Island of Ghosts

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Ariantes is a Sarmatian, a barbarian warrior prince, uprooted from his home and customs and thrust into the honorless lands of the Romans The victims of a wartime pact struck with the emperor Marcus Aurelius to ensure the future of Sarmatia, Ariantes and his troop of accomplished horsemen are sent to Hadrian s Wall Unsurprisingly, the Sarmatians hate Britain an Island of Ghosts, filled with pale faces, stone walls, and an uneasy past.Struggling to command his own people to defend a land they despise, Ariantes is accepted by all, but trusted by none The Romans fear his barbarian background, and his own men fear his gradual Roman assimilation When Ariantes uncovers a conspiracy sure to damage both his Roman benefactors and his beloved countrymen, as well as put him and the woman he loves in grave danger, he must make a difficult decision one that will change his own life forever. Free Download [ Island of Ghosts ] author [ Gillian Bradshaw ] – kino-fada.fr It took me a while to get round to reading Island of Ghosts, but I m so glad I finally did I remember finding one of Gillian Bradshaw s other books slow but compelling I read this all in one day, though I wouldn t call it a quick read It is a compelling one, though, just as expected I wasn t sure exactly what was so good about it, but by the time I was a quarter of the way through, I was determined to finish reading it today.One of the factors is the main character, Ariantes Full of honour, It took me a while to get round to reading Island of Ghosts, but I m so glad I finally did I remember finding one of Gillian Bradshaw s other books slow but compelling I read this all in one day, though I wouldn t call it a quick read It is a compelling one, though, just as expected I wasn t sure exactly what was so good about it, but by the time I was a quarter of the way through, I was determined to finish reading it today.One of the factors is the main character, Ariantes Full of honour, and in a position where revenge would be almost justified and certainly expected among his people, he is also practical and adaptable He is willing to change for the good of his people, and he guides them to change as well He s disabled, with a bad leg, but while this limits him somewhat, it doesn t keep him from doing what he needs to do In short, he s an admirable character, and despite what seems like barbarism at first sight, an honourable and likeable one.The other characters are simi...Capitulated troops from the steppe in the east are sent to Britain to guard another frontier At home they are declared dead, their wives widows, and they don t believe in an island across the ocean, unless ghosts inhabit it.So starts this story of cultural intersection The captain Ariantes needs to learn Roman ways to look after the welfare of his troops the only concern left to him now but this is to Romanize, which he has no wish to do The book is first person Ariantes and he came alive Capitulated troops from the steppe in the east are sent to Britain to guard another frontier At home they are declared dead, their wives widows, and they don t believe in an island across the ocean, unless ghosts inhabit it.So starts this story of cultural intersection The captain Ariantes needs to learn Roman ways to look after the welfare of his troops the only concern left to him now but this is to Romanize, which he has no wish to do The book is first person Ariantes and he came alive for me at once He s an extremely sympathetic character It s a gently told story The Sarmatians old scalp collections are a great talking point for the Romans, but Ariantes is weary of war, and though he s matter of fact and unapologetic about scalp...Another one of Bradshaw s with an outsider protagonist Sarmatians in Roman Britain on the Wall, helping to defend the Empire The hero, Ariantes, helps foil a plot against the Empire, falls in love with a Briton, and all the time tries to maintain his own steppe culture while adapti...About as good as historical fiction gets This might be my favorite Bradshaw so far Not to be missed.Jane Rawoof s review, is a good short one.Frequently, for the old favorites, I like to search the web for book reviews to copy and paste here s one that appeals Hot on the heels of The Beacon at Alexandria, I turned my attention to the other Bradshaw novel I had lined up, and I m delighted to say that Island of Ghostsproved to be equally enjoyable Like Beaconit has a classical setting, this time in Roman Britain in 175 AD, and it s written in the same easy, engaging style Indeed, its Frequently, for the old favorites, I like to search the web for book reviews to copy and paste here s one that appeals Hot on the heels of The Beacon at Alexandria, I turned my attention to the other Bradshaw novel I had lined up, and I m delighted to say that Island of Ghosts proved to be equally enjoyable Like Beacon it has a classical setting, this time in Roman Britain in 175 AD, and it s written in the same easy, engaging style Indeed, its protagonist is thoughtful and self contained, much like Charis, and there are familiar themes of displacement and the difficulties of finding one s path as an outsider.This book reminded me of the importance of a good first line We mutinied when we reached the ocean Who wouldn t want to keep reading after that and find out the who, why, where and when It turns out that we are on the French shores of the English Channel in the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and our narrator Ariantes is the princely commander of a troop of Sarmatian horsemen Most have never even seen the sea b...Like several others here, I m sure, I first learned of the Sarmatians after watching the 2004 movie King Arthur While the historical accuracy of many aspects of that film is subject to debate, it piqued my interest nevertheless But to all you King Arthur bashers read the note in the historical epilogue about the stirrups Now, on to the actual book Being a historical fiction lover, I m surprised I hadn t heard of Gillian Bradshaw before, especially given all the raving reviews she s Like several others here, I m sure, I first learned of the Sarmatians after watching the 2004 movie King Arthur While the historical accuracy of many aspects of that film is subject to debate, it piqued my interest nevertheless But to all you King Arthur bashers read the note in the historical epilogue about the stirrups Now, on to the actual book Being a historical fiction lover, I m surprised I hadn t h...If you have had the misfortune, fellow reader, of seeing the 2004 King Arthur film, starring Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, and Kiera Knightley as a warrior babe Guinevere, then you will perhaps be aware that there is a school of thought which holds that much of the King Arthur mythology comes from an Indo Iranian people called the Sarmatians Don t be put off by the ahistoric melodrama of the movie the notion of a Sarmatian influence in ancient British mythology is actually the hot new theory in If you have had the misfortune, fellow reader, of seeing the 2004 King Arthur film, starring Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, and Kiera Knightley as a warrior babe Guinevere, then you will perhaps be aware that there is a school of thought which holds that much of the King Arthur mythology comes from an Indo Iranian people called the Sarmatians Don t be put off by the ahistoric melodrama of the movie the notion of a Sarmatian influence in ancient British mythology is actually the hot new theory in Arthurian Studies, and is not as far fetched as it might first appear Those interested in pursuing the topic should locate a copy of C Scott Littleton Linda A Malcor s From Scythia to Camelot A Radical Reassessment of the Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Holy Gra...Fish out of water, Sarmatians, Romans in Britain, and a bit of a love story What s not to loveGood and interesting book with a lot of historical factsGillian Bradshaw s Island of Ghosts is a complex and entertaining tale, set in Roman Britain during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius The narrative thread of the novel is played out against the story of the Sarmatian auxiliary forces taken into the Roman army and posted to Britain after the Empire s victory over the their people Little is known of the fate of the Sarmatians a nomadic people, known as formidable moun...

Island of Ghosts
  • English
  • 25 May 2018
  • Paperback
  • 384 pages
  • 0812545141
  • Gillian Bradshaw
  • Island of Ghosts