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Time's Tapestry #1
Emperor
Inscribed in Latin, The Prophecy has resided in the hands of a single family for generations, revealing secrets about the world that is to come, and guiding them to wealth and power...It begins when a Celtic noble betrays his people at the behest of his mother's belief in The Prophecy and sides with the conquering Roman legions. For the next 400 years, Britannia thrives-as does the family that contributed to Rome's reign over the island with the construction of Emperor Hadrian's Wall and the protection of Emperor Constantine from a coup d'état .And even when the sun begins to set on the Roman Empire, The Prophecy remains. For those capable of deciphering its signs and portents, the future of Earth is in their hands
302 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2006
47 people are currently reading
922 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Baxter
405 books2,629 followersStephen Baxter is a trained engineer with degrees from Cambridge (mathematics) and Southampton Universities (doctorate in aeroengineering research). Baxter is the winner of the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award, as well as being a nominee for an Arthur C. Clarke Award, most recently for Manifold: Time. His novel Voyage won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History Novel of the Year; he also won the John W. Campbell Award and the Philip K. Dick Award for his novel The Time Ships. He is currently working on his next novel, a collaboration with Sir Arthur C. Clarke. Mr. Baxter lives in Prestwood, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
February 5, 2014
You know that whole "don't judge a book by its cover" thing? Yeah, well, I totally did. In a heady bit of book buying when I graduated from college and got a full time job, I may have celebrated by overindulging in a Books-a-Million and grabbing anything that struck my fancy. I may or may not have read the book blurbs. After all, I was young, financially independent, had a whole life ahead of me to read--who cared how many books I wantonly threw into my book basket? Life was a library, baby, and I was going to spend it all in the stacks.
Tragic mistakes were made that I'm still paying for 7 years later.
For example, Emperor, a book that I feel must shoulder some of the blame for underwhelming me because of its blatantly misleading cover. There's a statue of Julius Caesar on the front pictured over what is clearly Rome. You might think that this is what the book is about. As did I. We're both mistaken because the book takes place in Britain and focuses on the rule of Claudius, Hadrian, and Constantine. It's the literary equivalent of being roofied and waking up next to an ugly book.
Emperor revolves around a prophecy passed down from one family's generation to another in Britain around the time of Roman rule. Unable to understand the enigmatic message in its entirety, each generation uses it to its own ends: during the reign of Claudius, it is mistakenly believed to vouchsafe Britain against conquest by Rome; during the reign of Hadrian, it is used to gain the family profit by manipulating the emperor into building an ill-advised stone wall to protect his empire in Britain; and during the time of Constantine, it is used to make an assassination attempt on the emperor's life.
Consisting of three interlocking narratives that necessarily skip forward in time with only loose connections to the previous tale, the reader never really gets to know any of the characters--which is a shame because many of them could be fascinating if given more depth. Baxter writes with authority about the time periods involved, but the novel is billed as an alternative science fiction history. Without a historian's understanding of the time period, it is difficult to ascertain which parts are alternative and which are authentic. And the science fiction bit is definitely AWOL. There's some very brief philosophical debate about the nature of time (is it linear, or do the past, present, and future coexist at the exact same time?) and about whether or not the prophecy was sent by someone in the future (known only as the Weaver) attempting to change the past, but nothing that I would classify as "science fiction."
The novel would have been far more successful for me if it had been a straight historical fiction (really the alternative part is virtually nonexistent and seems to stem entirely from the prophecy, which never really changes events) and focused on one of the three narratives presented. Baxter has the ability to bring the past to life in a real and satisfying way, but the lack of payoff in terms of the novel's presentation and in its use of the prophecy as an unnecessary device to explore the past make it a tedious read. While I will not read the other books in the series, I would not entirely rule out reading another Baxter novel.
So, the moral of the story is: the next time a cute little book starts making eyes at me from the shelf, I'm damn sure going to take the time to read the blurb before I take it home with me.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Tragic mistakes were made that I'm still paying for 7 years later.
For example, Emperor, a book that I feel must shoulder some of the blame for underwhelming me because of its blatantly misleading cover. There's a statue of Julius Caesar on the front pictured over what is clearly Rome. You might think that this is what the book is about. As did I. We're both mistaken because the book takes place in Britain and focuses on the rule of Claudius, Hadrian, and Constantine. It's the literary equivalent of being roofied and waking up next to an ugly book.
Emperor revolves around a prophecy passed down from one family's generation to another in Britain around the time of Roman rule. Unable to understand the enigmatic message in its entirety, each generation uses it to its own ends: during the reign of Claudius, it is mistakenly believed to vouchsafe Britain against conquest by Rome; during the reign of Hadrian, it is used to gain the family profit by manipulating the emperor into building an ill-advised stone wall to protect his empire in Britain; and during the time of Constantine, it is used to make an assassination attempt on the emperor's life.
Consisting of three interlocking narratives that necessarily skip forward in time with only loose connections to the previous tale, the reader never really gets to know any of the characters--which is a shame because many of them could be fascinating if given more depth. Baxter writes with authority about the time periods involved, but the novel is billed as an alternative science fiction history. Without a historian's understanding of the time period, it is difficult to ascertain which parts are alternative and which are authentic. And the science fiction bit is definitely AWOL. There's some very brief philosophical debate about the nature of time (is it linear, or do the past, present, and future coexist at the exact same time?) and about whether or not the prophecy was sent by someone in the future (known only as the Weaver) attempting to change the past, but nothing that I would classify as "science fiction."
The novel would have been far more successful for me if it had been a straight historical fiction (really the alternative part is virtually nonexistent and seems to stem entirely from the prophecy, which never really changes events) and focused on one of the three narratives presented. Baxter has the ability to bring the past to life in a real and satisfying way, but the lack of payoff in terms of the novel's presentation and in its use of the prophecy as an unnecessary device to explore the past make it a tedious read. While I will not read the other books in the series, I would not entirely rule out reading another Baxter novel.
So, the moral of the story is: the next time a cute little book starts making eyes at me from the shelf, I'm damn sure going to take the time to read the blurb before I take it home with me.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
December 30, 2013
Baxter has so much potential with this book and squanders it building crises and then jumping forward in time to the next generation. I wish I has stopped after the Romans invaded Britain and killed Nectovelin, child of prophecy. The eternal hope for the future [ha] was that the next chapter would do more with its characters than use them to reveal the current state of Roman empire, Britain's government/military/taxes or lack thereof, and idea of individual action shaping the future.
Without the fiction of a prophecy, which is never utilized (prophecy can tell the future/weaver's past but never seems to alter it?), this would just be a series of short fictional stories set in the time of the roman emipre and relating to the evolution and civilization of Britian.
Oh, and Baxter isn't funny. He isn't meant to be, but after The Long Earth this seems very dry and dull, and I miss Terry Pratchett's influence. Glad this was a library book.
Without the fiction of a prophecy, which is never utilized (prophecy can tell the future/weaver's past but never seems to alter it?), this would just be a series of short fictional stories set in the time of the roman emipre and relating to the evolution and civilization of Britian.
Oh, and Baxter isn't funny. He isn't meant to be, but after The Long Earth this seems very dry and dull, and I miss Terry Pratchett's influence. Glad this was a library book.
July 22, 2011
While I finished this book, i won't be reading any others in the series. I found the lack of character development and the skipping over several centuries at a time quite annoying. This could have been a really good read if the author had developed this single novel into the whole series, properly developing the characters and feel for the different periods in Roman Britain. The historical research was excellent, I loved the way the feel of the towns and the different eras were conveyed, it really gave a sense of the history. A good concept let down by poor execution.
August 17, 2014
It's hard to sum this book up in just a sentence or two, so hopefully once you've read through this review you'll have a clearer idea of what I think of it.
What we essentially have here is a book that is split into sequential segments looking at subsequent generations of a family through time from the early days of the Claudian Conquest of Britain in AD43 right the way through to the decay of Roman Britain and influx of Saxon hordes in the early fifth century. Each segment is roughly a century or two further on in time than the last but has a thread running through all of them both in the form of them being descendants but also this whole notion of a prophecy which is set down at the start of the book.
This is the first book I've read by Baxter and what's clear from the start is just how evocative an author he is. For the most part the characters feel incredibly real, almost tangible at times, and you find yourself absorbing them into your brain so that even when you're reading about their descendants, you're seeing the familial link to the previous character as if you're standing outside of time observing them all; a point of reference used for at least one of the characters in the book.
The thing that lets the book down for me personally is that of the prophecy itself. While it is undeniably an interesting element in the story, it is exactly that. Just an element. With all the build up at the start of the book, I anticipated it bearing far more provenance to the story but it doesn't. It's rather like the Grail in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series in that it's what he's looking for but only actually forms a very small, almost incidental, part of the story that wouldn't really change without it.
The quality of the story tapers off gradually with the last two groups of descendants meaning the book feels like it's going out not with a bang but a whimper, though there is a nice little element at the end to bring it full circle. I don't need to write a spoiler as by the time you get a page into the last section, it'll be fairly obvious.
There is an element throughout the book also where the author tends to be far more preoccupied with schooling the reader on all the background history and specifics, rather than actually setting the scene or making it particularly immersive. At some points it feels a little like reading a history book that's taken a narrative twist, rather than a novel with historical elements to it.
Overall though an interesting fun read that probably won't stay with you very long but you'll enjoy it as you go through. Far from essential but I've read worse books out there and the rich vein of detail & potential in the characterisation means I may well end up trying to track down the sequel, if there was one.
What we essentially have here is a book that is split into sequential segments looking at subsequent generations of a family through time from the early days of the Claudian Conquest of Britain in AD43 right the way through to the decay of Roman Britain and influx of Saxon hordes in the early fifth century. Each segment is roughly a century or two further on in time than the last but has a thread running through all of them both in the form of them being descendants but also this whole notion of a prophecy which is set down at the start of the book.
This is the first book I've read by Baxter and what's clear from the start is just how evocative an author he is. For the most part the characters feel incredibly real, almost tangible at times, and you find yourself absorbing them into your brain so that even when you're reading about their descendants, you're seeing the familial link to the previous character as if you're standing outside of time observing them all; a point of reference used for at least one of the characters in the book.
The thing that lets the book down for me personally is that of the prophecy itself. While it is undeniably an interesting element in the story, it is exactly that. Just an element. With all the build up at the start of the book, I anticipated it bearing far more provenance to the story but it doesn't. It's rather like the Grail in Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest series in that it's what he's looking for but only actually forms a very small, almost incidental, part of the story that wouldn't really change without it.
The quality of the story tapers off gradually with the last two groups of descendants meaning the book feels like it's going out not with a bang but a whimper, though there is a nice little element at the end to bring it full circle. I don't need to write a spoiler as by the time you get a page into the last section, it'll be fairly obvious.
There is an element throughout the book also where the author tends to be far more preoccupied with schooling the reader on all the background history and specifics, rather than actually setting the scene or making it particularly immersive. At some points it feels a little like reading a history book that's taken a narrative twist, rather than a novel with historical elements to it.
Overall though an interesting fun read that probably won't stay with you very long but you'll enjoy it as you go through. Far from essential but I've read worse books out there and the rich vein of detail & potential in the characterisation means I may well end up trying to track down the sequel, if there was one.
August 10, 2018
Misleading cover. What’s the cover illustration equivalent of click bait? Some really good writing, Baxter masters his subject, interesting characters, skilfully written short stories, loosely linked together by the Prophecy and hints at the Weaver. But not science fiction. Not alternative history. As far as I can see, everything so far is consistent with history as we know it..
A good read, but not set in Rome, not about Julius Caesar, it’s pure historical fiction, set in pre-Roman and Roman Britain.
A good read, but not set in Rome, not about Julius Caesar, it’s pure historical fiction, set in pre-Roman and Roman Britain.
September 11, 2025
While this book is competent historical fiction, it is NOT (as it stands by itself) alternate history. The story is broken up into three sections (43-70 AD Emperor Claudius; 122-138 AD, Emperor Hadrian; 314-337 AD, Emperor Constantine), where various characters in Roman Britain* deal with the effects of a prophecy, probably sent from the future (but never explained). And, by ‘deal with’ I mean attempt to take advantage of future knowledge with varying degrees of success. However, history isn’t really changed, and, by the epilogue (set in 418 AD), things are pretty much as we know them. I imagine that things may be explained in later novels (this is series of four) and historical events may or may not be altered – although, based on the blurbs on the back of books 2-4, possibly not much. This either feels like the author is doing a REALLY LONG setup for an alternate history series (like, seriously, an entire initial novel with no alternate history?), in which case, bold move; or this is just a Mitchner-esque historical epic using the prophecy as a plot hook. Either way, I’m not sure that I’m feeling it. It’s not that the book is bad, it’s just not as advertised. Very low 3 stars. I may revisit the series later (The second book, CONQUERER, appears to deal with medieval Britain - Vikings, the Norman Conquest, etc.) but not right now.
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April 5, 2025DNF
I had to give up at Chapter 5 because I just didn't care anymore.
Baxter makes a lot of storytelling mistakes in this dull attempt to write an alternative history of the Roman Empire. He introduces a boatload of characters in a rapid succession. He uses names that are about as long as this sentence. Yeah, there was a lot of death in the Roman Empire, but was the death of the 10 year old boy in Chapter 4 really necessary? And, for crying out loud, why bother giving that boy such a freaking long name if he just lives for a couple of chapters?
And Agrippina was a name originally from the Greek, not Roman (although there are many Roman women that were named Agrippina or Agripina.) I know this is a fantasy, but JESUS.
There weren't any sympathetic characters here, except for the horses and dogs. The introduction of fantasy elements were jarring and seemed really out of place.
No stars.
Something tells me I'm never going to find an alternative Roman Empire book as good or better than Robert Silverberg's Roma Eterna, so I think I'll stop looking.
I had to give up at Chapter 5 because I just didn't care anymore.
Baxter makes a lot of storytelling mistakes in this dull attempt to write an alternative history of the Roman Empire. He introduces a boatload of characters in a rapid succession. He uses names that are about as long as this sentence. Yeah, there was a lot of death in the Roman Empire, but was the death of the 10 year old boy in Chapter 4 really necessary? And, for crying out loud, why bother giving that boy such a freaking long name if he just lives for a couple of chapters?
And Agrippina was a name originally from the Greek, not Roman (although there are many Roman women that were named Agrippina or Agripina.) I know this is a fantasy, but JESUS.
There weren't any sympathetic characters here, except for the horses and dogs. The introduction of fantasy elements were jarring and seemed really out of place.
No stars.
Something tells me I'm never going to find an alternative Roman Empire book as good or better than Robert Silverberg's Roma Eterna, so I think I'll stop looking.
March 2, 2015
die geschichte britanniens von der römioschen invasion bis zu ihrem abzug also ca 400 jahre weird anhand mehrerer generationen einer familie erzählt die durch eine prophezeihung verbunden ist. man lernt viel über die römer und die britannischen stämme. natürlich steht immer ein typischer baxter-gedanke im raum, nämlich was wäre wenn jemand versucht die geschichte zu verändern, in dem fall durch die prophezeihung. das lustige ist aber, dass der verlauf der geschichte im buch der realen folgt. die prophezeihung bewirkt also, dass alles so kam, wie es wirklich kam. nicht unbedingt was man von einem baxter erwartet, aber mal sehen was der 2. teil bringt.
December 31, 2011
This book is the first of a quartet. Each one deadling with a timeline but all connected at some point. Each chapter or group of chapters advance the plot in decades detailing Roman Britain. It is a good history book but it didn't grab me. I have the four books but I don't know if I am grabbing the second and the rest of them.
May 26, 2008
Alternate history. Sadly, if you don't know Roman history well, you do not know what is alternate. OTOH, it was an easy read, moderately entertaining as historical fiction. I will not read any more in the series.
October 8, 2022
Stephen Baxterilla on taipumusta kirjoittaa hieman pidemmällä aikajänteellä. Niin tässäkin kirjassa. Kirja kertoo latinankielisestä profetiasta, jonka kiljuu ilmoille synnytystuskissaan kärsivä briganttinainen, joka ei luonnollisesti osaa sanaakaan latinaa. Onneksi paikalla on joku latinantaitoinen, joka osaa kirjoittaa profetian talteen.
Tämän prologin jälkeen harpataan 47 vuotta eteenpäin ja kohdataan briganttisoturi Nectovelin, jonka syntymästä prologissa oli kyse. Roomalaisia vihaava Nectovelin on päässyt taistelun makuun vain brittiheimojen keskinäisissä nahinoissa, kun Caesarin jälkeen roomalaiset eivät ole Britanniaan vaivautuneet. Kaikki kuitenkin muuttuu, kun roomalaiset tekevät yllättävän maihinnousun Britanniaan.
Nectoveliniin ei kuitenkaan kannata kiintyä, sillä kirjan päähenkilö on nimenomaan profetia. Henkilöissä on jatkuvuutta tasan sen verran, että päähenkilöt ovat samoista suvuista. Välillä vain harpataan sata tai parisataa vuotta, jotta nähdään, miten profetia vaikuttaa hieman myöhemmin. Käytännössä käsissä on kolme pienoisromaania, joissa Rooman keisarit vaihtuvat, mutta elämä roomalaisessa Britanniassa on aina yhtä haastavaa ja mielenkiintoista.
Kirja nojaa vankasti historiaan ja lukija tutustuu Rooman keisarien ja roomalaisen Britannian vaiheisiin. Hadrianuksen muuri rakennetaan, aivan kuten profetia kertoo… mutta onko profetia oikeasti tehokas työkalu tulevaisuuden muokkaamiseen, vai pelkästään unelmaa ja puhetta? Kuka Nectovelinin profetian lähetti, kenen tavoitteita profetian toteutuminen todella ajaa?
Tämä on ideoiden kirjallisuutta – Baxter jopa laittaa yhden henkilöistään puolustamaan tieteisfiktiota, jota syytetään pelkkien ideoiden kirjallisuudeksi, vailla kunnollisia henkilöhahmoja. Henkilöihin ei pääse kiintymään, kun vähän väliä vaihdetaan, eikä juonikaan ole aivan riittävän kantava koko kirjan näkökulmasta. Yhtä kaikki aihe on kiehtova ja lopetus niin keskeneräinen, että Vilhelm Valloittajasta kertova jatko-osa Conqueror (ja itse asiassa koko neliosainen, toiseen maailmansotaan asti ulottuva Time’s Tapestry -sarja) piti laittaa tilaukseen. (21.7.2010)
Tämän prologin jälkeen harpataan 47 vuotta eteenpäin ja kohdataan briganttisoturi Nectovelin, jonka syntymästä prologissa oli kyse. Roomalaisia vihaava Nectovelin on päässyt taistelun makuun vain brittiheimojen keskinäisissä nahinoissa, kun Caesarin jälkeen roomalaiset eivät ole Britanniaan vaivautuneet. Kaikki kuitenkin muuttuu, kun roomalaiset tekevät yllättävän maihinnousun Britanniaan.
Nectoveliniin ei kuitenkaan kannata kiintyä, sillä kirjan päähenkilö on nimenomaan profetia. Henkilöissä on jatkuvuutta tasan sen verran, että päähenkilöt ovat samoista suvuista. Välillä vain harpataan sata tai parisataa vuotta, jotta nähdään, miten profetia vaikuttaa hieman myöhemmin. Käytännössä käsissä on kolme pienoisromaania, joissa Rooman keisarit vaihtuvat, mutta elämä roomalaisessa Britanniassa on aina yhtä haastavaa ja mielenkiintoista.
Kirja nojaa vankasti historiaan ja lukija tutustuu Rooman keisarien ja roomalaisen Britannian vaiheisiin. Hadrianuksen muuri rakennetaan, aivan kuten profetia kertoo… mutta onko profetia oikeasti tehokas työkalu tulevaisuuden muokkaamiseen, vai pelkästään unelmaa ja puhetta? Kuka Nectovelinin profetian lähetti, kenen tavoitteita profetian toteutuminen todella ajaa?
Tämä on ideoiden kirjallisuutta – Baxter jopa laittaa yhden henkilöistään puolustamaan tieteisfiktiota, jota syytetään pelkkien ideoiden kirjallisuudeksi, vailla kunnollisia henkilöhahmoja. Henkilöihin ei pääse kiintymään, kun vähän väliä vaihdetaan, eikä juonikaan ole aivan riittävän kantava koko kirjan näkökulmasta. Yhtä kaikki aihe on kiehtova ja lopetus niin keskeneräinen, että Vilhelm Valloittajasta kertova jatko-osa Conqueror (ja itse asiassa koko neliosainen, toiseen maailmansotaan asti ulottuva Time’s Tapestry -sarja) piti laittaa tilaukseen. (21.7.2010)
July 13, 2018
I feel like I've read Stephen Baxter in the past but can't actually remember any concrete details, so for all intents and purposes, this is the first book I've read by him.
I picked up this series because I like time travel, parallel universes, and general survivor stories, so I thought it would be a good fit. S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series is a great example of the type of story I like.
When I read the summary for Emperor (and this series), I thought it sounded like it would be a pretty good match for me, especially because I like reading about the Roman Empire and Britain around 300-400 AD, which a lot of this book deals with.
Unfortunately, I found that this book ended up not being my kind of story for two reasons:
1. There is an immediate and urgent focus on a "Weaver," an agent in the future sending messages to the past. Baxter sets up the mystery early and it constantly detracts from the "present" storyline in that as a reader, I always felt focused on the need to unravel that mystery rather than see what it was doing.
2. As an era-spanning story, there are necessarily many different characters, but Baxter makes the choice here to jump a few decades fairly early in the book, which is very jarring; immediately after being introduced to some characters and their conflict, the story abandons them for people who are tangentially connected.
The second point is largely stylistic, I think; it prepares the reader for the idea of abandoning characters and also sets the focus on the larger scale of time and to some extent, the mystery behind the Weaver.
But in reinforcing the mystery of the Weaver (who the Weaver is and what their purpose is), I felt that Baxter was really saying "this is all pointless, you only need to read because you want to know about the mystery and maybe I'll give you clues in this story."
The book was good enough to make me want to continue (largely to find out who the Weaver is) and not bad enough that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, so it gets a fairly mediocre three-star rating out of me.
I picked up this series because I like time travel, parallel universes, and general survivor stories, so I thought it would be a good fit. S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series is a great example of the type of story I like.
When I read the summary for Emperor (and this series), I thought it sounded like it would be a pretty good match for me, especially because I like reading about the Roman Empire and Britain around 300-400 AD, which a lot of this book deals with.
Unfortunately, I found that this book ended up not being my kind of story for two reasons:
1. There is an immediate and urgent focus on a "Weaver," an agent in the future sending messages to the past. Baxter sets up the mystery early and it constantly detracts from the "present" storyline in that as a reader, I always felt focused on the need to unravel that mystery rather than see what it was doing.
2. As an era-spanning story, there are necessarily many different characters, but Baxter makes the choice here to jump a few decades fairly early in the book, which is very jarring; immediately after being introduced to some characters and their conflict, the story abandons them for people who are tangentially connected.
The second point is largely stylistic, I think; it prepares the reader for the idea of abandoning characters and also sets the focus on the larger scale of time and to some extent, the mystery behind the Weaver.
But in reinforcing the mystery of the Weaver (who the Weaver is and what their purpose is), I felt that Baxter was really saying "this is all pointless, you only need to read because you want to know about the mystery and maybe I'll give you clues in this story."
The book was good enough to make me want to continue (largely to find out who the Weaver is) and not bad enough that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, so it gets a fairly mediocre three-star rating out of me.
February 9, 2018
Well researched book spanning the invasion of Britain by Rome, its governance in the waning of the Roman Empire and the aftermath as the barbarians rise in the chaos of the gap left by the fall of Rome. A tad pedantic as the literary device is a prophecy babbled by a mother giving birth in North Britain in a place called Banna which becomes an important place in the building of Hadrian's Wall. The prophecy is nearly as obscure as the Oracle in I Claudius but explained many times in the novel. The characters are strongly delineated and the different ways of thinking, from the native British (fractious and disunited) together with the orderly Romans are juxtaposed throughout the book. I borrowed this from the local library and was advised that I had borrowed it before - I had little memory of the book so I must have abandoned it at my first attempt. I did enjoy this second reading and understood the ambitious construct of the author. A good solid novel, especially if you are a fan of Claudius - so happy to see him appear in the first third of this novel. for fans of Roman history.
April 11, 2021
I'm currently undecided on what to think about this book.
First off, I'm not sure this is sci-fi--at least, this particular book isn't. Maybe the later bits in the series are. I do love the characters of each short story, but that's the problem. This book is less a comprehensive novel than three short stories separated in time by decades to centuries. I found myself almost having to plot out a family tree. I like the idea of the telling of the prophecy living on for so many years, passed down from parents to children, but the relationships are slightly convoluted. I do enjoy getting to know each set of characters and intrigues, but it seems we don't spend enough time with them before getting yanked a few hundred years into the future--it's enough to give one psychic whiplash. That said, I'm a sucker for a look into Roman history, and so it's a fine read. I'm interested to see what the next book brings time-wise, since at the end of this one he's starting to approach the end of the true history of western Roman europe....
First off, I'm not sure this is sci-fi--at least, this particular book isn't. Maybe the later bits in the series are. I do love the characters of each short story, but that's the problem. This book is less a comprehensive novel than three short stories separated in time by decades to centuries. I found myself almost having to plot out a family tree. I like the idea of the telling of the prophecy living on for so many years, passed down from parents to children, but the relationships are slightly convoluted. I do enjoy getting to know each set of characters and intrigues, but it seems we don't spend enough time with them before getting yanked a few hundred years into the future--it's enough to give one psychic whiplash. That said, I'm a sucker for a look into Roman history, and so it's a fine read. I'm interested to see what the next book brings time-wise, since at the end of this one he's starting to approach the end of the true history of western Roman europe....
January 9, 2026
Awesome read! I haven't read Baxter before except a few collaborations with Arthur C. Clarke. I love speculative fiction, alternate histories and time travels -- Emperor has threads of all that plus a fascinating glimpse of history. What struck me in part was this book was written or published in 2006 and there is one paragraph that made me wonder if Baxter is "the weaver" or a time travelor.
"Isn’t it obvious, Constantine is turning the empire into a monarchy. He will be a king as a supreme and unchallenged as the rulers of ancient Persian and Egypt. And he wants to draw on the unity of Christianity to cement all that in place, he imposes this alien cult on us in order to control us all. "
Put in the current president and change the names of the countries and what do you have?
"Isn’t it obvious, Constantine is turning the empire into a monarchy. He will be a king as a supreme and unchallenged as the rulers of ancient Persian and Egypt. And he wants to draw on the unity of Christianity to cement all that in place, he imposes this alien cult on us in order to control us all. "
Put in the current president and change the names of the countries and what do you have?
April 5, 2020
Although modern in its voices and weighed down by its framework of science fiction, the episodic nature of the novel across the history of Britannia conveys the wider cycle of invasion, growth and decline. There is a choice of history within the narrative (accurate on the grand scale; only fiction provides the magnifying glass), but all aspects of the withdrawal of Roman forces is contested. All we do know is that, unlike the rest of the Empire, Britain's collapse was complete.
Baxter's history novels charm....
Baxter's history novels charm....
January 24, 2021
The book was okay, but unfortunately that's about as good as I can go. While I found some of the stories of individual characters engaging. The overall story was too dis-jointed to really get into. Because of the span of time covered, sometimes skipping generations, too much time was spent in repeating the backstory to make the characters a part of it. In the end I wasn't sure exactly what the story had been about.
I had picked up the four book series at one time, but I'm not sure I will continue on with it.
I had picked up the four book series at one time, but I'm not sure I will continue on with it.
November 5, 2023
This is the first book set on the Roman Empire that I read. It was totally worth it. A prophecy woven into the tapestry of time brings together two families, who with each changing generation, influence the future of life as they know it. The inclusion of real-life characters (in this case, the emperors) was refreshing and added a layered depth into the storyline. As well as love, which was ever present, but for some reason, couldn't end the way we all wanted. I can't wait to continue reading the saga and see what happens with the aforementioned prophecy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2020
I Want to Enjoy This Series, But It's Obnoxiously Christian
First off, I forgot I was reading alterniverse fiction & I started fact checking. I was interested in this series because I've read some of Baxter's hard sci-fi. My interest faded once I realized I was reading Christian apocalyptic fiction. The story was interesting and I did finish the book. I hate having religion shoved in my face, so I won't be continuing the series.
First off, I forgot I was reading alterniverse fiction & I started fact checking. I was interested in this series because I've read some of Baxter's hard sci-fi. My interest faded once I realized I was reading Christian apocalyptic fiction. The story was interesting and I did finish the book. I hate having religion shoved in my face, so I won't be continuing the series.
September 6, 2022
It was enjoyable but felt more like a history lesson rather than a novel. Not really a lot of plot to sink your teeth into. Having to get to know a whole bunch of new characters with each new section had its good points but it came at the cost of leaving behind the characters you were just getting to know. I applaud the idea of trying something different but I don't know if I'll continue on to the next book in the series.
April 4, 2021
Eh. Interesting and the history was cool but there were spelling errors and missed words that bugged the crap out of me. Also strongly about religion and how Christian's are so much better than pagans which was frankly annoying as a pagan myself. But an ok read if somewhat of a slog at times. Just didn't want to have it as an unread.
November 22, 2023
A child is born, and as he breathes his first and his mother breathes her last an old man speaks a vision, a prophesy, that carries across generations. To be honest, I lost interest in the prophesy before it came to pass, but the reading was reasonably interesting. And no, I didn't read the book in one day -- I just forgot to put it into Goodreads until later.
April 17, 2018
Nobody does alternative view at history quite like Stephen Baxter and this is no exception. He looks at Britain under the Romans, the rise of Christianity and a prophecy of what may happen. Will most definitely appeal to fans of Baxter and fans of historical fiction.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
April 6, 2020
How to deal with a message from the future? What does it mean? Who send it? What is the sender's agenda?
A great family saga bridging over four centuries in Britannia from the Roman occupation till the Arrival of the Saxons.
A great family saga bridging over four centuries in Britannia from the Roman occupation till the Arrival of the Saxons.
August 8, 2021
I thought overall this was a great book ive always been interested and fascinated in historical fiction it did change between multiple different timelines which did get confusing at times but over all a great book highly recommend
July 28, 2023
Baxter's alternate history begins with a surprisingly enjoyable summary of Roman development in Britain, fleshed out with engaging, interesting characters. And ends with not a cliffhanger, but still just as urgently encouraging you to go directly to the next book.
January 12, 2018
I'm all "Roman Empired" out.
April 1, 2019
Not bad but hard to keep all the names apart.
September 18, 2019
great mixture of fiction and non. great historical novel, entertaining and educational at the same time
December 29, 2019
An alternate history of England in Roman times
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews