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‘Watching other people feasting is a
soulless exercise.’
Chosen by readers, Rosina and George Harter
Plot Summary
Two mysteries from the incomplete ‘Histories’ of Tacitus provided the
ideas for the plot of Falco’s German adventure. It falls to him to end the rebellion
of Civilis and Veleda, who had tried to create a united Celtic Europe. This he does in his
own unusual fashion, helped by Nero’s barber (out of work since Nero’s suicide)
and by a shy lad who likes talking to girls. In Falco's way stands an uppity legion, who
have a notorious past in Britain, and Titus Caesar, angling after Helena. There are
corpses which have vanished in the murk of the rebellion, corpses Falco finds in ditches,
the ghosts of long-dead legendary corpses – and, as Falco and his offbeat party tramp
the barbarian forests, they face a serious risk that they will end up dead themselves.
This is the one with the much-loved Little Mess Tin song.
Research Note: the site of the massacre of Varus' legions was
rediscovered near Kalkreise in the 1980's after centuries of mystery. It was found by a
British army officer - perhaps not the first soldier to have been intrigued by his
predecessors.
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