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)

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 historical novel of Rome

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Very much so. If you have listened to or read the SPQR series by John Maddox Roberts and enjoyed you will enjoy this as well. This is more centered around a Roman Doctor Russo who was stationed in Briton. Ends up solving crimes for the empire. He also marries a "Barbarian" Briton woman, but she's really the best thing in his life and he knows it. You have to read this series in order just like any other series or it will not make sense.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really love both Russo and his wife Tilla. In many ways she makes Russo more earthy and realize what is really important.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Simon Vance is one of my favorite narrators, when I'm looking at a new book I see who's narrating and since he's in my top ten I usually will take great interest in purchasing. He brings emotions and each character to life.

Any additional comments?

I think Ruth Downie is has done very well in this series and her research about Rome in
Briton is also very good. If you want to read great novels by great authors on the Roman Empire the three top are Robert Graves, John Maddox Roberts and Ruth Downie. They all have separate areas in their books but all are well researched with time lines and what was happening. I have most of the books by all three authors. I guess that is a major hint that I love historical novels

Even Better Than The First

I think this is the book I will tell people to read when recommending the series and I will be recommending the series. The first book had some few parts that needed a little polishing (still was a GREAT read) but this is near perfection. It has everything I like in a mystery, adventure, intelligence, wry humor, great characters, a noir feel, and writing compelling enough to keep you up way past your bedtime. Downie is particularly skilled in her characters and keeps them believable to period while still appealing to modern sensibilities. I am a history buff so I love the Roman/Britania backdrop but even if you hate historical books you'd like this. The story is compelling without any moments where you'd be embarrassed when if someone strolls in while your listening. (As opposed to say Pillars of the Earth which could frequently be embarrassing in the many long and explicitly sexual moments) Simon Vance reads this so well you forget him completely and dissolve into the story. He's also less nasal in this than in other books which some reviewers havent liked. He's one of my favorite narrators. This would be a great book for a car trip, especially one where you are worried about falling asleep. I should know as its 430 am right now but I couldn't stop listening. I only wish there were more than 4 books in this great series.

CSI Brittania

This book is the second in a series of 4 (so far) books by Ruth Downie about Gaius Russo and his slave/lover Tilla. I enjoyed the first book (Medicus) very much and plan to download other books in this series. Russo is a Roman doctor in Roman occupied Brittania and something of a detective. I enjoyed the crime solving aspects of the book, similar to modern whodunnits, but mostly I enjoyed learning about the Roman culture and doctoring skills of the time period (sometime during the second century). The narration of the book is very good. Overall, this is a great listen as is the first book in the series.

Great writing

Great writing and narration, enjoy the characters and the historical details. Recommend this Roman mystery series.

This series is amazing!

The characters are engaging and entertaining, and I can’t wait to see what will happen next, so on to the next boot in the series!

Wonderful Narration!

The narration was wonderful, but the story dragged on a bit. Not my favorite by this author, but OK.

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.