Terra Incognita

A Novel of the Roman Empire

De: Ruth Downie

Narrado por: Simon Vance

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

The same Doc

What did you like best about Terra Incognita? What did you like least?

It might be okay if I hadn't read the previous one in the series. Starts off the same, too boring.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ruth Downie? Why or why not?

I like the historical part.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Fine

Was Terra Incognita worth the listening time?

not for me

Makes it come alive

Author Ruth Downie, who enjoys doing archaeology in Roman-British digs brings life to this complicated interaction of cultures 2000 years ago in her Medicus series. Her careful scholarship, excellent descriptions, mastery of dramatic pace and sense of humor make each book a delight to read. The characters become like family to the reader!

Ruth Downie proves what's past is prologue!

I stumbled upon Medicus in the public library’s audio book stacks and discovered the sequels on Audible. Ruth Downie makes ancient Rome accessible to the modern reader/listener in so many ways. The clever parallels she draws to our own times proves that human behavior is timeless. Simon Vance nuanced characterizations breathe life into Ruso, Tilla, and all of the characters. BTW--If you want another good Simon Vance-read audio book, try The Religion by Tim Willocks.

This book is sheer fun. Can't wait to read more Ruth Downie

Good sequel -- excellent narration

If you could sum up Terra Incognita in three words, what would they be?

decent sequel

What about Simon Vance???s performance did you like?

Simon Vance is an excellent narrator. His voices for each of the characters are pitch perfect--not too over the top but unique so that you know throughout the book who is speaking. I love his narration of these Ruth Downie books and it's why I intend to listen to all of them in order.

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

No. Ruso and Tilla make an excellent romantic duo, but they are not together much in this book. Instead, Tilla is off doing her own thing. I found that a bit disappointing since the beauty of the earlier book was the romantic tension between the two.

This book has some moments where I felt Ruso was out of character. He questions a suspect to a murder by dunking the man's head in a barrel of water. Ruso it seems to me is supposed to be the hero of the story and better than that--he's a doctor and will not beat his slave when they disobey him. Aside from that this is an interesting murder mystery and the characters are believeable.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to Persona Non Grata, the next book in the series. I'm very glad Simon Vance is narrating all four.

Love these Medicus books

A murder-mystery in ancient Rome, or at least an outpost of it. Love the characters, the story, and the attention to detail of life 2000 years ago in the Roman army and its interactions with the "natives." Great read. Re the performance, the accents of the Romans are more proper and erudite vs the accents of the natives of Britannia (Northern Britain, Scotland,) which are reminiscent of today's accents from those places, even though it's all in current-day English.