The Forgotten Legion [Hardcover]

Ben Kane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

Set in the late Roman Republic, in the first century B.C.E., The Forgotten Legion is a tale of the greatest empire of the ancient world from the perspective of those on the lowest rungs of its society.  Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery to a enslaved mother who is much beloved by them, and much abused by their owner. At 13 years old, they and their mother are sold: Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome, and their mother into obscurity and death in the salt mines.

Tarquinius is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome and trained by the last haruspex in the forgotten arts of divination. A runaway slave, then an AWOL Legionaire, he has a long foretold destiny that will take him to the very ends of the known world.
Brennus is a Gaul from the Allobreges tribe. In the battle against the Roman army, his entire family, perhaps his entire tribe, is slaughtered, and only he survives to be sold as a slave to be trained as a gladiator. He rises to become one of the most famous and feared gladiators of his day - and mentor to the boy slave, Romulus, who dreams night and day of escape and of revenge.

The lives of these four characters are bound and interwoven in a marvellous story which begins in a Rome riven by corruption, violence and political enmities, but ends far away, where Romulus, Brennus and Tarquinius find themselves fighting against the Parthians and overwhelming odds - survivors of one of the most legendary battles in Roman military history and destined to become part of one of the most compelling, enduring legends:  The Forgotten Legion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two gladiators, a soothsayer and a prostitute seek freedom and revenge in Kane's sword and sandal epic that starts strong but runs adrift after too many bloody battles. While Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus struggle for control of Rome, Romulus and Fabiola, the illegitimate children of a slave raped by a nobleman, run afoul of their master and are sold off; Romulus to gladiator school and Fabiola to the citys fanciest brothel. Romulus is trained by Brennus, a fearsome gladiator whose family was slaughtered by the Roman army. Across the Forum, Fabiola, soon a favored courtesan of the social elite, vows to save her brother from certain death and to destroy the man who fathered her. After a fatal accident outside the brothel, Romulus and Brennus flee the city, joining up with Tarquinius, an Etruscan warrior who can glimpse the future. The trio enlists in Crassuss army as they prepare to invade the Parthian Empire, a military action that quickly turns disastrous. Though the cliffhanger ending is oddly underwhelming (a sequel is in the works), readers into Roman intrigue and epic violence will consider Kanes debut promising. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

This may be the only historical novel in which a principal character is a proto-Etruscan nationalist. In this lively and often riveting first novel, Kane captures much of the chaos, brutality, and splendor of the late republic in the first century BCE, when Rome was ruled by the First Triumvirate of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Curiously, the four main characters are from the underside of society, and each has reason to despise the power of the emerging Roman superstate. Tarquinius labors on a latifundium and bemoans the loss of Etruscan greatness and subservience to Latin cultural and political domination. Brennus is a great gladiator whose family fell victim to imperial expansion. The twins, Romulus and Fabiola, suffer the degradation of slavery. Each of them is caught up in one of the seminal episodes of the century, as Crassus, seeking military glory, launched an expedition against Rome’s archenemy in the East, Parthia. Kane clearly knows the history of the period, and his story is rich in accurate historical detail. The characterizations are finely drawn and set against a dangerous, cruel, but often thrilling landscape. --Jay Freeman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312536712
• ISBN-13: 978-0312536718
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #449,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, July 26, 2008

By 

N. Brett (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Forgotten Legion (Forgotten Legion Chronicles 1) (Hardcover)

A debut author gives a welcome and impressive addition to the range of novels set in Roman times. UK reviews have mad mention of both Simon Scarrow and C Iggulden, but in my humble opinion this is much near the style of Iggulden. The Scarrow novels tend to have more of a focus on the action and, to me, are a Roman version of Cornwall's Sharpe novels. Of course this does have action but a lot of effort has been put into the historical and political side to balance the character development and backstory.
This sets things up by introducing the characters and then eventually bringing them together as they battle together in far away lands.
The author knows his stuff and that comes over in every page. The first in a series, I suspect the next one will be even better as Mr Kane becomes more comfortable with the characters and has less need for backstories.
This is an increasingly crowded market but quality is always welcome.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Forgotten Legion...a Book to Remember!, March 17, 2009

By 

Scott Masterton (Blaine, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Forgotten Legion (Hardcover)

It's hard to believe that this book is Ben kane's first novel. This young author writes with maturity and style that pulls the reader into the time period with characterization that all of us can relate to.

If you enjoy Steven Pressfield, Jack Whyte and Conn Iggulden you will love this book. Like Iggulden's Emperor series, "The Forgotten Legion" takes place during the rise and fall of Julius Caesar. Unlike Igguldens books though, Kane describes the times from the perspective of three slaves: brother and sister (twins) Romulus and Fabiola, and the captured Gaul Warrior Brennus. In addition, Tarquinius an Etruscan master of war and divination adds a sense of destiny and magic to this historical piece of fiction. Romulus and Fabiola are sold respectively to a famous gladiatorial school and famous house of prostitution. Kane pulls no punches in his description of gladiatorial combat, war, filth and the ultimately dehumanized state that was the lot of slaves.

The three males meet up after Romulus and Brennus escape from the Ludus Magnus. These men that have every reason to loath Rome ironically end up fighting for her under incompetent military leader Crassus and surviving a bloody battle with the Parthians only to find themselves in chains again. Fabiola becomes the favorite prostitute of a key political figure and there is even the hint that the twins hold a genetic secret that could add a real twist to this series.

While the action and storytelling are great and the historical perspective fascinating; the best thing about this new series is that it is addictively entertaining. Rumor has it that the next novel in Ben kane's series comes out in July of this year. I for one will be first in line for my copy.

68 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Victims of Rome, September 6, 2009

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A Reader (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Forgotten Legion (Hardcover)

Forgotten Legion could be a pretty good book. It has some things going for it, an intriguing premise and smooth writing. It has fatal flaws in other areas that prevent me from slogging through the whole thing.

1) It has a lefty view of history in which the world is divided up into two groups: exploiters and victims. You see, one day the Gauls were out traipsing through the woods, picking flowers, as was their wont. The only downside to this idyllic existence was that they often had to spend too much time away from their wives and babies. Then one day the evil Romans came along and burned their village... The same for the Etruscans, poor fellows, another group of traipsing flower-pickers done in by the nasty Romans. Kane goes so far as to attempt to paint the Carthaginians as victims too. Yes, the poor Carthaginians, happily tending their empire, which they called Happy Valley, when one day...

Yes, we get it. American Indians, Etruscans, Gauls, Neanderthal Man...the list of history's victims is endless. Then, (dim lights, cue ominous music): Romans, Americans, pre-socialist British, Cro-Magnons...history's heavies. Enough already. We get it. How tiresome!

2) From the "what hath Steven Pressfield wrought?" department. Gritty realism in the form of, mainly, modern profanity. Lots of it. Personally, I read historical fiction to be transported to another time, the more exotic the better. I enjoy a good hero now and then, larger than life characters. Kane's minions are all in the gutter. Kane's Roman world is no more exotic than the worst parts of a modern every-city. Spell broken. Personal taste on my part.

3) Bloat, the most damaging. I realize that publishing houses no longer use editors. But it seems writers are incapable of editing their own works. This book is probably 30% too long. It's the first of a trilogy and it shows. Consider these scintillating passages (from Chapter 15. I could have thrown my dart anywhere and found other examples.):

Chapter starts off with gladiators waking up. (Every chapter should start with characters waking up, right? Start at the beginning, I say.) Then, get this, they eat breakfast. Let's join the action...

"Brennus covered a piece of bread in honey. "Want some?" he asked, shoving it into his mouth.
(You'll never believe the response, dear reader. Wait for it...Wait for it...)
"No."

On the next page, this riveting gem:
"Be careful." Astoria seemed worried as she kissed the blond warrior. "Stay together."
"Stop fussing woman!" Brennus gently squeezed her backside. "Cook me more of those mice."

Still awake? Next page, we get this high drama:
Sextus hefted the double-headed axe with a wink. "[I'll] Keep an eye out for you." (The author routinely lops off the beginnings of sentences in dialogue, intending to make it sound natural, but it usually only obscures the meaning.)
"Thank you."
"You would do the same for me."
"I would."

Go to any point in the book and you'll find this. Start at chapter 1.

Kane should learn to listen to his inner voice, because it's telling him to move things along. Again, from chapter 15, thrown in amidst the above lines of dialogue are these passages.

"The sooner we get to the arena, the better." (Couldn't agree more. How about skipping the whole waking up/eating scene?)
"It should be interesting today." (Yes, and hopefully soon!)
"Suddenly Romulus felt keen to get to the arena." (Me, too, pal...Me, too...)

These are 4 pages that should have been cut out entirely. But I shouldn't just pick on this book because there are plenty of culprits. The first 29 pages of River God should be cut by 20 pages, for example. There is a sentence in Ford's "Fall of Rome" that is 96 words long. Personally, I've had it with books that require me to edit them while I read. No more flipping ahead pages trying to find the story. A trilogy? Forget it. Do writers really think we readers have nothing better to do with our time than edit their bloated books?