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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most enjoyable series ever., Feb 12 2003
This is the first book in a four volume series that I rate as one of the most enjoyable in all fantasy literature. It is, as other reviewers have commented, basically a first century BC Roman legion thrown into the eleventh century Byzantine Empire, with a bit of magic added for good measure. Videssians are the Byzantines themselves; the Yezda are Seljuk Turks; the Makurani are Persians; the Arshaum are Mongols; the Halogai are Vikings; the Namdaleni are Normans, and so it goes throughout the books.Turtledove's borrowings extend to place names as well, some of which are carried over without alteration from real place names of the Byzantine Empire. Even specific events are lifted from the pages of history. Two Roman legionaries, for example, Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus are taken, along with their rivalry and deeds, right out of Caesar's Commentaries. The Videssian Emperor, at one point before a battle, stumbles in front of his men, who gasp at the evil omen. Equal to the occasion, he grabs a fistful of sand in each hand and declares that he has a tight hold on his country. Students of history will recognize this as something William, Duke of Normandy was reported to have done when he arrived in England, just before the Battle of Hastings. But don't let all this fool you into thinking the series is too unoriginal to bother with. These "borrowed" details merely serve to flesh out the story and the fictional world in which it's set. The story itself is quite original, and highly entertaining. What's more, the "fish out of water" motif of the misplaced Roman legionaries allows the author to focus on a great deal of detail of this world without all the exposition seeming tiresome and distracting, and this fine detail also helps to lend the fictional world a greater aspect of reality. The real strength of this series, however, is its characters. It's a highly character driven story. Never before or since has Turtledove drawn such detailed, unique characters. They really come alive for the reader, each with a distinct, and usually likeable personality, but each with believable, human flaws that also make them convincing. More than anything else, it is the realistic characterization that makes this series worth reading. I picked it up back in '87 when it first hit the stands, and I've reread it countless times since then. It's one of the few series with which I can do that. And each time I finish it, it's with a real sense of regret that it's finished. Those of you who are about to read these books for the first time, how I envy you!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Good story, but take notes, Dec 15 2000
This is kind of a strange series, but a pretty good one. It places a pre-empire Roman legion into a fantasy world, in an empire called Videssos. Videssos is made to be exactly like the Byzantine Empire of earth, with the exception that magic is a real force in Videssos's world. There is much opportunity for irony, as the main Roman character reflects on how his Rome would never do certain things like Videssos, while the reader knows that Videssos is exactly what Rome becomes.
All of the other countries and peoples in the series are analogous to real-world cultures contemporary to the Byzantine Empire. And there are a lot of them. That's why I say take notes. There are so many characters in this that it's easy to get confused. But most of the characters are fairly well developed, and come off as unique individuals. Turtledove uses some stereotypes to give distinction and identity to the cultures in the series, but for the most part, it accomplishes that goal without becoming overbearing.
However, as the series is after all a fantasy, Turtledove makes one culture a race of devil-worshiping barbarians. As all the fantasy-world cultures are analogous to real-world cultures, this means that he's implying that the Yezda's real-world counterpart are uniformly evil. I don't think this was his goal. I think he just wanted to propose the idea of what if the enemies of the empire really were as the empire saw them. With that in mind, I think the series will be more enjoyable for those sensitive to such matters.
The focus of the series is on personal interactions and intercultural politics. The fantastical aspects are fairly low-key. The magic that brought the legion to Videssos is never really explored, and never explained at all. There are no elves, no dragons, and no maiden-kidnapping monsters in the world Videssos occupies. All of Videssos's monsters are human. In this regard, the series is very enjoyable. Turtledove creates realistic characters with realistic motivations and means, and the reader can understand and sympathize with most of them throughout this book and the series.
The Misplaced Legion, and its three successive novels in the Videssos Cycle are worth reading. It should appeal to fantasy readers and history buffs alike.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars in Not Enough, Aug 14 2000
Harry Turtledove has said that his life was shaped and molded by reading "Lest Darkness Fall" by L. Sprague De Camp. To my mind this first series by the master of alternate history is a time travel book based loosely upon that previous classic. Elements of one of Caesar's legions are transported forward in time to the Byzantine Empire. Only it's not the Byzantine Empire, it's the Videssos Empire in another universe where magic works. Aside from that, it's the Byzantine Empire written by a Byzantine historian. Aside from just surviving, the hero must prevent his new homeland from being overrun by barbarians "Lest Darkness Fall". For this reason I consider this the best time travel series to a fictitious universe ever written, as well as the best series about a Roman Legion. It is a must read for anyone interested in the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, or time travel.One of the many things which make this series interesting is that the heroes are from Caesar's Rome. Rome is young energetic vibrant and, most of all, expanding at this time. They are transported to the Byzantine/Videssos Empire while it is in a period of decline. (If it were the real Byzantine Empire, it would be the final decline, but we can still hope for a revival of the Videssos Empire.) The decadence brought by a thousand years of Empire is sharply contrasted with the vibrant patriotism of our heroes who remain unknowing that this is the destiny of their empire too. This isn't just a military book where the legion moves from battle to battle. This is a much more realistic and complete world where the hero is thrust into the middle of court politics, and has to fight to overcome the shear inertia of the Empire's slide towards collapse. The hero spends more time facing corruption, political intrigue, distrustful monarchs, intolerant monks, and tax collectors than he does facing mounted cavalry units. I don't want to repeat the excellent review written by Robert, 12 MAR 99, about the warfare in this series. I would like to add though, that this is not a series about a general. This is not a David Drake/S.M. Sterling series about Belisarius. As Robert points out, the hero of this series stands in the middle of the battles, and seldom knows more of what's going on than immediately to his left and right. The battles themselves are mostly standup fights where two sides hack at each other. This is really much more realistic though. Most battles, especially in the Roman era, were fought this way. Even though nowadays it seems like every book we read is about Belisarius, brilliant generals with innovative battlefield ideas come along only once in a thousand years or so. Most battles are fought without them. "The Misplaced Legion" (Videssos Cycle, Book 1) is followed by "An Emperor for the Legion" (The Videssos Cycle Book, 2), "The Legion of Videssos" (Videssos Cycle, Book 3), and "Swords of the Legion" (Videssos Cycle, Book 4). There are two prequel series about Videssos. The first is the Tale of Krispos series, beginning with "Krispos Rising." This is actually a two book story, which is excellent, and a third follow on novel which is very good. The other prequel, The Time of Troubles series, begins with "The Stolen Throne". This series is entertaining, but not really as good as the first two series. Although there are ten books about Videssos, there can never be enough. And there are only four books about the Misplaced Legion. There needs to be a sequel series not another prequel. Perhaps "Legion of Videssos: Next Generation" where Marcus's son, born and raised in Videssos, can become Emperor, with Dad and his Legion helping out of course. This could lead to a new golden age for Videssos, and maybe even . . .
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by Harry Turtledove
by Harry Turtledove
by Harry Turtledove
