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Bridge of Sand
Britain 80 AD.
One of the farthest outposts of the Roman Empire - a misty, mysterious land of cold, rain and sudden death.
In this wild corner of the world, Juvenal, the soldier poet, is sent on a strange quest. With a small column of men, he has to fight his way through the swampy, hostile countryside to the legendary Bridge of Sand that leads to Ireland - a country rich in gold.
The column strikes out into an uncharted, mystical wilderness - a land of strange Gods and haunting music - to find that Rome's seemingly invincible might is threatened by the Druid's dark primitive powers ...
One of the farthest outposts of the Roman Empire - a misty, mysterious land of cold, rain and sudden death.
In this wild corner of the world, Juvenal, the soldier poet, is sent on a strange quest. With a small column of men, he has to fight his way through the swampy, hostile countryside to the legendary Bridge of Sand that leads to Ireland - a country rich in gold.
The column strikes out into an uncharted, mystical wilderness - a land of strange Gods and haunting music - to find that Rome's seemingly invincible might is threatened by the Druid's dark primitive powers ...
- GenresHistorical Fiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 1978
5 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
About the author
John James
14 books7 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
David John James was a Welsh author of Historical Novels.
He attended St David's University College, and also read psychology at Cambridge. In addition to writing he has also worked as a teacher and later for the Scientific Civil Service working on aviation problems.
He is known for writing four historical novels set in early medieval Britain and Europe. Neil Gaiman is an admirer of James, especially his novel Votan, which provided one model for American Gods calling it “I think probably the best book ever done about the Norse”. . James's skilful evocation of life and myths of Dark Age Europe also won him the admiration of neo-pagan authors John and Caitlin Matthews.
David John James was a Welsh author of Historical Novels.
He attended St David's University College, and also read psychology at Cambridge. In addition to writing he has also worked as a teacher and later for the Scientific Civil Service working on aviation problems.
He is known for writing four historical novels set in early medieval Britain and Europe. Neil Gaiman is an admirer of James, especially his novel Votan, which provided one model for American Gods calling it “I think probably the best book ever done about the Norse”. . James's skilful evocation of life and myths of Dark Age Europe also won him the admiration of neo-pagan authors John and Caitlin Matthews.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 25, 2022
On one level this is a classic tale of the Roman invasion of Britain. Juvenal, a regimental commander, and our first-person narrator, leads his small army of men though a hostile landscape to find the legendary ‘bridge of sand’ that is said to lead to Ireland, the island of plenty.
This book soon becomes a thought-provoking study of how our religious beliefs and superstitions shape our expectations and view of the world. Commander Juneval is also a poet. We see the strangeness of his enemies through his eyes, and the uncharted land he travels through becomes the mystical playground of his many Gods.
The woods become mysterious ‘jungles’, Druids are magicians, conjuring deadly mists, and the most feared adversaries are the vengeful British women, who bang on their pots and pans in a grim warning. In any other book such things would be amusing, or even ridiculous, yet the author lends them a sinister quality.
I liked the lyrical prose, and the fascinating details of the life of a Roman soldier on a long march. The supporting cast are convincing and well-rounded, and although the ending was predictable, this is a fresh and innovative approach to telling the story of the Romans conquest of Britain.
This book soon becomes a thought-provoking study of how our religious beliefs and superstitions shape our expectations and view of the world. Commander Juneval is also a poet. We see the strangeness of his enemies through his eyes, and the uncharted land he travels through becomes the mystical playground of his many Gods.
The woods become mysterious ‘jungles’, Druids are magicians, conjuring deadly mists, and the most feared adversaries are the vengeful British women, who bang on their pots and pans in a grim warning. In any other book such things would be amusing, or even ridiculous, yet the author lends them a sinister quality.
I liked the lyrical prose, and the fascinating details of the life of a Roman soldier on a long march. The supporting cast are convincing and well-rounded, and although the ending was predictable, this is a fresh and innovative approach to telling the story of the Romans conquest of Britain.
July 17, 2022
‘The famous dead, whose ashes rest…’
If you have read John James at all, it is likely Votan or its successor, For all the gold in Ireland. These two novels established his trademark melding of myth and history in a unique blend, both mystical and gritty. Bridge of Sand is much less well known and that is a pity, for it is my favourite of all his novels, and it boasts a similar mix as the others, but perhaps with less humour and a more serious theme.
The narrator is the Roman officer Juvenal, commander of a brigade of Dalmatian cavalry under the overall command of Agricola. Both men are well known to history, Juvenal, later the famous satirist, here an ambitious soldier; Agricola, the general who set out to conquer all of Britain, and might have done so, but for the jealousy of his superiors in Rome, or so his biographer, the historian Tacitus claimed.
The Agricola of this novel is a very different person, an untrustworthy, political schemer, who plots treason. To this end he sends Juvenal and his men on a special mission, to find and seize the fabled ‘bridge of sand’ which connects Britain to Ireland, an island reputedly rich in corn and wheat. Of course, we know that no such bridge exists, and perhaps in the novel’s context it is a garbled version of the Giant’s Causeway between Ireland and Scotland. Nevertheless, the acerbic Juvenal is sent with his men into the wilds to claim this crossing place.
What follows is an expedition into the heart of darkness, the native British being seen as uncivilised savages, the landscape, untamed ‘jungle’. The mystical is always there, a mysterious goddess, an unseen enemy, the gradual whittling down of Juvenal’s force as they press on into unknown territory. Nature conspires against them, a sudden fog leading a troop of cavalry over a precipice. There is dissension too within the Roman ranks, an aristocratic officer of legionaries resentful of a commander of auxiliary cavalry holding command. This dark foreboding atmosphere culminates in the straits of Mona (island of the druids) shaping Juvenal’s future as a man outside Roman power structures, one who satirizes from without, powerless to influence, only to criticise.
This is a moving, mysterious tale, on the one hand filled with echoes of today: corrupt ambitious politicians, evil imperialism, on the other hand, a magical quality, Celtic, more powerful in the end.
If you have read John James at all, it is likely Votan or its successor, For all the gold in Ireland. These two novels established his trademark melding of myth and history in a unique blend, both mystical and gritty. Bridge of Sand is much less well known and that is a pity, for it is my favourite of all his novels, and it boasts a similar mix as the others, but perhaps with less humour and a more serious theme.
The narrator is the Roman officer Juvenal, commander of a brigade of Dalmatian cavalry under the overall command of Agricola. Both men are well known to history, Juvenal, later the famous satirist, here an ambitious soldier; Agricola, the general who set out to conquer all of Britain, and might have done so, but for the jealousy of his superiors in Rome, or so his biographer, the historian Tacitus claimed.
The Agricola of this novel is a very different person, an untrustworthy, political schemer, who plots treason. To this end he sends Juvenal and his men on a special mission, to find and seize the fabled ‘bridge of sand’ which connects Britain to Ireland, an island reputedly rich in corn and wheat. Of course, we know that no such bridge exists, and perhaps in the novel’s context it is a garbled version of the Giant’s Causeway between Ireland and Scotland. Nevertheless, the acerbic Juvenal is sent with his men into the wilds to claim this crossing place.
What follows is an expedition into the heart of darkness, the native British being seen as uncivilised savages, the landscape, untamed ‘jungle’. The mystical is always there, a mysterious goddess, an unseen enemy, the gradual whittling down of Juvenal’s force as they press on into unknown territory. Nature conspires against them, a sudden fog leading a troop of cavalry over a precipice. There is dissension too within the Roman ranks, an aristocratic officer of legionaries resentful of a commander of auxiliary cavalry holding command. This dark foreboding atmosphere culminates in the straits of Mona (island of the druids) shaping Juvenal’s future as a man outside Roman power structures, one who satirizes from without, powerless to influence, only to criticise.
This is a moving, mysterious tale, on the one hand filled with echoes of today: corrupt ambitious politicians, evil imperialism, on the other hand, a magical quality, Celtic, more powerful in the end.
October 4, 2022
The bridge of sand. A tale of the mystical straight between Briton and Ireland. The story follows a Roman cavalry officer and his troops on a quest from the main bulk of the Roman army, across the Severn and in to the heart of Briton. The mission given to these troops is to find the bridge of sand and to hold it against any native resistance until the army can arrive later in the year.
A surprising mix of historical fiction and poetry blended in throughout which I enjoyed. Full of action, adventure, mutiny and fantasy, a very good read.
A surprising mix of historical fiction and poetry blended in throughout which I enjoyed. Full of action, adventure, mutiny and fantasy, a very good read.
September 9, 2022
A worthwhile historical fiction/historical fantasy read that just didn't quite add up to enough to get 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2022
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Not only a book about the Roman invasion of Britain, but also a look at the religious beliefs of different people shape their destinies. Well written historical fiction.
Not only a book about the Roman invasion of Britain, but also a look at the religious beliefs of different people shape their destinies. Well written historical fiction.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews