Where's the terror!
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I was hoping this book would be a good follow-up to Alessandro Barbero's 'The Day of the Barbarians' but I was terribly disappointed.
Even though chronologically this book continues the narrative post Adrianople AD 378, it lacks the exciting narrative of the aforementioned title. Often, the author would digress and focus on some archeological find. I found this irritating to say the least.
Another annoying feature of this book was the tendency not to recount concurrent events in the same vein but in diffent chapters.
On the plus side there were some interesting parts: the activities of Galla Placida, Honoria and General Aetius in the Western Roman Empire; the Goths, Vandals plus the intrigues in Constantinople.
This book could have been much better if less attention was paid to archeology and the experiences of the main source on Attila and his Huns - Priscus of Panium - and more focus on delivering a smooth and enjoyable narrative.
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