The Light Bearer

Infobox Book
name = The Light Bearer
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Donna Gillespie
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Historical novel
publisher = Hodder & Stoughton
release_date = 6 Oct 1994
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 768 pp (first edition, paperback)
isbn = ISBN 0-340-60922-2 (first edition, paperback)
preceded_by =
followed_by = The Lady of the Light

"The Light Bearer" is a book by Donna Gillespie, set in the time of the Roman Empire.

"The Light Bearer" is a monumental epic of ancient Rome and her clash with the tribes of Germania, a richly-embroidered tale of war, vengeance and spiritual transcendence, of palace intrigue and pagan ritual. Encompassing events spanning the reigns of two tyrants, the Emperors Nero and Domitian, it's the saga of Auriane, a Germanic chieftain's daughter, at whose birth was prophesied a life that would be fearsome, great and terrible. At the age of sixteen, she must take the warrior's oath. Ultimately, the record of her deeds will reach as far as the glittering capitol city of Rome.

Donna Gillespie's next book about Auriane, "The Lady of the Light", will be available on November 07, 2006.

Donna Gillespie is at work on the third book in this series.

Plot summary

Auriane's birth is attended by Ramis, the most powerful and revered tribal seeress, who claims the newborn as her own. But war and necessity impel the indomitable woman onto a different path: As ruthless Roman invaders plunder her people's lands, burn their crops and kidnap their young men for the imperial army, she takes the oath of a shield maiden. Sadly, her path eventually leads her to slay her own father rather than see him face capture (the most ignoble, horrendous end that a warrior could face). Though she is eventually judged innocent of murder, the guilt of her deed will haunt her for years to come.

When the Emperor Domitian crosses the Rhine with four legions in AD 83, Auriane is chosen to lead her people, the Chatti, in their doomed struggle against the encroaching imperial army. As the only world she's known collapses about her, she's captured and taken to Rome...and into a world of horror and glory no seeress could have foreseen.

Set against her story is the tale of a philosophically inclined nobleman, the Senator Marcus Arrius Julianus, a champion of the weak who publishes banned books in the age of Nero. Julianus swiftly rises to first place among the fiercely competitive imperial advisors. Through wit, daring and brilliant maneuvering, he alone is able to check the murderous whims of the increasingly corrupt Emperor Domitian. As a reign of terror begins, Julianus is forced by conscience to become the architect of a complex and delicately balanced plot to assassinate the emperor.

Literary significance & criticism

"The Light Bearer" was an immediate international bestseller. It received a 'starred' review in Publishers Weekly, and was lavishly praised by The Washington Post. The novel is the product of twelve years of research into the history, culture and mythology of classical Rome and the proto-Germanic tribes.

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

Roman-Chattian War in AD 85:

As it has been described by Donna Gillespie, it was Domitian (AD 81-96) who decided to prepare the decisive blow against the rebellious tribe of the Chatti. As his dead brother Titus (AD 39-81), who once had been celebrated for his victory over Judaea (AD 66-73: Jewish-Roman War: in AD 70, Titus destroyed Jerusalem), Domitian wanted to be a hero who conquered a foreign people for Rome’s glory, too. Very early during the war, he called himself "Germanicus" (in remembrance of the "real" Germanicus who saved the corpses of those legionnaires who had been killed in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD) as if he had conquered the territory which had been formerly occupied by the Romans. In order to emphasize this aspect he’d made coin money with the inscription "GERMANIA CAPTA" in remembrance of his brothers’ coins: "JUDAEA CAPTA". The territory, which Domitian had actually conquered, had little to do with the one of the Roman occupation of Germania from 12 BC to 9 AD). And Domition couldn’t hide this fact for a very long time: In fact, people believed that the captives which were shown during Domitian’s triumphal entering in Rome weren’t only Teutons but actors, too; engaged due to the low number of real Teutons (this has also been described in "The Light Bearer"). However, after the end of the war against the Chatten, Domitian divided the "Roman" Germania into two parts: Germania Inferior and Germania Superior. This enabled him to reduce the legions in Germania; thus there were more legionnaires who could be deployed in other regions.

Domitian was killed by some gladiators in September AD 96. Even today, it is debated as to whether or not he killed his brother, Emperor Titus.

External links

* [http://www.thelightbearer.com The Light Bearer]
* [http://www.donnagillespie.net Donna Gillespie Fan Site]

References

*Gillespie, Donna; "Mondfeuer" (The Light Bearer), Frankfurt/Main, 1997.
*Wolters, Reinhard; "Die Römer in Germanien" (The Romans in Germania), Munich 2000.