Where a Roman Legion Finds Themselves in a Strange World

The Misplaced Legion by Harry Turtledove
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A solid portal fantasy (I think it'd be classified that way) with lots of excellent research and knowledge behind it. Four stars.

It's better than "pretty okay," which is what a 3-star book is, but it's a slightly optimistic 4 coming from me. I'm rooting for the book and series, TBH. It's not as exciting through the middle section as I would like, though it's still interesting, and it doesn't have a true ending, which I would much prefer, and those things make it a little less fun for me. It's not precisely a cliffhanger (IMO, I mean, though I admit I quibble) because the book ends at a natural break in the story, a chapter end anyway, where there's a slight pause in the action, but the next book in the series will find our heroes in a tough spot and have to start on the following day for sure. They have their backs up against a cliff, let's say, though they aren't hanging from it...

See, I quibble.

But I like the characters and the premise and the setting and I suspect the second novel will be able to get going with less throat-clearing and world-building. I hope.

The premise is that a whole Roman legion finds itself in a new world (after magic accidentally happens) and they have to learn how to survive there. It is a world that looks a lot like a later Byzantine empire does in our world, with nations that resemble Normans and Vikings and Greeks, though there's lots of magic and other elements unique to that place. The Romans are special here because they have a system of discipline that isn't matched in Videssos, though the author doesn't play that up too too much. In fact, the biggest disappointment in the novel is waiting for the Romans to be awesome, to make a big difference, and though they have a few small successes in that line, they don't kick ass the way I hoped. I think, I imagine, I expect we'll see that in different ways in the sequels.

I like Harry Turtledove and think he's very creative and skillful, so I'm hoping he comes through in the rest of the books. Swords crossed.

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Will Shakespeare, Hero of the Occupation

Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another of those great "What if?" books that Harry Turtledove is rightly known for.

Imagining a victorious Spanish Armada and the occupation of Britain, it tells the story mostly of William Shakespeare being drawn into rebellious intrigues against the Spanish. He's getting along the best he can under the occupation when he's tasked with writing a play that will spark an uprising.

The logic of this alternate history is impeccable, the political and social ramifications thoroughly developed. This isn't how it happened, but it's a way it might have happened. The strange Elizabethan setting feels very real.

Shakespeare and his contemporaries are well drawn and compelling. Historic figures--Christopher Marlowe, Lope de Vega, his fellow actors, and the political figures like Sir William Cecil and his son--are fleshed out in a way that gives this story the feeling of history, and the minor characters (some invented, some actual people) are equally convincing. My favorite character is Cecily Sellis, the "witch" who lived in the same boarding house as Shakespeare and defied expectations. (She was probably the closest to a "fantasy" type character in the story, which in every other way feels like straightforward history.)

The author makes wonderful use of Shakespeare's lines throughout the novel, something I really enjoyed. (Despite being a high school English teacher, I'm an indifferent Shakespeare scholar, so I'm certain I passed over many of the quotes without noticing. But I caught plenty.) He works them into dialogue and banter as much as he uses them for the plays within the story, and they are often fun easter eggs without being obtrusive. It's the kind of erudition (no other word works) that is uncommon in modern fantasy as well as a reminder that we are fortunate to have a writer capable of pulling off a novel based on a premise this ambitious.

So, yeah, I liked it.

There is a lot of exciting action and entertaining subplots, especially the love life of Spanish writer Lope de Vega, though some of the middle does not move along with quite as much pace as one might like. The last quarter takes off again, though, and the loose ends are satisfyingly gathered by the end. Despite enjoying some bits more than others, I found it entertaining throughout, and I recommend the novel for fantasy readers as well as Shakespeare enthusiasts. And history people.

And now I have to go educate myself more on Lope de Vega, and I blame the author. ;)

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