William Altimari's 'Legion' is overall enjoyable albeit not without significant flaws. Characters are generally believable and you can relate to them. However the love scene between Rufio and Flavia is not believable. emotional tie to the characters. The story is fairly predictable but well written. Most interesting and the reason you should spend some time reading it is the good description of Legion life. ( )

This novel was certainly a very pleasant surprise! Fairly recent but obscure [to me at least], this was the first Roman military novel that brought home so clearly the role of the Roman army in maintaining the pax romana with the help of their civilian allies and such close friendships developing with indigenous people, not in conquering new lands this time.

The story takes place in Gaul about forty years after Caesar has conquered it. A Roman citizen of Greek background, Diocles, travels to a legion based in Gaul, at the request of its legate, Sabinus. Sabinus asks him to write a history of the legion's deeds, so people will always remember the XVth Rapax. Diocles agrees and he and Sabinus think it best he live in a tent group among the soldiers under a centurion and participate in their day-to-day life. He will not take the sacramentum but will be trained with the recruits. A most unusual centurion, Rufio, takes him on. Rufio's century feels it is under an unlucky star. Morale is at a low ebb. As well as training them to fight, Rufio seeks to revive self-confidence, honor, and pride among his men. The novel consists of excerpts from Diocles' writings and descriptions of how 'basic training' proceeds. We find out much information from Diocles' and the recruits' questions. We see friendships form among the soldiers and the Sequani townspeople, even a sweet love affair between Rufio and a village girl. Rufio is on the eve of retirement, and has returned to Gaul, where he had served as a young man. A complex man, he still feels guilty and seeks atonement for something he had done years before among the Gauls. We see how the Romans keep the peace, and we see deep bonds form among the soldiers themselves and among the soldiers and townspeople. Finally, there is the requisite set-piece battle between the Romans and Sequani against the Suebi, a German tribe. With Diocles we atttend the meetings to plan tactics and take part in the final battle. The explanations given for why certain actions are decided upon was clearly spelled out for me. A speech beforehand to the soldiers stresses the importance of fighting for home, hearth, and the natives, as well as for Rome. Heavy rain and fog hamper the forces in the 'Battle of Scorpion Hill' as Diocles terms it.

The novel was well written and was never boring. When I got most of the way through I slowed down to make the novel last and was sorry it finally ended. Sometimes the dialogue did become banal, though. I really liked most of the characters; they were endearing. Except I didn't like it that the Gauls were all 'white' and the Suebi all 'black'. The Romans varied. Centurion Rufio has become a favorite male fictional character. He is an enigma, but a sagacious and omniscient leader. He knows how to inspire loyalty. Had I been a legionary back then, I would have wanted to serve under a Rufio. Years of experience had taught him when to be hard, not harsh, and more important, when to be gentle and compassionate. He seemed to me a father figure like Col. Potter of M*A*S*H. The novel took me right there to 15 BC in Gaul. I will always picture Rufio teaching village children kindness to the weak by example (his treatment of cats in the village square).

Although there were no maps or other supplementary material and the name of the fort and legion were fictitious, good explanations were given in the text. I recommend this as a good introduction to Roman military life. ( )

Roman legions on the Rhine river in the 1st Century BC, attempting to keep the Germanic hordes from over-running Gaul. ( )