Young Roman nobleman Drusus lives an easy, pleasant life in Britain until the Emperor Constantine
dies, and his three sons become uneasy joint rulers. Suddenly there is war, and Drusus’ father’s star
falls at court, the victim of jealous enemies. Drusus sees his world turned upside down, and must
make some hard choices to stay alive in a very different political climate.
Mr. Waters has a talent for getting under the skin of his period and showing us a ground level,
warts-and-all view of Roman Britain. Drusus makes for a compelling narrator and protagonist, one
day in favor of and part of the ruling class, and the next trying to stay out of trouble. This is
not a period often written about in fiction, and it makes a pleasant (and informative) change from
the 1st century, especially as the author seems to not only know his facts, but be able to spin his
tale with them as an integral part and bring them to life. There are parallels to our own time here,
with the protagonist cursed to live in "interesting times" and stay on top, despite invasions, trouble
at the top, and local unrest. If you think that this is just a blood-and-guts military adventure,
while there is plenty of that in here, there is also a good dose of romance, making it a book likely
to be enjoyed by both sexes. If Mr. Waters continues to write books of this standard, he will be
following in the footsteps of writers like Robert Graves, Mary Renault and Alfred Duggan.