Sequel to [The Antagonists] this follows Flavius Silva's post-Masada life. I enjoyed it but felt the whole novel was a bit unbelievable, due mainly to the love interest between Silva and Emperor Vespasian's daughter, the "love at first sight" cliché, coming so soon after the loss of Silva's Jewish mistress in the first novel. That love interest supposedly shattered Silva. This romance drove the story. We follow Silva back in Rome, in Egypt, victim of an evil frumentarius in concert with Domitian and then final resolution. I felt the novel was really a potboiler, written to capitalize on Gann's earlier Roman successes as both novel and television miniseries. At the time of writing, nothing was known of Silva's life after Masada, so the author had a free rein with what he did with Silva. It was a quick read. I thought characterizations of several main characters very good: Silva himself, the dying Vespasian, the Christian Centurion, Piso.

Recommended for those who want to follow up [The Antagonists]. I recommend reading the two novels back-to-back. ( )