A review by the_coycaterpillar_reads
The Fort by Adrian Goldsworthy
4.0
Sometimes you just pick up a book and fall into another time. The Fort by Adrian Goldsworthy is one such book. The time, the characters, the narrative. Everything just seems to slot into place. The characterization skills are terrifically utilized and the plot was swift-moving and often balancing on a knife-edge. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and I genuinely believe that I would be hard placed to see a better example of it than, The Fort.
Flavius Ferox is a character that instantly called to me. He’s vivid, he’s alive and passionate. His character arc and internal monologue cast me into a time where brutality is the norm, look around you – it’s there. You hear the clang of shields, the roar of pain, and the destruction lying all around.
The Fort is the start of a new series but it features some of the characters from the Vindolanda series. If you are like me and haven’t read the previous series then rest assured the author has your back. There are hints and subtle hints left for you to pick up the missing information.
“You are a hard man to kill, and you have the knack of winning against the odds.”
Centurion Ferox and his right-hand man, Vindex are posted out to a Fort at the border of Dacia (modern time, Romania.) It’s their job to hold The Fort there, there is short-lived peace in that are between its inhabitants and the Roman Empire. His force is backed up by fierce Brigantes (Britons.) They are brutal and nothing is going to stop them from getting their pound of flesh and more than a drop of blood. They hunger for it. They are exactly the right type of soldier to have backing you up in a bloody war.
The action in The Fort is extreme and bloody. It is everything it needs to be. It’s fast-paced and gave me a birds-eye view of Roman rule. Conquer, destroy and civilize. Ferox always seems to be right in the middle of trouble, in fact, trouble always seems to follow him. Matters only made worse by a super ambitious Hadrian and trying to control the Brigantes under his control. It seems like a merry band of murderers, rebels, and convicts. He has just about as much trouble controlling the Dacians as he does his own Brigantes. He also isn’t aware that The Emperor’s cousin is on his way with extremely ambitious plans of his own.
Goldsworthy creates a vivid and brutal landscape in The Fort. Viscerally captivating. He makes us rethink history.
Flavius Ferox is a character that instantly called to me. He’s vivid, he’s alive and passionate. His character arc and internal monologue cast me into a time where brutality is the norm, look around you – it’s there. You hear the clang of shields, the roar of pain, and the destruction lying all around.
The Fort is the start of a new series but it features some of the characters from the Vindolanda series. If you are like me and haven’t read the previous series then rest assured the author has your back. There are hints and subtle hints left for you to pick up the missing information.
“You are a hard man to kill, and you have the knack of winning against the odds.”
Centurion Ferox and his right-hand man, Vindex are posted out to a Fort at the border of Dacia (modern time, Romania.) It’s their job to hold The Fort there, there is short-lived peace in that are between its inhabitants and the Roman Empire. His force is backed up by fierce Brigantes (Britons.) They are brutal and nothing is going to stop them from getting their pound of flesh and more than a drop of blood. They hunger for it. They are exactly the right type of soldier to have backing you up in a bloody war.
The action in The Fort is extreme and bloody. It is everything it needs to be. It’s fast-paced and gave me a birds-eye view of Roman rule. Conquer, destroy and civilize. Ferox always seems to be right in the middle of trouble, in fact, trouble always seems to follow him. Matters only made worse by a super ambitious Hadrian and trying to control the Brigantes under his control. It seems like a merry band of murderers, rebels, and convicts. He has just about as much trouble controlling the Dacians as he does his own Brigantes. He also isn’t aware that The Emperor’s cousin is on his way with extremely ambitious plans of his own.
Goldsworthy creates a vivid and brutal landscape in The Fort. Viscerally captivating. He makes us rethink history.