Romanitas

Romanitas
Sophia McDougall
Orion Trade
464 pages. $29.95

Alternate history can be a tricky genre for writers of fiction. The trick is to write a plausible other version of history which could have occurred, while populating with enough depth and interest to engage the reader.

Imagine if Napoleon had won the Battle of Waterloo, the British had defeated the American rebels and there was no United States of America, or, as in this book, imagine if the Roman Empire had spread across the world and was still the dominant global force.

This is the world young British author Sophia McDougall has created.

Unlike other writers of alternate history, McDougall has created a world that is both rich in exterior and interior detail. In this story of how a young prince of the Imperial family goes on the run after he discovers his father, a popular general, and his mother were murdered, the action is as much inside the head as it is in this other world.

Fortunately, a map of the empire and a timeline is provided to provide some necessary background. This is a fine first-time novel that expands the alternate history genre.

– David Sibley

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