What do you think?
Rate this book
The Scourge of God: A Historical Adventure of Clashing Empires and the Fate of Western Civilization
For fans of the movie Gladiator comes this bloody account of the clashing of civilizations, as Attila the Hun, "The Scourge of God," struggles to overthrow the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire is weakening. In 367 AD, approximately eight years after the great battle at Hadrian's Wall, Roman garrisons begin to hear rumors of barbarian tribes massing to the north. By 449 AD, Attila, the ruler of the Huns, has become the continent's most powerful monarch, his reputation in battle earning him the title "The Scourge of God."
Anticipating an imminent attack by the Huns, Roman leaders negotiate with one of Attila's lieutenants, convincing him to play the part of assassin. He is joined on his mission by a Roman citizen, Jonas, an ambassador dispatched to negotiate a peace treaty with the Huns. When the plot is discovered, Jonas becomes a hostage, forced to fight for his captors if he wishes to remain alive. But he soon learns that Attila intends to conquer Rome itself, and is caught between two mighty empires, both poised for one of the greatest conflicts the world has ever seen. Jonas, knowing his life could be forfeit, has the potential to tip the battle in either direction––and his decision will alter the face of Western civilization.
For readers of historically nuanced thrillers and adventure stories by authors like Bernard Cornwell and Colleen McCullough.
For readers interested in Roman and Barbarian culture and warfare.
The Roman Empire is weakening. In 367 AD, approximately eight years after the great battle at Hadrian's Wall, Roman garrisons begin to hear rumors of barbarian tribes massing to the north. By 449 AD, Attila, the ruler of the Huns, has become the continent's most powerful monarch, his reputation in battle earning him the title "The Scourge of God."
Anticipating an imminent attack by the Huns, Roman leaders negotiate with one of Attila's lieutenants, convincing him to play the part of assassin. He is joined on his mission by a Roman citizen, Jonas, an ambassador dispatched to negotiate a peace treaty with the Huns. When the plot is discovered, Jonas becomes a hostage, forced to fight for his captors if he wishes to remain alive. But he soon learns that Attila intends to conquer Rome itself, and is caught between two mighty empires, both poised for one of the greatest conflicts the world has ever seen. Jonas, knowing his life could be forfeit, has the potential to tip the battle in either direction––and his decision will alter the face of Western civilization.
For readers of historically nuanced thrillers and adventure stories by authors like Bernard Cornwell and Colleen McCullough.
For readers interested in Roman and Barbarian culture and warfare.
348 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
33 people are currently reading
778 people want to read
About the author
William Dietrich
25 books396 followersWilliam Dietrich is a NY Times bestelling author of the Ethan Gage series of eight books which have sold into 28 languages. He is also the author of six other adventure novels, several nonfiction works on the environmental history of the Pacific Northwest, and a contributor to several books.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
Bill was a career journalist, sharing a Pulitzer for national reporting at the Seattle Times for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He taught environmental journalism at Huxley College, a division of Western Washington University, and was adviser to Planet Magazine there. He was Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and received several National Science Foundation fellowships for reporting on science. His travels have taken him from the South Pole to the Arctic, and from the Dead Sea to the base camp of Mount Everest. The traveling informs his books.
He lives in Anacortes, WA, in the San Juan islands, and is a fan of books, movies, history, science, and the outdoors.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
November 7, 2020
Historical fiction, 450 AD. Attila the Hun invades Western Europe, destroying everything in his path. He lost, kind of, but not before leaving a really big scar. He is maybe as bad a guy as anyone in history. No doubt the Romans had it coming, but they stood for something at least, for civilization. All the Huns did was burn and kill.
Again I am interested why these tribesmen came off the Asian Steppe (High Plains) at least three times to obliterate everything they found. Maybe their culture reached a critical mass where cities and civilization were required to maintain a cohesive group, and instead of building them they let off the pressure by attacking far and wide. Living on the plains as I do now, I can see how living there made them really damn tough. It is just a hard place. Especially for a nomadic people living off the land.
The same thing happened here in North America. The Plains tribes were far and away the most formidable on this continent, and took to the horse as the center of their existence. Apaches, Comanches, Sioux, Crow, Nez Perce, etc. Lived in movable tepees. The land made the same culture and adaptations on two sides of the world. That is a thought I could follow a long way...
I think the Hyksos that attacked and occupied ancient Egypt around 2000BC, the Huns that attacked Rome and Europe around the 400AD, and the Mongols in the 1200's were the exact same crew, mostly unchanged but separated by centuries or millenia. From physical descriptions there is no doubt they were of the same race, and the cultural basis and geographical origin of each is identical, even to the yurts they lived in and tactics they used. And the weapons. Specifically the composite recurved bow paired with overwhelming mounted attack.
Again I am interested why these tribesmen came off the Asian Steppe (High Plains) at least three times to obliterate everything they found. Maybe their culture reached a critical mass where cities and civilization were required to maintain a cohesive group, and instead of building them they let off the pressure by attacking far and wide. Living on the plains as I do now, I can see how living there made them really damn tough. It is just a hard place. Especially for a nomadic people living off the land.
The same thing happened here in North America. The Plains tribes were far and away the most formidable on this continent, and took to the horse as the center of their existence. Apaches, Comanches, Sioux, Crow, Nez Perce, etc. Lived in movable tepees. The land made the same culture and adaptations on two sides of the world. That is a thought I could follow a long way...
I think the Hyksos that attacked and occupied ancient Egypt around 2000BC, the Huns that attacked Rome and Europe around the 400AD, and the Mongols in the 1200's were the exact same crew, mostly unchanged but separated by centuries or millenia. From physical descriptions there is no doubt they were of the same race, and the cultural basis and geographical origin of each is identical, even to the yurts they lived in and tactics they used. And the weapons. Specifically the composite recurved bow paired with overwhelming mounted attack.
April 15, 2015
-La tardanza en entrar en materia, aunque sea para preparar mejor el momento, suele tener un precio.-
Género. Novela Histórica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Jonás Alabanda, romano de oriente, recuerda los tiempos de la Antigua Roma que, con su imperio ya empequeñecido, fueron testigos del avance de los hunos y su líder Atila, que con mucha ambición, con el maltrecho estado de las tropas romanas, con la excusa que le dio una noble romana y con la torpeza política del emperador parecía ser imparable durante unos eventos en los que Jonás terminó inmiscuido.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Novela Histórica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Jonás Alabanda, romano de oriente, recuerda los tiempos de la Antigua Roma que, con su imperio ya empequeñecido, fueron testigos del avance de los hunos y su líder Atila, que con mucha ambición, con el maltrecho estado de las tropas romanas, con la excusa que le dio una noble romana y con la torpeza política del emperador parecía ser imparable durante unos eventos en los que Jonás terminó inmiscuido.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
July 26, 2020
Novela ficción histórica de la cual esperaba más. Mis expectativas eran realmente altas. Pero en realidad ha cubierto como %40 de ellas.
Interesantes las partes donde se relata el modo de vivir de los hunos, su vida, sus necesidades y creencias. Y por otro lado, prácticamente es invención del autor, quien él mismo, en el Epílogo y en Nota histórica, nos aclara qué y qué no es ficción o realidad.
Como mención especial, se debe reconocer que muy poco se conoce en la historia como hechos reales, testimonios, pruebas, etc, de la vida de los hunos.
El hecho de agregar un romance, por una parte la creí interesante, pero a la mitad del libro comencé a sentirlo forzado y poco o nada creíble. Y, desde mi punto de vista, le demérito mucho al personaje principal que suponía yo, era Atila, el cual pasó a ser casi terciario.
Es una lástima que no me haya agradado como lo esperaba, porque, este libro pertenece a parte de una herencia de libros que me fue otorgada.
Interesantes las partes donde se relata el modo de vivir de los hunos, su vida, sus necesidades y creencias. Y por otro lado, prácticamente es invención del autor, quien él mismo, en el Epílogo y en Nota histórica, nos aclara qué y qué no es ficción o realidad.
Como mención especial, se debe reconocer que muy poco se conoce en la historia como hechos reales, testimonios, pruebas, etc, de la vida de los hunos.
El hecho de agregar un romance, por una parte la creí interesante, pero a la mitad del libro comencé a sentirlo forzado y poco o nada creíble. Y, desde mi punto de vista, le demérito mucho al personaje principal que suponía yo, era Atila, el cual pasó a ser casi terciario.
Es una lástima que no me haya agradado como lo esperaba, porque, este libro pertenece a parte de una herencia de libros que me fue otorgada.
July 15, 2008
This is a dramatization of Attila the Hun's invasion of Roman Europe. I'm very happy that I've read this because I always confuse Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan. You know..."Wait, is Attila the 5th century scourge of God or the 15th century scourge of God?" It turns out he's the one from the the 5th century.
Apart from the exciting (and remarkably clear)fight scenes, what I really enjoyed about this book was the history lesson. It's a great idea of what the end of the Roman Empire must have looked like. It wasn't so much that the empire "collapsed" as it was kind of dismantled. Although Imperial influence wained, the "barbarian" tribes (like the Goths and Franks)who were taking over Roman lands found themselves emulating and imitating Roman "civilization," albeit poorly. The remnants of the Roman empire in these lands found themselves making deals instead of governing. For example, a local warlord, chief or decurion would be charged with patrolling and keeping safe a particular valley, and their recompense would be permission to levy taxes. There were no longer uniforms, weapons or even soldiers coming from an increasingly remote and out of touch Imperial center; instead, local authority figures ended up seeing themselves as the representative of Rome in their particular valley. The reader can then see the beginnings of medieval feudalism in such a governing model. At this point, all that was required was the recognition that Rome had no real control over that particular valley and another chunk of the empire would dismantle itself.
Apart from the exciting (and remarkably clear)fight scenes, what I really enjoyed about this book was the history lesson. It's a great idea of what the end of the Roman Empire must have looked like. It wasn't so much that the empire "collapsed" as it was kind of dismantled. Although Imperial influence wained, the "barbarian" tribes (like the Goths and Franks)who were taking over Roman lands found themselves emulating and imitating Roman "civilization," albeit poorly. The remnants of the Roman empire in these lands found themselves making deals instead of governing. For example, a local warlord, chief or decurion would be charged with patrolling and keeping safe a particular valley, and their recompense would be permission to levy taxes. There were no longer uniforms, weapons or even soldiers coming from an increasingly remote and out of touch Imperial center; instead, local authority figures ended up seeing themselves as the representative of Rome in their particular valley. The reader can then see the beginnings of medieval feudalism in such a governing model. At this point, all that was required was the recognition that Rome had no real control over that particular valley and another chunk of the empire would dismantle itself.
July 16, 2024
Un libro que si eres fan de la novela histórica debes leer.
La historia del pueblo Huno es muy desconocida ya que ese pueblo pelionero no dejo vestigios de nada, no construían ni alfarería ni paraban monumentos, por eso es muy difícil contar su historia. Las historias de los Hunos se conoce más que nada por los propios romanos que son los que dejaron registros de aquel pueblo que no se sabe de donde venían, si de Rusia o de Mongolia, hay muchas historias divididas en referencia a Atila el rey de los Hunos en concreto, ya que como he dicho es muy difícil encontrar rastros de su vida.
William Dietrich llevó acabo una exhaustiva búsqueda de pedazos de historia y fue armando como un rompecabezas histórico la vida de este hombre y su pueblo de una manera magistral. Atila “El azote de Dios” es una novela histórica que tienes que leer si te gusta el género, vale mucho la pena 😉
Instagram
@el_librero_de_lalo 🤓📚📖
La historia del pueblo Huno es muy desconocida ya que ese pueblo pelionero no dejo vestigios de nada, no construían ni alfarería ni paraban monumentos, por eso es muy difícil contar su historia. Las historias de los Hunos se conoce más que nada por los propios romanos que son los que dejaron registros de aquel pueblo que no se sabe de donde venían, si de Rusia o de Mongolia, hay muchas historias divididas en referencia a Atila el rey de los Hunos en concreto, ya que como he dicho es muy difícil encontrar rastros de su vida.
William Dietrich llevó acabo una exhaustiva búsqueda de pedazos de historia y fue armando como un rompecabezas histórico la vida de este hombre y su pueblo de una manera magistral. Atila “El azote de Dios” es una novela histórica que tienes que leer si te gusta el género, vale mucho la pena 😉
@el_librero_de_lalo 🤓📚📖
May 29, 2009
This historical novel was well written with a number of surprising and little known facts about the historical figures involved (Attila the Hun, Flavius Aetius, Valentinian, etc). The author was able to capture the essence of life during the fall of the Roman Empire: a mixture of hopelessness, futility, frustration and anarchy all created or enabled by a society that no longer prized honesty, discipline, thrift, industry and hard work but instead had grown fat and lazy (like its rulers) off taxing the work of others. Gee...that sounds vaguely familiar.....
Those who are interested in learning from the past mistakes of others would do well to read this. It would also interest those who like battle strategy. As a romance, it had little to offer (I still don't know who the heroine was in love with!). Still, all in all, my husband and I both enjoyed it.
Those who are interested in learning from the past mistakes of others would do well to read this. It would also interest those who like battle strategy. As a romance, it had little to offer (I still don't know who the heroine was in love with!). Still, all in all, my husband and I both enjoyed it.
September 30, 2010
2nd book read by this author. Detailed fictional story of Attila the Hun and his hordes and the last battle of the Roman legions in Gaul (modern-day France). Fact blended with stories--some true characters and others created by the author. The weakness of the western Roman empire (ruled by a weak emperor in Rome) combined with the desperation of the eastern empire--based in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey). I've read many books about the Roman empire but few about its end times and none (until now) about the peoples' lives as it fell apart around them.
March 16, 2009
This is very interesting historical fiction detailing the story of Jonas, a Roman historian and swordsman, caught up in a time when the Roman Empire was threatened by the awesome power of Attila, around 450 AD. It does a good job of giving a picture of the diminishing power of the Roman Empire and the threats it faced on many fronts. It is well researched and a captivating story filled with action, adventure and romance.
June 10, 2017
One of the very best Roman era historical novels, maybe the very best. Unusually, it is unique among Dietrich books for being set in that time period; I wish he would do more in this genre. Keeps you on the edge of your seat even if you are familiar with the actual history.
September 28, 2023
Novel•la que recrea la invasió dels huns comandats per Atila sobre les terres de l’Imperi Romà, en els anys finals de la seva existència, una época de decadència político militar.
La narració es realitza en 3a persona durant bona part del llibre, però també en primera persona. Jonás d’Alabanda és un jove de Constantinopla, fill de mercader, que participa en una ambaixada a la cort d’Atila gràcies al seu coneixement de l’idioma dels huns. A partir d’aquí, es convertirà en protagonista d’aventures que el portaran a participar en la gran batalla dels Camps Catalàunics, que enfeontarà als huns i els seus aliats amb els romans comandats per Flavi Aeci, i els seus aliats.
M’ha agradat l’ambientació de la història, la descripció del clima de terror i de moment trascendent de la història que l’autor li dona al relat, si bé, la trama en la que es sustenta aquesta descripció és molt més fluixa, sora el meu punt de vista.
Un llibre per disfrutar d’aventures i impregnar-se de l’ambient d’una época trascendental en el devenir d’Occident.
La narració es realitza en 3a persona durant bona part del llibre, però també en primera persona. Jonás d’Alabanda és un jove de Constantinopla, fill de mercader, que participa en una ambaixada a la cort d’Atila gràcies al seu coneixement de l’idioma dels huns. A partir d’aquí, es convertirà en protagonista d’aventures que el portaran a participar en la gran batalla dels Camps Catalàunics, que enfeontarà als huns i els seus aliats amb els romans comandats per Flavi Aeci, i els seus aliats.
M’ha agradat l’ambientació de la història, la descripció del clima de terror i de moment trascendent de la història que l’autor li dona al relat, si bé, la trama en la que es sustenta aquesta descripció és molt més fluixa, sora el meu punt de vista.
Un llibre per disfrutar d’aventures i impregnar-se de l’ambient d’una época trascendental en el devenir d’Occident.
May 13, 2010
This is an interesting account of Attila the Hun. Dietrich takes actual historical events, locations, and characters and weaves an intriguingly captivating fictional story around them. While Attila is certainly presented as the ruthless, calculating, and sometimes merciless conqueror that he was, he is also given a human face that causes the reader to ponder the true character and nature of the legendary Attila the Hun. I learned quite a bit of ancient history from this novel, and I was pleasantly surprised that the brutality it documented was not nearly as graphically explicit as I had feared.
September 18, 2008
Attila's defeat near Chalons is the climax of a story about the clash between the decadent Roman culture and the vigorous, but uncivilized, barbarians from the North. Deep misunderstandings, greed, and treason lead to a great war of nations in order to restore world order and balance.
Attila is just a secondary character, but his strenght and legend are such that ignoring him is impossible.
Despite the lack of historical and reliable informations about the Huns and their greatest king, this books turns out to be well written and documented.
Attila is just a secondary character, but his strenght and legend are such that ignoring him is impossible.
Despite the lack of historical and reliable informations about the Huns and their greatest king, this books turns out to be well written and documented.
March 15, 2011
Fantastic historical fiction. I have never read anything on Atilla the Hun and the book brought a common household name but obscure historical figure to life. More interestingly, the description of the late days of the Roman Empire and Constantinople were fascinating. No idea how realistic or accurate, but the author was first a non-fiction writer and historian so I assume it is somewhat accurate.
March 9, 2009
William Dietrich is quickly becoming one of my “go-to” authors to help satiate my need for entertaining historical fiction. By combining factual information, real historical characters and adding fictional supporting roles, Dietrich makes historical events come to life in a highly adventurous imaginative manner.
July 29, 2008
Es complicado escribir sobre alguien del cual se sabe tan poco como Atila. Por ende, la novela contiene muchos datos que no son del todo reales.
De todos modos, la novela es atrapante y contiene un apéndice donde el autor detalla que datos son reales y cuales no lo son.
De todos modos, la novela es atrapante y contiene un apéndice donde el autor detalla que datos son reales y cuales no lo son.
September 6, 2008
Powerful historical fiction about the fall of the Roman Empire to the Huns. Deitrich admits there’s little information, but he did what research he could and successfully created characters that I cared about enough to be interested in the actual battles, which are described in gruesome detail.
February 5, 2013
So far, it's good. Lots of little details that add to the story. And I'm only on page 20, so that bodes well for the rest of the book, I think. And stories about the decline of Rome are rare, I've found, and the Huns feature heavily. So it should be interesting.
October 8, 2018
Meh.
An interesting first person account of Attila’s last big campaign devolves into an action-hero romance novel. Cardboard cutout characters. I finished the book, but the last quarter was a chore.
An interesting first person account of Attila’s last big campaign devolves into an action-hero romance novel. Cardboard cutout characters. I finished the book, but the last quarter was a chore.
November 22, 2010
Finally I'm done reading ot, and must confess the ending wasn't as I predicted. Maybe a little too much incidence in the belic details, although it's worth reading.
January 3, 2022
Trepidante, concreto y ágil.
Un libro que parece sencillo en narrativa e historia, que lleva por caminos insólitos e inesperados. En un inicio me pareció lento y a medida que se avanza en la trama cobra mayor fuerza, sobre todo en las últimas páginas. Esa última batalla fue impresionante.
Existe un cambio sutil en los narradores, en su mayoría es Jonás quien nos va narrando la trama, pero hay partes en donde aparece un narrador universal que nos habla de aquellos puntos en los que Jonás no es partícipe, en su momento es sorpresivo, funge como un atractivo importante.
Los personajes (y su variedad) son el encanto del libro. Todos llevan un buen desarrollo y tienen un por qué. Con Jonás, al ser nuestro narrador principal, se crea una empatía, es él quien nos cuenta sobre los viajes, los campamentos y las costumbres de los hunos. Representa la transición entre inocencia a astucia.
Iliana, Berta y Julia son mujeres que destacan por su fortaleza. Zerco, un enano bufón lleno de ingenio me robó muchas carcajadas. Y Skilla fue ese personaje que odias en un inicio y que amas al final. Solo bastaba conocerlo.
En fin, un muy buen libro que, sin duda, recomiendo. Con excelentes batallas muy bien narradas, que cuestiona sobre el inmenso coste de las guerras, la cantidad de vidas perdidas. Realmente, ¿vale la pena?
Un libro que parece sencillo en narrativa e historia, que lleva por caminos insólitos e inesperados. En un inicio me pareció lento y a medida que se avanza en la trama cobra mayor fuerza, sobre todo en las últimas páginas. Esa última batalla fue impresionante.
Existe un cambio sutil en los narradores, en su mayoría es Jonás quien nos va narrando la trama, pero hay partes en donde aparece un narrador universal que nos habla de aquellos puntos en los que Jonás no es partícipe, en su momento es sorpresivo, funge como un atractivo importante.
Los personajes (y su variedad) son el encanto del libro. Todos llevan un buen desarrollo y tienen un por qué. Con Jonás, al ser nuestro narrador principal, se crea una empatía, es él quien nos cuenta sobre los viajes, los campamentos y las costumbres de los hunos. Representa la transición entre inocencia a astucia.
Iliana, Berta y Julia son mujeres que destacan por su fortaleza. Zerco, un enano bufón lleno de ingenio me robó muchas carcajadas. Y Skilla fue ese personaje que odias en un inicio y que amas al final. Solo bastaba conocerlo.
En fin, un muy buen libro que, sin duda, recomiendo. Con excelentes batallas muy bien narradas, que cuestiona sobre el inmenso coste de las guerras, la cantidad de vidas perdidas. Realmente, ¿vale la pena?
August 14, 2018
Después de digerir la información y, en retrospectiva, me pareció correcta la forma en la que terminó. Siendo una novela se presta precisamente a la imaginación del escritor, es así como asimilé que probablemente la escribió como una historia de amor (entre Skilla, Jonas e Ilana) y no como una historia totalmente bélica.
En este sentido, no compartí mucho la idea del sacrificio de Skilla pero desde un punto de vista romántico creo que morir por amor justifica cualquier trama. De esta forma, el libro resulta agradable y se basa en toda la información con la que se cuenta de la época; mostrando a un Atila supersticioso pero duro, salvaje pero inteligente, es esto lo que mas me gustó junto con la descripción de Aecio (lider de los Romanos.
Resulta por demás interesante como entrelaza todos y cada uno de los personajes y les da un cierre por demás fantasioso.
Lo recomiendo ya que fluyen las palabras como la trama, las historias de amor y guerra están narradas para disfrutarlas.
En este sentido, no compartí mucho la idea del sacrificio de Skilla pero desde un punto de vista romántico creo que morir por amor justifica cualquier trama. De esta forma, el libro resulta agradable y se basa en toda la información con la que se cuenta de la época; mostrando a un Atila supersticioso pero duro, salvaje pero inteligente, es esto lo que mas me gustó junto con la descripción de Aecio (lider de los Romanos.
Resulta por demás interesante como entrelaza todos y cada uno de los personajes y les da un cierre por demás fantasioso.
Lo recomiendo ya que fluyen las palabras como la trama, las historias de amor y guerra están narradas para disfrutarlas.
July 25, 2024
All my respects to Mr. Dietrich (by the way, he's an American journalist and writer and he has won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, back in 1990) for his idea of melting together history, adventure and romance in the same story.
Of course, Attila the Hun, the eponymous Scourge of God, is a real-life famous warrior who terrorized "civilized" countries in the middle of the Vth century, as he has almost conquered all Europe. Valentina, the Roman Emperor, Aetius, the well-known Roman General, and other characters, including Zerco-the jester, are also for real. Only Jonas, Ilana and Skilla are the fruit of imagination, but that doesn't bother the reader, as they make the story richer.
So, if you're fond of romance, you like adventure and you're willing to know some history facts, this book is quite a perfect fit...
Of course, Attila the Hun, the eponymous Scourge of God, is a real-life famous warrior who terrorized "civilized" countries in the middle of the Vth century, as he has almost conquered all Europe. Valentina, the Roman Emperor, Aetius, the well-known Roman General, and other characters, including Zerco-the jester, are also for real. Only Jonas, Ilana and Skilla are the fruit of imagination, but that doesn't bother the reader, as they make the story richer.
So, if you're fond of romance, you like adventure and you're willing to know some history facts, this book is quite a perfect fit...
January 22, 2022
Solid historical fiction, giving a reasonable presentation of what Attila's hoard may have been like. Had to be rough being a Roman citizen in the fifth century as it was all coming apart.
Writing style is enjoyable with enough literary weight to have me googling word definitions more than a handful of times. Good writing, without being ponderous.
Close call on whether to give it four or five stars. I will be looking for more of Mr. Dietrich's books.
Writing style is enjoyable with enough literary weight to have me googling word definitions more than a handful of times. Good writing, without being ponderous.
Close call on whether to give it four or five stars. I will be looking for more of Mr. Dietrich's books.
March 23, 2021
Esperé 21 capitulos a que valiera la pena la historia. El libro no es sobre Atila, me sentí engañada por el titulo para empezar, y aunque Atila sí es un factor en la historia, es más sobre un Joven y su amor (necio) por una mujer a la que apenas conoce.
Descripciones innecesarias hacen la historia lenta y tediosa. Sólo los últimos capitulos valen la pena....
Esperaba mucho más...
Descripciones innecesarias hacen la historia lenta y tediosa. Sólo los últimos capitulos valen la pena....
Esperaba mucho más...
July 8, 2018
A fun read about later Roman Empire. Characters are a bit bland and the stories paces a bit too quickly but it does provide a very neat glimpse into what the demise of Rome would have looked like and her relationships with the different barbarian tribe.
February 14, 2022
Kitabın Türkçe çevirisi çok kötüydü. Cümleleri anlamak için aynı cümleleri tekrar tekrar okumak zorunda kaldım. Keşke daha güzel bi çeviriyle basılsaymış. Bu sebeple okuma süresi de uzun oldu. Kitabı bitirmek için büyük bir çaba harcadım ne yazık ki.
October 2, 2022
Historical fiction based on the Huns' attack on the Western Roman Empire. I knew pretty much nothing about this time period prior to reading Scourge of God; historical fiction makes me look things up, and now I know a little more.
January 14, 2023
Una gran historia, pero a diferencia de las otras obras de Zeta histórica la figura de Atila se sintió bastante más lejana e incluso superada por la de los protagonistas blancos dejándote un gran hueco ¿Digna de leer? sí, ¿Puede haber mejores representaciones de él? Espero que sí.
April 20, 2025
Como novela de aventuras es buena, típico viaje del héroe con buenos, malos,giros y acción, pero la parte histórica lo estropea algo, con exceso de protagonismo de unos personajes de ficción que eclipsan la realidad histórica. Por fortuna,el autor es consciente y lo explica al final de la novela.
November 20, 2017
Very enjoyable book about Attila and related characters. A fanciful way to conclude the story, but...okay.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews