Beric the Briton is a book by G. A. Henty about the Roman invasion of Britain. It was first published in 1892 in England by Blackie and Son. The edition my family owns was published by Preston/Speed in 1996 in the United States. It is 398 pages long, and has 12 illustrations.
Beric's mother is chief of the Sarci, a subtribe of the British tribe called the Iceni. To ensure the Sarci's obedience to Rome, when Beric was eleven, the Romans insisted that his mother Parta send him as a hostage to Camalodunum, the Roman capital. When Beric was fifteen, the Romans thought he was sufficiently Romanized, so he was permitted to return to his tribe. Soon after he returned, there were so many problems with wolves, that a hunt was organized to get rid of a lot of them. Altogether, about four thousand wolves were killed. When Beric went back to his home after the wolf hunt, he found that the Romans were planning an expedition against Mona, the Sacred Island, to destroy their religion.
Then, when news comes that Mona has been destroyed, the whole country goes up in arms! The Britons soon decide to attack Camalodunum. Will the British revolt succeed? or will it be crushed at the beginning?
One reason I like G. A. Henty is that he combines history with adventure. My favorite part of this book might be the fight in the swamp later on, but I had to reread almost the whole book last night to be able to decide. I have other favorite parts, but if I said what they were it would give too much of the plot away.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys British or Roman history.
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