tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812465714468906400.post356406193109907069..comments2023-07-08T06:36:21.887-07:00Comments on Red Rook Review: John Stack's "Ship of Rome"kwhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10162153756379884694noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-812465714468906400.post-48670518725595397192011-06-07T18:19:05.415-07:002011-06-07T18:19:05.415-07:00Keith,
Based on your review I think I'll check...Keith,<br />Based on your review I think I'll check out "Ship of Rome". I'm an avid reader of Roman historical novels but have rarely been satisfied by them, for many of the reasons you have outlined. I believe part of the problem is the distance in time and culture that separates our thinking from the Roman mind. We really don't "get" them. Even if we admire Cicero and Caesar, it's hard to make them human. That's why when I tried to address the problem by writing a novel of my own, (Last of the ninth) I ended up using Lucian of Samosata as a character because Lucian is one of the few writers from antiquity whose humanity really grabbed me.<br /><br />I think also that the authors of historical novels are more interested in the depth of their history than the depth of their characters. In principle the setting shouldn't matter, should it? The characters have to come through, but it usually isn't the case. <br /><br />I like some of John Maddox Roberts SPQR because Decius Caecilius Metallus is the kind of character you like to spend time with, not because the plots are super compelling. Scarrow's first novels were good because the battle action was gripping. Sidebottom is about a good as I've seen in the genre. Still I've yet to read one that completely satisfies me. Michael Chabon's "Gentlemen of the Road" is worth a look. Not Romans. AD 1000. His working title was "Jews With swords". But for me Chabon is in a class of his own. If you ever take a look at mine, drop me a line and let me know if I came close to cracking the code. Regards, StephenStephen Lorne Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14026832344848473758noreply@blogger.com