The Horse Coin - Softcover

Wishart, David

3.87

90 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0340715316 ISBN 13: 9780340715314

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks, 2000

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Britain AD59: The scars of Roman conquest are still livid, the clash of two disparate cultures a source of bitterness and conflict. The Roman ruling class believe it is their duty to civilise the natives; the British tribes chafe under the conquerors' yoke.

Marcus Julius Severinus, a young cavalryman in the Roman army, respects the Britons among whom he has been brought up. Newly promoted to Commander of the 'Foxes', he believes there is more to be gained by co-operation than by brute force.

Governor Paullinus does not agree. When he attempts to cheat Boudica, queen of the Iceni, of her rightful inheritance, he underestimates the wave of rebellious fury that engulfs Roman and Briton alike. Even though the final battle is won, Marcus and his family have to pay a terrible price.

Yet from the tragedy stems hope. Marcus's marriage to the daughter of a British chieftain symbolises a new era in which the two races forge a common destiny.

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Review:

David Wishart has long been an assured and masterful literary stylist and his series of Roman novels brilliantly translate the Chandlerian detective conventions into perfectly realised historical settings. Corvinus, his protagonist in the earlier books, such as The Lydian Baker, has the same laconic, wise-cracking manner of the gumshoes who centuries later tread the equally sun-baked streets of Los Angeles--but the smells, sounds and sights of ancient Rome are conjured up with continuing brio. The Horse Coin is the most accomplished yet, with a more straightforwardly historical narrative than its predecessors. The tale is set in Britain in AD 59, with the conflict between the sullen British and their Roman conquerors worsened by the Roman ruling class belief that it is their duty to civilise the natives. When Marcus, a youthful cavalry man in the Roman army, is promoted to Commander of the elite "Foxes" squadron, he tries to put into practice his enlightened views of co-operating with the British. But Governor Paulinus strongly disagrees and his attempts to cheat Queen Boadicea throws both Romans and Britons into a terrible battle with a monumental cost. Wishart's utterly rigorous treatment of his material results in a classic piece of historical fiction.--Barry Forshaw

Review:

David Wishart has proved himself a writer of no mean literary accomplishments with SEJANUS and THE LYDIAN BAKER. Working on the principle that a freshening of the brew is frequently in order, is a striking change of pace, buoyantly written and plotted. (Times Saturday Crime Supplement)

weaves a wide tapestry with an unromantised view of life under the Roman invasion (Coventry Evening Telegraph)

Complex and interesting (Birmingham Post)

A vivid tale of ancient British intrigue (South Hams)

an assured and masterful literary stylist, his series of Roman novels brilliantly translate the Chandlerian detective conventions into perfectly realised historical settings. . . The most accomplished yet.. . . Wishart's utterly rigorous treatment of his material results in a classic piece of historical fiction (Crime Time On-Line)

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