Gods and Legions: A Novel of the Roman Empire [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Michael Curtis Ford has attempted to unravel Julian's complex personality and interpret his actions by delving deep into his early childhood and experiences as the military leader of the armies of Gaul. He then follows him through his ascention to the throne and his agressive slide into increasingly erratic and controversial behaviour towards the end of his life.

The journey is very enjoyable. Ford writes the political intrigue, the fight to defend Gaul and the young commander's development very well indeed. The Empire's progressive stagnation can be felt, the conflicts between the old and new ideals are quickly outlined. So, the first two thirds of the book, or so, are really quite good.

Unfortunatelly, towards the end, where the novel reaches the most controversial aspects of the story, Ford seems to run out of steam. Or perhaps, he is reluctant to offend mainstream sensibilities. The narrative becomes rather one-sided, using mostly the viewpoints of Christian clerics to describe Julian's actions and interpret his motives. He quite innexplicably turns from a tolerant, cultured "philosopher king" to a bloodthirsty pagan ruler, bent on continuous sacrifices, and fanatical worshiping of forgotten deities, under the influence of a malicious dwarf!

In this the book fails to convince. For example, a bit of background on the religious upheaval and continuous state-sponsored prosecutions of the preceding 50 years or so would have shed some light on the situation and help the reader understand Julian's transformation - yet none is given. Instead, the Emperor's behaviour is simply attributed to a deseased mind, poisoned from having harboured feelings of vengeanace for years (his family was murdered) and the story quickly rushes to an end.

If your interest lies in Julian and his story, this novel is going to dissapoint you. However, if you are simply a fan of the period and love reading about Rome and the Romans, you will certainly enjoy it.

Ford's treatment of Julian and the times in which he lived is both strong and disappointing at the same time. The sense of military tension and the increasing Orientalism of the Imperial Court come through strongly, and Julian's campaigns in Gaul and Persia are well-researched. Nonetheless, there's a very "Middle Ages" sense to the Christian church of timelessness and doctrine - when it should be in the midst of faction purges and self-definition - as well as a close-knit feel of Roman politics that never existed.

Admittedly, there's little reason to make "Gods and Legions" another "I, Claudius", but the political life of the novel is boiled down to half a dozen or so memorable characters. To write a novel about the Roman Empire that glosses over politics is like writing a novel of Eighteenth Century America that glosses over the British.

It's obvious from his postscript that Ford has done his research - he's thoroughly combed the best sources of the times including Julian's own writings for the sense of power and contradiction that the man's legacy carries even today. However, the contradictions he focuses on loan themselves more to Julian's character than his history. He uses Ammianus Marcellinus (a fourth-century solider who wrote a great deal about Julian from a first-hand perspective) very hazardously, practically quoting directly at some points and totally ignoring him when he wants to give Julian a more mystical, fantastic presence (which can be somewhat odd considering that Ammianus was one of his chief supporters in the historical record).

In all, Ford's book makes for a decent novel and a decent military grounding in Julian's accomplishments, but fails in numerous accounts to give as accurate an impression of the time as Ford would have you believe. If you have a casual interest in Roman history, it's a decent way to kill a plane ride, but I'd caution the serious student to take this book with a grain of salt.