Review: The Emperor's Assassin by Autumn Bardot

Synopsis: History paints her as the first female serial killer…

Locusta is the daughter of a winemaker in the Roman province of Gaul. She enjoys the indulged childhood of the elite, her concerns only about the day’s amusements. She rides gentle ponies, attends parties, reads Ovid, and learns the herbal arts from her servant. But the day after meeting her betrothed, Locusta discovers the consequences of possessing such dangerous knowledge.

Ordered to leave her pastoral life, Locusta is thrust into a world of intrigue, scandal, and murder—where treason lurks behind every corner and defying an emperor means death. Locusta’s life changes forever when a young Emperor Nero requires her herbal expertise. And commands her to be his personal poisoner. Caught in an imperial web, Locusta must embrace her profession or die.

Who was this ancient roman series killer and how did some become the "personal poisoner" of Emperor Nero? That hooked me in from the beginning. Whilst familiar with all the usual suspects of the early Roman period, Locusta was not one that came to mind quite readily and I was intrigued to read more, even if only from a fictional account.

Bardot uses the first person narrative to recount Locusta's story - in her own words so to speak. We begin with a naive provincial girl who learns the hard way that her own idyllic life is not truly reflective of the Roman Empire as a whole. From the loss of innocence grows the worldly wisdom as she uses her skills in herbal knowledge to recreate a life for herself. It is only when sent to Rome where the ".. decadent world of the the Roman elite was laid wide open .." that this naivety is really drummed home. The use of the maid Priscilla as a " entree " into or teacher of, these dark arts, creates a sort of empathy with Locusta as if this was not all of her own doing but as a direct result of her personal circumstance .... she readily recounts that " .. my first ethics lesson in poisoning ... confess to noone ..".

So, for those not familiar with the " ... poisoned filled world ... " of the scandalous Roman Empire where ".. the wicked hold hands like old friends.." under the reigns of Caligula and Nero, it is from the great writers of the period that we are first introduced to the poisoner, Locusta. 

Suetonius in his Life of Nero :

From Tacitus' Annals:

From Cassius Dio's Roman History:

From Juvenal's Satires:

There is no doubt that these pages from the early Roman writers inspired Bardot to give life to this mysterious woman. After being sent to Rome and coming to the attention of a number of noble women, it is when she is introduced to the Empress Agrippina that Locusta's life as a poisoner begins. As Emperor Nero avails himself of her talents, she is well rewarded with property, money and gifts; though finds herself at his beck and call to perform those deeds he would prefer kept well hidden. She consoles herself with the thought that to reject Nero would be to sign her own death warrant, and so she does what she can to ensure her own survival.

The introduction of the character of the centurion Marcus earlier in the piece provides another component to the Locusta story, and one that plays out in the final chapters of both this book and her (fictional) life.

The life and death of Locusta is shrouded in mystery and fueled by chinese whispers with each re-telling. There are many legends of her graphic and barbarous death following the death of her patron, Nero, from being raped to death by a specially trained giraffe to being torn apart by wild animals in the arena as befits a notorious sorceress. It is presumed that she perished shortly after Galba succeeded.

Bardot provides us with an entertaining story that more than adequately fits in with what I call the "rehabilitation genre" - whereby - mostly - historical women with a less than pristine pasts are given a dusting off and are having their stories told from a slightly different perspective (history being written by the victors, etc etc). It is an enthralling tale, and the reader certainly finds empathy with the character of Locusta, which is the ultimate aim of the author. It is also a tale of the cesspit that was ancient Rome - the salacious scandals, the sex and violence, the notoriety of its citizens, murder, greed, envy, social position.

If you are looking for a "new" historical heroine, then you have found her in Locusta.

Review: Judas the Apostle - The Last Sicarius

Judas the Apostle by Van R. Mayhall Jr.

A modern day biblical thriller featuring archaeologist Clothilde Le Jenue, who, after the murder of her father, finds herself in possession of a mysterious jar with the inscription "Judas Isacriot".

Judas is often remembered as the apostle who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. However, the discovery of the Gospel of Judas in the 1970s sheds a new light on Judas. The gospel offers a much more sympathetic character, a favoured apostle to whom Jesus says: “You will be cursed by the other generations – and you will come to rule over them.” Despite the centuries of denunciation, the biblical text itself is more ambiguous than we might expect, too. It isn’t clear if Judas is a thief who betrays Jesus or if he is a true disciple, who is a central agent in the fulfilment of God’s plan and does the dirty work that the other disciples won’t do. 

In Muslim polemic literature, however, Judas ceases to be a traitor; instead, he supposedly lied to the Jews in order to defend Jesus (who was not crucified). The 14th-century cosmographer al-Dimashqī maintains that Judas assumed Jesus’ likeness and was crucified in his place. Even then, there was much ambiguity about Judas and his position within the Disciple hierarchy.

Our story fluctuates between Jerusalem and Masada in 73AD to present day Louisiana and Jerusalem, as the mysterious artifact is sought after by not only the Vatican, but by one, less scrupulous, other.   You must read "The Last Sicarius" straight away as this continues where this tome leave off.

The Last Sicarius by Van R. Mayhall Jr.

I am really glad that I read this straight after "Judas the Apostle" as the second volume kicks off straight away from where the first finished. Non-stop action. Forget comparisons with other books of the genre (ie: Da Vinci Code, etc), these two stand alone for "edge of your seat" drama and intrigue as we set out on a quest to discover the true meaning of the Judas Gospel.

The Gospel of Judas is known to have existed before AD180, when it was denounced as heretical by Bishop Irenaeus of Lyon. But it was thought to have been lost when the gnostics were vanquished in the struggle of ideas in the early years of Christianity. The manuscript also serves as a reminder that the four gospels in the New Testament were not the only versions of Jesus's life in the early Christian era.  Judas is often said to have been a member of the Sicari, an extremist religious sect who strongly opposed the Roman occupation, however modern scholars reject this claim based upon the writings of the Josephus in The War of the Hebrews.

As I said, this follows hot on the heels of the first book, as a new enemy and a new adventure await.  And the final battle ... it takes places where it all began ....Masada!

Review - Colossus: Stone & Steel by David Blixt

In Judea 66AD, retribution will be severe for the Jewish deafeat of the Roman army under Governor Gessius Florus. This was the time of the Great Revolt, originating in Roman and Jewish ethnic and religious tensions. The crisis escalated due to anti-taxation protests and attacks upon Roman citizens. Four years later, the Temple of Jerusalem will be sacked.

This is a well told story from both perspective - the Jewish (through the fictional characters of brothers Judah and Asher) and the Roman, and features the real life character of Josephus, the chronicler. The fictional character of the mason Judah finds himself an unlikely hero in the defence of Jodapatha, which was under the command of Yosef ben Matitiyahu, against the forces of the General (later Emperor) Vespasian and his son Titus.

The reader is drawn into this compelling story, which has a touch of the psychological thriller about, with a mix of political intrigue. In reality, it was a bloody and brutal time, and this has been conveyed quite convincingly - the tension in this region was palpable - you could cut the air with a knife.

If you have an interest in this period of history, this series may be for you.

The next book in the series is Colossus: The Four Emperors

Rome under Nero is a dangerous place. His cruel artistic whims border on madness, and any man who dares rise too high has his wings clipped, with fatal results.  For one family, Nero means either promotion or destruction. While his uncle Vespasian goes off to put down a rebellion in Judea, Titus Flavius Sabinus struggles to walk the perilous line between success and notoriety as he climbs Rome's ladder. When Nero is impaled on his own artistry, the whole world is thrown into chaos and Sabinus must navigate shifting allegiances and murderous alliances as his family tries to survive the year of the Four Emperors. 

Review: Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy

My edition was a kindle version from Net Gallery.

Briton at the start of the new millennium was of interest - it was the period just after Boudicca led the Iceni revolt and of Cartimandua reign over the Brigantes - so I was especially interested to know how things faired in light of these event. 

Vindolanda was a Roman outpost in the middle on no-man's land - between the safety of the Roman Empire and the wild and rugged domains of the native barbarians (in northern Briton). Hadrian's Wall had not been built so the timber outposts were small, exposed and lonely - despite speculation that numbers may have reach 1000 men. 

And into this we are introduced to the harsh realities of the lives of those troops on the frontline, as seen through the eyes of one Titus Flavius Ferox (a native Briton, now Roman Centurian) and Vindex, head of a band of Brigantine scouts employed by the Romans.  Goldsworthy credibly re-creates the realities of life in a border garrison, from the Roman point of view, where the native Britons are the enemy to be subjugated, and guerilla warfare was the name of the game.

Vindolanda Tablet

A new leader has emerged who is uniting the native tribes, stirred up by an equally enigmatic druid, hell bent on the destruction of Rome. But not all is what it seems, and Ferox is commanded to "always search for the truth". Even today, Vindolanda is slowly giving up its truths as archaeologists discover a veritable treasure trove of everyday artifacts.

Vindolanda is a weighty read - a knowledge of Roman Briton would be an advantage - and further reading about Vindolanda is a must.  

Read more here:

@ Vindolanda Charitable Trust

@ Vindolanda Tablets Online

@ Life On The Wall

@ BBC History - Vindolanda