This is a story about the strange things that happen on the edge of the
world--and that is how Hadrian's Wall appears to the Romans who have to man
it. When Valeria comes from Rome as the wife of the newly appointed tribune
Lucius Marcus Flavius it sparks off a chain of tumultuous events. To
Marcus, marrying her will get him to post he desires but in doing so he
ousts the more deserving veteran Galba Brassidias from a position he has
worked for all his soldiering life. Over the Wall there is Arden Caractacus
who hates everything about Rome and who lusts after Valeria too. One Wall,
one position as commander and one woman--but three very different men.
There is a compelling feeling of life on the edge in this novel--not only
the edge of the Roman world, and the edge of the Celtic domain but also the
edge where the Roman Empire ends and the Dark Ages begin. Perhaps there is
nothing new about the basic plot, but respected historical novelist Dietrich
knows how to tell his tale, and this is a seething cauldron of passions as
the three very different men battle it out to win the fair Valeria and
whatever else they desire. Valeria has her own agenda too, and these four
characters are interesting enough to carry the story without a cast of
thousands. The device of having flashforwards to the inquiry after the
momentous events of the actual story does spoil a few surprises and slow up
the action (a bit like the adverts? No, not quite as contradictory) but
there is still plenty to enjoy. Dietrich knows how to pack his tale into a
modest length of pages, and the combination of history, romance and action
make this is story to appeal to both sexes and those who like a variety of
different fictional genres. Highly recommended.
Rachel A Hyde
![[Hadrian's Wall]](hadrianswall.jpg)
![[Back to Bygone Days]](/bygone/wburg_carriage_small_2.jpg)