Customer Reviews

Procurator

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4 star:		(6)
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In this fast, easy-to-read tale, Kirk Mitchell tells the story of an exotic- and very different- present day.

In 9 BC, the Romans won a smashing victory at Teutoburg Forest, putting an end to the barbarian menace. Some 40 years later, Pilate pardoned Joshua Bar Joseph (Jesus Christ). Without a martyr figure, Christianity never leaves the ground. Without the external menace of Germanic invaders and the internal menace of religious controversy, the Roman Empire continues to grow and prosper.

Now, in the present day, Roma presides over an enormous realm, stretching from the rugged land of Anatolia to the Novo Provinces across the Atlantic ocean. Germanicus Agricola rules as Procurator in the Province of Anatolia (Turkey). The job, although glorious, is far from easy. Although Roman subjects in name, the fanatically religious natives remain fiercely independent in spirit. And they are determined to drive the infidels from their country by any means necessary. When physical violence fails, they turn to a deadly magical weapon: massing. Using this deadly psychic power, they are capable of assassinating enemies from a great distance.

Even in the face of this deadly menace, Germanicus is determined to stand firm. Backed by the firearms, automobiles, and wireless communications of the Roman military, and by his own diplomatic ability, he moves to prevent a savage holy war. But the stakes are far higher than he could ever imagine. For behind the savage belligerence of the Anatolians lies a far more sinister conspiracy, aimed straight at the heart of the Roman Empire. Before Germanicus knows it, he is over his head in a complex web of unspeakable violence, powerful sorcery, and ancient theological secrets.

Mitchell's prose is somewhat inelegant, but his plot is highly compelling. He makes liberal -and successful- use of both the fantastic and the alternate historical, creating a delightfully unique piece of speculative fiction.

This is one of the few Roman alternate histories I've read where Rome survives without being assisted by magic or aliens - and the way Mitchell presents it seems like it could have happened. Germanicus is a sympathetic character, and the supporting characters are also fleshed out very well. The changing points -Pilate pardoning Jesus and a victory in the Teutonoberg forest are intriguing.

The story itself is great, so good I immediately rushed out and bought the other two books. There are only 3 flaws with it. All the modern technology in the book is never adequately detailed (I assume a sand-galley is a tank but I'm still not totally sure). ALL of the modern tech is invented by two guys - the emperor Fabius and a Greek named Ptolemaeus - which doesn't seem quite believable to me. I guess the new technology can only be endorsed by an emperor. And finally Mitchell says that the Julian line has lasted for 2000 years - meaning that without a German frontier or a messiah in the east that Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero don't kill off all prospective heirs.

But these are minor points. If you are interested in Roman history or are in the mood for a very good alternate history I would heartily recommend it to you.

What a shame that Mitchell's "Rome Trilogy" ("Procurator," "New Barbarians" and "Cry Republic") is out of print. He brilliantly brings the Roman Empire forward to modern times with likely technological "improvements" and introduces several marvelously memorable characters, most notably Gaius Julius Agricola, the Procurator of this title. If you can find this and the two sequels anywhere, read them. They're a real pleasure. And how sad that the Empire had to decline and fall....

Kirk Mitchell writes a great alternate history book. The Roman Empire is still about, but not armed with lazer guns and hover-craft like in most sci-fi books on the subject. No, the Roman Empire and the rest of the world seems to be trapped in a mixture of 19th and early 20th century technology. The characters are interesting and realistic. The plot keeps flowing and has lots of action. I would also suggest reading the other two books in the series if you liked this one, as in some ways it gets better!

An extraordinarily long-lived and static Roman Empire has entered the machine age but with another erratic Julian Emperor and facing revolts around its edges. In the East we follow a procurator, Germanicus Julius (weren't Roman provincial governors like Germanicus called proconsuls instead?), struggling against fanatical Muslim-like terrorists with a psychic killing power. In the course of the novel Mitchell adds a fascinating religious layer to his military focus to develop an ultimately compelling and deep story.

The initial atmosphere of the novel is gray, bleak, mechanized, and military. Some scenes are pretty horrifying. Yet Germanicus is involved in a crucial love triangle with his assistants, although the author did not first lead me to care much for those three. (The lady's motivation never did come clear: this book could use a prequel). But the dynamics of the novel require that eventually the three must make tragic choices. As we learn more of the rebels and their ideology this story remarkably rises into a gripping theological fantasy of transcendent change based on Jesus sayings forgotten in this alternative timeline. Mitchell's writing style is merely competent and the characters didn't evoke my sympathies until late in the story as the plot moved from the military onto a theological and dreamlike plane. In one of several wrenching dream scenes Germanicus even slips momentarily into our parallel world of 1944.

Except for the sheen of a few titles and Latinized names, I don't see what is particularly "Roman" about this story. And surely more evolution of the terms, offices, and organizations mentioned would have been expected. Historical issues of slavery and technology, succession, and the internal east-west split aren't addressed, while Eastern religions, barbarians, and boundaries are significant here. A new fantastical element is introduced: psychic telemagic, that skips around in a convenient but unexplained fashion and may bleed over along family lines. Gurney's cover art doesn't match the technology I think is described in the text. Then again, description and atmosphere are not Mitchell's strong points (while plot development, incident, ethnic differentiation, and intellectual interest are). The publisher provides no clue whatsoever that this is actually the first of three books (followed by New Barbarians and Cry Republic). Perhaps this omission deliberately increases the suspense as to who survives this story. The Sibyl's oracular "hooks" left loose on the final pages seemed too explicitly revealing (quite un-Sibyl-like, in fact) to permit a sequel, until I was alerted by other Amazon reviewers.

Ever since I read Robert Silverberg's "Roma Aeterna" awhile back, Amazon has been suggesting at every turn that I tackle Kirk Mitchell's "Procurator". I am only human, and eventually I succumbed to these insidious blandishments. I am glad I did.

This is one of your classic counterfactual "What if the Roman Empire never fell" works of speculative fiction. The turning point? It turns out that Pilate did NOT send Jesus off to be crucified, the consequence of which is that Christianity never really took off and the Empire never splintered and fell. Now it's many centuries later, the Romans have some primitive steam tech, they rule all of Europe and North Africa and parts of the Middle East and apparently they have a toehold in the New World. But over in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), they are facing an uprising by their world's version of the followers of the Prophet, who happen to have some mystical powers and who are aided by your usual treacherous scum within the Imperial household.

Our hero is Germanicus, the titular procurator, who initially seems to be a simple man of action but who reveals depths that perhaps even he was not aware of. He is aided by Rolf, a veteran German centurion that he added to his staff almost at random and who is fiercely loyal and extremely pragmatic. Can they figure out who the bad guys are? Will the Anatolian barbarians be turned back? And will success spoil Rock Hunter?

At just over 270 pages, this is a slim novel that can be quickly read, especially as the plot moves on quickly and the trials and tribulations advance with a sense of inevitability. The prose is deceptive in its simplicity and sometimes touches on the lyrical. While the characterization is generally excellent, with some of the characters being surprisingly multifaceted, we don't get much of a sense of this alternate Empire, as most of the action takes place near Mount Ararat.

Originally published in 1984, "Procurator" is the first volume of a trilogy, with "The New Barbarians" following in 1986 and "Cry Republic" in 1989. Mitchell, a former law enforcement author in California, remains active as an author, with his most recent titles coming as part of a mystery series with a Native American protagonist.

"Procurator" is highly recommended both for students of history and alternative history alike.

YES, if you are into alternate histories, be sure to read this trilogy. In order...Procurator/The New Barbarians/Cry Republic. Read in this order, the characters have a natural development and there is no *water under the bridge* effect that comes with reading the last first. With winter acomin' on, this trilogy will fit right in with those who live in the snow/rain/sleet/dark, etc. For readers in sunnier climes, these may cool the temperature for you. No matter what, the author tells a tale that is quite entertaining. Be good to yourself and read 'em!!

I can only add a little to the previous reviews as they are pretty accurate and complete as to the story and its virtues and flaws. After ensuring a reasonable, historically based explanation is used to justify the on-going existence of the Roman Empire, the author bases the story on a 'magical', psychic ability called 'massing.' WHY? There are so many possibilities for conflict and interaction, yet 'massing' becomes a critical part of the storyline. Really detracted from the quality and was largely pointless anyway. On the other hand, the subtleties of the evolution of the Roman Empire were handled very well although it was very hard to tell what the equivalent year in our reality line would have been.

This book wasn't written, It was channeled from an alternative reality. Great introduction to greater series. More please?