The New Barbarians

Rating:
Summary: Roman Empire vs. Aztec Empire.
Review: The Roman Empire and the Aztec Empire are about to rumble, and it looks like Rome holds all the cards. After all, they say, the Aztec are just barbarians. But the Aztec are not as backwards as they might first seem and they are NOT going down without a fight. On top of that, they seem to have allies...
I loved this book, but one of the flaws was the lack of an explanation on HOW the Aztec Empire lasted so long. In our history, the Aztec people were having troubles well before the Spanish ever showed up. Also, the idea that the Aztec might be able to help feed their own people by killing and processing others for food didn't ring true. Why kill a farmer and feed a few people for a day, when a farmer can run a small farm and feed the same people for a year? I am not saying they didn't eat human flesh for other reasons, but there is no way to do it on such a scale for supporting the people of an Empire!
In other words, it seems like the books the author used or people who helped the author with the Aztec side of the story were using outdated ideas.

Rating:
Summary: Legionaires and Indians
Review: This is the second book in Kirk Mitchell's "Procurator" trilogy, the first one being "Procurator" (logically enough). The series is set in an alternate present where the Rome never fell, and where advanced technologies (automobiles, firearms, radio) coexist uneasily with an archaic imperial government.

In this intriguing second installment, the focus shifts to the Roman colonies in America. Germanicus Agricola, the hero of book one, must help ward off a violent invasion from the power-hungry Aztec empire. Thanks to Rome's technological edge, it should be a breeze.

But things are never so simple. The Aztecs, far from incompetent savages, have developed their own deadly style of warfare. And thanks to covert but widespread support from the ancient and advanced Serican (Chinese) empire, they are ready to meet the Romans gun for gun and ship for ship. Their gods relish human blood and human hearts above all else. And their gods are hungry...

What Germanicus has on his hands is a bloody, demoralizing trench war. No land is changing hands, and breakthrough seems impossible. To this mess is added the usual problems associated with power. Someone is after Germanicus' life, and it could be anyone. Even among his friends, it is impossible to say who can be trusted.

This book adds a great deal to Mitchell's rich setting. Roman politics remain tough and nasty. The Aztecs, with their bloodthirsty rituals, are terrifying enemies. Far from faceless villains, however, they are very much a part of the world, with a unique culture, a complex religion, and some sympathetic characters. Along with the enigmatic, seldom-glimpsed Sericans, they add a very effective foreign flavor to the setting.

A great addition to a great series.

Rating:
Summary: Legionaires and Indians
Review: This is the second book in Kirk Mitchell's "Procurator" trilogy, the first one being "Procurator" (logically enough). The series is set in an alternate present where the Rome never fell, and where advanced technologies (automobiles, firearms, radio) coexist uneasily with an archaic imperial government.

In this intriguing second installment, the focus shifts to the Roman colonies in America. Germanicus Agricola, the hero of book one, must help ward off a violent invasion from the power-hungry Aztec empire. Thanks to Rome's technological edge, it should be a breeze.

But things are never so simple. The Aztecs, far from incompetent savages, have developed their own deadly style of warfare. And thanks to covert but widespread support from the ancient and advanced Serican (Chinese) empire, they are ready to meet the Romans gun for gun and ship for ship. Their gods relish human blood and human hearts above all else. And their gods are hungry...

What Germanicus has on his hands is a bloody, demoralizing trench war. No land is changing hands, and breakthrough seems impossible. To this mess is added the usual problems associated with power. Someone is after Germanicus' life, and it could be anyone. Even among his friends, it is impossible to say who can be trusted.

This book adds a great deal to Mitchell's rich setting. Roman politics remain tough and nasty. The Aztecs, with their bloodthirsty rituals, are terrifying enemies. Far from faceless villains, however, they are very much a part of the world, with a unique culture, a complex religion, and some sympathetic characters. Along with the enigmatic, seldom-glimpsed Sericans, they add a very effective foreign flavor to the setting.

A great addition to a great series.

Rating:
Summary: Legionaires and Indians
Review: This is the second book in Kirk Mitchell's "Procurator" trilogy, the first one being "Procurator" (logically enough). The series is set in an alternate present where the Rome never fell, and where advanced technologies (automobiles, firearms, radio) coexist uneasily with an archaic imperial government.

In this intriguing second installment, the focus shifts to the Roman colonies in America. Germanicus Agricola, the hero of book one, must help ward off a violent invasion from the power-hungry Aztec empire. Thanks to Rome's technological edge, it should be a breeze.

But things are never so simple. The Aztecs, far from incompetent savages, have developed their own deadly style of warfare. And thanks to covert but widespread support from the ancient and advanced Serican (Chinese) empire, they are ready to meet the Romans gun for gun and ship for ship. Their gods relish human blood and human hearts above all else. And their gods are hungry...

What Germanicus has on his hands is a bloody, demoralizing trench war. No land is changing hands, and breakthrough seems impossible. To this mess is added the usual problems associated with power. Someone is after Germanicus' life, and it could be anyone. Even among his friends, it is impossible to say who can be trusted.

This book adds a great deal to Mitchell's rich setting. Roman politics remain tough and nasty. The Aztecs, with their bloodthirsty rituals, are terrifying enemies. Far from faceless villains, however, they are very much a part of the world, with a unique culture, a complex religion, and some sympathetic characters. Along with the enigmatic, seldom-glimpsed Sericans, they add a very effective foreign flavor to the setting.

A great addition to a great series.

Rating:
Summary: New Barbarians
Review: Wow! I really enjoyed that!

New Barbarians was a very sophisticated follow-up to Procurator. This is the tale of Caesar Germanicus's harrowing exploits across the sea, dealing with the Aztecans of the wild Novo Provinces.

What impressed me the most was Mitchell's skill at showcasing a variety of races and cultures in one powerful story. Besides Romans and Aztecans, we have Antiochians, Indee, Anasazi, Germans, Sericans, and Nihonians. And all are vital to the plot.

As in Procurator, we have betrayal counterbalanced by unwavering allegiance; we have politics and military strategy shaping the story, we have mysticism in the form of dreams and visions alongside the alternate-Rome version of cutting-edge science; and we have romance. Germanicus has a new love, an Anasazi woman, but should he gamble so many lives to lay siege to the Aztecan city where she is held prisoner as a potential human sacrifice--for Germanicus is not certain there is another reason to fight these battles in a strange territory. All he really wants is to be back in Rome, doing the unthinkable: changing an Empire into a Republic. But it seems the woman must be saved...

Though longer than Procurator, New Barbarians is still fairly short. And when a short novel is this entertaining, almost everything included serves to propel the plot forward in exciting ways. There should be too much crammed into this book to make it feel so streamlined, but somehow there isn't.

An alternate-history entry that I am pleased to recommend.