A Murder on the Appian Way: A Novel of Ancient Rome

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Summary: Does the Truth really matter?
Review: Does the Truth really matter? Murder on the Appian Way was a page turner. It wasn't your average murder/mystery novel, because the murder happened before you even start reading. I liked the way it revealed information in bits and pieces, through various characters here and there. It was also a mystery in a sense that you never knew who Gordianus was actually working for, or if he was working for anyone at all!?! The only thing I really didn't like about it was that there wasn't a real twist at the end of the novel. There wasn't a big "BANG", that made me stop breathing. The characters were interesting and intruiging, and the entire chaos at the beginning of the book, sparked the entire mood for everything that happened after. The entire time I was reading, I thought of how the crowd of angry Romans would react. My interest was very high until I actually found out the truth of who killed Clodius, I became uninterested after then because it seemed to me that it didn't really connect to the rest of the novel.

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Summary: Roman Murder Mystery
Review: Fans of historical fiction, who enjoy those set in Greece and Egypt put typically bypass Rome should try this.

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Summary: Another Stellar Entry in the Gordianus chronicles
Review: How could you not love Gordianus the Finder? He is smart, has remarkably human foibles, assembles a rag-tag family from orphans and ex-slaves, and the reputation of being the "last honest man in Rome". I have read all of Steven Saylor's delightful Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus, and found this tale of murder and mayhem to be a fine addition to the collection. What I love about Saylor's gorgeously researched and highly readable tales is they truly bring history to life. We get a taste for what life was really like in Rome in the 1st century - what they ate, how they worshipped, the tangled nature of politics, and the struggles of every day Joe's like Gordianus to survive as the Roman Republic's death throws begin. Characters we have come to know from previous novels (no, you don't have to have read them to like this), lend an air of familiarity to this tale, deepending our feelings for them and what happens. Take a walk down the Appian Way, and you'll be hooked on this stellar series.

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Summary: Twists in the mystery and the family
Review: I am a devoted reader of the Roman Sub Rosa series. Saylor has a formula going for these books which works very well. The reader gets an intriguing history lesson and a thrilling mystery at the same time. It's amazing how Mr. Saylor can flesh out these novels from actual events and extant speeches. Of course his fictitious private eye Gordianus enables him to do this. The reader experiences legendary people and events through the eyes of a "regular" Roman citizen and his family. And family is important. Saylor always seems to find a way to make the mystery have a twist as well as Gordianus' family story. Mysteries are revealed on more than one level, and that's an important mark of a great novel. I can't make myself give the book 5 stars because I reserve those for books that are life-changing. I didn't feel that way about Murder on the Appian Way, but I did highly enjoy it.

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Summary: RIOT, MURDER, DECEPTION, AND THE TRUTH!
Review: I ENJOYED THIS BOOK VERY MUCH- THE ELEMENT OF SUSPENSE KEPT ME READING INTENTLY THE ENTIRE BOOK. I ALSO LIKE HOW SAYLOR INCLUDED ASPECTS OF ROMAN HISTORY WHICH LET THE READER UNDERSTAND ANCIENT ROMAN HISTORY AND THE WAY OF LIFE MUCH BETTER. THE DESCRIPTIONS AND IMAGES IN THE BOOK WERE GOOD AND HELPED ME TO PICTURE THE CHARACTERS AND THE SCENES VERY CLEARLY. EVEN THOUGH I GAVE THIS BOOK THREE STARS, I STILL ENJOYED CATALINA'S RIDDLE(5 STARS!) BETTER. I FOUND THAT CATALINA'S RIDDLE HAD A BETTER ELEMENT OF SUSPENSE AND SURPRISE. I ALSO ENJOYED THE CHARACTERS OF CATALINA'S RIDDLE BETTER THAN THE CHARACTERS OF MURDER ON THE APPIAN WAY. I FELT THAT MURDER ON THE APPIAN WAY WAS MORE OF A BOOK THAT DEALT WITH ROMAN POLITICS AND HISTORY RATHER THAN THE STORY OF GORDIANUS AND HIS FAMILY.(I LOVE THE CHARACTER OF GORDIANUS AS WELL AS ALL HIS FAMILY MEMBERS.)OVERALL I ENJOYED BOTH BOOKS VERY MUCH BECAUSE IT HELPED ME TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ROMAN HISTORY, AND IT WAS WRITTEN IN A MURDER MYSTERY TONE WHICH APPEALS ME.

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Summary: Catalina's Riddle is the Saylor book for me
Review: I gave this book three stars because I think that it was only mediocre. I recently finished reading Catalina's Riddle, another of Stephen Saylor's novels about Roman history. I fell in love with Catalina's Riddle, and as of right now, I do not think that any other of Saylor's books could top it. I did not like the fact that A Murder on the Appian Way started off immediately with the action. I did not feel that there was any rising action to build up my suspense of the story. Also, I am not much of a political person and I did not enjoy reading about so many political figures. Also, one aspect of this book that did not compare to Catilina's Riddle, was the fact that my third year Latin class had been thoroughly studying Catalina for quite some time before we were even intoduced to the book. I had quite a lot of background information which made the book all the more worthwhile. I had no major or interesting background information on any of the characters so I was not very interested. Also, another aspect of my Latin class that we have been discussing is called "flow". Flow is being so engaged or enraptured in a book that a person cannot put it down or is never concerned with how many pages there are left in the chapter. I definately did not have flow with this book. I think that I would have enjoyed this book more had I not read Catalina's Riddle first. Personally, I do not recommend this book, but I definately do recommend Catalina's Riddle to everyone who enjoys an amazing murder mystery full of suspense! Right now all of my classmates are repremanding me for not enjoying this book, but I stand by my opinion. Catalina's Riddle is the Saylor book for me. I do have just one and only question: Will anything ever happen between Clodia and Gordianus?

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Summary: a very inviting and warm book
Review: I had to read this book for a clciv class. I didn't really expect much from this book at first, but after a few chapters I realized how good this book really is. The author did an excellent job in developing the characters. The story moves along very smoothy. The dialouge between characters is very intelligent and thoughtful.

Do not believe the reviews that trash this book. Most likely these are college students forced to read this book which they had no interest in otherwise. You have to have an idea and opinion of Roman civilization before you read this book.

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Summary: A Great Book and a Thrilling Adventure
Review: I loved this book. It was exciting and intreging. I read it for a Latin class and it was so vivid and amazing. I'm not that big of a fan of murder mysteries, but I really enjoyed this book and the author's style. Who knows? This might just make me a murder mystery reader.

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Summary: Suspense and adventure encompasses the flamboyant plot.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The book began in immediate suspense and caught my attention from the start. The book kept my attention with the murder and mystery of discovering who really killed Clodius. I was forced to read this book for my Latin III class but actually enjoyed this book. With the class we discussed this book and found it's deaper meanings. Instead of simpley taking quizes and tests about the small facts of the book we enjoyed the book through discussion and group projects. We are currently doing a project in which we have to take 10 pictures of things that remind us of certain seens in the book and present them to our class in a unique way. This has helped the class enjoy this book. While reading this book I was always unsure of what would happen next. We discussed what we thought would happen next and ended up discovering that something completely different would ocur. This book was quite suspenseful and i sugest that all should read this book. I recomend this book to all that enjoy suspense and are looking for a book that begins with immediate action. Most books have a long boring intro before the action begins but this book begins in the heart of the action. This is a well writen display of the life in ancient Rome. Our Latin class now sees Ropme in a more vivid and unique sight.

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Summary: Revising my opinion upward
Review: I reviewed this book in 1997 and gave it a negative review. Since then, I gave it another try and discovered that although it starts more slowly than most of Saylor's books, it becomes an engaging and gripping story. I want to retract my earlier negative comments!