The Bottom Line
David Corson's second historical fiction about the emperors was published posthumously. "Trajan and Plotina" chronicles the life and career of Trajan, who was adopted by and succeeded Nerva as Roman emperor. It provides a good overview for the reign of Trajan, and might serve as a study guide or introduction to Julian Bennett's thorough biography "Trajan : Optimus Princeps," which was the "guiding source" for "Trajan and Plotina."
Pros
- Provides a good picture of Trajan's reign.
- Shows interconnectness of leading Roman families.
Cons
- Uses modern names, especially for places.
- Calls the infant Antoninus by the title he earned later in life - "pius"
- Weak on the story line
Description
- In the tradition of McCullough and Massie -- a well-researched fictionalized biography.
- Trajan and Plotina chronicles the life of Trajan.
- Covers Trajan's campaigns with letters to and from his wife Plotina.
- Develops Pliny as a slightly annoying minor character.
- Focuses on Epicurean philosophy.
Guide Review - Book Review
Trajan and Plotina is much like a young adult biography and unlike a non-fiction, scholarly biography, which would preserve the gaps in our sources. David Corson made Trajan's life and times flow and provided a very basic plotline underneath the details of Trajan's life. However, it isn't much of a novel, and Plotina, a real character at the start, is just a foil for Trajan in the chapters covering their marriage. Mostly, she is present as a letter writer or recipient, sending advice to the two men in her life, Trajan, and his adopted heir, Hadrian.
