Sargassa
Sophie Burnham
Approximately 2000 years ago (no one knows for sure how long it's been), Augustus Caesar became the first princeps of Roma. The Empire grew, and Caesarian explorers crossed the Sargasso Sea to discover the continents on the other side. Some of them moved north to Sargassa, where they defeated the Ynglots and established the state of Roma Sargassa. But then 800 years after Augustus, Italia was decimated by plague. A few years later Roma was sacked, leading to a general breakdown of civilization, called The Great Quiet. No one knows how long the Quiet lasted -- historians estimate it was about 300 years. Much of the pre-Quiet historical record was lost. Eventually, Roma was re-established. Five years later Antal Iveroa was appointed the first Imperial Historian. The office of Historian passed from him to his descendants -- in 753 PQ (Post Quietam) Alexander Kleios became Imperial Historian. In 779 PQ Alexander Kleios was assassinated. Thus begins our story.
The preceding history is condensed from "An Official History of Roma and Her Client Empires", which appears as an appendix to Sophie Burnham's novel Sargassa, the first book in her planned series Ex Romana. I read the appendix before reading the novel, and I advise you to do the same. It spoils nothing and makes the novel easier to follow.
A Sargassan citizen who commits a crime will be forced into servitude. The children of servae (slaves) can be apprenticed to a trade, and if they do well (as judged by their masters, of course) become Sargassan citizens -- vernae, but they remain clients of their masters. There exists a resistance movement, called the Revenants, fighting for their idea of democracy. The government of Sargassa call the Revenants terrorists. The Revenants are immediately blamed by the Cohort Publica (think "police") for the Historian's murder.
Alexander left an artifact behind for his heir -- his daughter Selah. It's called the Iveroa stone, and everyone wants it. It's an iPad.
This was a good story, with lots of good characters, including not just good guys but at least one delicious villain. Near the end we get a huge reveal, which I will not spoil. I certainly intend to read the sequel.
Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for an advance reader copy of Sargassa. Release date 8-Oct-2024.
Comments
Post a Comment
Add a comment!