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julietlol's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
It was highly predictable and all of the chapters followed the same sort of plot pattern: the main characters travel somewhere, someone dies, they figure out whodunit, and then one of the main characters has sex with someone. I also found the language to be quite difficult, and I ended up having to buy a little pocket dictionary so I could look up all the words without getting distracted on my phone. I’m sure the book would be more interesting to someone who is more interested in Ancient Rome and the ancient world in general, but the book just wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
raptorimperator's review against another edition
4.0
A nice addition to the Gordianus the Finder stories. At first I thought this was a merely a collection of short stories with a common theme of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World tying them together, but then I came to see how Saylor tied them all together in the end, making this kind of a coming of age story for the young Gordianus. The long time fans of the Roma Sub Rosa series are in for a nice little nod in the epilogue to the rest of Gordianus's life, which we know from those books.
peterthelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Somewhat meandering due to the narrative being based on a trip to see the Wonders of the World. At times, reads more like a travelogue. I found the author's dialogue to be somewhat stiff, but I did get used to it. The novel is constructed, really, of short story-like chapters, each centered around one of the seven stops made on the trip. Luckily, the narrative threads created at each of the stops, seemingly only loosely-related, all get tied together in the end in satisfying fashion, which is good because about halfway through I had decided, reluctantly, that I probably wouldn't go on to read the author's Roma Sub Rosa series; however, having enjoyed the exciting conclusion of The Seven Wonders, I've decided I do want to go on and read more about Gordianus the Finder.
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
3.0
Back to the beginning for Gordianus. An interesting way to link together short stories with a larger subplot winding through them
mgcco's review against another edition
3.0
Steven Saylor never fails to amuse (and educate) with his stories. Some bits better than the others. Noticed that this particular collection is somewhat lighter in tone than the Roma Sub Rosa series.
Final rating: 3.5 stars
Final rating: 3.5 stars
jbleyle63's review against another edition
4.0
This was my second encounter with Saylor's Gordianus the Finder after Roman Blood, and I continue to very much enjoy this character and series. This collection of stories in particular appealed to me as a fictional travelogue through the ancient Seven Wonder of the World which have fascinated me since my childhood. Saylor's descriptions and scholarship of these places brought them vividly to life for me. Also enjoyed getting a sense of Gordianus' training and young adulthood as a foundation for the older character from the series of novels. I look forward to reading another in this series!
otherwyrld's review against another edition
3.0
It must be tricky trying to write a prequel to a long-running series. The author must take everything that we have learned about our protagonist and gradually cut it all away until what you have left is the essence of the character with none of the life experiences. To my mind, the only successful prequel I have read is Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe stories set in his early days in India.
Which brings us to this story - I have always enjoyed historical crime stories, and the Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder has always been a favourite of mine. So it was a bit of a shock to find a book set during his teenage years. Gordianus and his teacher Antipater set out to visit the Seven Wonders of the World. This they do so over the course of three years, and in each location Gordianus finds a mystery to solve and has a sexual adventure.
It was this element that was the most frustrating part of the book to me, as it was clear that this was a set of short stories that were later put together to form this book (something the author acknowledges in the author's notes). The framing sequence - the threat of war between Rome and various opponents - was underwritten, and only really forms the backdrop of two of the stories. So it feels like Gordianus goes and gapes at a Wonder, trips over a crime which he then solves, then has a bit of a romp with someone he has met during the story, the end.
The framing story only really comes together in the last story, set in Alexandria, and it's frustrating because the story seems to be left unfinished. However, in the very last page of the book, Gordianus happens to buy a certain female slave, and it's this final part that almost made me give it 4 stars, because any fan of these stories know that the heart of them is based on the love story between these two characters. It was too little too late though.
So an entertaining story, but in the end it fell short.
Which brings us to this story - I have always enjoyed historical crime stories, and the Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder has always been a favourite of mine. So it was a bit of a shock to find a book set during his teenage years. Gordianus and his teacher Antipater set out to visit the Seven Wonders of the World. This they do so over the course of three years, and in each location Gordianus finds a mystery to solve and has a sexual adventure.
It was this element that was the most frustrating part of the book to me, as it was clear that this was a set of short stories that were later put together to form this book (something the author acknowledges in the author's notes). The framing sequence - the threat of war between Rome and various opponents - was underwritten, and only really forms the backdrop of two of the stories. So it feels like Gordianus goes and gapes at a Wonder, trips over a crime which he then solves, then has a bit of a romp with someone he has met during the story, the end.
The framing story only really comes together in the last story, set in Alexandria, and it's frustrating because the story seems to be left unfinished. However, in the very last page of the book, Gordianus happens to buy a certain female slave, and it's this final part that almost made me give it 4 stars, because any fan of these stories know that the heart of them is based on the love story between these two characters. It was too little too late though.
So an entertaining story, but in the end it fell short.
jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
3.0
The story follows a young Roman, Gordianus, and his Greek tutor traveling incognito as the story builds from their travelogue of the ancient world. The stars of book, however, are the wonders themselves Today, of course, only one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" remains standing, the Great Pyramid. The others have been lost to natural disasters or human neglect. In Gordianus' day, most of them dominate the landscape of their cities. The Colossus of Rhodes has already fallen from earthquakes, but even partially submerged it's magnificent, and the Hanging Gardens, though largely a pile of rubble, are a very impressive pile of rubble protected by the staggeringly beautiful Ishtar Gate.
Gordianus' visits in each city has been timed to coincide with special events: The Olympics for instance. And in each city/chapter, Gordianus encounters a mystery that he invariably solves. But the novel is more enjoyable for the setting than the actual mysteries, since most of the time the reader is kept clueless until Gordianus reveals what he's been noticing without letting the reader know. Albeit, the mysteries are not that hard for the reader to and subsequently pieces together. The only mystery that was mildly exciting was the about the cave/Pan's pipes. Had the work been longer, the mysteries might have been more enticing, and 300 pages is rather brief considering the scope of the travels. The Seven Wonders is enjoyable enough, though nothing on the order of Roma or Empire.
I am beginning to get sick of reading about all the skirt & toga conquests in Saylor's novels, especially the obsessions some of his male characters have with young boys. Its beginning to get disturbing! I have no doubt that these escapades happened, but its not why I explore the ancient worlds via fiction and non. Saylor is always very good about bringing these worlds to life, which is why I read his novels. And frankly, the Ises/Gordianus coupling piece made me roll my eyes and wonder what the point of the scene was??? I'm still not sure. This novel is also rather dismissive of the women characters other than for sex scenes of dubious value, which seems to be their role in almost every Saylor novel that I have read so far.
I loved the novel's concept, and it was a lot of fun to read when the characters explored the wonders. Loved how well these historical pieces of wonder came vividly to life. I also very much enjoyed the explanation of how the list of 7 originated. I found the short stories lacking though. In fact, I found the discussions of how the wonders came to be built and their importance to society more enticing than the chapter mysteries. Who knew that fact (as we know it) could be more exciting than fiction?
Gordianus' visits in each city has been timed to coincide with special events: The Olympics for instance. And in each city/chapter, Gordianus encounters a mystery that he invariably solves. But the novel is more enjoyable for the setting than the actual mysteries, since most of the time the reader is kept clueless until Gordianus reveals what he's been noticing without letting the reader know. Albeit, the mysteries are not that hard for the reader to and subsequently pieces together. The only mystery that was mildly exciting was the about the cave/Pan's pipes. Had the work been longer, the mysteries might have been more enticing, and 300 pages is rather brief considering the scope of the travels. The Seven Wonders is enjoyable enough, though nothing on the order of Roma or Empire.
I am beginning to get sick of reading about all the skirt & toga conquests in Saylor's novels, especially the obsessions some of his male characters have with young boys. Its beginning to get disturbing! I have no doubt that these escapades happened, but its not why I explore the ancient worlds via fiction and non. Saylor is always very good about bringing these worlds to life, which is why I read his novels. And frankly, the Ises/Gordianus coupling piece made me roll my eyes and wonder what the point of the scene was??? I'm still not sure. This novel is also rather dismissive of the women characters other than for sex scenes of dubious value, which seems to be their role in almost every Saylor novel that I have read so far.
I loved the novel's concept, and it was a lot of fun to read when the characters explored the wonders. Loved how well these historical pieces of wonder came vividly to life. I also very much enjoyed the explanation of how the list of 7 originated. I found the short stories lacking though. In fact, I found the discussions of how the wonders came to be built and their importance to society more enticing than the chapter mysteries. Who knew that fact (as we know it) could be more exciting than fiction?