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kirstinbrie's review
3.0
Entertaining book, but Crassus was a bit too pig headed to be really enjoyable.
fbone's review
3.0
Saylor's second in this series takes place 8 years after his first title during Spartacus' slave war. I enjoyed the well-researched Ancient Roman references and details; Marcus Crassus, painting, cuisine, resort villas, galley slaves, funeral customs and general Roman laws. The mystery part was weak but better than his previous book. Word skill and dialogue were improved also.
elusivity's review
3.0
Found this one hard to get through, mostly due to the description of slave life in Ancient Rome. The sheer injustice of it; and to think, every human culture throughout much of History believing enslavement of their fellows to be perfectly acceptable and good. Makes me hate humans. Of course, that it bothered me so much can only be to Saylor's credit. Rather, the 3 stars is because I didn't think this was a good mystery.
Some thriller-like element, much running around and not really picking up clues until it is almost too late. On the other hand, Meto comes into Gordianus's life, Eco recovers his voice, and Bethesda is pregnant. Life is going very well for our Finder.
Some thriller-like element, much running around and not really picking up clues until it is almost too late. On the other hand, Meto comes into Gordianus's life, Eco recovers his voice, and Bethesda is pregnant. Life is going very well for our Finder.
chuckri's review
4.0
Interesting read, but it would have been better if Gordianus had actually solved the mystery rather than have another character identify the murderer.
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in September 2000.
The second novel to feature Gordianus the Finder takes place during the slave revolt led by Spartacus. The man with a reputation for being the richest in the world, Marcus Crassus, hires Gordianus to find the murderer of his cousin. This appears to be easy, since the body was found with the word "Sparta" scrawled on the floor next to it, as though the murderer had been disturbed while writing the name of Spartacus, and two slaves have gone missing. Pre-supposing their guilt, Crassus has ordered that all the household slaves are to be executed at the end of the funeral, the old fashioned punishment decreed when a slave kills his master. (By appearing to be a stern supporter of the old ways, Crassus hopes that the Senate will grant him a commission to lead an army to destroy Spartacus, thus making his name as a great general.)
The puzzle is difficult, the background impeccable, the characters three-dimensional; Arms of Nemesis is an excellent historical detective story.
The second novel to feature Gordianus the Finder takes place during the slave revolt led by Spartacus. The man with a reputation for being the richest in the world, Marcus Crassus, hires Gordianus to find the murderer of his cousin. This appears to be easy, since the body was found with the word "Sparta" scrawled on the floor next to it, as though the murderer had been disturbed while writing the name of Spartacus, and two slaves have gone missing. Pre-supposing their guilt, Crassus has ordered that all the household slaves are to be executed at the end of the funeral, the old fashioned punishment decreed when a slave kills his master. (By appearing to be a stern supporter of the old ways, Crassus hopes that the Senate will grant him a commission to lead an army to destroy Spartacus, thus making his name as a great general.)
The puzzle is difficult, the background impeccable, the characters three-dimensional; Arms of Nemesis is an excellent historical detective story.
traveller1's review
4.0
A young Finder finds the solution to a difficult mystery—just in the nick of time, amidst danger and desperation. Gordianus uncovers a scheme by unscrupulous nobles to sell weapons to the Spartacus and his slave rebels. One noble is murdered in an attempt to hide this treason, but a thorough investigation leads inexorably to the guilty party. Along the way Gordianus manages to embarrass and anger the powerful politician Crassus, and acquire a new, young slave, who will become his adopted son. An entertaining and fast moving story, rich with detail.
julieputty's review
4.0
I love Saylor's ability both to humanize ancient Rome and to make it quite alien in many ways. These books are immersive. Highly recommended.
wyvernfriend's review
4.0
Full of period details, Gordianus the Finder is involved in a case that touches several people. Crassus' brother is dead and one of the slaves is blamed, as that slave has absconded Crassus decides to kill all the slaves in the Villa. Not an unusual thing to do in the time. Set during the period of Spartacus' revolt this is not a surprising reaction.
Giordanus is convinced that there are plots within plots but can he find out what's happening before the funeral games that will have the slaves all killed.
Interesting and full of detail this appealed to the classics geek in me, while some details didn't quite ring true overall it swept me up and kept me quite entertained
Giordanus is convinced that there are plots within plots but can he find out what's happening before the funeral games that will have the slaves all killed.
Interesting and full of detail this appealed to the classics geek in me, while some details didn't quite ring true overall it swept me up and kept me quite entertained
kamreadsandrecs's review
4.0
After reading Roman Blood, I was in a good enough mood that I drifted over almost immediately to the next book in the series, Arms of Nemesis. Instead of sticking it out in Rome, Gordianus heads on over to the nearby resort town of Baiae to investigate a murder - and in the meantime, Spartacus's slave rebellion is tearing up the countryside, forcing slave-owning Romans everywhere to look askance even in their own households, in case their own slaves decide to murder them.
And that's precisely why Gordianus goes to Baiae in the first place: to investigate the murder of a man who was supposedly killed by his slaves. Of course, the answer isn't as straightforward as that (if it were then there would be no novel).
Compared to the last novel, this one seems a bit more tense than Roman Blood. The ending, in particular, was significantly more action-packed than the ending of Roman Blood. Or perhaps it was because there were more lives at stake in Arms of Nemesis than in Roman Blood - the life of one man versus the lives of ninety-nine people, including women and children, certainly is a significant difference in terms of the stakes. That the ninety-nine lives are actually slaves doesn't make much of a difference.
It is on the subject of slaves that I found this novel to be more of a stand-out than Roman Blood. Gordianus's treatment of slaves and the way he regards them is interesting and makes him sympathetic. The reader will want him to succeed, if only because of that inclination of his.
One thing I greatly appreciated in this novel compared to the last one: the inclusion of a strong female character in the form of a female painter named Iaia. I don't know if she is a historical figure or not, but I do appreciate the inclusion of such a character in the novel, instead of making it an all-boys' club, as it were.
I also found certain explanations regarding the use of poisonous and medicinal herbs during the period, as well as details about the Sybil of Cumae, to be fascinating enough to distract from the typical nature of the plot itself. Again, as with Roman Blood, the plot might not be anything earth-shattering for anyone familiar with mysteries, but the milieu is interesting enough to make it interesting enough to keep on going.
And that's precisely why Gordianus goes to Baiae in the first place: to investigate the murder of a man who was supposedly killed by his slaves. Of course, the answer isn't as straightforward as that (if it were then there would be no novel).
Compared to the last novel, this one seems a bit more tense than Roman Blood. The ending, in particular, was significantly more action-packed than the ending of Roman Blood. Or perhaps it was because there were more lives at stake in Arms of Nemesis than in Roman Blood - the life of one man versus the lives of ninety-nine people, including women and children, certainly is a significant difference in terms of the stakes. That the ninety-nine lives are actually slaves doesn't make much of a difference.
It is on the subject of slaves that I found this novel to be more of a stand-out than Roman Blood. Gordianus's treatment of slaves and the way he regards them is interesting and makes him sympathetic. The reader will want him to succeed, if only because of that inclination of his.
One thing I greatly appreciated in this novel compared to the last one: the inclusion of a strong female character in the form of a female painter named Iaia. I don't know if she is a historical figure or not, but I do appreciate the inclusion of such a character in the novel, instead of making it an all-boys' club, as it were.
I also found certain explanations regarding the use of poisonous and medicinal herbs during the period, as well as details about the Sybil of Cumae, to be fascinating enough to distract from the typical nature of the plot itself. Again, as with Roman Blood, the plot might not be anything earth-shattering for anyone familiar with mysteries, but the milieu is interesting enough to make it interesting enough to keep on going.
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