A Winter War
A Winter War, the first entry in a new trilogy by Tim Leach, noted author of Smile of the Wolf, takes us just east of the Danube in the year 173 AD. Thus we are partly concerned with those insatiable conquerors and aqueduct builders, the Romans. This novel, however, is no simple barbarian-Roman, sword and sandals, blood-and-iron bash but more a philosophical, meditative take on a people we know so little about—a novelist’s dream perhaps—the Sarmatians.
We follow a Sarmatian warrior, Kai, as he navigates life after defeat in battle. Is he lucky to survive or cursed to live a shamed man? But what is his shame compared to the possible end of the world he knows? Despite the wider context, which is nonetheless made clear, it is a story of individuals and their complex relationships rather than of Empire. Perhaps the philosophical tone is fitting given that the emperor, who makes a few brief appearances in the narrative, is Marcus Aurelius, he of Meditations fame.
I enjoyed this book, and although it is rather slow-burning, the ending is done well; enough narrative threads tied up, enough strands left to weave a second story, which I look forward to reading. Recommended.
