Following on from his debut, Caligula, Douglas Jackson once again follows the story of Imperial Rome through the eyes of a slave: Rufus, keeper of the Emperor’s elephant. In the first volume, Rufus was intimately involved in the death of the tyrannical Caligula, and now he is mixed up in the schemes of Caligula’s apparently innocuous uncle, the new Emperor Claudius, and his conniving and manipulative freedman Narcissus. The setting for this adventure is Britain around the time of the second Roman invasion, undertaken by Claudius in search of glory as a means of shoring up his popularity in Rome. This is exactly the same period and set of events as used by Simon Scarrow at the start of his Macro and Cato novels, so it will feel very familiar indeed to some, though Jackson puts plenty of his own spin on things (starting, of course, with the presence of an elephant on the Imperial strength).

Of course, by setting the story in Britain, a British writer like Jackson aiming at a British readership can extract considerable extra mileage from the historical setting – despite the fact that they are strongly influenced by the bloodthirsty Druids, and indulge in human sacrifices, it’s hard not to root for the Brits when it comes to the battle scenes – even though we know the invasion is ultimately going to succeed. Jackson devotes considerable attention to the British leadership, including their attempts to build an alliance capable of repelling the Romans, and the sowing of the seeds of later rebellions against their ultimate victors.

Rufus is a likable hero, literally an innocent abroad, enmeshed in the schemes of politicians and generals against his will, with much to lose, including his young son. He is a capable action hero too, when the occasion demands, ably assisted by Bersheba the elephant. It all makes for an enjoyable, page-turning if not particularly demanding venture in to the murky world of Roman politics and conquest. The British protagonists are nicely mixed bunch, from the tactically shrewd to the scheming and the simply bull-headed, they avoid the savage stereotype that would accord with Roman perceptions; Claudius too is seen as vulnerable and insecure, an accidental emperor desperate to shore up his position.

Jackson’s next novel, due out in 2010, will engage with the aftermath of the invasion and Boudica’s rebellion, so it’s possible we haven’t seen the last of Rufus, though he won’t be the hero by the looks of the things. I look forward to it.

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