I started this blog to encourage me to spend more time reading and to put more effort into 'getting into' books. I think that with The Iron Hand of Mars I may have just achieved this.
The first time I started reading this book was a fair while ago - I think it was last year but I'm not certain of that. I think I read the first 30 pages 3 times and then on my last-but-one attempt made it to around page 70. And yet this was the book that swept me up. I started reading it on Sunday evening (admittedly skipping the first 30 pages that I basically know off by heart) and didn't want to put it down to go to sleep. My lunch break on Monday was full of reading and I then spent almost the entire evening in the same way, thankfully finishing not too long after I had planned to go to sleep.
So after that great build up, what is the actual book? The Iron Hand of Mars is the fourth book in the series about an investigator called Marcus Didius Falco, who lives in Rome.. in the year AD 71. This particular story starts in Rome but travels across the empire to the hostile borders in Germany. Helpfully a map is provided at the start of the book so you can easily translate the Roman names for areas into modern day countries. A guide to characters is also provided at the start. I find it more fun to read this afterwards as it reminds me of things that have happened in the book, but I'm sure it's a useful reference point if you spend more than two days reading it and forget who people are.
The plot revolves around an 'errand' for the Emperor and the dangers that Falco faces in trying to complete it. As much as I enjoyed the story, that isn't what got me hooked/obsessed. The world in which the plot is set take part of the credit for that. I feel that I know very little about the Romans (other than the small trivia pieces you learn at school) and so I can't vouch for historical accuracy or inaccuracy, but this definitely feels real. The little touches are put in about how the society operates and the references to historical events all go towards making a very believable setting.
But more believable than the world in which they are set are the characters themselves. In a setting so famous as Roman times it would be very easy to fall into the trap of pigeon-holed, stereotypical, shallow characters. These people are anything but that. On the surface Falco seems to be entirely self-centred and carry no moral values. Digging deeper though he sometimes cares a bit too much about other people and even the fate of the Empire.
The role of Camillus Justinus in the story was particularly engaging, a young soldier moving quickly through the ranks and trying to find out for himself what the boundaries should be. And then there is his sister Helena Justinus, perhaps the most real character of them all. She is strong-willed and sharp-witted, but somehow mild and caring at the same time.
Even better than the characters themselves are the relationships and conversations between them. More than once while I was reading I burst out laughing at a quip that one of them had made (much to my husband's annoyance). I've said before that good chemistry can make a book for me, and this was certainly the case here.
You may be wondering, with all that I've praised the book for, why I found it so hard to get started. I think that it was a burn-out. Previously I have tried to read the next book in the series as soon as I've finished one, and in each case I've stuttered at the start. It's hard when you have fully immersed yourself in a world to step back and start from scratch. So this time I will switch to a different book first before heading back to enjoy the world of Falco and Helena.
If you haven't encountered the series I would really recommend giving it a try. The Silver Pigs is mostly a scene-setter for getting to know the characters, you should read Shadows in Bronze as well before judging if you like it or not. In my opinion it is definitely worth it.
To finish, I feel I should mention that I know have a strong desire to go out and buy a good quality pottery serving dish. It's amazing what a book can do to you.
No comments:
Post a Comment