Review: Taut and good fun
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2012
I ripped through 'Steam Legion' in a couple of sittings, mainly because I like slash and burn novels set in Roman times, but more so because Currie writes neatly and engagingly, with a nice mix of action and introspection to balance the tone.This is an alternative history novel that contains sufficient historical context for us to visualise the main canvas, but deviates from what actually happened right across the board, though in a very intelligent way.The 'Steam Legion' of the title relates to the harnessing of steam power, which is not one of the Roman Empire's innovations noted by Reg in 'Life of Brian' and therefore one I concluded is of dubious historical accuracy.  No matter, the way it is used, and by a woman no less, is the pivot point of the plot as a numerically inferior Roman force battle a numerically superior Jewish force.Currie has fun with people and places, and creates strong characters - both male and female - and then incrementally loads up the action and tension page after page.Give 'Steam Legion' a try if you likeConn Iggulden'snovels or David Gemmell'sDrenai Tales.