Legion: A Novel of the Army of Rome [Paperback]

The author draws the reader into a bloody battle between Romans and Celts versus German invaders in a manner that, at some points, raises the hair on the back of the neck.

Some may find the love story a bit too "Hollywood" or predictable for their liking, but the protagonist is such an admirable character that you may find yourself smiling at the end.

To the detriment of the book though, there is dialogue in Legion. The prose is supposed to be epic and inspiring, but comes across as incredibly corny and cringe-inducing. Perhaps there was a slight bias here because I had just finished the phenomenal Shogun before reading Legion, and Clavell's work had such wonderful dialogue. Regardless, the lines in Legion are barely worthy of a bad TV epic (a la the Spartacus remake on USA, Attila, etc.). Exchanges between the characters are so short that the book feels abridged at times; conversations rarely last more than a page or two. As a result, there is little if any attachment to the characters. The best way to convey how Altimari portrays Rufio (the protagonist) is to think of him as the 1st century B.C. equivalent of John Wayne. If you find John Wayne characters to be believeable then maybe Legion will appeal to you. With stronger dialogue and more time for the characters to develop, this novel could have been much better, but as it is it all feels too rushed.

I won't ruin the ending for those that still have yet to read the book, but Altimari leaves little doubt as to who will emerge victorious by the time you get to that point. For those reading the novel simply for the depiction of ancient warfare, skip this book and read Pressfield's Gates of Fire or Tides of War for a vastly superior portrayal.

So what are we left with? A novel that provides a brief overview of the Roman army that can be better found elsewhere, and dialogue that so cheesy it would make Roland Emmerich blush. My true star rating would be 1.5 but I rounded down to reflect my personal tilt.