- Paperback: 1 pages
- Publisher: Jove (MM); New edition edition (Jan 11 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0515119660
- ISBN-13: 978-0515119664
- Product Dimensions: 17.5 x 10.7 x 4.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 422 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #625,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Quo Vadis for our times! Well, not exactly. It's been awhile since anyone tackled the Roman Empire as entertainingly as Gillespie has done in this book, a nearly-straight historical novel which should please readers of fantasy, too. Germanic Auriane is a combination of the noble, natural savage, and the heroine marked from birth for great deeds. Roman Marcus Julianus is the personification of the highest civilized, republican Roman values. Both are typical and atypical of their societies, fighting for what each believes to be just. Their individual struggles with the clashing Roman and Teutonic cultures are carried out in the Northern forests and in the salons and arena of Rome. Strongly- drawn characters, a setting both familiar and exotic (we all know something of imperial Rome, but very few of us are well-informed about it), a whiff of New-Age ancient mysticism, and a subdued but important romance subplot drive the sweeping novel of Auriane's growth and maturity and Rome's decadence.
From Publishers Weekly
Probably the greatest compliment to Gillespie's first novel is that at 800 pages, the book isn't too long. Spanning the years between A.D. 52-shortly before Nero's accession-and Nerva's accession in 96, the novel invokes tribal warfare, two tyrants, Domitian's terror, gladiatorial spectacles, blood vengeance, imperial intrigues and a mythic love. At the center is Auriane, the daughter of a Chattian chieftain fated to lead her tribe against Rome but also to disgrace it by murdering her father. On the other side of the Alps is Marcus Julianus, a philosophically disposed nobleman trying to salvage justice under the despotic Nero and Domitian. Marcus is haunted by his late father's vague records of a German warrior maid and the two finally meet when Auriane is captured in Domitian's Chattian campaign. Gillespie depends too much on the reader's indulgence when describing the lovers early meetings; they are portentous fated conjoinings rather than a naturally evolving attraction. But this is a quibble because the romance is secondary to the mature couple's greater, more pressing concerns. For anyone interested in this tumultuous period of Roman despotism and Germanic tribes, Gillespie's epic is an intriguing recording of everyday detail, national issues and, more impressively, overarching influences of religion and psychology. Advertising.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read the book, see the light,
By Lilly Flora "by Lilo Drandoff" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Light Bearer (Mass Market Paperback)
The old Roman Empire was a kind of nasty place to be if you weren't Roman. But for Auriane, a daughter of the Germanic tribes, it's become a hell on earth. All Auriane really wanted in life was to be like her lovely mother and have a good home. But being born to the warlike Chatti tribe as the daughter of the tribes' leader insures her life will different than she planned. From her first day on earth when a powerful seer/witch woman predicts she will cause the death of her father-the greatest sin a person can commit, Auriane is different. Over her short teenage years she becomes a daughter of the earth, a warrior women sworn to protect her people, and never know the touch of a man.Yet all along a young man in Rome, Marcus Julianus, gutter rat who turned out to be the lost son of a Senator has been wearing a bag of dirt around his neck, a bag given to his father by a wise woman of the Chatti tribes, a bag that there is only one other like...around Auriane's neck. Destiny collides in the fierce arena of the Roman imperial court and the terrile but lovely woods and bogs of Auriane's home. Auriane must fight for her life against the might of Rome and Marcus Julianus must fight for his own in the corrupt Emperors court...can these two people prevail? This is a wonderful book. It's full of life, and the descriptions are so vivid I found myself wondering that I was reading a book, not falling back in time. The characters are all very real people (even the larger than life Auriane is insecure about her body) and the plot line is so vivid and realistic it's hard to stay still while reading. You will be running around, book in hand, screaming for the good guys and cursing the bad. This is probably the best book I ever read, bar none. And there is not one boring sentence in the whole book. Its chopped full of action, romance and adventure, and it's impossible to believe this is a first novel. I plan on buying another copy soon so I'll have one for mine falls apart. I'm sure I will read this book every year of my life. I recommend this book to any one who loves history, drama, romance, or action. It has something for everyone. Five stars and over!
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of My favorites,
By Stephen C Mann (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Light Bearer (Paperback)
I loved this book! I see that there are two sequals only available in German. I wonder when they will publish them in English.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unbelievably good,
By Meredith POKARIER (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Light Bearer (Paperback)
This is without a doubt my fav book of all time. A truely well written work, the words weave a magic of there own as the unfolding story captivates you. I read it every year, again and again. I never let my copy leave the house.
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