Customer Reviews

ISLAND OF GHOSTS

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Island of Ghosts falls into what I call the Mary Renault School -- historical fiction that is so compellingly good that you end up believing this is how it actually happened. Gillian Bradshaw has taken a historical "footnote"--the arrival of Sarmatian cavalry in Britain--and turned it into a rousingly good story. I sat down and read this book in one afternoon, then re-read it the next day. Characters and their motivations are for the most part quite believable (although the villainess was just a tad extreme) and I found myself caring about what happened to them. This book is a great example of historical fiction, with just a little romance thrown in for good measure. I am quite a fan of the author's -- I have read all of her work -- and while I might not rate this as the best of her books, it's right up there near the top. If you read this book, you will not be disappointed -- I swear on fire.

This book took me by surprise. I tend to like "girl" books--female protagonists, relationship issues, flowery prose, and so forth. The only reason I gave this book (which is about a Sarmatian soldier)a chance was because I am an ancient history buff, and I was looking for a bit of historical fiction. Well, I could not put this book down! I finished it in one day. Now, I am on Amazon ordering all of Gillian Bradshaw's other books. What really sold me about this book was the attention to detail. I mean, it's about a soldier, but he has been sent to Britain to serve under the Romans. He is constantly negotiating between his own Sarmatian customs (trying to preserve them) and the customs of both Rome and the indigenous British. Everything from food to armor to sleep habits becomes an issue. The book opens with the water-fearing Sarmatians(your soul is lost if you die by drowning)camped at the English Channel. They've never seen such a wide expanse of water, and they believe they are at the end of the world. The Romans intend to ferry them across to the island of Britain, but the Sarmatians fear that there is no island and that the Romans are looking to get them on the boats and drown them. It's really good stuff. You also have a wonderful cross-section of British Roman society--the Christian slave, the evil druid princess, the world-weary Roman centurion. This book is a must-read for ancient history buffs.

When Samartian cavalry, as the result of a political deal, were assigned to duty in 2nd century Roman Britain, hatreds and cultural conflicts reached the boiling point between the Samartians and the Romans, among the Samartians leaders and also involved all of them with long-simmering conflicts among the island's native residents. It's a political story from Roman times with overtones touching on what happens nowadays in Northern Ireland, in Israel and in the Balkans. That's why there is more "history" than "fiction" to this piece of "historical fiction." It's well worth reading for those who like a good yarn as well as digesting some food for thought about how things remain the same, even though eighteen centuries have passed. Since reading Ms. Bradshaw's book, I have read her "Tower at Alexandria" and "The Bearkeeper's Daughter." Both are in the same Roman setting, but oddly enough relate what happened then to today's feminism. There is nothing new under the sun.

Gillian Bradford's tale of Ariantes and his Sarmatian comrades-in-arm delights in its smallness and arouses in the largeness of its message. Ariantes has swore an oath to the Roman Emperor and as a man who does not take any promise lightly, he would rather die than submit his name to dishonor. However, as a prince of a conquered people, Ariantes finds himself reduced to leading his squadron of men in the strange world of the Romans where diplomacy and deceit walk hand in hand. Ariantes' simpler life of breeding horses, making war and caring for his family disappears in the blink of an eye as he and his troops make camp on the not completely Romanized isle of Britain, near Hadrian's Wall. Yet Ariantes adapts; he finds himself negotiating for his men in matters of pay, rations and privileges and devising schemes to keep the hot headed Sarmatians from fighting amongst themselves to avoid the stricter penalties of Roman justice. As Ariantes manipulates the Roman system to better accommodate his men, he struggles to understand the customs of his conquerors and of the British tribes he and his men have sworn to simultaneously protect and keep down. Above all Ariantes remains true to himself and to what his people believe in. When he finds himself embroiled in a plot involving druids, the Pict tribe, an ambitious woman and two of his Sarmatian brothers, his true nobility is put to the test.

Like her other historical novels, Island of Ghosts provides an interesting glimpse into a world where inner strength defines true courage. This portrayal of a man uprooted from his home and his assimilation into a foreign place with different values speaks universally to anyone coming in contact with a new environment. Recommended to all who love historical fiction and a strong male character who will not knuckle under political forces.

There's a lot of junk out there in the realm of historical fiction. But this book is not one of those. ISLAND OF GHOSTS is a tightly written tale of Sarmation cavalry (from the historical land of the Scyths in what is today southern Russia) drafted, through defeat in battle, into the Roman occupying forces in Britain. Tautly told, this one traces the entry of these troops, after a lengthy and unpleasant trek across Europe, into the Roman province of Britain where they are confronted by their uneasy Roman hosts and bitter rivalries and conspiracies among the locals. The hero, a somewhat disheartened Sarmation commander named Ariantes, must manuever and scheme to save his men and their honor in a foreign and markedly hostile environment, in the face of a plot to oust the Romans in favor of a Druidic revival. How he navigates the rock-strewn path he finds before him, in the face of his own sense of a living death-in-exile, and learns to accept others for what they are make up the bulk of this well-wrought story. The tale, though a might predictable and peopled by the usual cast of stock characters one would expect to find in such a book, is still immensely entertaining and keeps you turning the pages. The view of the Romans and Britains of the time also rings true while the voice, though contemporary in its phrasings, is subtly enough rendered that you barely notice. It never really seems to slip into anachronistic modernisms despite its fealty to the conventions of modern fiction. Indeed, while on reflection, I thought some of the turns of phrase out of place, I barely noticed these as I was reading and so felt quite comfortable with the narrative as it drove relentlessly onward to a most satisfying conclusion. If I thought that Ariantes seemed a bit too modern, too sensitive, indeed, too enlightened, for a "barbarian" commander who was accustomed to scalping his enemies, I must happily add that it did not bother me in the reading. And that is testament enough to a well turned tale. In sum, I liked this one and read it in two days without ever feeling a need to come up for air. A good strong narrative in an historically compelling setting. If you like historical fiction, this one's worth your time.

SWMThe King of Vinland's Saga

Having read all the Jack Whyte Arthurian series, I was glad to "discover" Bradshaw. Although "Island" is told from a different perspective--that of a semi-barbarian commander, forced by circumstances and honor to soldier for Rome--the setting is also Roman Britain. But don't mistake this for "romantic fiction." It's easy enough to read; but holds the interest because of a solid story line and ring of truth. As a historian, I appreciate Bradshaw's careful use of fact and fiction, her gentle treatment of exotic practices, and her explanations (instead of footnotes.)As a reader, I loved the sensitive first-person narrative, the carefully-built characterizations of protagonist, his friends and lover. I was grateful for names that made ethnicsense but were mostly manageable. My only complaint would be: too many minor characters with no personality. I plan to take a careful look at Ms. Bradshaw's back list, and look forward to her new book.

In the Caucasus Mountains, in the little republics of the Ossetians, the inhabitants still tell stories about their medieval ancestors the Alans and their greatest heroes, the Narts. One of the Nart heroes is said to have been mortally wounded in a great battle. Knowing death was near he told one of his warriors to heave his magical saber into the Sea. The warrior departed with the sword, but intent on keeping it did not throw it into the Sea. The dying Nart does not believe him when he claims that the sword simply sank into the waters, so he angrily demands that the warrior obey him. At the final try, the warrior tells the hero that when the saber hit the waves the water roiled and boiled red, rushing upward in a great gush. Satisfied, the hero dies.

How could modern Ossetians be telling stories that sound so much like the story of King Arthur and his magical sword Excalibur? This novel contains the answer, as does the recent movie "King Arthur". "Islands of Ghosts" tells it better.

Before ending up in the Caucasus the Alans had been part of the great Sarmatian tribal confederacy, horse nomads of the steppes of southern Russia and Ukraine. At the time of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius they were defeated in a great battle north of the Danube (remember the opening scene in "Gladiator" -- that's it). As tribute they had to provide 5,000 armored horsemen, their peculiar specialty (much like the Riders of Rohan) for service in the Roman province of Britain where they would face Pictish invasions and Celtic rebellions.

"Island of Ghosts" opens with a squadron of Sarmatians near revolt when they first spy the English Channel: they believe that somewhere to the West, on the Great Sea, lies the Island where the dead reside. Now they are convinced the Romans are sending them there deliberately. Given that the Roman officer now in command of them heartily wishes that his Sarmatian charges actually were dead, the Sarmatian leader, Prince Ariantes, has his hands full. As he leads his troops across the sea to Britain and north to the great Roman Wall, Ariantes will have to come to terms with what it means to be a loyal servant of the Empire, perhaps against the wishes of his own people. He will face enemies inside and outside the empire, the horrors of army bureaucracy, begin to become literate, and above all face the dilemma of reconciling the free warrior code of his past with his life as a soldier for civilization.

Gillian Bradshaw has written a terrific historical novel about a little known corner of Roman history, one that explains how Sarmatian stories could well end up in Britain and in the Caucasus. Her characters are drawn with considerable imagination and sensitivity. By the end of the story the reader identifies with Ariantes and his people. The fact that his solution to his problems goes a longs way towards explaining the complexity of the ancient world's heritage in modern Europe is important. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a good read about the Sarmatians and Rome. Even though it leaves out one curious fact: the Roman given command of the Sarmatians in actual fact was named Lucius Artorius, or as we would say, Luke Arthur.

Island of Ghosts describes the Claudian invasion of Britain from an unusual point of view, through the eyes of a Sarmatian auxiliary soldier. The scholarship is impeccable (as in her other novels), and the story is an appealing account of military life, and a love affair between people from different backgrounds. In her other books (including A Beacon at Alexandria, Cleopatra's Heir, and Render Unto Caesar) she has presented a many-sided view of life in ancient Rome. She doesn't simplify the ancient world into cardboard characters that represent stereotypes; her characters seem alive and complex. And she gets the details right... even that controversy about the use of stirrups in ancient times. I read her novels with great enjoyment, but her background in classics and history adds educational value.

Gillian Bradshaw has done some fine work on early nomadic horse tribes (Horses of Heaven). I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that Island of Ghosts is a historical prolog and rationale leading into the Arthurian epic, the premise of which would be that the Pendragon (chief dragon) tradition came down originally from the Sarmation cavalry that came to Britain in the second century to fortify the legions. The cavalry units were called "dragons", you see.

It's an entertaining story with a wealth of historical detail, some of which Ms. Bradshaw is at pains to explain in the Historical Epilog at the end of the book. While this reader wondered at the (rather smug) documentation regarding use of stirrups in the first century and the Romans' employment of sailors vs. galley slaves, the publisher might want to get some expert editorial/biological advice about horses. Ms. Bradshaw has her characters breeding horses in the fall, with foals arriving in the spring. The gestation period of horses is actually about 11.3 months. Presumably this would not have changed much in 1900 years.

One of the best historical novels I've read in a long time:

Not to give away the plot --- this is an exciting story with characters who become real to the reader.

The Sarmatians, a barbarian tribe only recently subdued by the Romans in a bloody war in the second century AD, are forced by the terms of the peace settlement to send a large number of their best warriors to the Roman colony of Britain to help bolster the Roman legions who are already there. This is a mandatory part of the peace terms, in which the Romans, instead of exterminating the entire Sarmatian people as had been considered by Emperor Marcus Aurelius, instead forced the majority of the Sarmatian warriors to become native adjuncts of the Roman army, (within their own units) and to be sent forever as far from their home as possible---which was to the far outpost of the Roman Empire, the island of Britain.

In Sarmatia, beyond the Danube where the Sarmatian tribe lived their nomadic life, the warriors who were forced to leave for Britain are considered dead, given funerals, and go to the unknown land knowing it will be forever.

The Sarmatians were an actual tribe related to the ancient Persians (at least in language) and are reminiscent of the Native Americans of the Plains They were, like the Plains Indians, a warrior culture in which manhood was equated with successful raiding, killing their rivals in a fair fight togehter with a concept of manhood and honor that overrode everything else:including riches,and power. They were completely nomadic, had no writing, but only a history based on song and oral tradition. They even took scalps of their enemies, and were known for their fighting expertise on horseback. Interestingly, they wore heavy armor, much like later Medieval knights, and used stirrups, something no other group at that time used in that way.

Thrust into Romanized Britain, unable to understand the basics of the culture--they had never used money, slept indoors or worked for pay---they would have been lost and helpless except for one Sarmatian leader, a prince in Sarmatia, but one with a blighted past who volunteered to lead his men into permanent exile, and who comes forward,and accepts the hostility of his own men by working closely with the Romans in order to help his people make the transition, and also be treated fairly.

That is just a briefest outline of the novel. There are vivid descriptions of Sarmatian warrior culture, and their difficulty in adjusting to rigid and totally different Roman rules and discipline. There ia plot having to do with mutiny and there is romance. It is exciting and hard to put down. The characters--especially the Sarmatians--are beautifully drawn and the reader feels empathy as these warriors try to understand the strange world to which they have been forever banished.

This is one of the best historical novels I have read in quite a while; in fact I read it twice, again immediately after finishing it the first time, something I rarely if ever do.

The characters are real, and the story engrossing.

Every book of Gillian Bradshaw's that I have read has been excellent, well written and historically accurate. As a fan of history and of good historical fiction (that is, based on factual knowledge and with research that keeps the characters believable in their time and place) Bradshaw's novels are among the best I've read.

As another reviewer wrote: Bradshaw is very much like the late Mary Renault whose historical fiction is among the very best. (Another really worthwhile writer in the historical fiction genre is Pauline Gedge.)

Bradshaw seems to move about in time--that is, writes about different eras and places, more so than either of the above mentioned writers--her books cover Roman Britain, the Empire of Byzantium, Arthurian legends, the medieval era and Imperial Rome; whereas Renault specialized in ancient Greece and Gedge in ancient Egypt.

Highly recommended: an excellent, well written book that stays with the reader.