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wyvernfriend's review against another edition
3.0
If you've seen the movie this is pretty much the same, apart from a few little changes.
The Roman world is imploding, the legions are almost all dead and one boy is the heir to the throne. He has to be kept alive and a few legionaries decide to save him. It's pretty standard fare for this type of book and to be honest I preferred the movie.
The Roman world is imploding, the legions are almost all dead and one boy is the heir to the throne. He has to be kept alive and a few legionaries decide to save him. It's pretty standard fare for this type of book and to be honest I preferred the movie.
amxgomex0624's review against another edition
5.0
oh.my.days.
This 19980 character limit is no where near enough to say what I felt - feel - about this book.
This is seriously, like, THE MOST INCREDIBLE book I have EVER read. I can't even express. Thing is, it wasn't even that sad (there was the odd bit), but it made me cry. It was just so...amazingly written. Like, this author is a genius. I don't actually think I've ever felt so........empty; yet alive and excited, when I finished reading it.
And it's weird because, I read romances (most of all) and this wasn't a 'romance'. Yet it had some in it, and actually quite a main part of the story was the love between two of the protagonists, and it was just right, and it fitted in so well, and the romance bits he 'described' weren't like, Bodice Ripper description, but it was so wonderful. Wonderful enough to make me (a romantic) love it!!!
I guess, the thing is, it had all of my FAVOURITE aspects to my dream fiction novel.
• Historical - AD 470 (but way way waaay historical, how I love it)
• In general good plot-idea (fall of the Roman empire!! that's brilliant!)
• Amazing Hero & Heroine (I'm sorry, but Aurelius is like.....no words. He's THAT incredible. Awe-struck. And Livia?? She's awesome and wonderful)
• Romance (okay, but ROMANCE is ESSENTIAL to me, if it is to be a 'successful read' by my terms. And this book was perfect in terms of romance)
• Action (lots of it, and very descriptive, but not gory. It was thrilling and exciting to read)
• setting & society (one of the main reasons I read HR's is because of what life was like in (e.g) 1800's, or the regency era, or Victorian or Edwardian or whatever. But life, the people, how society worked, aristocracy, everything about it I love. But I also read Medieval novels because........I don't know. Just, something about that time period that draws me to it, and I love feeling as if I could be there. And this novel being set in AD 470's was the best part for me. The fact that it was SOOO long ago, and the way people lived, they had Emperor's, Legions!! The time of 'Julius Caesar'. I mean damn, how incredible is that. Celtic-Romans!! ACK! and GB was known as Britannia! That was awesome. Also they spoke Latin!!! That hit a deep spot for me because it personally is my favourite language, and what I feel is the most beautiful and brilliant language, and I'm trying so desperately - because I want so badly - to speak it; but It's hard to learn a dead language. But reading some lines/quotes/verses that were in Latin really affected me.
All I can say is, I love this book more than anything. Can't keep all these emotions at bay. ♥ ♥ ☺ :( ♥ ♥
This 19980 character limit is no where near enough to say what I felt - feel - about this book.
This is seriously, like, THE MOST INCREDIBLE book I have EVER read. I can't even express. Thing is, it wasn't even that sad (there was the odd bit), but it made me cry. It was just so...amazingly written. Like, this author is a genius. I don't actually think I've ever felt so........empty; yet alive and excited, when I finished reading it.
And it's weird because, I read romances (most of all) and this wasn't a 'romance'. Yet it had some in it, and actually quite a main part of the story was the love between two of the protagonists, and it was just right, and it fitted in so well, and the romance bits he 'described' weren't like, Bodice Ripper description, but it was so wonderful. Wonderful enough to make me (a romantic) love it!!!
I guess, the thing is, it had all of my FAVOURITE aspects to my dream fiction novel.
• Historical - AD 470 (but way way waaay historical, how I love it)
• In general good plot-idea (fall of the Roman empire!! that's brilliant!)
• Amazing Hero & Heroine (I'm sorry, but Aurelius is like.....no words. He's THAT incredible. Awe-struck. And Livia?? She's awesome and wonderful)
• Romance (okay, but ROMANCE is ESSENTIAL to me, if it is to be a 'successful read' by my terms. And this book was perfect in terms of romance)
• Action (lots of it, and very descriptive, but not gory. It was thrilling and exciting to read)
• setting & society (one of the main reasons I read HR's is because of what life was like in (e.g) 1800's, or the regency era, or Victorian or Edwardian or whatever. But life, the people, how society worked, aristocracy, everything about it I love. But I also read Medieval novels because........I don't know. Just, something about that time period that draws me to it, and I love feeling as if I could be there. And this novel being set in AD 470's was the best part for me. The fact that it was SOOO long ago, and the way people lived, they had Emperor's, Legions!! The time of 'Julius Caesar'. I mean damn, how incredible is that. Celtic-Romans!! ACK! and GB was known as Britannia! That was awesome. Also they spoke Latin!!! That hit a deep spot for me because it personally is my favourite language, and what I feel is the most beautiful and brilliant language, and I'm trying so desperately - because I want so badly - to speak it; but It's hard to learn a dead language. But reading some lines/quotes/verses that were in Latin really affected me.
All I can say is, I love this book more than anything. Can't keep all these emotions at bay. ♥ ♥ ☺ :( ♥ ♥
jnavbar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
hiddenbehindvolumes's review against another edition
I'm...bored icl. It's just not entertaining me and I'm 165 pages in
downby1's review against another edition
3.0
Superior in almost every way to its film adaptation, Last Legion is an interesting take on Late Antiquity and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The tie in with Arthurian Britain is far-fetched but plausible enough to carry the plot forward. However, Manfredi's characters are a bit flat at times. Some of this is doubtlessly due to what are some shaky translations from the Italian, which result in some odd English phrasing and some misdirected passages.
dominil's review against another edition
1.0
Stranamente questo è uno di quei casi in cui il film è centomila volte meglio del libro.
Sono 448 pagine che nessuno mi restituirà più, sprecate per un libro non brutto ma assolutamente noioso e scritto male.
Partiamo dall'inizio.
Siamo alla fine dell'Impero romano, i barbari hanno praticamente il possesso della penisola, poiché sono loro a fornire le forze militari, ma nominalmente l'imperatore è quel ragazzetto viziato di Romolo Augustolo.
Se all'inizio avevo compassione di lui, perchè poverino non l'aveva chiesto lui di ricoprire quella posizione, dopo un po' ogni sentimento di questo genere verso di lui è svanito completamente perchè è insoffribile, oltre che noioso da morire.
Ma questo è un tratto comune a tutti i personaggi visto che non ce n'è uno che abbia un briciolo di personalità.
La situazione, come già accennato, non è delle più tranquilla e la Nona Invicta (hahah! Che ironia -.-) viene sconfitta da barbari e solo pochissimi si salvano.
Aurelio è tra questi e cerca di avvisare il padre di Romolo, che però viene ammazzato dai suoi alleati barbari (ma che sorpresa!) perchè secondo loro non è stato ai patti. Seguono varie avventure di cui francamente non mi ricordo essendo emozionanti come un cetriolo e si arriva a Capri, dove Romolo e il suo maestro sono imprigionati e dove vengono salvati in fretta dopo che oh là là si ritrova la spada di Giulio Cesare.
Perché Augustolo è il legittimo erede, ovviamente, altrimenti col piffero che una spada del genere si sarebbe mostrata a lui.
Altre avventure in giro per la penisola e finalmente si arriva in Britannia, dove viene ricostruita la legione e viene sconfitto quel povero cristo di Wulfia a cui va sempre tutto male.
Il difetto di questo libro è che è carta sprecata.
Non entusiasma, non scandalizza, annoia solamente e tutto (eventi storici, avventure, personaggi, ecc) è buttato lì.
La storia d'"amore" tra Livia Prisca e il legionario è terrificante, sembra sbocciare da non si sa dove e i sentimenti sono inesistenti, non si capisce perchè i due dovrebbero amarsi.
Inoltre il "misterioso" passato di Aurelio è stato inventato apposta per dare un'aurea di mistero al personaggio e per salvare capre e cavoli.
Sul serio, 'sto qui non si ricorda non si sa quanti anni del suo passato e non ci ha mai pensato prima di incontrare Livia Prisca?
Davvero?
Io sarei preoccupata se mi accorgessi che non so cosa ho fatto cinque anni fa.
Poi la super rivelazione finale che serve a scusare il povero piccino che altrimenti si sarebbe incolpato a morte per la sua scelta è stato l'espediente più imbarazzante di sempre.
Il libro poteva risultare interessante se fosse stato più corto di trecento pagine, se ci fossero state meno avventure inutili con conseguenti descrizioni, e se ci fosse stato un approfondimento psicologico dei personaggi, senza tagliare né inventare cose all'improvviso.
Non credo che leggerò nulla dell'autore perchè, a quanto pare, becco sempre i suoi peggiori e non ho nessuna voglia di continuare a fissare le pagine sperando che finisca tutto in fretta.
Sono 448 pagine che nessuno mi restituirà più, sprecate per un libro non brutto ma assolutamente noioso e scritto male.
Partiamo dall'inizio.
Siamo alla fine dell'Impero romano, i barbari hanno praticamente il possesso della penisola, poiché sono loro a fornire le forze militari, ma nominalmente l'imperatore è quel ragazzetto viziato di Romolo Augustolo.
Se all'inizio avevo compassione di lui, perchè poverino non l'aveva chiesto lui di ricoprire quella posizione, dopo un po' ogni sentimento di questo genere verso di lui è svanito completamente perchè è insoffribile, oltre che noioso da morire.
Ma questo è un tratto comune a tutti i personaggi visto che non ce n'è uno che abbia un briciolo di personalità.
La situazione, come già accennato, non è delle più tranquilla e la Nona Invicta (hahah! Che ironia -.-) viene sconfitta da barbari e solo pochissimi si salvano.
Aurelio è tra questi e cerca di avvisare il padre di Romolo, che però viene ammazzato dai suoi alleati barbari (ma che sorpresa!) perchè secondo loro non è stato ai patti. Seguono varie avventure di cui francamente non mi ricordo essendo emozionanti come un cetriolo e si arriva a Capri, dove Romolo e il suo maestro sono imprigionati e dove vengono salvati in fretta dopo che oh là là si ritrova la spada di Giulio Cesare.
Perché Augustolo è il legittimo erede, ovviamente, altrimenti col piffero che una spada del genere si sarebbe mostrata a lui.
Altre avventure in giro per la penisola e finalmente si arriva in Britannia, dove viene ricostruita la legione e viene sconfitto quel povero cristo di Wulfia a cui va sempre tutto male.
Il difetto di questo libro è che è carta sprecata.
Non entusiasma, non scandalizza, annoia solamente e tutto (eventi storici, avventure, personaggi, ecc) è buttato lì.
La storia d'"amore" tra Livia Prisca e il legionario è terrificante, sembra sbocciare da non si sa dove e i sentimenti sono inesistenti, non si capisce perchè i due dovrebbero amarsi.
Inoltre il "misterioso" passato di Aurelio è stato inventato apposta per dare un'aurea di mistero al personaggio e per salvare capre e cavoli.
Sul serio, 'sto qui non si ricorda non si sa quanti anni del suo passato e non ci ha mai pensato prima di incontrare Livia Prisca?
Davvero?
Io sarei preoccupata se mi accorgessi che non so cosa ho fatto cinque anni fa.
Poi la super rivelazione finale che serve a scusare il povero piccino che altrimenti si sarebbe incolpato a morte per la sua scelta
Spoiler
aprire le porte della città ai barbari per cercare di salvare la vita ai propri genitoriIl libro poteva risultare interessante se fosse stato più corto di trecento pagine, se ci fossero state meno avventure inutili con conseguenti descrizioni, e se ci fosse stato un approfondimento psicologico dei personaggi, senza tagliare né inventare cose all'improvviso.
Non credo che leggerò nulla dell'autore perchè, a quanto pare, becco sempre i suoi peggiori e non ho nessuna voglia di continuare a fissare le pagine sperando che finisca tutto in fretta.
jgolomb's review against another edition
1.0
There aren't many books that I'll stop reading. I hate that feeling of a lack of accomplishment. But honestly, there are too many good, fun and/or interesting books to read rather than slogging through some simply unacceptable writing.
Manfredi's "The Last Legion" has a pretty solid story - in broad strokes it paints a picture of the very last days of the Western Roman Empire, the kidnapping of the Last Emperor - Romulus Agustus, and his rescue. I can't tell you more of the plot because I couldn't finish the book.
I got almost halfway through and came upon this gem:
Romulus Augustus to Livia (one of his saviors), discussing the strong silent hero: Are you Aurelius's girlfriend?
Livia: No, I'm not
RA: Would you like to be?
Livia: I don't think it concerns you.
Really? RA sounds like a 5 year old whose parents have recently gone through a divorce and mommy is now starting to date...
Romulus's character ranges from strong-budding-emperor, to mentally challenged half-wit, to brooding insolent teenager. It was all over the place.
It occurred to me, as it did to another reviewer, that the problem may simply be the translation. If that's the case, then the translation needs a decent edit. I've not read any of Manfredi's other work, but it's wildly popular. If it's not the translation, then no need for me to add his Alexander series to my Wishlist.
If you're looking for a fun Roman Military read, go with Scarrow's Eagle series, or Michael Curtis Ford's "The Fall of Rome" which addresses the same time period and ends with the fall of Romulus Augustus. If you want something deeper that touches on the end of the Empire, go with Breem's "Eagle in the Snow".
But by all means, beware of "The Last Legion".
Manfredi's "The Last Legion" has a pretty solid story - in broad strokes it paints a picture of the very last days of the Western Roman Empire, the kidnapping of the Last Emperor - Romulus Agustus, and his rescue. I can't tell you more of the plot because I couldn't finish the book.
I got almost halfway through and came upon this gem:
Romulus Augustus to Livia (one of his saviors), discussing the strong silent hero: Are you Aurelius's girlfriend?
Livia: No, I'm not
RA: Would you like to be?
Livia: I don't think it concerns you.
Really? RA sounds like a 5 year old whose parents have recently gone through a divorce and mommy is now starting to date...
Romulus's character ranges from strong-budding-emperor, to mentally challenged half-wit, to brooding insolent teenager. It was all over the place.
It occurred to me, as it did to another reviewer, that the problem may simply be the translation. If that's the case, then the translation needs a decent edit. I've not read any of Manfredi's other work, but it's wildly popular. If it's not the translation, then no need for me to add his Alexander series to my Wishlist.
If you're looking for a fun Roman Military read, go with Scarrow's Eagle series, or Michael Curtis Ford's "The Fall of Rome" which addresses the same time period and ends with the fall of Romulus Augustus. If you want something deeper that touches on the end of the Empire, go with Breem's "Eagle in the Snow".
But by all means, beware of "The Last Legion".
fr4nc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
saessenach's review against another edition
5.0
this book. this book fucked me up. why don't people read this, again? it had everything you could possibly wish for: roman culture, mostly accurate historical background, psychological conflict, amazing character development, inspiring quotes who make you re-think your existence, consistent plot, bamf female characters, tear-jerking love story, sword fights, cultural conflicts and last, but not least, that writing style, you know which one, the one making readers eat the goddamn pages and cry at the end. it was one of my reading highlights of this year. it changed me somewhat. it made me more optimistic, it gave me hope that, no matter what, the world (Rome, if I am to quote the book), is not represented by one people or by one race; "Rome is an ideal. And ideals may never die." Please, just go ahead and do yourself a favour and read this book. You're not going to be sorry.
pibeytor's review against another edition
4.0
La Última Legión: Terminado
Esta vez me tomó 19½ horas.
(Lo leí en sotto voce, haciendo voces diferentes para los personajes)
Debo decir que es un libro bastante fácil de leer (especialmente si acabas de leer el Silmarillion haha)
Ayuda mucho que sean lugares reales y no ficticios. Así te concentras mas en la trama que en dónde están.
No voy a negar que tiene unas dos que tres pasadas bien Conveniently-Cringy que me hicieron rodar los ojos...
Así, también tuvo otras bien emocionantes, que hasta se agüitan los ojos, sobretodo acercándome al final.
Pero el epílogo es lo mejor! Especialmente, si eres de Slytherin.
Gracias @sandylezb por la recomendación!
#shelfesteem #theLastLegion #laultimalegion #valeriomassimomanfredi #bookstagram
Esta vez me tomó 19½ horas.
(Lo leí en sotto voce, haciendo voces diferentes para los personajes)
Debo decir que es un libro bastante fácil de leer (especialmente si acabas de leer el Silmarillion haha)
Ayuda mucho que sean lugares reales y no ficticios. Así te concentras mas en la trama que en dónde están.
No voy a negar que tiene unas dos que tres pasadas bien Conveniently-Cringy que me hicieron rodar los ojos...
Así, también tuvo otras bien emocionantes, que hasta se agüitan los ojos, sobretodo acercándome al final.
Pero el epílogo es lo mejor! Especialmente, si eres de Slytherin.
Gracias @sandylezb por la recomendación!
#shelfesteem #theLastLegion #laultimalegion #valeriomassimomanfredi #bookstagram