Like all Henty books, this has 3 major sins. It is long, it is boring and it is chauvanistic (in the original sense of the word). Honestly, how do you make a book about King Richard in the crusades somehow longwinded and boring? He can do it. And King Richard (who spent so little time in England that he didn't even know how to speak English) is your patriotic English hero, according to Henty.
Not a bad book at all. A young Roman aristocrat is forced by court intrigues to go on the run, including time as a disguised slave. It pulls few punches, not idolizing the time period, the high Roman empire, nor condeming it. Of particular interest are the passage on Emperor Commodus, his skill at chariot racing and fighting in the Coloseum. He is not presented as a fop but an accomplished athlete. Worth your time if you like old Rome.
I hate to say it, but if you have read one Henty book, you have read them all. Each book follows the exact same formula and this one is no exception. A young English lad who is perfect in every way integrates himself into another society, showing superiority in every way. You get one page of boring action then 30 pages where they talk about that action, ad nausium.
Sadly, you get no local colour whatsoever. Other than mentioning gondolas, this could be set in any time in any city. I wonder if Henty had ever even visited Venice because there is no description of the city at all.
One of the best books on this site. Basically the book that inspired the authors of "superman" but it takes a much more realistic, less heroic look at how a superhuman would navigate the world.
No idea what foul language is being refered to in the below review.
Recent comments: User reviews
Sadly, you get no local colour whatsoever. Other than mentioning gondolas, this could be set in any time in any city. I wonder if Henty had ever even visited Venice because there is no description of the city at all.
No idea what foul language is being refered to in the below review.