AvonVilla reviewed Fireball by John Christopher
I prefer his earlier work
3 stars
John Christopher puts his 20th century teenage protagonists into a society resembling Roman Britain. If you haven't encountered his work before, you might find this book a bit fresher than I did. I was slightly disappointed by the persistent portrayal of boorish gender roles, with rival males settling their differences through violence. The main female character is an object of desire, not allowed to have an individual personality.
The exploration of imperial Roman society is reminiscent of John Christopher's medieval dystopia begun in "The Prince in Waiting". In "Fireball", My interest was sparked by themes of violence, war and the role of religion, but the book is too short for them to catch fire. I am not sufficiently impressed to move on the the two sequels to "Fireball". I much prefer his books published in the 60s and 70s.