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Adam Lofthouse

CIRCUS MAXIMUS by A.D. O'Neill


A book that tells the tale of the Year of the Four Emperor's and its lead up through the eyes of the Circus Maximus.


It is told in the style of a history, with our 'historian' narrating the tale of his father's stewardship of the Greens and their rise and fall under different emperors.


This style limits the narrative, and there is quite a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. If told through the eyes of the charioteers themselves I feel the author would have got a lot more of an emotional connection with the characters. As it is I felt quite distant reading the tales of the races on the sand. Having said that, having chosen this style the author does the best they can with it. Historically it feels authentic, the research that has gone into this must have been huge. For the Roman history enthusiasts (like me!) there are countless little nuggets buried in the text that had me nodding or smiling as I read.


It starts quite slowly, and for the first third I did wonder if it was going to pick up, but just beyond the halfway mark it does and it was then I became more engrossed.


Would definitely recommend for lovers of Roman history in particular. Some more casual historical fiction fans may struggle to get into it.

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