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A review by fantasyfunk
Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale
3.0
Overall I liked this book well enough. The main character was sympathetic, the action scenes were fantastic, and it moved along at a decent pace. But something kept me from becoming fully engrossed in the story.
It was good. Just not great.
I feel like this is slightly unfair, because I can't really put my finger on why I didn't love this book more. I think it might slightly stem from the fact that this book wasn't really what I was predicting when I started it. As much as it's an alternative history about the Romans fighting Native Americans, Roman culture feels really left behind. The book to me read more like Dances with Wolves, only this time it's a Roman falling in love with Native American culture.
Not that this is all a bad thing. The Cahokian culture is definitely well-researched and thought out (with a slight glossing over the why of their alternative history technological advances). In comparison, the Roman culture is just as well-researched, at least militarily, but it seems to have stagnated at the height of the Empire even though it's now 1218 A.D. So much in me railed against the fact that apparently the world didn't miss out on anything with the fall of the Empire. I just can't believe this to be true and I think it had a lot to do with the book falling flat for me. It would have worked a lot better to say what if one of the earlier emperors had a secret exploring itch and sent a legion west.
If the premise of the book sounds interesting to you, I still recommend you pick it up and give it a shot. I think I'm having a weird personal issue with the premise and the "what if" of the book which of course is the whole point. =) Most of the actual story seemed to work quite well although I think more POVs would also have made the book stronger, especially a Native American POV since the book seemed so centered around their culture. I'm not sure if I'll be picking up the next one as my TBR pile is a mountain, but I don't think I would walk away if I saw it on sale.
It was good. Just not great.
I feel like this is slightly unfair, because I can't really put my finger on why I didn't love this book more. I think it might slightly stem from the fact that this book wasn't really what I was predicting when I started it. As much as it's an alternative history about the Romans fighting Native Americans, Roman culture feels really left behind. The book to me read more like Dances with Wolves, only this time it's a Roman falling in love with Native American culture.
Not that this is all a bad thing. The Cahokian culture is definitely well-researched and thought out (with a slight glossing over the why of their alternative history technological advances). In comparison, the Roman culture is just as well-researched, at least militarily, but it seems to have stagnated at the height of the Empire even though it's now 1218 A.D. So much in me railed against the fact that apparently the world didn't miss out on anything with the fall of the Empire. I just can't believe this to be true and I think it had a lot to do with the book falling flat for me. It would have worked a lot better to say what if one of the earlier emperors had a secret exploring itch and sent a legion west.
If the premise of the book sounds interesting to you, I still recommend you pick it up and give it a shot. I think I'm having a weird personal issue with the premise and the "what if" of the book which of course is the whole point. =) Most of the actual story seemed to work quite well although I think more POVs would also have made the book stronger, especially a Native American POV since the book seemed so centered around their culture. I'm not sure if I'll be picking up the next one as my TBR pile is a mountain, but I don't think I would walk away if I saw it on sale.