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The Books of the Elements #1
The Legions of Fire
From the Bestselling author of the Lord of the Isles . . .
In this novel of magical menace to the survival of all humanity, David Drake introduces a new fantasy world, Carce, based on Europe during the later Roman Empire.
Far in the north, a group of magicians perform a strange dance on a volcanic island intended to open a gateway for supernatural creatures that will allow them to devastate the whole Earth and destroy all life. Not knowing the cause, two young men, Corylus and Varus, and two women, Hedia and Alphena, each separately pursue the answer to mysterious and threatening happenings that prefigure disaster in the great city of Carce, the center of civilization. Through magical voyages in other realities where fantastic creatures, and even gods, help or hinder them, each of them must succeed or not just the city but the world will end in fire.
The Legions of Fire is the first of a fantasy quartet set in the world of the city of Carce.
In this novel of magical menace to the survival of all humanity, David Drake introduces a new fantasy world, Carce, based on Europe during the later Roman Empire.
Far in the north, a group of magicians perform a strange dance on a volcanic island intended to open a gateway for supernatural creatures that will allow them to devastate the whole Earth and destroy all life. Not knowing the cause, two young men, Corylus and Varus, and two women, Hedia and Alphena, each separately pursue the answer to mysterious and threatening happenings that prefigure disaster in the great city of Carce, the center of civilization. Through magical voyages in other realities where fantastic creatures, and even gods, help or hinder them, each of them must succeed or not just the city but the world will end in fire.
The Legions of Fire is the first of a fantasy quartet set in the world of the city of Carce.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2010
30 people are currently reading
317 people want to read
About the author
David Drake
307 books886 followersDavid Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 12, 2013
I have read and liked many of David Drake’s science fiction novels. This was the first of his fantasy novels I read, and it will, however, likely be the last.
The first thing that bothered me in the book was the city name. Carce IS Rome. Calling it by another name was just annoying.
The second thing which bothered me was the excruciatingly slow start to the book. I was almost a third of the way through before it became clear that there really was going to be a plot; and that there was a point to the slow, bit-by-bit revelations which were occurring in each chapter. At least forty percent of the first one hundred pages should have been edited out.
The main problem with the book were the characters. We see the characters either in long, drawn out exposition, or being led around by spirits in barely explained alternate worlds. They are told what to do; they do it; then they pop back to their real world or else move on to another spirit situation. None of the characters have more than a minor bit of free will. None take any serious active part in the story, except as the tools of others. The central “bad guy” is the only person who appears to ever have a plan, and he is always in the background. The result is that you never come to empathize with any character; you never really care about any character, and the most common feeling is; “finish this scene so we can get on to something else which may matter.”
As is too often the case, the book rushes to an ending in the last chapter. Suddenly, all the separate and often seemingly little connected plot lines zip together thanks, again, to the actions of spirit guides instead of the characters.
This is cannot be recommended to anyone other than a die-hard David Drake fan.
The first thing that bothered me in the book was the city name. Carce IS Rome. Calling it by another name was just annoying.
The second thing which bothered me was the excruciatingly slow start to the book. I was almost a third of the way through before it became clear that there really was going to be a plot; and that there was a point to the slow, bit-by-bit revelations which were occurring in each chapter. At least forty percent of the first one hundred pages should have been edited out.
The main problem with the book were the characters. We see the characters either in long, drawn out exposition, or being led around by spirits in barely explained alternate worlds. They are told what to do; they do it; then they pop back to their real world or else move on to another spirit situation. None of the characters have more than a minor bit of free will. None take any serious active part in the story, except as the tools of others. The central “bad guy” is the only person who appears to ever have a plan, and he is always in the background. The result is that you never come to empathize with any character; you never really care about any character, and the most common feeling is; “finish this scene so we can get on to something else which may matter.”
As is too often the case, the book rushes to an ending in the last chapter. Suddenly, all the separate and often seemingly little connected plot lines zip together thanks, again, to the actions of spirit guides instead of the characters.
This is cannot be recommended to anyone other than a die-hard David Drake fan.
October 2, 2021
Notes:
Currently on Audible +
Historical aspects are very well done. The magical twist comes across as corny but full of drive to fight against the "bad guys".
Currently on Audible +
Historical aspects are very well done. The magical twist comes across as corny but full of drive to fight against the "bad guys".
March 28, 2018
The Legions of Fire is sort of an alternate history, fantasy novel that is set in ancient Rome except that magic and all sorts of monsters exist. The basic premise of the story is that there is a wizard who is an advisor to a senator in Carce, a Roman city, who is trying to bring about the ruin of the world by calling forth a group of gods from a different plane of existence. There are four people related or acquainted with the senator who together and separately are trying to stop this from happening.
This novel gets off to a terrible start. Apparently, this author never heard the advice that the number one rule as a fiction author is to hook in the reader from the very start of the story. Not only does the author not accomplish this, but nothing whatsoever of interest happens for the first hundred pages or so. Eventually, there are things happening, but by that point in the novel, I had totally lost interest and could never gain interest because the author had lost me. Another problem I had was that the four main characters all go on adventures to different planes and they all fight off various types of monsters. This made the novel both repetitive and confusing. It was hard to tell who was doing what because they were all embarking on the same type of mission with the same type of storyline.
The book had a lot of monsters and a lot of sex, even if it was at completely inappropriate times. Here is the world on the brink of destruction, but the main characters manage to have sex frequently. Talk about gratuitous. This was a novel that is not worth reading, and you won’t have a hard time finding better options.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
This novel gets off to a terrible start. Apparently, this author never heard the advice that the number one rule as a fiction author is to hook in the reader from the very start of the story. Not only does the author not accomplish this, but nothing whatsoever of interest happens for the first hundred pages or so. Eventually, there are things happening, but by that point in the novel, I had totally lost interest and could never gain interest because the author had lost me. Another problem I had was that the four main characters all go on adventures to different planes and they all fight off various types of monsters. This made the novel both repetitive and confusing. It was hard to tell who was doing what because they were all embarking on the same type of mission with the same type of storyline.
The book had a lot of monsters and a lot of sex, even if it was at completely inappropriate times. Here is the world on the brink of destruction, but the main characters manage to have sex frequently. Talk about gratuitous. This was a novel that is not worth reading, and you won’t have a hard time finding better options.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity
May 10, 2014
OK - I need to do a full disclosure before I comment on this book. I am a very literal guy. I don’t go in for allegories, hidden meanings, or ‘the author was saying this to represent that’.
In college I read Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’. My take: a somewhat boring tale of a trip down the Congo River. The professor’s take: the author is exploring man’s inner blah blah blah. How in the hell did she figure that out?
Now, for the “Legions of Fire’ - I have read a number of David Drake’s books before and liked them all. I picked this up for $1.00 and I lucked out because this was Vol 1 of a series. Normally I see discounted books but they’re Vol 2 or 3 or 4.
The story takes place in the city of Carce which is actually ancient Rome. Everything about the characters and the location is ancient Rome. There’s lots of Greek/Roman mythology thrown in as well.
I’ve found an alternate history novel - great I like those. But then the magic starts.
I have read my share of fantasy/swords and sorcery books - some I loved and some were, well ‘not bad’. A few stunk.
Everything seemed to be going along ok until the magic started and then everything got really weird. At one point one of the characters sees a goose striding along being ridden by a chipmunk who is all dressed up in fine clothes. Say what? It was as if Drake was describing an LSD trip.
That’s when I knew I picked up the wrong book - for me.
The character development was very good; the action/fighting scenes well written; the dialogue was good. But I struggled through the last 1/2 to 2/3 of the book when everyone was wandering around in this Alice in Wonderland world.
I won’t be picking up the other books in this series.
In college I read Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’. My take: a somewhat boring tale of a trip down the Congo River. The professor’s take: the author is exploring man’s inner blah blah blah. How in the hell did she figure that out?
Now, for the “Legions of Fire’ - I have read a number of David Drake’s books before and liked them all. I picked this up for $1.00 and I lucked out because this was Vol 1 of a series. Normally I see discounted books but they’re Vol 2 or 3 or 4.
The story takes place in the city of Carce which is actually ancient Rome. Everything about the characters and the location is ancient Rome. There’s lots of Greek/Roman mythology thrown in as well.
I’ve found an alternate history novel - great I like those. But then the magic starts.
I have read my share of fantasy/swords and sorcery books - some I loved and some were, well ‘not bad’. A few stunk.
Everything seemed to be going along ok until the magic started and then everything got really weird. At one point one of the characters sees a goose striding along being ridden by a chipmunk who is all dressed up in fine clothes. Say what? It was as if Drake was describing an LSD trip.
That’s when I knew I picked up the wrong book - for me.
The character development was very good; the action/fighting scenes well written; the dialogue was good. But I struggled through the last 1/2 to 2/3 of the book when everyone was wandering around in this Alice in Wonderland world.
I won’t be picking up the other books in this series.
May 13, 2011
This one I started and put down many times but after the superb Into the Hinterlands I decided to give it a final spin - either read it and go to the next or drop the series; the fantasy 30AD Rome of the setting is very intriguing and David Drake is always very dependable to write good historical stuff with no anachronisms (especially of the social kind that are so often encounters in modern books about Rome who take our values and mindset there).
His using Carce instead of Rome but keeping everything else historical (Gaul, Spain, Germany, names, cities..) to emphasize the book is fantasy worked ok but it was not really necessary; the characters are likable and interesting since they all have twists on their archetype - the aristocratic but somewhat indolent scion of a high nobility (senatorial class) house, his knightly class (the lower nobility/upper middle class, but still rich) friend, his tomboy sister and his young ambitious stepmother, plus the supporting cast of assorted veterans/mentors, philosophers, aristocrats, wizards...
The magic of the book was very canned and left me cold; when the villains try to burn the world with fire and the heroes above had to save it, I kind of got bored rather than excited; I still enjoyed Legions of fire well enough for the characters and Roman setting that I will try Out of the Waters and i hope that the book will have more twists beyond the "evil of ages, stirring, bla-bla..." stuff of the first
His using Carce instead of Rome but keeping everything else historical (Gaul, Spain, Germany, names, cities..) to emphasize the book is fantasy worked ok but it was not really necessary; the characters are likable and interesting since they all have twists on their archetype - the aristocratic but somewhat indolent scion of a high nobility (senatorial class) house, his knightly class (the lower nobility/upper middle class, but still rich) friend, his tomboy sister and his young ambitious stepmother, plus the supporting cast of assorted veterans/mentors, philosophers, aristocrats, wizards...
The magic of the book was very canned and left me cold; when the villains try to burn the world with fire and the heroes above had to save it, I kind of got bored rather than excited; I still enjoyed Legions of fire well enough for the characters and Roman setting that I will try Out of the Waters and i hope that the book will have more twists beyond the "evil of ages, stirring, bla-bla..." stuff of the first
July 15, 2017
Pros: great characters, excellent world-building, interesting plot
Cons: a few distracting word choices
The magician Nemastes takes advantage of the superstitious senator Saxa and casts a spell in the man’s house. That spell interrupts the poetry reading of Saxa’s son Gaius Varus, and turns the young man into an unwitting pawn of Nemastes’s enemies. Also pulled into the spell’s influence are Varus’s sister, Alphena, who practices swordplay, even though it’s not a womanly art; his new, young stepmother, Hedia; and his best friend Publius Corylus, who grew up on the border of the barbarian frontiers of Germania.
The four players are pulled into other worlds, worlds in which creatures of myth are real, and where a group of evil men are planning the destruction of the world.
The author begins the book with a forward explaining that while the book is based on the history of ancient Rome (called Carce in the book to help keep the distinction), it is not historical fiction. He also points out that all of the gods and mythological creatures he references are things people in the past believed in.
It was really cool reading a book that referenced a lot of old mythology as if it were real. There were some expected creatures and a lot of unexpected ones as well. And while the main setting is Carce, Egyptian, Norse, and other belief systems make appearances.
The four principle characters are well fleshed out, as are a few side characters. I really enjoyed the developing relationship between Alphena and her close in age stepmother - the mix of anger Alphena feels towards the woman as well as her grudging respect. Hedia meanwhile is a surprising woman: on her second marriage with few illusions about the world. She enjoys sex and knows how to use her looks to advantage. She’s also quite intelligent with regards to the danger posed by Nemastes and honestly wants what’s best for her new stepchildren. I felt kind of sorry for Varus, who wants to do great things but just doesn’t have the necessary abilities. I was impressed by his actions in the climax. Corylus has a grab bag of skills that come in handy during the trials he faces. He doesn’t grow as much as a character as the others, but he’s a fascinating character to read about.
The plot takes a while to get going, but the characters are so interesting I didn’t mind. And when it does pick up, things go quickly.
A few word choices irritated me, specifically the use of ‘knight’ for a position in the Carcian army instead of the Roman title and ‘hell’ referencing to the Christian version of the afterlife (which didn’t exist as we think of it at the time) rather than the terms/meanings people back then would have used for the afterlife). But those are pretty minor complaints and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book
This is the first of a four book series but though there’s a teaser for book 2 in the epilogue, all of the plot points are resolved and it can be read as a standalone novel.
If you like mythology and Roman fiction, give this a go.
Cons: a few distracting word choices
The magician Nemastes takes advantage of the superstitious senator Saxa and casts a spell in the man’s house. That spell interrupts the poetry reading of Saxa’s son Gaius Varus, and turns the young man into an unwitting pawn of Nemastes’s enemies. Also pulled into the spell’s influence are Varus’s sister, Alphena, who practices swordplay, even though it’s not a womanly art; his new, young stepmother, Hedia; and his best friend Publius Corylus, who grew up on the border of the barbarian frontiers of Germania.
The four players are pulled into other worlds, worlds in which creatures of myth are real, and where a group of evil men are planning the destruction of the world.
The author begins the book with a forward explaining that while the book is based on the history of ancient Rome (called Carce in the book to help keep the distinction), it is not historical fiction. He also points out that all of the gods and mythological creatures he references are things people in the past believed in.
It was really cool reading a book that referenced a lot of old mythology as if it were real. There were some expected creatures and a lot of unexpected ones as well. And while the main setting is Carce, Egyptian, Norse, and other belief systems make appearances.
The four principle characters are well fleshed out, as are a few side characters. I really enjoyed the developing relationship between Alphena and her close in age stepmother - the mix of anger Alphena feels towards the woman as well as her grudging respect. Hedia meanwhile is a surprising woman: on her second marriage with few illusions about the world. She enjoys sex and knows how to use her looks to advantage. She’s also quite intelligent with regards to the danger posed by Nemastes and honestly wants what’s best for her new stepchildren. I felt kind of sorry for Varus, who wants to do great things but just doesn’t have the necessary abilities. I was impressed by his actions in the climax. Corylus has a grab bag of skills that come in handy during the trials he faces. He doesn’t grow as much as a character as the others, but he’s a fascinating character to read about.
The plot takes a while to get going, but the characters are so interesting I didn’t mind. And when it does pick up, things go quickly.
A few word choices irritated me, specifically the use of ‘knight’ for a position in the Carcian army instead of the Roman title and ‘hell’ referencing to the Christian version of the afterlife (which didn’t exist as we think of it at the time) rather than the terms/meanings people back then would have used for the afterlife). But those are pretty minor complaints and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book
This is the first of a four book series but though there’s a teaser for book 2 in the epilogue, all of the plot points are resolved and it can be read as a standalone novel.
If you like mythology and Roman fiction, give this a go.
July 1, 2014
I like the ideas Mr. Drake puts forth, but the whole thing progresses slowly, it feels like a road trip through some lush and vibrant tourist area...at 10mph. Nice for a bit then you just wonder if you can speed things up to get to the next attraction. Also a fan that doesn't use England and Arthurian legend as the basics for a fantasy world.
I might give another of David's fantasy yarns a try. Like I said I like what he was going for, but the pacing (Among other things) kinda ate at my will to continue.
I might give another of David's fantasy yarns a try. Like I said I like what he was going for, but the pacing (Among other things) kinda ate at my will to continue.
July 21, 2020
**The Legions of Fire** is Historical Fantasy: It takes place in Ancient Rome while Tiberius is emperor, only that Rome is called Carce, so that Drake doesn't get punched by history nerds, maybe? Though the history nerds would have just about zero reason for punching him – Drake majored in history (with honours) and Latin, and it shows in loving background details. All other names stayed the same as in our history – Gaul, Carthage, Germany etc, even Octavianus Augustus, so I didn't quite see the point of calling it Carce. Either do Rome, or go the [Codex Alera](https://books.rixx.de/reviews/by-seri...) route.
The protagonists – youths from military and senatorial backgrounds, respectively, plus their closest adults – slowly come to realise that world-ending magic is attacking the empire, and work against it. The story draws liberally from Roman, Norse, and Greek mythology, and mixes them very well. The level of attention paid to details and consistency is very nice.
I felt that the characters were a bit on the two-adjective side if we're being generous, but I enjoyed them nonetheless – the honourable military youth, the clever, awkward son of a senator, the insecure, irascible daughter of a senator, the loyal clever servant etc etc. The second half of the book takes place in magic/dream worlds, and I felt those were weaker and more chaotic, and suffered from break-up-the-party syndrome. Overall this was a fun and rewarding reading experience.
The protagonists – youths from military and senatorial backgrounds, respectively, plus their closest adults – slowly come to realise that world-ending magic is attacking the empire, and work against it. The story draws liberally from Roman, Norse, and Greek mythology, and mixes them very well. The level of attention paid to details and consistency is very nice.
I felt that the characters were a bit on the two-adjective side if we're being generous, but I enjoyed them nonetheless – the honourable military youth, the clever, awkward son of a senator, the insecure, irascible daughter of a senator, the loyal clever servant etc etc. The second half of the book takes place in magic/dream worlds, and I felt those were weaker and more chaotic, and suffered from break-up-the-party syndrome. Overall this was a fun and rewarding reading experience.
April 18, 2023
Very slow starter; I DNF'd at the 1/4 mark and the plot hadn't really taken off yet. Four main POV-characters in a fantasy version of Rome witness a disturbing vision brought on by one character's dad's shady magician-buddy. One character may be a demigod of sorts but doesn't clue in to it at all when his lifelong servant/slave/mentor tells him about his mom. His friend's sister is the type of spunky heroine whose spunkiness is based on literally just doing things to shock or piss people off (girls aren't supposed to exercise, so she does; girls aren't supposed to attend poetry readings, so she does; etc, etc). I found the family dynamic interesting, where the family aren't cuddly-close, are actually all rather distant from each other, but don't hate each other; this could have been more interesting if I had gotten to care about anyone, but it was just a succession of the main characters all going to, or being near, this opening recital and doing a lot of internal exposition about themselves, their background, etc, instead of readers meeting these people, learning their connections, and becoming interested in them, THEN discovering things about them along the way.
Not my cup of tea.
Not my cup of tea.
June 9, 2022
DNF, no matter how much I tried to push through. I was able to complete about 60% of the book.
A novel about a fictional city named Carce, during the late Roman Empire. A group of four discover the world will end in fire. We follow each person as they try to solve the mystery of the upcoming threat and how to prevent it from happening.
I was trying to figure out if there was a story here. The book seems to focus more on unnecessary over description and servants. If one was unaware that those of status during the Roman Empire had servants, this book ensures one does. The book could probably be cut in half, and not affect the “story.”
It just felt like a long prologue, with not much character development. Corylus seems to be strong, Varus is just Corylus’ friend and Alphena is a tomboy. The least boring character is Hedia, stepmother to Varus and Alphena. However, her age does not add up to how she acts and what she has experienced. I understand people in ancient times grew up a lot quicker than today, but some parts do not add up.
I did not care for any of the characters or the story. The characters could all get killed, and it would not change anything.
A novel about a fictional city named Carce, during the late Roman Empire. A group of four discover the world will end in fire. We follow each person as they try to solve the mystery of the upcoming threat and how to prevent it from happening.
I was trying to figure out if there was a story here. The book seems to focus more on unnecessary over description and servants. If one was unaware that those of status during the Roman Empire had servants, this book ensures one does. The book could probably be cut in half, and not affect the “story.”
It just felt like a long prologue, with not much character development. Corylus seems to be strong, Varus is just Corylus’ friend and Alphena is a tomboy. The least boring character is Hedia, stepmother to Varus and Alphena. However, her age does not add up to how she acts and what she has experienced. I understand people in ancient times grew up a lot quicker than today, but some parts do not add up.
I did not care for any of the characters or the story. The characters could all get killed, and it would not change anything.
October 27, 2024
I just stop after a while.
I'm so sorry to say, but the book didn't work for me.
Maybe the story is great, and has a good payoff, couldn't tell.
Was a bold choice to start a book with the narration of a boring and bad poem reading. It was very well written because it was very boring and bad.
The idea of a Roman setup is a nice touch, so if you are interested, give it a try.
Just be aware, is a slooooow start.
I'm so sorry to say, but the book didn't work for me.
Maybe the story is great, and has a good payoff, couldn't tell.
Was a bold choice to start a book with the narration of a boring and bad poem reading. It was very well written because it was very boring and bad.
The idea of a Roman setup is a nice touch, so if you are interested, give it a try.
Just be aware, is a slooooow start.
March 2, 2019
I had a horrible time paying attention when reading this book. There's very little explanation of what is going on and it feels like a continuous string of Deus Ex Machinas. The characters are constantly split into separate parties doing their own thing across time and space to the point it's hard to know just were they are in relationship to each other.
May 24, 2019
This is a David Drake book. (Which I realize is not a surprise, it says so right on the cover.) What I mean is that it's very much like every other David Drake book, to the point where you'll get feelings of deja vu reading it. Particularly if you've read The Isles series. If you like Drake's stuff, you'll like this one and its sequels. If you don't, this won't change your mind.
February 6, 2022
Ok Book
Not what I expected from based on his previous books and stories he has written. I guess I am not in tune with this facet of his character. Not a bad book, just not my cup of tea.
Not what I expected from based on his previous books and stories he has written. I guess I am not in tune with this facet of his character. Not a bad book, just not my cup of tea.
December 14, 2017
I wanted more explanation about the mystical events and creatures. I'm willing to reserve judgment until I've read a little further in the series. Perhaps the gaps will fill in.
September 7, 2019
DNF due to boredom on p85. The mindsets are exquisite, but the story is nothing and the magic makes me want to gouge out my eyeballs.
July 14, 2016
The Legions of Fire tells a tale set in another universe- a few over from our own- split off from the ancient western civilizations of our own continuum in that Rome never rose past a village but another town- Carce- rose in it's place. In this universe magic is as real as science, and much of the history of Carce matches that of our Rome. A fine place to set a tale such as this one.
This is a tale of four people- two young women and two young men. People going about their lives- a young woman who is wife to a much older man of status and wealth and who is stepmother to his two teenage children- herself not much older than them. With them is the best friend of the son, who comes from a much different background- the son of a soldier who and a nymph who grew up in the boarder lands of the Danube. When the husband brings home a wizard the lives of all of them are thrown into turmoil and great danger- along with Carce and the entire world itself.
The story telling is spellbinding. At times there are four story lines happening at the same time- and they converge and diverge several times before the tale is done. Even when the crisis is averted the prologue lets the readers know that there are more adventures to come.
This was my first reading of Legions of Fire, but not my first visit into the adventures of this family. I get most of my books from the public library and it's not always easy to read a series in the proper order this way. I had read a later book in the series and that left me wanting to read more. I am glad that I did. I will enjoy this book the second and third read as much as I did the first- and I do plan on re-reading this book at least twice more.
This is a tale of four people- two young women and two young men. People going about their lives- a young woman who is wife to a much older man of status and wealth and who is stepmother to his two teenage children- herself not much older than them. With them is the best friend of the son, who comes from a much different background- the son of a soldier who and a nymph who grew up in the boarder lands of the Danube. When the husband brings home a wizard the lives of all of them are thrown into turmoil and great danger- along with Carce and the entire world itself.
The story telling is spellbinding. At times there are four story lines happening at the same time- and they converge and diverge several times before the tale is done. Even when the crisis is averted the prologue lets the readers know that there are more adventures to come.
This was my first reading of Legions of Fire, but not my first visit into the adventures of this family. I get most of my books from the public library and it's not always easy to read a series in the proper order this way. I had read a later book in the series and that left me wanting to read more. I am glad that I did. I will enjoy this book the second and third read as much as I did the first- and I do plan on re-reading this book at least twice more.
March 7, 2013
I've come to think of David Drake as a fairly good fantasy writer and a really terrific science fiction writer, so I approached this first volume of a new series more or less wishing that the characters on the cover had on space suits rather than togas. However, I was most pleasently surprised and enjoyed the story very much. The characters are a family and a few friends and the book reminded me more than anything of Christopher Stasheff's wonderful Warlock books... a much, much darker world than Stasheff's, of course, but a very good thing nonetheless. One point that confused me is that the story is set in Rome in the year 30 A.D., but the city is called Carce. All of the other things and people and places keep their historical names, so it was a little jarring to read "Carce" on the page while hearing "Rome" in my mind. The story was captivating, the historical detail fascinating, and the characters enjoyable and well-developed; I enjoyed it more than his previous fantasy series, the Isles books.
January 23, 2016
This is my first foray into David Drake, who is one of the more prolific science fiction/fantasy writers on Earth, apparently. Not sure why I've never read him, as I've seen his stuff. I've just never had the inclination. I was in the library, the other day, between books, and spotted this on the "New" shelf. It looked interesting, and I needed something to read, so I picked it up. I'm happy that I did. It was a little slow developing, but once he'd introduced the main characters, it really started to take off. This book is the first, of four, that deal with the fictional city of Carce(CAR-see), based on ancient Rome, although all other place names(in "the waking world"!), are the same as they are here on Earth. I'm assuming, since the first dealt with fire, that the others will be based on the other 3 "elements", hopefully with the same main characters. BTW, I'm not sure whether I'll read more of Drake's oeuvre, until I've seen the rest of this series.
January 11, 2012
This was a New Year's gift from Chris Swanson. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though perhaps for the wrong reasons - the writing isn't great, nor is the plot particularly lucid. But it is set in an alternate-history world in which Rome is replaced with a city called Carce, and is set during the Principate. The alternate-history world is on a collision course with more magical worlds, seemingly based on Norse mythology. Drake does a good job of understanding Rome, even an alternate-Rome, and of weaving genuine elements of Roman and Germanic myth into his narrative. I'll probably read the rest of the series, now.
August 22, 2011
Excellent pseudo-historical fantasy. Set in "Carce", which isn't eve a thinly disguised Rome of the Empire period, The Legions of Fire blends Greco-Roman and Norse mythologies in a heroic fantasy of Apocalypse-averted. I'd just finished Lord of the Isles, and was disappointed that, for all the great reviews it's received, I didn't find it up to the standards of his SF work. This book certainly meets, if not surpasses, those standards.
April 4, 2016
I, like some of the other folks with written reviews, picked this book up as a "bargain bin" type read. And after forcing myself through a rather plodding first 40 or so pages, the story began to flow and I found myself enjoying a very different take on the genre. I've read alternate history, and I've read more than my fair share of Fantasy works, and the aside from the pacing (clearly a lot of character arc's that needed explaining) early in the book, I was rather pleased. I will be following up in the Elements series here, and may even give his sci-fi works a try.
August 10, 2012
Drake made the mistake of labeling it an "altnerative history fantasy" to Rome. Except he used literal geopolitics of that time and literal classical labels, only changing "Rome" to "Carce."
Unfortunately, it also contained a lot of the degeneracy of ancient Rome, thus showing, perhaps unwittingly, that Christianity is superior and paving the way for the rise of the German over that of the Roman.
Unfortunately, it also contained a lot of the degeneracy of ancient Rome, thus showing, perhaps unwittingly, that Christianity is superior and paving the way for the rise of the German over that of the Roman.
July 12, 2010
In brief: Drake creates a fantastic world of feel-it-in-your-bones magic, a great, great sphinx duel, and some quite interesting characters atop a richly layered, well-researched, might as well be speaking Latin it's so authentic ancient "not Rome". First in a series; fantastic cover artwork of Trajan's column (plus... bonus surprises).
July 3, 2010
Probably deserves one star, but I didn't really *dislike* it - I just didn't care enough about either the characters or the plot to finish it. 3/4 of the way through, and I can't be bothered to read the last pages.
November 16, 2012
A new world for David Drake (roman not greek) but a similare experience as with the Lord of the Isles series. I find that I hate his character setups (please show don't tell and don't tell me what to think) but, once the action starts, I get pulled in and can't put it down.
December 16, 2013
I gave up on it about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through. Almost nothing had happened, and what had happened made no sense. None of the characters were particularly appealing. There are some other reviews on the site that cover this much better so I'll leave it to them.
July 1, 2014
Predictable, I hate it when I know what's happening before I get there. I think Drake spends too much time worrying about fancy verbiage and style and too little on plot and creativity. It's the first thing of his I read. I'm on the second in this series but I'm not really impressed.
July 20, 2010
Fantastical mixing of Norse/Germanic and Roman mythology in an alternatively named Roman society. First in a series, next up water.
July 16, 2010
a nice interlude.
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