Bibliofreakblog

The Forgotten Legion by Ben Kane

About 200 pages into this 500+ page epic, I figured out that this most be book 1 of a series.  The main characters had not even joined the army yet.

But guess what!  I’m not complaining about it.  Not that much.

The story of Forgotten Legion is based on Roman legionaries, who were lead by Crassus into what is now Iran.  They were massively defeated and forgotten about.  Hence the title.

But that’s not really the story.  The story itself is more character-driven than battle-driven.  Like I said, they don’t even join the army until many chapters have passed.  That’s not to say that it’s not riddled with violence.  I mean, this is ancient Rome.

However, when I say that this is character-driven, that’s with a grain of salt.  True, the story moves more because of the characters than because of things like battles.  And as engaging as these characters can be, OMG, they are cliché.  

Get this: There’s the brooding Gaul, whose whole village was destroyed by the Romans.  Sold into slavery, he becomes the top gladiator in Rome.

Then there’s the terse seer, descended from the ancient Etruscans, who still carries the torch of his culture after centuries of Roman rule.

And twins!  Born into slavery, the boy is sold to a gladiator school.  He dreams of being the next Spartacus and uniting the slaves against their oppressors.  His sister is sold to a high end brothel.  Clinging to a glimmer of hope that her brother and mother may still be alive, she learns the art of seduction and uses her wiles to learn information about politics.

So, see!  See what I mean!  And truly, they never really break out of their roles.  So how is it character-driven?  Because it’s an immensely slow build (is that an oxymoron?  not sure).  

Point is, it’s still an enjoyable read.  Will I read the next one?  Probably.

Yo FTC!  I received this book as part of a TLC Blog Tour.  For more information, visit the Forgotten Legion page on their site.
Buy The Forgotten Legion on Amazon

If you like this book/author, you might like:

(my reviews in blue)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant 
The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge
Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
River God by Wilbur Smith
The Last King: Rome’s Greatest Enemy by Michael Curtis Ford
Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare and Mustashirk Mahbab

Other works by Ben Kane:

The Silver Eagle

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