Terra Incognita

A Novel of the Roman Empire

By: Ruth Downie

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

It is spring in the year 118, and Hadrian has been emperor of Rome for less than a year. After his long and reluctant investigation of the murders of a handful of local prostitutes, Gaius Petreius Ruso needs to get out of town. With that in mind, he has volunteered for a posting with the army in the far reaches of Britannia - a calmer place for a tired man.

But the edge of the Roman Empire is a volatile place; the independent tribes of the North dwell near its borders. These hinterlands are the homeland of Ruso's slave, Tilla, who has scores of her own to settle there: Her tribespeople, under the leadership of the mysterious Stag Man, are fomenting a rebellion against Roman control, and her former lover is implicated in the grisly murder of a soldier. Ruso, once again unwillingly pulled into a murder investigation, is appalled to find that Tilla is still spending time with the prime suspect. Worse, he is honor-bound to try to prove the man innocent - and the army wrong - by finding another culprit. Soon both Ruso's and Tilla's lives are in jeopardy, as is the future of their burgeoning romance.

Terra Incognita shines light on a remote corner of the ancient world, where Ruso's luck is running short - again.

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend us your ears: listen to the first book, Medicus.

©2008 Ruth Downie (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A lively sequel to English author Downie's historical mystery Medicus....Immensely satisfying." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"Who would guess that life and death in the far reaches of the Roman Empire could be so darn funny?" ( Library Journal)

Overall , a very good listen, but....

Certainly Ruth Downie can write a story that contains all of the elements needed to keep you moving forward and enjoy the story. And Simon Vance is just amazing. I had difficulty keeping track of the multitude of characters with unusual names ( from those times, I suppose) and who was ‘good’ or ‘bad’! I so wanted a bigger show of the true feelings that the characters felt for one another, but it was not disappointing.

I'm Hooked!

I enjoyed book 1 so much I got book 2. I'm not even halfway through book 2 and am hooked on the series. If you like historical mysteries you'll love Ruso, Tilla, Valens, and the rest of the crew!

Great Book

Very interesting book. A mystery with a historical edge. I found this book surprising in the historical detail it contains. Very good characters. Hooked on them immediately.

"Sorry not to help you, sir"

The Roman medicus, Ruso, travels north with his female slave and finds himself embroiled in a messy murder, a possible native uprising and the ravings of a seemingly mad resident doctor to the Legion. Who killed, and beheaded, Felix? What happened to the head? And, in the absence of the actual culprit, who will be executed for the crime?
I first read this book under the title, Ruso and the Demented Doctor, and revisited it this time with the audio version narrated by Simon Vance. Mr.Vance has a very pleasant reading style although the performance of the female voices did become irritating at times. Also, at the beginning of the reading, there is a complete, and long, list and brief description of the cast of players to come, useful in the print version but simply annoying in the audio version where reference later is not easy.
This is not the more usual fighting-with-the-legions type of story, nor one based around known historical personages or events. It is a murder mystery set in an Anglo Roman background and filled with colourful characters involved in an interesting plot.

Solid mystery for Ruth Downie fans

In this book the Roman medicus Ruso is heading to a Roman army outpost on the northern frontier for a temporary assignment. He is accompanied by Tilla, his companion/slave. Just before their arrival, they witness the latest incident of sabotage in a series instigated by the native British against Rome. As it turns out, Ruso needs to treat a soldier injured in the incident and the fort he is assigned to is in the area that Tilla grew up. It turns out that there are connections between the ongoing sabotage, the raid that led to Tilla’s enslavement, and the Roman fort. Ruso needs to figure it all out before the wrong people are blamed and executed. I found the story a bit scrambled early on, but focuses in the second half. This story also leads to an important development in Ruso and Tilla’s relationship. If you enjoyed the first book in this series, you’ll like this one.

Luuuove Ruth Downie Stories and Simon Vance Narration

The charming repartee among her enchanting characters is priceless and expressed Perfectly by Simon Vance. I think it only fair to inform Ms. Downie that IF reincarnation IS a thing, I’m calling dibs on Russo for my husband and Tilla as my BFF the next time around.

Very unusual

The narrator was excellent and brought the story together very nicely. Just hearing the way of life for a medicus was worth the listening.

An excellent Roman Historical Novel

Would you consider the audio edition of Terra Incognita to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version but I have now bought 4 other books in the series.

What other book might you compare Terra Incognita to and why?

I have read Caesar's Gallic Wars in the Latin and English versions. The story is a good read/listen as a novel but it is also an excellent view of the early history of the Roman Empire.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

It added to the story's telling.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

If Larry David, a Roman and Sherlock Holmes had a baby

I am going to listen to the entire series. What a wonderful, quirky, combination: set in the days of the Romans, yet spoken like a modern Brit, With a touch of Larry David and Sherlock Holmes.

The further adventures of Ruso and Tila

This book continues the adventures of a medicus in Roman Britain, Ruso, and his slave/companion, Tila. This book spends a lot of time on Tila, exploring her background and developing her character. One of the best things about this series on Audible is the fantastic narrator who does a splendid job in bringing the characters to life.