Readers who have enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy – The Forgotten Legion and The Silver Eagle – will not be disappointed in The Road to Rome, the third and final chapter in this tale of family, loyalties, war and destiny. The three main protagonists each begin the novel in danger: Romulus, the talented young gladiator forced to flee Rome ten years previously, has been forced into fighting in Caesar's army in Egypt; by his side is Tarquinius, the Etruscan warrior whose gifts as a soothsayer have been predicting forthcoming events since the very first book.
Romulus has no idea whether his twin sister, Fabiola, is alive or dead; as a woman, her fate has been very different from that of her brother, although no less dangerous. She is still living in Rome, where her beauty has attracted the attention of several powerful suitors: she is Brutus' mistress, but has caught the eye of his great enemy Marcus Antonius – a man not used to taking no for an answer.
"Beware the Ides of March"
More dangerously, a plot to assassinate Caesar is well underway, and Fabiola finds herself caught up in a series of events that seem impossible to stop as the Ides of March – famously predicted as the date of Caesar's death – rolls ever closer. Regular readers will know that Fabiola has been pursuing her own plans for vengeance on the man she believed raped her mother, and she must decide to whom her loyalties lie.
Meanwhile, Romulus and Tarquinius have become separated during battle, and while the latter remains in Alexandria, the former returns to Rome where he is reunited with his twin. However, loyalties are once more called into question; like many of Caesar's army, he has a huge amount of love and respect for its leader, and he must face the difficult decision of whose side he is really on.
Part Three of The Forgotten Legion Trilogy
The Road to Rome is a long book, and its complex plotline – complete with a number of twists – makes it impossible to do the book justice in a short review, particularly as so much of the characterisation groundwork has already been laid in the first two books of the series. Suffice to say that Ben Kane's trilogy has deservedly enjoyed huge success, striking the right balance between historical detail and gripping narrative – the books wear their learning lightly, and never lose sight of the fact that the job of the novelist is to tell a good story.
Sources
- Ben Kane, The Road to Rome, Preface Publishing, 2010
Elizabeth Gregory - Liz graduated from Manchester University with a BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature, and also holds an MA in Literature from the ...
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