Reviews

Last Seen in Massilia by Steven Saylor

slimikin's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sarajesus95's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

djrmelvin's review

3.0

Definitely better than the previous book, but that might be because I took a break between reading Saylor's Sub Rosa series. Perhaps the negatives (anachronistic ethics) aren't so noticeble if you don't immerse yourself in the series, or perhaps Saylor did a better job of writing characters that lived in the 40s BCE. Either way, this was a simple little mystery set in a fascinating time and place. Add in the return of Meto and I was hooked in a "junk food with some redeeming qualities" sort of way. Also unlike a lot of reviewers, I liked the ending.

traveller1's review

4.0

With this episode in the continuing saga of Gordianus the Finder, our hero leaves the mundane plane of every day existence and gains the rarified status of a super-hero. I say this as in this novel Gordianus survives several dangerous escapades, by rather incredulous means, escapades which would land any ordinary person (not a super-hero) in their urn.

The story: Gordianus, on hearing of the death of his son Meto, in the Greek colony of Massilia, travels to the city to see for himself just what is going on. He finds Massilia besieged by Caesar's troops, but he manages to enter the city (a tale in itself), and then meets an amazing variety of people, including the arch Roman exiles Verres and Milo. Adventures, death, gainful employment, and murder ensue. At novel's end father and son are reunited, but Gordianus disgusted by the intrigue and deception in his son's life as a follower of Caesar, renounces Meto.

As with every Saylor, a bright and detailed account of life in the ancient world is presented. Massilia itself is shown warts and all, and its customs revealed to our gaze, including that of the "scapegoat". One criticism, these later Gordianus novels suffer from being part of a series. They do not stand on their own as well as they should, however, this is the inevitable effect of a long running series.

silverstarswept's review

4.0

I started Last Seen in Massilia... tentatively. I'd felt that the previous book in the series, [b:Rubicon|102711|Rubicon (Roma Sub Rosa, #7)|Steven Saylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1171486247l/102711._SY75_.jpg|2804176], had set the scene for a darker and edgier second half to the series, and goodness me, I was right! I've never come across a series so capable of leaving me achingly nostalgic for the good old days, when Gordianus was a young man solving individual mysteries for anyone who'd pay and slowly building a family of his own. It's probably something to do with the sheer number of books and the length of the timeskips!

Family lies at the heart of Last Seen in Massilia - Gordianus comes to the city to find news of his younger son, Meto, revealed in Rubicon to be

a spy for Caesar.

An anonymous note sent to his house in Rome has informed Gordianus that Meto is dead, but he's not going to give up on his son that easily, and so he travels to Massilia with his son-in-law to do what he does best and find the truth about Meto's fate. Gordianus' anxiety, grief, and - eventually - anger permeate the entire novel, and for me this made it absolutely impossible to put down: I read the last 85% of it in one sitting between 11:30 pm and 2:30 am.

The

break between Gordianus and Meto

at the end of the novel was extremely painful, and I really hope that it's resolved within a couple of books!