Eboracum, No Turning Back

The Eboracvm #4

by Graham Clews

It is AD 388, and the end of Roman rule in Britain is drawing near. On the continent the Empire is racked with strife. General Magnus Maximus set out from Britain six years past, taking the legions with him. He has now paid the penalty for his ambitions. That army can no longer return, for it is desperately needed by Rome to fight her own battles. Left to defend herself, Britain now relies on the remnants of the Roman field force: mobile auxiliary troops that rush from pillar to post, meeting every threat wherever it rises. South of Hadrian's Wall and threatened on three sides, Eboracum is the centre of operations in the north. Cadeyrn Aurelius and his wife Galena raise a private army to help fill the void left by Rome. Other such forces will follow, but as yet history has no barons, nor the kings to control them.
A new saga begins, one that follows the fortunes of Aurelius's family; that of the dispirited soldier Duagal Arbitius, forced by circumstance to turn traitor; and an expanding Christian church, a rising influence that affects them all, and not always for the better. As with the first Eboracum Trilogy, Eboracum, No Turning Back, is written with the same unique approach to conditions of the time. Historically accurate, there are no bold heroes and no vile villains, just ordinary people who happen to live in more difficult times. People who face life's choices with striking familiarity; a litany of fears, failings and foibles that are best resolved with the pragmatic acceptance and dark humour that make tragedy bearable; yet with a lust for life that surpasses time...
cf. back cover.

449 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

About the author

I’m a retired chartered accountant, who loves to write.

My tales include fascinating award winning fiction novels: well rated tales about first century Roman/Celtic Britain and the violent, yet poignant, clash of cultures; an accidental hero, a 60 year old accountant with a tainted past; a tongue in cheek look at the political mayhem in Canada; and finally, an unique magical world for YAs where time is destination, not a state of mind.

Click here for books: http://graham-clews.com/bookstore/

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled to get my hands on this one, having enjoyed the author's Eboracum Trilogy: [about Eboracum's early years]!  Now this 1st volume of a, [dare I say it?] Eboracum Trilogy II: [about Eboracum's dying years] was a real treat!  Interplay between native Britons--mostly Picts and Veniconii--and Romans, as embodied by the protagonist family, various army officers, and Christian clergy of all shades, from good to sanctimonious to lecherous.  A village on the eastern shore of Britannia [today's Scotland] is raided by a group of Picts and the little fishing village burnt. The Roman army decanus, Daguald, aka Dag, in control of a local Roman signal tower is taken into captivity along with his wife, Selia.  In return for his turning coat and helping the natives, she will remain unharmed as hostage.  The children are elsewhere at the time and finally take refuge with the local clergy, who take in all children.  Most of the novel concerns husband and wife trying to find each other; one goes north, the other south, and daughter Tavia trying to find her Dad; she is convinced he is alive although told of his death.  There are scenes of combat, much of it turning out to be pointless, where Dag has trained the Picts in Roman army techniques, especially archery.  A couple, the wealthy farmer Cadeyrn Aurelius and his wife and brother maintain a private army, since the Romans are leaving the island. How else will people protect themselves?  Is this militia a forerunner of the medieval fyrd?  I liked the "family folklore", the inscription and description of the townhouse linking Aurelius to the hero in the earlier trilogy.

I was confused when Atticus, one of the army officers was introduced to the story.  I wished that the first time he appeared, his rank and fort he came from had been specified: p. 73, rather than having to discover the information a few pages further on or to read between the lines.  On the map, the Wall should have been labelled Hadrian's, not Hardrian's.   The cover shows a Roman soldier dressed in a "classical" Roman uniform: lorica segmentata.  Since the story takes place in the 4th century AD, the soldier should have been dressed in a uniform of the later period. Later the author explained his logic to me; he was linking the two eras by picturing a ruined Hadrian's Wall and a soldier dressed in an older style uniform. The novel would have benefited from a List of Characters or Who's Who; I did appreciate the supplementary material that was there.

I understand the saga will continue and I'm eager to follow along.  I thought the title apropos: there was "no turning back" either for Dag personally or for the whole history of Britain.  Inevitable upheaval and changes are coming with the departure of the Romans and with foreign invasions from both east and west.

Highly recommended.