Empire of Dragons By Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Macmillan, ?10.00

Empire of Dragons has all the trappings of a semi-historical travelogue. Set in the third century, it traces the journey of Marcus Metellus Aquila, Roman soldier par excellence and Legate of the second Augusta Legion, and his troop from the Aus Daiwa mines in Persia, where they were held captive, through the Silk Route to China.

There are liberal doses of exotica, no doubt. Metellus?s flight across Central Asia?s landscape is not just about discovering new places, but also about discovering the Orient in all its magical allure. Yet, there is another, more profound, inner journey that Metellus makes. In contact with Dan Qing, the Chinese prince, he rediscovers himself and the virtues that make a true warrior. And strength in arms, he realizes, is only one of them.

What Valerio Manfredi does, within a what-if narrative framework, is create a perfect plot that merges Oriental mysticism with Western intrepidity. The relationship between Dan Qing and Metellus is strained; each wants the other to acknowledge his superiority. Dan Qing believes in the strength of the mind ? he condescendingly accepts the barbarians? help to free his empire from Wei, the evil eunuch. But he rejects the ?primitive? use of brute force by the Romans. Metellus, on the other hand, feels that the successors of the Hans lack courage and are inept at protecting their territory.

What begins in hostility evolves into a lasting bond of friendship as both proud men realize their own shortcomings, and are willing to learn from each other. What takes place is an unspoken exchange of lessons ? both of combat and conduct.

The land of Zhong Guo is as enigmatic for the legion as Imperium Populi Romani is for the Chinese prince. Manfredi juxtaposes the two most powerful empires of the time to show how they could have been allies, had they been aware of each other?s existence.

Metellus commands respect through discipline, claiming responsibility, as a leader, for all decisions taken. Dan Qing finds his inner strength in Tao. The meeting of two men with such divergent principles seems bizarre at first, but the series of adventures in Sera Maior only confirms what Dan Qing told Metellus: ?People like us, who have high responsibilities, never meet by chance.?

The myth of the lost legion is woven into the story. The legionnaires resurface as the personal guards of Emperor Yuandi ? men who had promised to return and protect the dynasty whenever it is in peril. Fact and fantasy come together to produce an enchanting tale in which the conquest of empire becomes an allegory of the triumph over self.

Notwithstanding their differences, the two men discover an inner core of similarity. Both survive on faith ? one on individual ability, and the other on the divine powers of nature. The distance of time and space gradually diminish as the two empires unite and fuse their spirits ? Roman strength and Manchurian agility together form an indomitable force. As the empire of dragons is saved from the onslaught of evil, ?a deep conviction, a leap of faith, of the mind? ? which the Chinese call Go Ti ? echoes the Latin dictum, ?Faber quisque est suae fortunae? (Every man is the architect of his own destiny). By charting out a parallel destiny for his readers to explore, Manfredi makes the book interesting as well as delightful.