Surprisingly good. The writing is solid, if not spectacular; the characters are likable; the plot is fast-paced and exciting, if rather predictable in places for those who know the source material--more on that below. Fine attention is paid to historical detail--though The Tribune, like many other modern novels on ancient Rome, portrays its Roman characters with comfortably modern religious sensibilities. (Ursula Le Guin's [b:Lavinia|2214574|Lavinia|Ursula K. Le Guin|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328834317s/2214574.jpg|2220362] continues to be the best fictional treatment of Roman religious thought I've read.)

For the most part I was impressed by the author's weaving of the Biblical narrative into the story. The Tribune generally avoids preachiness, and the author clearly did his research into both Jewish and early Christian tradition. Certain characters are readily identifiable--Paulus, Marah (Magdalene), Yeshua--and all fit into the plot quite plausibly. I was a bit more surprised by the realization that the main character, Tribune Lucius Aurelius Valens, is supposed to be the gospel writer Luke. Since a number of Roman soldiers figure prominently in the Biblical narrative, I'm a bit curious as to why the author didn't just build his main Roman character around one of these, rather than changing Luke's background so drastically. From what I understand, though, this is the first book in a series; perhaps this question will be addressed more satisfactorily later.

All-in-all, an enjoyable read. ( )

Mildly interesting story of a soldier mentored by Germanicus, given command in Judea, and determined to solve the murder of a Roman Senator there. The Bad Guys in this one are no mystery, in spite of the longish time it takes our hero to figure it out. The Jews are the scapegoats for all that plagues Roman occupiers and protecting them from the nefarious elements takes a lot of our hero's time and attention.

For me, I found the Celtic sidekick more interesting than the star and wished the novel had been his story, from his p.o.v. The kicker is the revelation of "historical" identity at the end. The book suffers from unearned coincidental encounters with biblical personages. It's at its best when Lucius and Aristedes, his company medical man, engage in discussion. At best, average Imperial Rome adventure. ( )

Lucius Aurelius Valens, a military tribune serving in Syria, is caught up in the feud between Germanicus and Piso. After Valens defies Piso, Germanicus puts him in charge of a Gallic auxiliary unit on its way to serve in Judaea to keep him out of Piso's reach. On the way, Valens finds the remains of a murdered senator and his bodyguard outside a village called Nazara.

The front cover displays a recommendation comparing this book to The Name of the Rose. All I can say is the author of the recommendation either hasn't read "The Name of the Rose" or hasn't read this book. Anybody who expects a similar level of complexity and subtlety is going to be sorely disappointed.

Basically the book combines two genres, Roman detective fiction (which I enjoy) and Biblical fiction (which I can't say I've read much of). Do not expect any nuanced exploration of character. We are left in no doubt who the goodies and baddies are. The twists and turns of the plot, though predictable enough, are reasonably well done, except for the final twist in the epilogue, which was totally pointless and turned me off reading the sequel, whenever it comes out. ( )

This book is one of the very best of its genre as it has a wonderful secret ending that will touch Christain hearts with the Holy Spirit. ( )