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A review by trowellingbadger
The Encircling Sea by Adrian Goldsworthy
4.0
Definitely one of the better Roman fiction series so far (although I'm a bit biased towards Roman Britain given it's what I research!). Goldsworthy is an eminent historian of the Roman army and has used his considerable expertise to create an authentic and believable setting for the book, with good characterisation and an enjoyable plot.
The series is set in time period less often explored in similar books: namely the late 1st/early 2nd Century in northern Britain. This places it over half a century after Claudius' invasion but a couple of decades before the construction of Hadrian's Wall. This is fairly early in the occupation of northern Britain when there was no clear barrier demarcating the limits of Roman conquest (although it is arguable to what extent the Wall performed such a function) and where complex relationships existed in a flexible, permeable border region. Goldsworthy explores the dynamics of the region well, and avoids slipping into the trap of imposing modern ideas of Roman v non-Roman, or of social castes onto the characters in the story. For instance, the main character is a Silurian Briton, fostered by Romans and brought up to serve in the Roman army, and most of the supporting 'Roman' characters are other Britons or Germans (as was historically the case in this region at the time).
The plot is good, if perhaps a little more rushed than in book 1, although it's an interesting one, again different from many books' focus on linear borders or the invasion. As the title would suggest, the sea is central to the plot. Many of the interactions throughout the book, both diplomatic and warlike, occur as a result of connections across the sea, between Britannia and Hibernia, as well as the islands to the south west of modern Scotland. Again there are variations within these relationships, and the world is not divided into Romans and enemies.
The plot does suffer a little occasionally with an overabundance of detail, some of which could have been sacrificed for the sake of narrative. As I said earlier, I think aspects of the plot are a little thin and perhaps the book could have been given more space to breathe: some parts of it do get a little predictable and I wonder if that was because plot threads needed to be wrapped up quickly. Regardless, I enjoyed it a great deal and if you have an interest in historical fiction, particularly of Rome, there are many worse books you could read!
The series is set in time period less often explored in similar books: namely the late 1st/early 2nd Century in northern Britain. This places it over half a century after Claudius' invasion but a couple of decades before the construction of Hadrian's Wall. This is fairly early in the occupation of northern Britain when there was no clear barrier demarcating the limits of Roman conquest (although it is arguable to what extent the Wall performed such a function) and where complex relationships existed in a flexible, permeable border region. Goldsworthy explores the dynamics of the region well, and avoids slipping into the trap of imposing modern ideas of Roman v non-Roman, or of social castes onto the characters in the story. For instance, the main character is a Silurian Briton, fostered by Romans and brought up to serve in the Roman army, and most of the supporting 'Roman' characters are other Britons or Germans (as was historically the case in this region at the time).
The plot is good, if perhaps a little more rushed than in book 1, although it's an interesting one, again different from many books' focus on linear borders or the invasion. As the title would suggest, the sea is central to the plot. Many of the interactions throughout the book, both diplomatic and warlike, occur as a result of connections across the sea, between Britannia and Hibernia, as well as the islands to the south west of modern Scotland. Again there are variations within these relationships, and the world is not divided into Romans and enemies.
The plot does suffer a little occasionally with an overabundance of detail, some of which could have been sacrificed for the sake of narrative. As I said earlier, I think aspects of the plot are a little thin and perhaps the book could have been given more space to breathe: some parts of it do get a little predictable and I wonder if that was because plot threads needed to be wrapped up quickly. Regardless, I enjoyed it a great deal and if you have an interest in historical fiction, particularly of Rome, there are many worse books you could read!