After Rome: A Novel of Celtic Britain

by Morgan Llywelyn

Anarchy rules in Britannia as the Roman Empire collapses,
and two men fight to build stable lives among the chaos.

After more than four hundred years of Roman rule, the island its conquerors called Britannia was abandoned—left to its own devices as the Roman empire contracted in a futile effort to defend itself from the barbarian hordes encroaching upon its heart. As Britannia falls into anarchy and the city of Viroconium is left undefended, two cousins who remained behind when the imperial forces withdrew pursue very different courses in the ensuing struggle to unite the disparate tribes and factions throughout the land.

Passionate, adventurous Dinas recruits followers and dreams of kingship. Thoughtful Cadogan saves a group of citizens when Saxons invade and burn Viroconium, then becomes the reluctant founder and leader of a new community that rises in the wilderness. The two cousins could not be more different, but their parallel stories encapsulate the era of a new civilization struggling to be born.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Fantasy, British Literature, Medieval, Ireland

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 9, 2013

About the author

Morgan Llywelyn (born 1937) is an American-born Irish author best known for her historical fantasy, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.

Reviews

[Shelley Fearn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see that not many have reviewed this novel and I wonder why? Llywelyn writes a credible story of Britain in the years following the end of Roman occupation. Perhaps they don't find the derring-do or romantic adventure found in books about the Roman legions or the days of Arthur. But in reality life was hard and to many it bordered on apocalyptic.

That's precisely what I found so interesting about the book. Dystopian literature is hot right now -- just look at Cormac McCarthy's The Road or even The Hunger Games saga. Here is dystopia in reality. A hard, brutal, and confusing time where life had very little value and people had to fight to survive.

Reading this also brought to mind the vacuum that will exist in Syria following the civil war. It's all happened before as Llywelyn so aptly describes.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a third of the way through and NOTHING HAS HAPPENED YET. My god, what a boring book.

Update 3/11/13: More than halfway through and STILL nothing happening. Jesus Christ, what's a girl gotta do to get some plot around here??

Final update (thank god) 3/19/13: What a disappointing, uninteresting waste of time. Disappointing because Morgan Llywelyn has been on my radar for a few years, she being a preeminent author of Irish historical fiction, but I've gotta say, if her other books are as lackluster as this, I won't be going anywhere near them.
This was 300+ pages of people talking about doing things or complaining about doing things, with no one ever actually doing anything. You've got one character, Dinas, who just kind of wanders back and forth across post-Roman-occupied Britain throughout the entire book, telling his companions (who get a whole lot of airtime despite the fact that the reader has no investment in them AT ALL) about the things he's going to do; and the other main character, Cadogan, who I think is supposed to be the sympathetic "hero" figure but just whines as, for some undiscernable reason since he shows no leadership skills whatsoever, he becomes the de facto leader of a small refugee settlement. They're both dull and lifeless and moronic in their own ways - Cadogan, supposed to be the smart one, is constantly making stupid observations (i.e. as he's crawling through a sewer: "There are rats in here!" No, you don't say!), while Dinas is like, "Yeah, I've got a dozen Welsh farmers with me, let's go build a tower on the beach and raid merchant ships that happen to pass." And he sincerely thinks that this is a viable way to establish his "kingship." Now, I'm not a historian but I do have quite a bit of historical reading under my belt, and I'm pretty sure that even someone in 450 AD Britain with these kinds of illusions of grandeur would probably know that this is not a good start to establishing yourself as some kind of warrior king. Oh, and Cadogan not knowing how to fight with a sword? Absurd and COMPLETELY implausible.
So in addition to having a cast of awful characters, you've got dialogue that's just as bad - rather than deftly weaving the histories of both Britain and ancient Rome through the story to give the reader that background information, the author rather hamhandedly has people soliloquize on them, which comes across as unnatural and stilted and stops in its tracks whatever modicum of momentum she was able to gain with the story. The very frequent use of sentence fragments, meant to convey depth or gravitas or something, is just annoying. And kindly use italics when a character is thinking, instead of just starting a new paragraph with no quotations or anything to make the distinction...I can't tell you how distracting it is to get halfway through a paragraph and realize that it's one of the character's internal monologues.
This should have been a quick and easy read, but it was drudgery. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 is because the landscape descriptions were actually pretty good - vivid and colorful, very unlike the rest of the story. If you want to read a good book about life after the Romans left Britain, give Jack Whyte's Camuloud Chronicles a try. I'll be reading it again myself sometime soon to try to get the taste of this one out of my mouth.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a beautiful prologue describing the history of England from the Ice Age to the Fall of Rome in lyrical prose and exquisite detail, we are then taken on a tour of the most boring apocalypse ever!

Because make no mistake, the Dark Ages were the very definition of a post-apocalyptic world, and Llywelyn has researched and reported on that world here to the last detail, but Nothing. Happens.

I'm sorry, call me old fashioned, but I demand my books have plots.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book about Britain after the last Roman Legion left. It was actually NOT about King Arthur. I would recommend that any tea partier who thinks no government is a good thing read this book since it shows what happens to ordinary people when there is no law and order.

[Judyta Szacillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this novel easy to engage with, even though I must agree with some of the other reviewers that the characters and their stories are not what you would call fully fleshed out. But I don’t see it as a great disadvantage – I think it’s just because the real main character of the book is the landscape, and the people are there to facilitate the viewing of it. The plot and the human characters are all quite engaging, but it doesn’t seem to me that they are the most important in this novel. The most important motifs are shown in the world around them: the crumbling Roman civilisation, the power of nature, what was lost and what was gained in the process of surviving at that challenging time. It is described in a wonderfully sensual way, so that we walk along with the characters feeling what they’re feeling: the sweat of the horse, the coarseness of a wool coat, the stink of a fish-oil lamp. This is certainly the strongest element of this book: it can transport the reader into a different, very physical reality that looks and feels very much like our past.

It is clear that the Author did a lot of reading in preparation for her work on this book, but… those readings may have been a bit dated. The bibliography provided at the end of the book certainly is. The vision of a rapid societal collapse after the withdrawal of the last Roman legion does not quite fit the picture seen in the modern scholarship which tends to describe a more gradual decline. The use of the term ‘Celtic’ is anachronistic – neither Romano-Britons nor the British tribes called themselves Celts as far as we can tell. Yet this is a novel, not a textbook, and the Author has the liberty to make her own choices when it comes to terminology.

So the reader can certainly learn a lot from this book, but not all information should be trusted. Isn’t that the case with all historical novels though? After all, they are fiction squeezed into the frames drawn by researchers. All things considered, Morgan LLywelyn does that with a great skill.

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Llywelyn, who has written several books I've greatly enjoyed, addresses an interesting question. What happened in Britain when the Romans left? How did the people address living in a power vacuum? Unfortunately, she wrote a book with a big plot vacuum, so it isn't well answered. It is a question I will continue to contemplate, though.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

So upon starting this book I was nervous. I had read some of the reviews and saw a lot of negative ones and very few positive. I have read many of Llywelyns books now and have enjoyed all of them, but I started this one with cautious expectations.

Now this book may not be one of her best ones, but I'm not really seeing what people were complaining about. Maybe they don't understand how historical fiction books often work. They aren't necessarily action packed with a huge battle scene at the end. They are a look into the lives and cultures of the past. And yes, some historical fiction has that element, such as Llywelyn's books on Brian Boru (who dies at the end of a huge battle, thus end of story).

This story has a good pace and depicts the probable lives of two affluent people in Britain shortly after Rome leaves. These two main characters, who are vastly different but both trying to keep some semblance of their past lives, deal with their hardships and impossible situations the only ways they can deal with them.

Not a lot is known of how people lived during this time, since many of the educated people fled and the remaining people were either killed or all their works destroyed from the constant warring and invasions. That said, Llywelyn takes what is known and draws many possible conclusions on how things were, and how the foundations of many legends were started, including the Arthurian type legends, of the region.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and shake my head at those that failed to see the talent and master story telling that Morgan Llywelyn put in this story.

[Carolyn Di Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!
What happens to society when civilization breaks down? I see from previous reviews that some took it as a pro-government involvement book, but I guess I saw it differently. The Roman government so completely took over Britain, that, once the legions left, the people were completely helpless and in desperate need of guidance and good old fashioned work ethic. Also, the book refers to the fact that the Roman government did not take the threat of dangerous outside tribes seriously until it was too late. Rome just always thought that they could not be harmed and, besides, in such a great country, what's a few more dependent peoples? This could be a valuable lesson for today.

[Ozymandias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot: 2 (slow-moving with no payoff)
Characters: 5 (distinct but struggle to gain interest)
Accuracy: 4 (avoids recorded facts but gets known events woefully wrong)

I was really excited to read this book since it’s one of the only books set in post-Roman Britain and not about King Arthur. Instead, this novel is set immediately after the Romans abandon the island, in the early years of Britain learning to fend for itself. It’s a great idea and it feels like there’s a real need for such a book to fill the hole in British history. Such is the power of the Arthurian legends that the whole period tends to revolve around him, even in novels such as The Lantern Bearers which otherwise have a more independent focus. Aside from that book and Sutcliff’s follow-up Dawn Wind, there aren’t really any non-Arthurian sub-Roman Britain novels. There’s a real gap for good stories that tell how Roman rule ended and what life was like for the inhabitants of the island.

In a lot of ways this book captures what it feels like to live in post-Roman Britain. This is a world where civilization is collapsing and everyone’s learning to shrink their horizons and goals. The society that came over with the Romans is unsustainable without them, and far too many necessary skills have been lost. Particularly among the city folk. Some people cling to ideas of society that no longer work. Others seek to capitalize on the chaos to further their own ambitions. Gradually the land is becoming a place of petty warlords and constant raiding. It’s basically post-apocalyptic. If there’s an issue here it’s that the post-apocalyptic setting feels more modern than ancient. Romans could never be as insulated from nature as we are today, nor were they as reliant on central authorities for self-governance.

We know very few facts for certain about sub-Roman Britain, so it’s difficult to say with certainty whether the author is getting things right or wrong. Certainly much of it feels right, particularly the discussion of skills that need to be acquired in a post-civic world. However, whenever she refers to documentable events outside Britain she generally gets them not only wrong but spectacularly wrong. The Roman general Flavius Aetius is said to have failed to respond to Britain’s calls for help 300 years before and this failure was what inspired Hadrian to build his wall. But Aetius was actually a contemporary. At the time this book is set he was still using his Hunnic bodyguard to work his way up the ranks. He hadn’t even gotten to the position where he’d be able to receive Britain’s pleas yet. The only other references to the outside world come from vague discussions of political matters. And again, it bears no relation to recorded history. According to this novel, the Eastern Empire (confusingly called the Byzantine Empire, as if that was now a separate non-Roman competitor) is sending ships to Britain since Rome has fallen. Such a power play wouldn’t even make sense in Italy since the Eastern and Western Empires were both Roman and at this point were even controlled by the same dynasty. Having the Eastern Empire interfering in Britain (the exact opposite side of the empire) makes even less sense.

There’s also the prologue, which is both highly suspect and filled with boisterous Celtic exceptionalism. The book in general is filled with a sort of pride in Celtic identity which skirts uncomfortably close to 19th century ideas of racial identity and continuity. All the negative traits of this post-Roman world are placed squarely on the shoulders of the Romans (bar only the easy factionalism and disunity, which can itself be seen as proper Celtic manliness improperly restrained). If you’d believe these guys, the Celts don’t hold with slavery, blood sports, or even taxation. All cultural achievements of Britain are thanks to the Celts alone. Among the insane Celtic Pride ideas here is the conclusion that British Christianity was imported from the Irish. And that it was a peculiar Celtic brand that bore no resemblance to the Christianity promoted by Rome. This is wrong on every possible level. It was the British who converted the Irish to Christianity, not the other way round. St. Patrick quite famously left Britain to set himself up as the first successful bishop of Ireland, which at the time (approximately the period the book is set) was still fiercely pagan and filled with druids. The period when Irish missionaries would sail across the seas to bring Christianity to foreigners was centuries in the future.

But the chief issue I have with the book isn’t its inaccuracies but its plot. Nothing happens. At the beginning of the book Dinas wants to turn pirate and set himself up as king. By the end of the book he’s only just started it. His cousin Cadogan’s story has rather more to it than Dinas’, and involves sackings and Saxons and gaining responsibilities, but in the end the journey is still incredibly limited. At the start of the book, Cadogan’s trying to set himself up in a self-built country house. By the end he’s expanded this into a small village. And that’s all. 300 pages of glacially slow advancement followed by a non-ending that resolves nothing, and even that non-resolution is gotten too easily. All the interesting bits, the feuding and politicking and development of proto-kingdoms (including that of the famous Vortigern, who makes a brief but interesting appearance and then vanishes into thin air) are left in the background. So in the end all our characters can do is reflect on the changed nature of the world without ever having had to actually participate in this societal shift themselves.

Characterizations aren’t awful, although Dimas is awfully hard to like. A selfish, ambitious man, he thinks nothing of stealing or plundering to benefit himself, and he’s constantly lying to and manipulating the people he gathers around him. Even more annoying is Quartilla, who’s possibly the most irritating character I’ve ever read. An almost parodically-heightened version of the stereotypical shrew, I don’t know what purpose she could possibly be meant to serve; narratively or in terms of character development. She does nothing but whine, cares nothing about anything but her own comfort, steals from her friends, constantly abuses our protagonist both verbally and physically and yet expects him to submit to her every whim, and is somehow still regarded as noble. She’s also the holder of a secret backstory that they make a big deal of but never explain. I was astonished to realize that the author is a woman since this reads like a misogynist’s checklist of untrustworthy female traits. The other characters are okay, although the author relies overmuch on individual POV accounts. The book constantly switches between various POVs and seems unwilling to establish characterization solely through the perceptions of other characters.

There’s a certain amount of value to be had from the tone of the book, which is a little distant and grim but always determined. Britain feels like an increasingly bad place to live as the book progresses, and the fact that despite the post-apocalyptic setting, the book is about establishing new societies is a plus. The book feels like it’s grasping at an idea that has real value, even if it can’t ultimately reach it. If you’re patient and willing to slog it out then this book might be enjoyable, so long as you don’t go in expecting any real resolution or action. Otherwise I’d recommend one of the Arthurian books. The Warlord trilogy’s a wonder, if not particularly accurate, and Sword at Sunset is a pleasant read. I’ve heard good things about H.K. Hume’s various sub-Roman Britain series, which revolve around Arthur but still tell the story of the times before and after his rise. I’d say any of these books would offer a better experience than this one.

[Dawn Lennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a treat when historical fiction gives you characters that reflect all that humanity is throughout the centuries. This was the case with After Rome. Despite the unusual character names, the harsh and conflicting environments in which they live, and the catastrophic events that put their lives in turmoil, Llywelyn's characters become a seemingly modern story of human relationships.

This is a book about what life was like when the Romans left Briton, taking their protections and "modern" way of life with them, leaving behind a population ill-equipped to fend off the unexpected--barbarians. It's a story about two brothers with very different personalities and driving forces who lived through a soap-opera like drama that affected their parents and ultimately them.

But most of all, it's a book about the choices people make and the often mysterious motivations behind them. It reminds us that our humanity, those questions we each struggle with, and the challenges that we are made to face are hard-wired into what we are and have always been. Here is a beautifully written, captivating book that takes us to a time so long ago where we can still see the reflections of ourselves in the victories and tragedies of people of the times.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out great with 2 very different characters, cousins, with long standing differences, but who complement each other. The last Roman legion has left Britain and civilization is tumbling. If you're one of the people trying to cope, what do you do? Gather an army and become a king? Or work with others to create some security. Well, with such a great beginning, the plot really disappointed me. Why did Dinas have to fail? Why didn't the cousins get together? And why include the horses if they aren't that important to the story? It just was disapointing, and I wish an editor would have handed it back to the editor and say, "Needs more work". Sorry. Can't recommend this, although the descriptions of former Roman Britain are fascinating.

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In the long run, the fall of one civilization is very much like the fall of another. Only the land remains.” And with those words the novel closes. This book might best be described as an historical dystopian novel because, with the exodus of Roman rule, Britannia falls apart and the fabric of society unravels quickly. The people that were once sophisticated urbanites are reduced to living in primitive conditions, having to learn long-forgotten skills for survival. The author obviously researched the period as well as could be done to give it an authentic feel, which I think she did quite well.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A post-apocalyptic novel of sorts, set in the aftermath of the Roman withdrawal from Britannia, as the peoples abandoned by the Romans are forced to find their way in a world where everything, including the rules they took for granted, has broken down.

[Noreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The English version of “The Rebel Nun”.

In the absence of historical records a plausible story for the people left behind when the Roman’s left England.

The story is told through two main characters who are cousins. Dinas and Cadogan. Dinas,page 108, “Listen to me. Life is an opportunity, one single, amazing opportunity. Life is the sun and the stars, the wolves howling and the rain lashing and the thrill of danger around every bend. If you want to waste yours trying to be safe—though you will die in the end anyway, we all do —-that’s your choice. But I said it before and I’ll say it again:Cadogan, you’re a fool!”

Cadogan, page 61. His Roman father, Vintrex, “While you are under my roof you will do what I say, when I say, exactly as I say, and nothing else! You are my son.”

“I am not Your properly!” Cadogan had shouted back at him. “Not anymore!”

After several days, one night Cadogan waited till everyone was asleep. Collecting his personal belongings, including things inherited from his mother…. Before dawn he had loaded everything onto two packhorses …. Before he rode out of the stable yard he had snatched up Kikerro, bound his legs together and carried the surprised rooster with him on the bay mare. Cadogan was drunk with a sense of freedom.

Cadogan knew at once he had found his sanctuary. A place where he could read and dream and commune with God, without being criticized.

Creating a home for himself proved harder than he anticipated. The elegant multi roomed stone-walled villa he had envisioned became a timber cabin. Yet he was proud of his achievement. His home was not modeled on anyone else’s ideas; it was shaped by its setting and his need. It’s flaws and virtues were his own.

Thank you Morgan Llywelyn for a fine story…

[Jim Keough · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing.

I have read three of Llewelyn's Irish historical novels, 1916, 1921 and 1972 and all three were very helpful in learning about cnfusng perods of Irish History. This book fails to deliver in many of the ways the others books excelled.

After Rome is slow and none of the characters are memorable.

[Annalisa Ely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a likable character among dozens. A bunch of drama kings and unchecked sexists, classists, ableists. Oh, wait, the ableism was checked. Not the sexism, though, 'cause that wouldn't be realistic. Ugh.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about a period I know little about. The story followed two cousins and how they responded to the collapse of the Roman Empire in Britannia. One cousin was a builder; the other was a dreamer/conqueror. Each chapter alternated between their stories. The dreamer really loved his horse.

[Roni Porfert]

I have a comment and then a question. First, this book needed a little more historical background and some time frame. Also, how can someone with a name as Welsh as Morgan Llywelyn be IRISH?

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, after years of meaning to try Morgan Llywelyn's writing and luckily for me she published After Rome in February and I figured it would be a great place to start with and it was.

While the book turned out to be different from what I thought it would be I still enjoyed it for what it was. Books set in Britain during the tumultuous time when the Romans vacated the island aren't all that plentiful so I'm glad to have found this one.

The novel follows two cousins over a period of five years when the Romans abandoned their outposts in Britania and is told in alternating points of view. One cousin Cadogan is the thoughtful, quiet and responsible one burdened with to many responsibilities but he thrives on that in a way. The other cousin Dinas, is rather close minded, rash, impulsive and very self absorbed. The cousins are as different as different can be and they aren't close so their stories intersect only twice during the telling of After Rome and on very different terms.

While the book was a slower read and didn't have that sense of action, adventure and drama that I had been hoping for I thought it was a unique read because I was able to see two very different ways of life in Celtic Britain being laid out before me in the pages of After Rome and I learned quite a bit about Rome, Britain, the Celts the politics of the time and how ordinary men and women lived during the time of such great political upheaval.

The fact that I was drawn into the story as though the book was playing out in film before my eyes is probably the best thing about the book. I felt like I had been transported to the time and place the novel took place in and it was as though I could see the city of Viroconium being pillaged and the horror on the citizens faces when they realized that their homes were gone and they had to look to a reluctant Cadogan. It was nice to see a book written about ordinary citizens who had to deal with the hands they were dealt and parts of it especially the story of Dinas towards the end of the book.

There were some things that I didn't like about the book such as how unexciting it was and the arrogance of several of the characters like Dinas for example drove me crazy but at least the majority of the book seemed to be told through Cadogan's eyes. I also would of liked to have seen more written about the Celts in the book.

Other than that I thought the book was enjoyable if you want a slower historical fiction read and I've found that the switch up from a fast paced historical fiction novel was nice and I thought this was a nice introduction to Llywelyn's writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books soon.

I would recommend this to people who like slower paced historical fiction where they can learn more about the background behind the story because Llywelyn presented the novel in a way that she teaches the read a lot about the life and times of the people who once lived in Britain.

[D.H. Hanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. This was an interesting book with interesting characters. The book follows a pair of cousins, Cadogan and Dinas, who have very opposite personalities and who approach life very differently. The story is set in the UK after the Romans have left the area and as the Saxons and other 'barbarians' start invading. Once glorious Roman made cities are completely destoryed and there is no longer and centralized government.

Cadogan lives by himself in a house he built himself in the hills outside of the city he grew up in. He comes back home to find a very unwanted and irritating guest named Quartilla who was dropped off there by his cousin Dinas before he left and promised to come back for her. He is a loner but later becomes a reluctant leader of what is left of the city he grew up in.

Dinas is a restless spirit who doesn't have a clear plan for his life until he starts recruiting a motley assortment of men. He devises a plan to become a king since land is up for grabs and all the tribes are fighting with each other and with the Saxon invaders. Unlike Cadogan, he wants to be a leader, and has a knack for finding men that could be very helpful to him in convincing others to go along with his plan. He spends most of the book wandering around the UK before settling in one spot but even that doesn't last long.

This book is more about the characters than a real plot. It is only about 330 pages but covers a five year time span and the two main characters only interact with each other twice in the entire book. It was fascinating to read because it is set in a time period I'm not familiar with and the author does a great job of bringing to life the lived these people led, the mixture of religions during this time period, and the history to life. I would have given this 4 stars had it not been for the ending being rushed. I honestly thought this might be the first book in a series because of the pacing of it but it is a stand alone book.

[J.S. Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Below expectations, from an author who long ago had a part in my interest in early Ireland. Llywelyn should have stayed with writing for the young adult market, her watered-down versions of Irish myth where one fears the cliches will include a Disneyesque leprechaun tapping away on a shoe under a toadstool. The Prologue and Author's Note contain factual errors. One look at the Select Bibliography shows the obvious: this author has not read any research before the 1990s and much of it from the 1970s. The huge advances in genetics, linguistics, and archaeology of the past decade are simply not to be found here. Congrats to the publisher Thomas Dunne/Tor Forge, for perpetuating consumer ignorance, if not encouraging it, with this sort of commercial drivel.

Among the numerous sins: anachronisms and malapropisms. Eg, though brass and cinnamon were items known to ancient Rome, their presence here is doubtful given that the Romans have pulled out and trade has gone to almost nil---as she keeps reminding us. Over and over and over.

Some reviewers think the subtle references to the Welsh myth cycle may be intentional, sort of a parody, on the order of "The Nasal Mists Of Avalon." If so, the parody of Arthurian fantasy should have been given more effort and might have been humorous. Her own work veers too far into fantasy for comfort and this is no exception although we are spared "druids" in this novel.

I regret the money spent for a used copy, the time, and now wish I could scrub anything retained out of my brain cells.

[Steven Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though a nice enough read, After Rome: A Novel of Celtic Britainis not my favorite of her books.

After Rome takes place in the years following the Roman Legion's with withdrawal from Britain in 410 B.C.E and shows the dangers and decisions faced by the Romanized Britons left behind in a now crumbling and defenseless nation.

As the two main characters struggle to rebuild a semblance of life and safety they gather allies and try to stay alive against the elements and encroaching Anglo/Saxons.

I felt that Ms. Llewellyn phoned in this book. She gives a hint of great characters then left them incomplete leaving too many reader questions unanswered. As always, her research was good though, as a student of Dark Age Britain, I felt that even the disintegration was rushed and inexplicably compressed. She left me wanting more realized characters and a fuller painting of the life and times of a fascinating location and era. Her books of Irish heroes were a better effort.

[Sheldon L. Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Plausible Britain after Rome

This novel is the first I've read by this author, it won't be the last. It's difficult to find this type of work about the period just following Rome's departure from England. With the popularity of tv shows like The Last Kingdom, there are sure to be more.

I recommend this novel to those interested in knowing a bit about England in the post Roman era. The author's skillful unearthing of the few known facts that exist that deal with this era are well woven into this tale.

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful cover. Great premises for an amazing story. I have not read about this time period and I really looked forward to sinking my teeth into a new era. It started off interesting, but never actually went anywhere. I wanted more from the characters, who's personalities showed so much potential. Their stories had hope, but went flat. Too bad.

[Diantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept reading it for the description of England and life after Rome left,but I found the plot lacking and the story ran out of steam. Cadogan was the more interesting character of the cousins. Even the "mystery" of the murder felt tacked on. Disappointing

[Missy Sherriff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting setting with incredibly accurate research and two main characters brimming with potential....but the story never really comes together. The entire book, taken as a whole, feels more like the preface to an actual tale.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit lighter on plot than some of her older works - "Finn McCool" will forever be a favorite- and the characters were a bit flat. Decent bedtime reading though.

[Sue Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shall be reading more by this author. She made the characters come alive and the Dark Ages setting very believable.

[Kerry CS Literary Jewelry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever been disappointed in a new book by one of your favorite authors? That’s the situation I found myself in this week after reading Morgan Llywelyn’s After Rome. I really wanted to love the book as much as I have loved other Morgan Llyweln books but, as hard as I tried, I really couldn’t see After Rome as anything other than a pale and lifeless re-treading of old stories and characters that Llywelyn has used to much better effect in her previous books.

After Rome, particularly suffers in comparison to the book Morgan Llywelyn wrote about the coming of the Romans, Druids. If After Rome was a stronger book, it would have felt like a continuation of the saga that Llywelyn told brilliantly in Druids, but instead the two main characters felt like blander reincarnations of Druid’s two main characters without any of their strength and personality. And while Druids had an engrossing plot that had me emotionally invested from the first page, After Rome never seemed to reach any kind of satisfying payoff with a plot that just trailed off rather than concluded.

I seriously considered not reviewing After Rome because I adore Morgan Llywelyn and her brand of historic fantasy inspired by Celtic / British myths and history. As a long-time Morgan Lywelyn fan, I just think that it would be a shame if a new reader picked up After Rome as their first Llywelyn book and judged her writing by it. So instead, here is what I think. Skip this book and instead pick up one of the many brilliant Morgan Llywelyn books that came before it. I STRONGLY recommend Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish, Finn Mac Cool, Red Branch, Lion of Ireland, Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas, and, as you can probably guess, Druids. You won’t regret it.

[Ashutosh Sahu · Rating 5 out of 5]

-1 star for not enough sex (actually none - but the woman is almost 90, so I understand). A fair rating would be 4/5 (but see rant, below)

First and foremost, ML can WRITE. A small scene about horses or huts or history takes on a life of its own as her mythic and lyric qualities infuse it with magic. To anyone who has taken Latin or read Asterix or is otherwise interested in the interaction of Rome and Britain, I think this book is an interesting commentary about an era in which there is very little written.

We all (well, 5% of us) know about the historical collapse of Rome. Very few of us know anything about the collapse of Roman Briton. I personally learned a fair bit about who the Celts were and where the Saxons fit into the picture.

*cue rant*
The absolute most hideous pieces of fucking trash writing by authors named Jemisyn or Wendig and other woke flavors of the week rate 4 stars and above on Goodreads. If you've read any of my other reviews, I point out it's obvious that woke publishing has engaged in a systematic and concerted effort to game Goodreads reviews on the off chance that a high rating drives sales.

I find it very interesting that thinly disguised social justice allegory or violence/torture porn by authors who couldn't fucking write to save their fucking life get thousands of cookie-cutter high reviews but that THIS book, by no means ML's best, but certainly an engaging read gets panned for being 'boring.'

I hate to break it to you, but this is a case of pearls before swine. Jan Van Eyck's "The Milkmaid" features, among other things... a plaster wall. It's white, and 'boring' until one actually looks at it for a few minutes and realizes that every crack and hole and value is rendered in genius-level detail. The ordinary wall is elevated to something that serious students realize would be incredibly difficult to do themselves.

Morgan Llwelyn has the ability to FUCKING TRANSPORT YOU to historical locations. She could do it as a young writer and she SURE AS SHIT CAN STILL DO IT. She is an ARTIST, unlike 99% of the so-called published authors whose toxic discharge pollutes library shelves.

+1 star for pearls before swine. End rant.