I've been a fan of Lindsey Davis' Marcus Didius Falco series since I was given the first three books decades ago. I also enjoy listening to BBC radio dramatizations, so I had no hesitation in checking The Iron Hand of Mars out from my local library.

While I think the original text is better, this adaptation gets in the essentials. It has a full cast, so there's no worrying about how the narrator will handle voices for opposite sex characters. The emperor sends Falco is to Germania. The overt mission is to hand over a new, fancy standard to members of the 14th legion. At the same time, he's supposed to find a missing legate and the former leader of a rebellion who has gone into hiding, confer with a native prophetess, and report on the legion's leadership, trustworthiness, etc. His companion on the trip is a former imperial barber with a yearning to travel and a mouth that doesn't know when to stay shut.

The supposedly easiest part of the job turns tough when the legate to whom the standard and some confidential orders were to be given is hard to meet. Why is our hero being given the runaround? There's plenty of peril for Falco and the favorite brother of his beloved Helena. After all, they're going to have to cross into hostile territory -- and most of their escort consists of raw recruits.

According to Ms. Davis' website, the theme music is “Baile de Procesion” from an album called THE LANGUAGE OF SNAKES by Andrew Cronshaw. ( )

Soldily written story. Not as good as the books written about Falco in Rome, but entertaining. ( )