Book Review: Claudius

Claudius, by Douglas Jackson

Source: Amazon.com

From the book's cover:

Claudius desires total conquest. Caratacus will fight for freedom. An epic battle is coming, in this second gripping and visceral novel of the Roman invasion of Britain, for fans of Conn Iggulden and Simon Scarrow.

43 AD: in Southern Britain, Caratacus, chief of the Britons, watches from a hilltop as the scarlet cloaks of the Roman army spread across his land like blood. Among them is Rufus, keeper of the Emperor’s elephant, an unwilling participant in the invasion of Britain. The Roman legions smash into the British forces, but just as victory seems at hand, they wait. Reinforcements are coming, led by Emperor Claudius himself. And Rufus will have a very special part to play in the coming epic battle. Heroes will be made and kings will fall in a struggle that will echo through the annals of history.


The Review:

Claudius was good, but not great. You'd think someone who likes history would like historical fiction... or maybe you wouldn't. After all, we historians are somewhat hard on stuff we don't particularly like if we happen to know something about it. But that isn't the case here. I am admittedly not a Rome expert, nor early Britain either. Not even close. No, it was the book's content that threw me.

In fact, if I was rating this book between 1 and 10, 1 being worst and 10 best, I'd say 5. I liked some of it, and other parts turned me off. The story itself was engaging. And the basic plot I liked. The author obviously put much effort into this book. I don't believe I can point to anything of its structural or basic content that I disliked.
 

The author, Douglas Jackson. / Source: WhatShallIRead.info

On the other hand, the violence and gore was authentic and yet also a bit off-putting. Not that I consider myself highly squeamish. I suppose my tastes are changing as I get older. I don't mind the idea of violence so much, but graphic depictions of human suffering affect my sensibilities more than they used to. For instance, there is the part where Roman prisoners captured from a foraging party are encased by their Briton captors in the wicker man. This is a 30 foot or more tall effigy of the Briton god Taranis, and the captives inside are burned alive in the thing, their sacrifice making them into messengers to the god. The depiction of our Roman slave hero Rufus and his friends trapped in this thing made my stomach turn, as it was supposed to. But as I get older, I lose some of that impetuous sense of "it couldn't happen to me" and gain more insight into the concept of empathy. I feel sorrow that mankind would ever do such a barbaric thing to each other, especially in the name of their deities.

Of course, the Romans have just done barbarities to the Britons before this, so it is not like we can sympathize too much. The whole book is full of harshness on each sides' part. It is saddening, no matter how accurate it may be. I can't help but wonder how I managed to get to live, seeing as my own ancient ancestors were from places where such nasty things happened.

An 18th century depiction of a wicker man.  If Wikipedia is to be believed (and of course, a wise scholar takes anything it says with a hefty grain of salt), the aspect of wicker man effigies being used as vessels for human sacrifice, as described by Julius Caesar in his writings on the Gallic War, are probably more negative propaganda by the Romans than they are actual fact. / Source: Wikipedia

In hindsight, let me take back something I said about the book's mechanics. The author tells a compelling story when he focuses, but at times - especially when he deals with battle - it gets confusing. This is in part due tot he fact that I was listening to an audiobook version, and it is tough to keep some things straight when you can't stop, re-read a passage, and wrap your head around the pertinent details. All the odd names also throw me, as I've mentioned in other reviews dealing with unfamiliar cultural areas. 

Speaking of audiobook faults, the guy doing the narration on this one was good with his accents and emphasis's (not that I hold to the idea of using high-sounding British accents to depict Romans, but it is just sort of de riguer these days, ain't it?), but his passage breaks are so short that you feel a touch of whiplash. He goes from one character to another without hardly a pause, and so you are following one person's viewpoint and then are thrown into another setting so quickly that you can lose touch with what is going on. This was part of what marred the battle scenes. The author instead truly shined when he discussed individual activities and kept the focus tight. The scenes where Rufus is in mortal peril for his life really keep the reader in the thick of it, and I think part of this is the author's skill at story-telling from the immediate perspective.

An artist's rendition of the invasion of Brittan by Roman legions.  Based on archeological evidence from both Rome and the Briton civilization of the time, it would appear the Britons were more primitive than their Roman conquerors in many aspects, and Jackson focuses on this idea repeatedly in his book by describing Roman disdain for the Briton's ways. / Source: s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com

In the end, I liked the book's main ideas and the story itself. I must side-note, as I often do, and say it was a bit annoying too to enter a tale that appears to be a multi-parter. It'd be like watching Empire Strikes Back without first seeing A New Hope. "What's the deal with these people, anyway?" you might find yourself asking, if you pick up this book before reading any others in what I suppose is a series by Jackson. That's surely how I felt at times. But that is my own fault for picking up a book at random that sounded interesting, and not starting at the start.

On the other hand, I would only recommend this novel to those who like the story idea, can handle the blood/violence/gore/occasional instances of rape and other violations/and even a touch of strong language, and who are interested in both Roman and Briton history of the period. Specific enough for you? I'd pass if I knew what I was looking at, if given the choice over. But that's just me.

Learn more about Claudius, by Douglas Jackson, on Amazon.com


The parting comment:

Source: LOLSnaps.com

Afraid I've got to agree.  In fact, he'll probably be cooler than the movie mash-up with Affleck and... whoever will be playing Superman this time around.  Whenever that comes out.  Sorry, but as cool as Batman is, Superman is an alien!  He'll still kick the Bat's butt.  Yes...  I'm a nerd.