- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (May 13 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312359837
- ISBN-13: 978-0312359836
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.2 x 2.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #318,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. At the start of bestseller Saylor's stellar 10th novel in his Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder (after 2004's The Judgment of Caesar), Gordianus is at first reluctant to accept a commission from Julius Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, to discover which of the general's many enemies may be plotting her husband's assassination soon after his victory in the Roman civil war. When Calpurnia reveals that the first man she'd hired for the job, Hieronymous, was murdered, the sleuth agrees to help because Hieronymous was an old friend of his. The suspects in Hieronymous's death, who include such prominent figures of the period as Cleopatra and Marc Antony, may well be the ones seeking to kill Caesar. Since the action takes place two years before Caesar's actual death in 44 B.C., there's little suspense about the outcome, but Saylor ably rises to the challenge. The convincing backdrop of daily life in ancient Rome helps make this compelling whodunit a triumph. Author tour. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"May Steven Saylor’s Roman empire never fall! Writing in a spare, elegant style shorn of excess description, Saylor convincingly transports us into the ancient world..."
--USA Today on Roma
"Saylor puts such great detail and tumultuous life into his scenes that the sensation of rubbing elbows with the ancients is quite uncanny."
--The New York Times Book Review on A Murder on the Appian Way
"Saylor puts his finger on the very essence of Roman history."
--Times Literary Supplement (London) on Roma
“A vivid and robust writer, Saylor invests his books with exquisite detail and powerful drama.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer on A Mist of Prophecies
"Superb. From the exceptional attention to historical detail to the development of character and plot, which is based on real history, it's a treat to read."
--The Globe and Mail (Toronto) on The Judgment of Caesar
"Builds character and emotion on a foundation of history. At each stage fiction is used not to alter fact but to illuminate it, humanize it and bring it to life."
--Houston Chronicle on Roma
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.7 out of 5 stars (40 customer reviews)
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Excellent Sub Rosa Novel, May 16 2008
By Bruce Trinque - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Triumph of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Hardcover)
Another reviewer here opined that "The Triumph of Caesar" may be the best of Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder Ancient Roman "Sub Rosa" mystery novels. She might be right. At any rate, it is at least another strong entry in a strong series. Unlike so many mystery series that grow tired as the number of volumes grows, Saylor's Gordianus books remain compelling and they even get better.The events at the end of the previous novel in the series, "The Judgment of Caesar", were sufficiently ambiguous that they could have signaled the end of Gordianus's career, but "The Triumph of Caesar" finds the detective back in Rome, in 46 BCE, on the eve of Julius Caesar's celebration of four triumphs to mark four recent military victories. But Caesar's defeat of his enemies on the battlefield has not meant the end of all of those who might wish him dead, and Gordianus finds himself drafted by Caesar's wife into attempting to uncover a possible conspiracy against the Dictator, a task Gordianus is willing to undertake because it has already cost the life of a friend.
Steven Saylor has a particular knack for creating vivid and realistic characters, even secondary and minor figures, who have the breath of life, and are not memorable only because they are quirky caricatures. Saylor seems to genuinely care about the fates of these characters (some of them are fictional creations, but others are drawn from historical sources) and he causes his readers to equally care. Although the world of Gordianus the Finder is often filled with sorrow, loss, and woe, Saylor unfailingly conveys a sense of fundamental humanity, where salvation and redemption are found in love and friendship. His "Sub Rosa" books are worth reading not only as good mysteries, but also as simply good novels.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb Historical with a Marvelous Cast of Characters, May 13 2008
By Phyllis T. Smith - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Triumph of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Hardcover)
This may be the best of the Gordianus mysteries. It is absolutely gripping. Intending to savor it over a couple of days at least, I read it in one sitting. Calpurnia, Caesar's wife, has been troubled by evil omens and asks--or rather, demands--that Gordianus find the person who is plotting against Caesar's life. Is saving Caesar's life a worthy project? Gordianus is not so sure, and in any case, he wishes to live a life of peace, so he refuses the commission. But the previous "detective" on the case, an old friend, has been killed, and Gordianus is drawn into seeking justice for the crime, and, in the process, finding out who, if anyone, is plotting against Caesar's life. In his investigation, he must meet and interview many historical figures--Cicero, Brutus, Cleopatra and her sister, Arsinoe, Antony, and Vercingetorix, the defeated leader of the Gauls. Remarkably, Saylor brings these figures vividly to life.The novel is informed by a depth of compassion for human beings living in a brutal times that is rare in an historical mystery. It engages your emotions and makes you truly care about the characters. This is a truly special novel which works well as a mystery and also transcends the genre.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Help! Gordianus Has Fallen and He Can't Get Up!, Jun 3 2008
By B. Shuey - Published on Amazon.com
This is the weakest entry by far in what was once an excellent series. Gordianus died in the last novel (or it sure seemed like it), and his resurrection in this new effort is woefully incomplete. He stumbles through the entire mystery, with other folks, or luck, supplying the partial discoveries required to advance the plot. He has essentially nothing to do with the final resolution either. Perhaps Steven Saylor is trying to hand the reins off to Gordianus's children, so the series can extend out to Octavian or so. At any rate, not at all the Finder we fell in love with.
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