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A review by testpattern
Count Belisarius by Robert Graves
4.0
Although not quite the masterpiece that both of the Claudius novels are, [b: Count Belisarius|324312|Count Belisarius|Robert Graves|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348678970l/324312._SY75_.jpg|315214] is a great read, and brings the period, the 6th century C.E. to vibrant life. The titular Count Belisarius is a devout Orthodox Christian general of the Eastern Roman empire during the reign of Justinian. The book, supposedly written by his wife's eunuch Eugenius, follows his campaigns in Rome and Northern Africa, chronicling the court intrigues and jealousies that prevent him from winning the glories that should have been his. Throughout, Belsarius remains a stoic Christian and loyal to the emperor who disdains him while envying his success.
What might make this book interesting to someone who is not particularly fascinated by late Roman military history (although, who isn't?) is the rich characterization and the wealth of believable period detail, something that Graves is remarkably adept at. These characters are not moderns playing out a historical narrative with some hastily-researched versimilitude tossed in for flavor. They are breathing humans of another era, with a completely different understanding of social order. Massacres are ordered over divergent opinions on the nature of the trinity. The preening, jealous figure of the Emperor Justinian is somehow able to grind the tattered remnants of the Empire into shreds without anyone raising more than a failed assasination attempt as a rebellion. Well, maybe not a completely different understanding of social order.
What might make this book interesting to someone who is not particularly fascinated by late Roman military history (although, who isn't?) is the rich characterization and the wealth of believable period detail, something that Graves is remarkably adept at. These characters are not moderns playing out a historical narrative with some hastily-researched versimilitude tossed in for flavor. They are breathing humans of another era, with a completely different understanding of social order. Massacres are ordered over divergent opinions on the nature of the trinity. The preening, jealous figure of the Emperor Justinian is somehow able to grind the tattered remnants of the Empire into shreds without anyone raising more than a failed assasination attempt as a rebellion. Well, maybe not a completely different understanding of social order.