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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Fiction, Questionable History, June 11, 2003
Emperor Julian is one of the most controversial figures of the late Roman / early Christian period. He stands alone in that he tried to reverse the Empire's adoption of Christianity as a state religion. For this he is loathed by the Church (which named him the Apostate) and worshiped by the most romantic admirers of the Classical Period. Michael Curtis Ford has attempted to unravel Julian's complex personality and interpret his actions by delving deep into his early childhood and experiences as the military leader of the armies of Gaul. He then follows him through his ascention to the throne and his agressive slide into increasingly erratic and controversial behaviour towards the end of his life. The journey is very enjoyable. Ford writes the political intrigue, the fight to defend Gaul and the young commander's development very well indeed. The Empire's progressive stagnation can be felt, the conflicts between the old and new ideals are quickly outlined. So, the first two thirds of the book, or so, are really quite good. Unfortunatelly, towards the end, where the novel reaches the most controversial aspects of the story, Ford seems to run out of steam. Or perhaps, he is reluctant to offend mainstream sensibilities. The narrative becomes rather one-sided, using mostly the viewpoints of Christian clerics to describe Julian's actions and interpret his motives. He quite innexplicably turns from a tolerant, cultured "philosopher king" to a bloodthirsty pagan ruler, bent on continuous sacrifices, and fanatical worshiping of forgotten deities, under the influence of a malicious dwarf! In this the book fails to convince. For example, a bit of background on the religious upheaval and continuous state-sponsored prosecutions of the preceding 50 years or so would have shed some light on the situation and help the reader understand Julian's transformation - yet none is given. Instead, the Emperor's behaviour is simply attributed to a deseased mind, poisoned from having harboured feelings of vengeanace for years (his family was murdered) and the story quickly rushes to an end. If your interest lies in Julian and his story, this novel is going to dissapoint you. However, if you are simply a fan of the period and love reading about Rome and the Romans, you will certainly enjoy it.
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17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Where Are The Politics?, December 2, 2002
The mid-Fourth Century Emperor Julian is definitely one of the more fascinating characters in the later Roman Empire. In a time of growing Christianity and crumbling power, Julian was a strong leader and a devout Hellenistic Pagan. He brought decisive victories against the barbarians invading Gaul (modern-day France) and the Persians - the eternal thorn in the side of Rome, but died in a catastrophic overshooting of his resources in the midst of attacking the Persians at the heart of their Empire. Ford's treatment of Julian and the times in which he lived is both strong and disappointing at the same time. The sense of military tension and the increasing Orientalism of the Imperial Court come through strongly, and Julian's campaigns in Gaul and Persia are well-researched. Nonetheless, there's a very "Middle Ages" sense to the Christian church of timelessness and doctrine - when it should be in the midst of faction purges and self-definition - as well as a close-knit feel of Roman politics that never existed. Admittedly, there's little reason to make "Gods and Legions" another "I, Claudius", but the political life of the novel is boiled down to half a dozen or so memorable characters. To write a novel about the Roman Empire that glosses over politics is like writing a novel of Eighteenth Century America that glosses over the British. It's obvious from his postscript that Ford has done his research - he's thoroughly combed the best sources of the times including Julian's own writings for the sense of power and contradiction that the man's legacy carries even today. However, the contradictions he focuses on loan themselves more to Julian's character than his history. He uses Ammianus Marcellinus (a fourth-century solider who wrote a great deal about Julian from a first-hand perspective) very hazardously, practically quoting directly at some points and totally ignoring him when he wants to give Julian a more mystical, fantastic presence (which can be somewhat odd considering that Ammianus was one of his chief supporters in the historical record). In all, Ford's book makes for a decent novel and a decent military grounding in Julian's accomplishments, but fails in numerous accounts to give as accurate an impression of the time as Ford would have you believe. If you have a casual interest in Roman history, it's a decent way to kill a plane ride, but I'd caution the serious student to take this book with a grain of salt.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Why Put Forth the Effort?, July 24, 2006
Gore Vidal's "Julian" is one of my favorite all-time books, so I thought I might enjoy another on the subject. All-in-all I was disappointed and only managed to make it about 3/4 of the way through with much effort. Though the author's writing style is quite readable, writing a story from the viewpoint of someone who diliked Julian and is supposed to be his friend just didn't cut it with me. The self-righteous Christian got old real fast. And the secondary characters like Oribasius and Maximus were so vividly done by Vidal as to make them a jarring, discordant note in this work. The only way it was in any way better than Vidal's work is the battle descriptions, which are well done.
To me it was like someone trying to re-write Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird or A Confederacy of Dunces. It can't be improved upon, so why put forth the effort?
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