This was a great book set in a fascinating period of Roman history. I wasn’t enthralled with Aelric as a main character, though that could have been done on purpose. He was a self centered and weak man with the redeeming feature of wanting to save books before they disappear in the decline of the Empire.

Loved the descriptions of the crumbling cities and the last of the aristocrats trying to maintain their prestige. Also loved the copying of books and saving of manuscripts. It was a great adventure story with a bit of a mystery.

Published on Goodreads on 12th May 2013

Tags: Historical Fiction, history