Review: Primus vs. the World
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2014
The author of EXILES OF ARCADIA, LEGIONNAIRE, learned about my love of historical fiction and sent a copy of this book to me. I read it with joy because Rome is one of those great mysteries of civilization, so powerful and grand, and then drained away.Gawley brings in many of the known faults of Roman culture, the power plays and the dissipation of the upper classes. However, for me, the story picked up pace when The Woade were introduced. The province's savage clans make even trained Roman soldiers shiver in their sandals. Primus, a young, untrained man, joins the forces to try to make his father proud. This archetypal theme never gets old, and Gawley adds a series of challenges to the young man's path. Will his sacrifice be honored or ignored by his high and mighty father? The casual death and rivers of blood, the logging attempts of the Romans, all of these bring suspense into the story.The ending his me a little quickly (see, I want MORE of Primus!), but this book is a thoroughly enjoyable read.