Terra Incognita (Medicus #2), by Ruth Downie

There is always a danger in calling a book or considering something to be Terra Incognita (unknown land). After all, the supposedly unknown lands here are the lands of the human heart, which have probably been mapped out billions of times, as well as the lands of Northern England, which have been inhabited for thousands of years at the point of this novel. They are not unknown lands to everyone–to some people they are home, and the Romans are interlopers, seeking to change their ways and devour the land through taxation and exploitation. This is a book that is full of slippery and unpleasant characters, and the options it gives between free Britons engaging in petty conflicts and casual cattle raiding and the more civilized exploitation of Romans seeking to make the Roman frontier a profitable one are not necessarily appealing at all on either side. More so than in the first novel of the series, the author gives us access to what she thinks of as being the mindset of the Celtic peoples of Britain after decades of Roman presence and occupation, though she is herself aware that she is going far beyond what the historical sources actually say. Ruso and Tilla are both convincingly conflicted characters, and if the ending seems a little abrupt, the book is generally enjoyable, at least.

This novel finds Ruso the medicus seeking a posting in a remote border area, where his servant Tilla came from, and a great deal of this novel is told from her perspective and features the two of them working out their very different but interconnected worlds. Tilla is viewed as somewhat of a ghost by her people, as she was thought–and hoped–to be dead by some of the people, including her own family, who nonetheless seek to profit from her when she is found alive. Tilla has to deal with a former lover, who also loved her pampered and spoiled cousin, who has gotten herself caught up in a relationship with a profit-seeking Roman soldier who has made some enemies through his moneylending. His death reveals a host of complexities within the border fortress of blackmail, profiteering, and the uncertain nature of collaboration between locals and the Romans of the garrison that Ruso must navigate without losing his head (literally and metaphorically). I won’t spoil the plot or the twists and turns of the novel, but the overall picture is a compelling one that deals with the complexities of collaboration and the lack of justice that often occurs in this world, by whatever standard one uses.

When reading a book like this one, there are a few considerations that one can have when it comes to determining how much the series is to be enjoyed. As a historical mystery, it is interesting to see how Ruso’s professional ambitions to make money and get his family out of debt by serving as a medicus conflict with his essential decency in trying to make sure that the truth prevails and that justice is done to all, whether native or Roman. In a colonial atmosphere like Roman Britain, this is a potentially revolutionary sort of mindset. Mystery novels often show their heroes in a position of ambivalence with the power structure because they seek to uncover the truth and those in power do not always want truth. Another concern is making the history plausible and relevant, and seeing the choices made by Britons between seeking a cosmopolitan future within a larger Europe (here symbolized by exploitative Rome), and seeking the freedom to engage in petty wars and raids, and given the choices that Britain has faced with regards to Europe and its own sovereignty, this is a relevant concern. Fortunately, the characters of this novel are easy enough to enjoy on their own terms as well.