The Triumph

Readers of The Antagonists, Gann's version of the siege of Masada on which the TV miniseries was based, may be less than enthralled by this desultory sequel. Unlike the earlier book, there is no great central conflict here. Picking up from Flavius Silva's discovery of the mass suicide of the Jews of Masada, the novel moves tediously towards a struggle over the Roman throne, with Flavius a key player in the intrigue. With Emperior Vespasian dying, the stage is set for a contest between his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Allied with Titus is Domitillia, his sister, who becomes Silva's lover, thrusting the battle-weary general into the center of the struggle. Gann fails to pump much drama into this history; those interested in Roman intrigues would do best to turn back to I, Claudius. Paperback rights to Pocket Books. (May)