateful to contribute to civilizing themselves, Roman-style. Varus might have been a good governor over a less warlike society, but he totally miscalculated his German province. He missed all the vital signs, including patrols that never returned and reports from worried subordinates. Surrounded by luxury, Varus heard what he wanted to hear and scorned the advice of experienced soldiers who knew all was not quite right. Cassius Aprilis soon came to doubt the commander’s competence, but he, too, was deceived by allies whose carefully laid treachery had been planned for many years. When the inevitable revolt burst upon the Romans, they were totally outnumbered and doomed from the start.
Once things started moving, this book was hard to put down. Tension swelled from the time Cassius started his journey to Germany, and kept on going all the way to the end. The story was well-plotted and moved along quickly. I didn’t know a lot about the German disaster (aside from what I saw in “I Claudius”), and I think the author did a great job of painting a very memorable picture.
A little slow starting, but then picks up. Brings history alive.
This is a good Roman-era adventure.
The Roman Mask starts out slow and really doesn’t improve until almost halfway through. The author includes a couple of long sections of flashbacks; it’s almost as though he thinks “oh, we could use some background here.” But the writing is heavy handed and intrusive until the main character,Cassius Gaius Aprillis, arrives in Germany for the second time as the Romans are trying to conquer the country. I understand that the author was tring to show Gaius’ psychological abuse and emotional trauma from his war experience. It’s just not particularly well written. Once the author finds the main stream of his plot, however, the book’s flow improves dramatically.
Kind of hard to get into.
An easy read that was well told.
Really enjoyed this book. Will be looking for more from this author
Excellent take on the life of a Roman legionary while at the same time relatable to most anyone today. This is a great read – I highly recommend it.
Couldn’t finish it
Anyone who has studied Latin will appreciate this. Inspired by a real battle in the Teutoberger Wald.
The book was exciting to read , and the characters were interesting , and unpredictable…The setting was at a time in history when Rome was the world….I enjoyed reading this, and the 2 days I took to read this was well spent……I would like to read other works by this author…….
I really enjoyed this book. I kept wondering what was going to happen next.
After a small group of survivors of a bloody battle are rescued by reinforcements, a legionnaire in the service of Caesar Augustus sidelines himself. He has found himself depleted by the conflict between his reputation as a hero and his internal perceptions of his cowardly nature. Being thrown back into service by Caesar’s wife, he must return to fearsome Germany. His rebound involves rebirth of courage in attempts to save a fellow warrior. Trusted childhood relationships are rekindled, to be betrayed or reinforced.
Descriptions of the inner workings of the Roman legions reflect historic research as well as understanding of military structures and tactics over the centuries. The Roman dominion over the Germanic tribes crumbles with Augustinian-era overreach.
Battle scenes are gruesome but do not seem to be overdrawn.
An interesting interpretation of ancient history, with implications in the centuries between then and now.
Imaginative and realistic view of ancient Rome at a moment of crisis on the colonies
Readable, interesting tale of Roman conquest & loss due to treachery, deceit and careless oversight. Action, friendship, romance, loss and redemption as lived and told through the eyes of a captivating mature man. Experience his life as he travels and fights for his beliefs in Rome’s ability to improve the lives, fortunes amd infrastructures of the countries of Gaul and Germania. Meet his friends and the women who influence his life from the powerful wife of the ruling senator to the widow whose love he seeks. Well written and researched with an untypical ending.
This is a very well written and interesting book. The sequel, Bedrock of Empire is also a very good book.
It was a great read and I’m looking forward to more books from this author?
I loved this book and have told others about it. I was actually surprised how it pulled me in and kept me interested. It is not the usual type of book I normally read but definitely recommend it, especially if you enjoy historical fiction.
This was an outstanding book. It was written , highly informative and held my interest until the last page. I was not only entertained but learned about a period of history.
This book kept me up late on several nights.
Excellent view of Roman army and society during latter stages of RomanEmpire. Good characters with flaws and strengths