The minor characters in the novel are largely the stock figures of historical romance, although Gann uncharacteristically uses a clear-cut villain in the homosexual Falco, who functions primarily as a visible symbol of Roman decadence and as a means of complicating the plot. But as the title suggests, the novel focuses on the two antagonists of Masada, although Gann really emphasizes their similarities — as tormented leaders, heroes, and lovers insecure about their abilities. Parallel scenes set forth their common concerns for their people and their countries, their despair, their lack of faith, their inadequacies as symbols of worlds and events in which they do not entirely believe. Finally, only their attitudes as men truly matter. As always, Gann presents flawed human beings, capable of rising to heroic levels when circumstances demand. The best dramatic scene is the meeting of the two, alone at night halfway up the...