Terra Incognita - Book 35

Terra Incognita* is the next book in Ruth Downie's Medicus (also known as the Gaius Petreius Ruso series).

Medicus gets transferred to an outpost where there is still a lot of unrest among the British tribes.  This is Tilla's home turf, from which she was kidnapped during a raid that killed her family.  She was then kept as a slave (basically for s@x) for two years before her master's wives sold her to a slave dealer, which is how Ruso happened upon her.  But confusion ensues before they even get to the post, for a strange god-like creature is seen; a man with the head of a stag riding a horse.  This man is associated with a grisly murder that has shocked the small fort.

Most of this story happens as Ruso and Tilla are separated.  Ruso is caught up with the crises going on with the infirmary.  The medicus there seems to have gone mad.  Tilla can't get into the fort because she doesn't know the password (and she's obviously a native) so the guards won't let her in.  She winds up wandering back to her old home, trying to find her uncle, and instead runs into an old neighbor who happened to be her young love before the raid that changed her life.

Lots of plot twists, confusion, creepy happenings, colorful characters, all set in a half Roman, half barbarian world.  Downie really makes it all come alive.  She's really imagined all the details and everything feels so realistic.  I have no idea what life was like in Roman Britain, but I feel like I do now!

A thoroughly enjoyable read.  You have read the first book in the series to understand this second one.

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*These books were published under different titles in England than here.  What's funny is that the English titles seem more marketed to American audiences (or typically what publishers would think would appeal to American readers) and the American titles all have these Latin names instead.  So in England this was published as Ruso and the Demented Doctor and here it is published as Terra Incognita.  Remember when they first published Harry Potter and they changed Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone?   Because American's wouldn't like a book with the word philosopher in the title???  Maybe the rise of classical schools is changing things!!!