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Summary: Roman Blood....a must read!
Review: Steven Saylor's book Roman Blood is an easy read with an exciting plot that just thickens as you go. One of the things I really liked about this book is that it really kept you interested. Once I thought I had this mystery figured out there was another turn to the story. Finally near the very end I was almost positive I knew how it would turn out but then just like that every thing changed and it is exactly the opposite I thought it would be. Roman Blood was very descriptive and informitive. It gave me a great sense of what Roman life was like and I could almost feel, taste and smell everything through the Roman streets. I especially like the main character, Gordianus the Finder for his courage, secrecy, and kindness. I really enjoyed this book and recomend it to everyone who is ready to take on the mysterious of Roman life.
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Summary: Roman Blood
Review: Roman Blood was a good book. It was easy to read and it was always exciting. I also liked how this book was very descriptive. Even though Roman blood was pretty long I would recommend this book to every body.
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Summary: Fine historical mystery
Review: Gordianus the Finder --- a Roman detective with a lust for the truth, hard drinking, and his slave-girl Bathsheba --- is hired by Cicero to unearth the facts behind a mysterious killing. Gentleman farmer Sextus Roscius is accused of killing his estranged father, but the truth of the matter may reveal corruption not only in the man's own family, but in the noblest and richest families of Rome; the murder may involve even the dictator Sulla himself. This is a superb historical detective novel. Gordianus is a Roman Matt Scudder, a hard-living survivor with no special interests or abilities except a deep need for the truth and, possibly, a liking for rough justice. He's an empathetic everyman with foibles and flaws, always a must in a detective. Saylor's scholarship seems excellent; his Rome is vivid and picturesque. You get a sharp portrait of Roman life in 80 BC, from the street gutters to the gangs to the games of trigon to the slave economy. Cicero in particular is brought to life in fine detail. The book's plot is convoluted and opaque, but in a satisfying way. All together, a promising start to a mystery series with a very solid historical background.
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Summary: Highly entertaining detective story set in ancient Rome
Review: I have probably read only a handful of detective fiction in my entire middle-aged life. The genre never really appealed to me. But I've always been crazy about the Roman Empire, being a life-long fan of movie epics like SPARTACUS, QUO VADIS, BEN HUR and CLEOPATRA. I got a big kick out of ROMAN BLOOD. It's a detective story set in ancient Rome. Gordianus the Finder is a wonderful character. Who knows whether there ever was such a thing as a "finder" back in those days? It doesn't really matter. In Gordianus, Steven Saylor has created a brilliant device that allows the reader, through a myriad of interesting details, to feel that he actually IS in ancient Rome. When we first encounter Gordianus, he lives in a crumbling villa with his slave woman Bethesda (whom he eventually manumits and marries) and has a hangover from too much wine the previous evening. ROMAN BLOOD is the case that starts Gordianus on an illustrious career as a Roman private eye, because this is the case on which he meets Cicero. Their association coincides with Cicero's rise from obscurity to celebrity. Gordianus' exploits are set against actual historical events and over the multi-volume series Gordianus matures physically and emotionally, prospers in his career, marries and has children (who grow up to become Roman citizens). This all occurs during what may have been Rome's most turbulent period, when the Republic was supplanted by the Empire. ROMAN BLOOD is highly entertaining historical fiction. I learned a lot from it, too.I'm no judge of mysteries. I have read few other mysteries to compare it to. Whodunit did surprise me, however. I really enjoyed ROMAN BLOOD and have read the next three volumes in this series. I usually save these books for when I have to travel. They're good paperbacks to read while waiting in an airport or flying long distances. Time passes very quickly in Gordianus' company. It's not wasted time, either. There's a lot to ponder in these books.
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Summary: A Forsyte Saga set in ancient Rome
Review: Roman Blood, the first of Steven Saylor's Sub Rosa series of novels, introduces Gordianus the Finder and his family, fictional characters who become increasingly memorable and claim a hold on our affections and sympathetic concern as they interact throughout the series with many famous historical characters, Julius Caesar, Pompey The Great, Marc Antony, Cicero, and Spartacus being the best known. The lawlessness of a great city - Rome - without a police force; the brutal treatment of slaves as chattel; the political intrigues and assassinations - all are faithfully portrayed in historically accurate and authentic detail. But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of these novels is their overlay of modern liberal values represented by the fictional narrator, who manumits (frees) and marries his Egyptian concubine, Bethesda, adopts a street urchin and a slave as his sons, understands and accepts the independence and sovereignty of women, reveres and serves the truth as much as Diogenes, and evinces a genuine religious piety. The characters are memorably drawn and individuated, and the finder's daughter, whose patronymic name Gordiana is shortened to Diana, is arguably the most appealing daughter in literature since Cordelia. Like all works of a master spirit, these books provide an edifying education, with recognizable allusions to ancient as well as Elizabethan literature, and they contain flashes of sardonic humor appropriate to the anatomy of the human condition that they reveal. They are among the very best of modern recreations of that peculiar combination of greatness and squalor that was ancient Rome.
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Summary: "Always more of the truth to discover ..."
Review: Steven Saylor seamlessly weaves an intricate plot with fascinating descriptions of Roman history and culture to create a top-notch mystery. His detective, Gordianus the Finder, has compassion for life's underdogs and an insatiable drive to find out the truth. Saylor makes ancient Rome and its people come alive. He describes even minor characters with a vividness that makes them seem real. I most admired the book for the internal consistency of its twists and turns. The final solution to the mystery, as well as what people believed about the crime, all made perfect sense in context. In a genre where writers often leave gaping holes in their plots, this was refreshing. My only complaint about the book might be that it seemed a tad too long, but maybe that's just because I was anxious to arrive at the surprising, and satisfying, conclusion.
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Summary: Roman Blood
Review: This engrossing historical novel is part detective story, set in Rome in the first century B.C. Saylor bases his tale on the imagined circumstances surrounding the Pro Roscio, the first oration of the famous Roman Cicero. The hero-detective Gordianus has been hired by Cicero to gather evidence for the defense of Sextus Roscious, a wealthy farmer, who has been accused by his enemies of the crime of patricide. Gordianus encounters more than he bargains for as he is drawn deeper into an intricate web of conspiracy and half-truths. This novel contains all the elements that make an entertaining mystery and also provides a view of life in ancient Rome. Highly recommended
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Summary: Roman Mystery
Review: This is the beginning of a great series. I enjoy the character Gordianus immensely. I also enjoy the history of Roman culture and politics. Great fast read.
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Summary: Gordianus rules!
Review: As always in the case of a (good) historical novel, this is a story about a modern character in pseudo-Ancient grab peeeping at an alien reality and judging it on his own terms. The interest of the story therefore depends on the modern character being intersting enough. Fact is, Gordianus the Finder is a very interesting character, the knowledge of Roman History displayed by the author accurate, and there are vignettes in this book I wouldn't wish to miss (for instance, the account of Gordianus' travel to Ameria). An enormously interesting book, deserves to be read both as a mystery and as a historical novel.
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Summary: Its not pretty, its not hi-tech, its Republican Rome!
Review: How very ironic that the week after my students I am discussed and read Cicero's letters to his slave, Tiro, that I should get this book. I read it quickly and enjoyed every minute of it. While I might argue on some historical points, the speculations about society in Rome in 80 BCE are well done and played out with depth and personality. I suggested it to my students today on our last class as a good example of popular history also being well-done history. Saylor does an outstanding job in this entire series, it seems now having read a second book in it, of protraying slavery as a realistic institution.
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