Dark North (Severn House Large Print) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Gillian Bradshaw (Author)

Book Description

Series: Severn House Large Print | Publication Date: October 1, 2008

Roman Britain, 208 AD - Emperor Septimius Severus has arrived in Britain to conquer the barbarians in the north of the island. Memnon, an African scout, comes to Britain with his cavalry unit. When he saves the life of a beautiful young attendant of the Empress, he becomes aware of tensions within the imperial house. The bitter war tests them all to the limit, and if any of them are to survive, it can only be through their friendship.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Bradshaw's latest is a very readable story set in 208 CE in Roman Britain. The Roman emperor is determined to subdue the heathens in the north once and for all. Memnon, a Moor from Ethiopia who has served the emperor for over a decade, is a member of one of the cavalry units chosen to fight. Despite the occasional harassment he suffers because of his black skin, Memnon loves army life. In the course of the battle, he becomes a hero, is appointed (much against his will) to lead his unit, befriends the emperor's staff, proves his worth as an army scout, and falls in love with not one but two women. In Bradshaw's capable hands, what could have been a dry description of the Roman battle for Britain becomes a lively, gripping, ultimately satisfying tale of love, war, treachery, intrigue, and heroism. Memnon is an unlikely but very human hero, as lovable as he is brave. Give this one to those who like a nice mix of adventure and romance in their historical fiction. Melton, Emily --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Gillian Bradshaw's father, an American Associated Press newsman, met her mother, a confidential secretary for the British embassy, in Rio de Janeiro. She was born in Washington DC in 1956, the second of four children. They didn't move around quite as much as one might expect after such a beginning: Washington was followed merely by Santiago, Chile, and two locations in Michigan. Gillian attended the University of Michigan, where she earned her BA in English and another in Classical Greek, and won the Hopwood Prize for fiction with her first novel, "Hawk of May," She went on to get another degree at Newnham College, Cambridge University, England in Greek and Latin literature, and she sold her first novel while preparing for exams.
She decided to stay in Cambridge another year to write another novel and think about what to do for a Real Job. However, while there, she discovered she could live on her income as a novelist and also met her husband, who was completing his doctorate in physics. Between books and children she never did get a Real Job, and she's been writing novels ever since.
She and her husband now live in Coventry. They have four children and a dog.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 461 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers; Large type / large print edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727877038
• ISBN-13: 978-0727877031
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,852,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born 1956 in Arlington, Virginia (i.e., Washington DC); grew up there, in Santiago, Chile, and in East Lansing and Mount Pleasant Michigan; educated University of Michigan (Classics and English) and Newnham College, Cambridge (Classics). I published my first novel while I was supposed to be revising for my final exams; the exams suffered, but I still managed a 2.1. I decided to take another year in Cambridge to work on the next novel, and Met a Man, like many a woman before and since. We got married in Paris, where he had a post-doc position and I had discovered an urgent need to learn French. He continued research and teaching, first in Santa Barbara, then back in Cambridge, and finally at the University of Warwick; I continued writing. A lot of my work has used my background in classical Greek and Latin, but I've occasionally branched out into the high middle ages, contemporary, and sci-fi. We have four kids, now grown up, and so far one grandchild.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, August 13, 2007

By 

Deborah Kahn "chutzpah" (vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark North (Hardcover)

I love Gillian Bradshaw's books, all of them. I gave this one 4 stars because it isn't her best, but even so it is better than 99% of historical novels out there.

One of the best things about this book (a common theme in many of her works) is human beings from contrasting cultures trying to communicate and understand each other. Skin color is one theme, but Memnon, an Ethiopian, has culturally more in common with the "wild" northern tribes than he does with some of the "civilized" Romans, many of whom are either corrupt or stupid, or both. I enjoy Bradshaw's pulling back the curtains on the immense cultural and racial diversity of the Roman Empire, where hundreds of different groups were forced to get along with each other.

Subtle, complex, layered plotting, with lively action scenes and an interesting exploration of one man's inner doubts and fears.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, June 19, 2007

By 

Media fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark North (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of Gillian Bradshaw's Historicals. I never find any fault with them regarding historical accurateness and a thrilling plot. Again she wrote a winner. The story is about an african soldier (scout) in Britain fighting the barbarians and at the same time uncovering an intrigue within the imperial house. While doing this he has to cope with the prejudices and the superstition of the 'Barbarians' and the Romans as well who are not used to dark skinned people.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Like Anything Roman, December 28, 2007

By 

J. Chippindale (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark North (Hardcover)

Gillian Bradshaw was born in the US and was brought up in Washington, Santiago, Chile and Michigan. She is a classics graduate from Newnham College, Cambridge. She has won much acclaim as an historical novelist. She lives in Cambridge with her husband and their four children.

This book is no different to Gillian Bradshaw's other novels (I had no idea she had written so many, until I checked the list) in respect of the fact that it is beautifully researched and written with the authority that only knowledge can bring.

The storyline takes place in Roman Britain, it is the year 208 AD and the Roman occupation of the island has been ongoing for some considerable time. As yet the Romans have been unable to subdue the barbarians of the north. The Emperor Septimus Severus has recently arrived in Britain and hopes that his presence will add support to the task in hand. Memnon, an African scout, has also arrived on the island with his cavalry unit.

When by chance Memnon saves the life of a young attendant of the Empress, he is drawn closer to the imperial house and this allows him to see the tensions and in-fighting that exist there. The war with the barbarians will test their mettle to the limit, it is essential that the back biting and internal rivalry of the Imperial party are put to one side . . .