Newsletter Signup
Exsilium, Alison Morton (Pulcheria Press, 2024)
Posted on 9th March, 2024 in Alternate History, Book Review, Romans, Uncategorized
I’m pleased to join Alison Morton’s Exsilium Blog Tour today with my review of the latest thrilling addition to her Roma Nova series…
In Exsilium, Alison Morton continues the origin story of the state of Roma Nova, the setting for her series of alternate history novels. Roma Nova was founded in the fourth century by citizens who could no longer live in a Rome where their faith and traditions are becoming increasingly under attack by the Christians, who are now in the ascendant since their religion has become the official faith of the Empire. The foundation story began in Julia Prima (see here for my review of Julia Prima) with the story of Julia and Lucius.
Now Lucius and his family are confronted by a Christianised Rome that is becoming increasingly hostile to them. Forbidden by law to worship the old gods, even in their own homes, their feelings are constantly wounded by what they perceive as the sacrilegious acts of iconoclasts such as the removal of the statue of Victory, the neglect of temples. They are no longer safe on the streets where Christian rabble-rousers provoke violence against them. The political situation is unstable as the Eastern and Western Empires are racked by power struggles.
The story, though, focuses on the private lives of Lucius, his family and their circle. In many ways it reads like a saga, a tale of births, romances, marriages, divorces and deaths. It is told from multiple viewpoints, and the first half of the book takes place in mainly domestic settings where the impact of wars and politics are conveyed through the characters’ eyes. In this way the reader is given a strong and immediate sense of how outside events impact on individuals.
Rumours of threat, destruction and decay are woven through the story, building up to a crisis in which Lucius eventually decides that the only way out is out. If the old gods are to live, their worshippers must leave Rome. But there are many obstacles to overcome, not least undertaking a dangerous journey on roads prowled by bandits, barbarians and Roman army recruitment parties hungry for men for the battlefield.
There is a great deal of emphasis on people’s daily lives: how they dress, sleep, eat, travel, and so on. Alison Morton’s knowledge of these is impressive, and the detail is deftly applied to immerse the reader in another time and place. I particularly enjoyed the description of the city of Rome and its bustling, noisy street life as the Roman ‘pilgrim’ fathers and mothers leave their homes for the last time.
One problem with an origin story is, of course, that the reader already knows the outcome – that difficulties are overcome and Roma Nova is established. The author’s skill is to make the story of how that comes to pass as exciting as any cliff hanger. There are certainly enough edge of your seat moments on the journey to do just that, as well as heart-wringing losses.
And even though success does ultimately crown their efforts, the story leave us with an intriguing foreshadowing of the challenges to come. Roma Nova cannot be a clone of Rome, and not all change can be avoided. Not least of these is the changing role of women, always an enjoyable theme in Morton’s books. “Do not fall into the trap of treating me like an imbecile because I am female,” Maella warns. No one could accuse Alison Morton of peopling her novels with female imbeciles, and if you enjoy reading about strong, intelligent and strong-willed heroines you’ll certainly enjoy reading about these women!
Exsilium is a fine addition to the Roma Nova series, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lucius and his family in more depth.
