Published by Tor, 1993,
paperback, $5.99 ISBN 0-812-51393-2
416 pages

I used to read Andre Norton when I was a teen -- and enjoyed the juvenile science fiction stories immensely. So when I was this book -- and being a Roman history buff -- I impetuously picked it up.

At the Battle of Carrhae, the Roman legions fall to Parthian attack and treachery, and the beloved legionary eagles are captured along with some legionary survivors. Evidently, the Parthian king trades the eagles and legionnaires to a Chinese ambassador for lo mein, a pair of chopsticks, and two fortune cookies to be named later. And so a cohort of Legionnaires, under Tribune Quintus, along with an eagle, begins marching east towards China as part of a caravan.

Along the way, desert demons attack, a demon lair is discovered, and dancing gods of Hindu mythology intrude. It's all one big mish mash, with dream sequences and reality getting as confusing for the reader as for Quintus.

Ultimately, this book suffers the unpardonable sin of making the reader flip ahead to "get on with it." And, considering the set up, there's precious little about the Romans or even interpretations of tactics, fighting style, or battles.

I figure I'll blame Susan Shwartz for this drab, somewhat confusing, and tortuously flat fantasy piece. I don't want to blame an idol like Norton. It would ruin the memories.