"Raptor" by Gary
Jennings 
This is in
my opinion Gary Jenning's best novel and I give it five stars
because of the fascinating period of history it covers and the
usual outstanding research that Jennings puts into his works.
The main character, Thorn, is Theodoric the Great's right hand
man during the conquest of Rome. The book is filled with exciting
action with Romans and their mercenary armies fighting the Goths
for rule of the crumbling Roman Empire. The seat of the Emperor
was in Byzantium, and they had their own problems and more or
less gave the Goths the go ahead to put the upstart Romans in
their place. As usual, the book has its raunchy side, which is
typical of Jenning's books (Aztec, The Journeyor). This just makes
the book more incredible. This is a great read if you are interested
in ancient history and love epic struggles.
Reviewed by Ken Smith, 26 April, 1999
Available From:
Bantum Books, Dept FB
2451 S. Wolf Road
Des Plaines, IL 60018
