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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Third in the Roma Sub Rosa ancient Rome historical mystery series revolving around Gordianus the Finder. It's seventeen years since Roman Blood, 1.
My Take
I have to confess this one was tedious, and I kept putting it down. Although, I did love the sound of his farm and the baths...and Gordianus' library...lovely...
Saylor educates us on the mechanics of campaigning and politics in Rome. And, yes, there's graffiti to protest one candidate or another. It seems the primary purpose of being elected to office is to enable the officeholder to "bleed enough taxes from the locals" to enrich him. So, nothing much has changed over the past 2,000 or so years.
It's also eye-opening to read of the proper behavior of a son, a wife, a daughter to the patriarch of the house. ---Thank you for today's manners! --- The rituals surrounding a young man's coming-of-age celebration. It's also eye-opening how poorly the Claudii behave.
Poor Gordianus. His dreams are conflicted as is his younger son. It's a universal blindness that has come down through the ages, that of a father who refuses to see that his son has grown up. That of a son who is frustrated that his father does not see or treat him as an adult. And yet it is the bright spot in all this: it's Meto's coming of age day. Well worth a celebration.
I don't understand why Cicero's bodyguards come pounding on Gordianus' door. After events are explained, I agree wholeheartedly with Gordianus about staying away from Cicero. What a schmuck!
God, what a character! Has no shame in plotting and planning. Killing and poisoning and kidnapping. Such greed! And no regret at all… This person seems so typical of the time, and when you think of all that the Romans have, how "civilized" they are...well, it's just too scary.
Words that finally sound like the truth from his lips. Unlike his campaigning speeches...
The Story
Luck finds Gordianus living the country life on an amazing farm. It couldn't have come at a better time for Gordianus is fed up with the corruption and lies in Rome. He wants the simple life. Only, life is too simple and too dangerous.
Especially when Cicero calls in a favor in this election month: for Gordianus to play host to his enemy. When Gordianus balks, a sign appears. A headless man. With his family to think of, Gordianus concedes only to plunge ever deeper.
The Characters
Gordianus the Finder has inherited an Etruscan farm from his friend, Lucius Claudius, and has moved his family to the country. Yep, family, for Gordianus freed Bethesda when she got pregnant, and then he married her. Mummius (from Arms of Nemesis, 2) rescued Meto, and Gordianus adopted him as his son as well; he'll be sixteen in a few days. They also have a little six-year-old girl, Gordiana whom they call "Diana". Aratus is the farm foreman, a slave, and not very happy with Gordianus' anxieties. Congrio is their excellent cook.
Eco, his adopted son, is 26 and now lives on the Esquiline Hill with his new very tactful wife, Menenia. Belbo is now Eco's guard.
Claudia Claudius is Gordianus' neighbor on the farm next door and Lucius' cousin, and the only Claudii to accept Gordianus; Publius, Manius, and Gnaeus are the male cousins who surround and harass Gordianus. The entire family is upset that Lucius willed the farm---the best in the family---outside the family and even more upset that Cicero won in court for Gordianus. Dragonfly is Publius' sex slave. He certainly has some disgusting notions... Gnaeus is the one with the silver mine on his almost useless property. Forfex is his head goatherder. Manius is a bigot and kleptomaniac.
Marcus Caelius is, off and on, a protégé of Cicero's and Crassus' and spying on Catilina for Cicero. Cicero is a consul of Rome now, and Gordianus is disgusted with his machinations to gain office and while in office. Quintus is Cicero's brother.
Lucius Sergius Catilina is opposed to Cicero and running in this election for consul. Gordianus is cautious around him for his reputation says he is a man of varied appetites. Gaius Manlius, a military man in Faesulae, is Catilina's principal ally outside of Rome. Tongilius is Catilina's companion and informs Gordianus, jokingly, that telling riddles is Catilina's only vice. Yeah, right... some of Catilina's sillier cronies include Lentulus Cornelius and Cethegus; others include Sulla's old supporters, including Sulla's grandsons. Aurelia is Catilina's wife.
Crassus is Rome's wealthiest man; we first met him in Roman Blood with more intimate dealings in Arms of Nemesis. Marcus Valerius Messalla Rufus from Roman Blood is one of the augurs and is running for praetor this year. He aligned with Julius Caeser, the current Pontifex Maximus, the head of the state religion.
Marcus Mummius (from Arms of Nemesis) was once one of Crassus' protégés, and now he looks to Pompey. Apollonius is still with Mummius. Nemo is Nobody, a headless man buried in a grave. The Allobroges are a tribe in Gaul unhappy with how Rome treats them.
The Cover
The cover of the version I read is a set of abstract blocks framing a split-screen of a few senators seated in the Roman Senate on the left, and a bust of Cicero? on the right. The blocks which frame it on top and bottom hold the title, the author's name, and taglines.
The title reflects the mysteries posed within, puzzles as a result of the antagonist's love for teasers, Catilina's Riddle.
My Take
I have to confess this one was tedious, and I kept putting it down. Although, I did love the sound of his farm and the baths...and Gordianus' library...lovely...
Saylor educates us on the mechanics of campaigning and politics in Rome. And, yes, there's graffiti to protest one candidate or another. It seems the primary purpose of being elected to office is to enable the officeholder to "bleed enough taxes from the locals" to enrich him. So, nothing much has changed over the past 2,000 or so years.
It's also eye-opening to read of the proper behavior of a son, a wife, a daughter to the patriarch of the house. ---Thank you for today's manners! --- The rituals surrounding a young man's coming-of-age celebration. It's also eye-opening how poorly the Claudii behave.
Poor Gordianus. His dreams are conflicted as is his younger son. It's a universal blindness that has come down through the ages, that of a father who refuses to see that his son has grown up. That of a son who is frustrated that his father does not see or treat him as an adult. And yet it is the bright spot in all this: it's Meto's coming of age day. Well worth a celebration.
"...when he left the room just now, it wasn't worry I was feeling. I was feeling rather proud of him, actually---and a little ashamed of myself."
I don't understand why Cicero's bodyguards come pounding on Gordianus' door. After events are explained, I agree wholeheartedly with Gordianus about staying away from Cicero. What a schmuck!
God, what a character! Has no shame in plotting and planning. Killing and poisoning and kidnapping. Such greed! And no regret at all… This person seems so typical of the time, and when you think of all that the Romans have, how "civilized" they are...well, it's just too scary.
How very political of Cicero:
"Change is the enemy of civilization, Gordianus. What is the point of innovation, when things are already in the hands of the Best People? What you might consider progress can only be decay and decadence."
Words that finally sound like the truth from his lips. Unlike his campaigning speeches...
The Story
Luck finds Gordianus living the country life on an amazing farm. It couldn't have come at a better time for Gordianus is fed up with the corruption and lies in Rome. He wants the simple life. Only, life is too simple and too dangerous.
Especially when Cicero calls in a favor in this election month: for Gordianus to play host to his enemy. When Gordianus balks, a sign appears. A headless man. With his family to think of, Gordianus concedes only to plunge ever deeper.
The Characters
Gordianus the Finder has inherited an Etruscan farm from his friend, Lucius Claudius, and has moved his family to the country. Yep, family, for Gordianus freed Bethesda when she got pregnant, and then he married her. Mummius (from Arms of Nemesis, 2) rescued Meto, and Gordianus adopted him as his son as well; he'll be sixteen in a few days. They also have a little six-year-old girl, Gordiana whom they call "Diana". Aratus is the farm foreman, a slave, and not very happy with Gordianus' anxieties. Congrio is their excellent cook.
Eco, his adopted son, is 26 and now lives on the Esquiline Hill with his new very tactful wife, Menenia. Belbo is now Eco's guard.
Claudia Claudius is Gordianus' neighbor on the farm next door and Lucius' cousin, and the only Claudii to accept Gordianus; Publius, Manius, and Gnaeus are the male cousins who surround and harass Gordianus. The entire family is upset that Lucius willed the farm---the best in the family---outside the family and even more upset that Cicero won in court for Gordianus. Dragonfly is Publius' sex slave. He certainly has some disgusting notions... Gnaeus is the one with the silver mine on his almost useless property. Forfex is his head goatherder. Manius is a bigot and kleptomaniac.
Marcus Caelius is, off and on, a protégé of Cicero's and Crassus' and spying on Catilina for Cicero. Cicero is a consul of Rome now, and Gordianus is disgusted with his machinations to gain office and while in office. Quintus is Cicero's brother.
Lucius Sergius Catilina is opposed to Cicero and running in this election for consul. Gordianus is cautious around him for his reputation says he is a man of varied appetites. Gaius Manlius, a military man in Faesulae, is Catilina's principal ally outside of Rome. Tongilius is Catilina's companion and informs Gordianus, jokingly, that telling riddles is Catilina's only vice. Yeah, right... some of Catilina's sillier cronies include Lentulus Cornelius and Cethegus; others include Sulla's old supporters, including Sulla's grandsons. Aurelia is Catilina's wife.
Crassus is Rome's wealthiest man; we first met him in Roman Blood with more intimate dealings in Arms of Nemesis. Marcus Valerius Messalla Rufus from Roman Blood is one of the augurs and is running for praetor this year. He aligned with Julius Caeser, the current Pontifex Maximus, the head of the state religion.
Marcus Mummius (from Arms of Nemesis) was once one of Crassus' protégés, and now he looks to Pompey. Apollonius is still with Mummius. Nemo is Nobody, a headless man buried in a grave. The Allobroges are a tribe in Gaul unhappy with how Rome treats them.
The Cover
The cover of the version I read is a set of abstract blocks framing a split-screen of a few senators seated in the Roman Senate on the left, and a bust of Cicero? on the right. The blocks which frame it on top and bottom hold the title, the author's name, and taglines.
The title reflects the mysteries posed within, puzzles as a result of the antagonist's love for teasers, Catilina's Riddle.
umrapazquele's review against another edition
5.0
Uau...
Que livro. Dos melhores do Saylor até agora, sem sombra de dúvida.
Sim, há palha, sem dúvida. Mas esta palha é necessária, é história, e como o autor diz no final, é autêntica.
O Saylor é um mestre. Nada mais a dizer...
Que livro. Dos melhores do Saylor até agora, sem sombra de dúvida.
Sim, há palha, sem dúvida. Mas esta palha é necessária, é história, e como o autor diz no final, é autêntica.
O Saylor é um mestre. Nada mais a dizer...
celsius273's review against another edition
4.0
Of all the books for which I had not choice but to read in school, this has been one of the most enjoyable. TBH, it's probably because it is story (plot) based and easy to understand yet captivating to in its language. I've been translating Cicero's orations against Cataline (interestingly enough, a modern spelling of Catalina!) and from that, he sounds like a horrible person. What this book does is totally flip this perception around; Cataline is painted as misunderstood and Cicero is not as glorious as he appears in history.
Our narrator, Gordianus 'the Finder' and his non traditional family are fictional characters. Gordianus inherits a farm from his friend Lucius Claudius which angers the rest of the Claudii but lucky for Gordianus, his acquaintance, the famed Cicero, argues for him in court despite growing political unrest both in and against himself and wins Gordianus the right to the house. Thus sets the scene for our story; Gordianus, adjusting to life on a farm surrounded by angry neighbors and with an IOU to Cicero.
Catalina's "riddle" is actually a riddle brought up in the book but it is fairly innocuous only serving as a springboard for the main mystery of the story, sorry, there's no really better way to explain it without giving away spoilers. But while Gordianus's may be the narrator, arguably the biggest transformation occurs in his 16 year old adopted son, Meto. As he comes of age, Gordianus finds it difficult to start treating him as an adult, especially because he is still prone to childish behavior. As a result, they grow distant as the novel passes and I found myself mentally slapping both of them for being asses sometimes.
Quick note on his family. Gordianus's wife Bethesda was a former slave of his; both of his sons are adopted, Eco, who is 26, was a homeless child on the streets and Meto was also a former slave whom Gordianus saved; his daughter, Gordiana or Diana for short, is his only legitimate child, she's also the cutest character!.
Honestly, there are so many plotlines woven into the novel that I never really found myself getting bored. While Gordianus's opinion on the Cataline vs. Cicero fight can be thought of as the driving force of the novel, there are murder mysteries, growing pains, and self discovery issues as well that make this novel so dense with intrigue.
I started reading this book because I kind of had to for school, but it just got so interesting and real that I actually spent basically two nights reading this instead of studying for upcoming tests. I liked Roman culture such as religious rituals, slaves, bathing, dining, and familial structure is blended seamlessly into the story as is the history itself (which I presume is mostly true as it matches with what I have learned). Saylor really knows what he is talking about and though some people may find it boring to be learning so much about Roman life, I didn't mind because it helped tremendously in connecting the things we learned in class. Before, I would have had no idea how all of those characters - Sulla, Crassus, Cicero, Caesar, Pompey etc. - were related, both in the political and familial sense but this novel cleared things like that up immensely.
Overall, Catalina's riddle was interesting and kept me on my toes with the pace of developments in the mystery. It's long, over 500 pages of pretty small text, but there was no useless text in hindsight. If the start of the fall of the Roman republic sounds intriguing, I would definitely recommend giving this book a whirl. Also, don't mind that this is book three, I haven't read the other two and I understood this one just fine!
Our narrator, Gordianus 'the Finder' and his non traditional family are fictional characters. Gordianus inherits a farm from his friend Lucius Claudius which angers the rest of the Claudii but lucky for Gordianus, his acquaintance, the famed Cicero, argues for him in court despite growing political unrest both in and against himself and wins Gordianus the right to the house. Thus sets the scene for our story; Gordianus, adjusting to life on a farm surrounded by angry neighbors and with an IOU to Cicero.
Catalina's "riddle" is actually a riddle brought up in the book but it is fairly innocuous only serving as a springboard for the main mystery of the story, sorry, there's no really better way to explain it without giving away spoilers. But while Gordianus's may be the narrator, arguably the biggest transformation occurs in his 16 year old adopted son, Meto. As he comes of age, Gordianus finds it difficult to start treating him as an adult, especially because he is still prone to childish behavior. As a result, they grow distant as the novel passes and I found myself mentally slapping both of them for being asses sometimes.
Quick note on his family. Gordianus's wife Bethesda was a former slave of his; both of his sons are adopted, Eco, who is 26, was a homeless child on the streets and Meto was also a former slave whom Gordianus saved; his daughter, Gordiana or Diana for short, is his only legitimate child, she's also the cutest character!.
Honestly, there are so many plotlines woven into the novel that I never really found myself getting bored. While Gordianus's opinion on the Cataline vs. Cicero fight can be thought of as the driving force of the novel, there are murder mysteries, growing pains, and self discovery issues as well that make this novel so dense with intrigue.
I started reading this book because I kind of had to for school, but it just got so interesting and real
Spoiler
I was actually terrified when the bodies started appearing!Overall, Catalina's riddle was interesting and kept me on my toes with the pace of developments in the mystery. It's long, over 500 pages of pretty small text, but there was no useless text in hindsight. If the start of the fall of the Roman republic sounds intriguing, I would definitely recommend giving this book a whirl. Also, don't mind that this is book three, I haven't read the other two and I understood this one just fine!
escan's review against another edition
5.0
Gordianus spent a not insignificant portion of this book like "I love all my children equally: Eco, Diana, and *looks at smudged writing on his hand* Meat."
Really though, the family dynamics in this novel were one of the things I loved most about it: the contrast between the older, more level-headed Eco and the angsty teenager Meto was really interesting. In fact, Meto as a whole was one of the most interesting parts of the novel for me - the way he desperately wants his father's approval but also needs to step out into the world and forge his own path, his struggle with feeling like he doesn't belong in his own family or in Roman society, and his relationships with his siblings (turning to Eco for guidance when he feels like he can't ask his father, and bickering with Diana to no end but also being her fiercest protector) all feel perfectly real.
I also really enjoyed the fact that the novel answers the question on everyone's minds, namely what if Catilina was really hot. On a serious note, I did love the portrayal of Catilina as a largely decent man (as much as anyone else in Roman politics, anyway) and it was interesting to see such an anti-Cicero take on the whole affair.
There were a lot of moments where I genuinely couldn't put the book down, where the tension and the sense of danger was so high that I felt I might actually die if I didn't reach the end of the section before stopping - unfortunately, I do feel that these were kind of interspersed with bits that were just a bit... dull. There was a lot of rumination about the nature of Roman politics and the day-to-day running of a farm and the like, and I feel that the book could probably have got by with about 20% less of that. I'm very glad that in the end
All in all, it was a pretty great book. It had murder, it had intrigue, it had family relationships, it had an interesting take on an interesting affair, and it had the return of which I was very pleased about!
Edit: This one has really grown on me!
Really though, the family dynamics in this novel were one of the things I loved most about it: the contrast between the older, more level-headed Eco and the angsty teenager Meto was really interesting. In fact, Meto as a whole was one of the most interesting parts of the novel for me - the way he desperately wants his father's approval but also needs to step out into the world and forge his own path, his struggle with feeling like he doesn't belong in his own family or in Roman society, and his relationships with his siblings (turning to Eco for guidance when he feels like he can't ask his father, and bickering with Diana to no end but also being her fiercest protector) all feel perfectly real.
I also really enjoyed the fact that the novel answers the question on everyone's minds, namely what if Catilina was really hot. On a serious note, I did love the portrayal of Catilina as a largely decent man (as much as anyone else in Roman politics, anyway) and it was interesting to see such an anti-Cicero take on the whole affair.
There were a lot of moments where I genuinely couldn't put the book down, where the tension and the sense of danger was so high that I felt I might actually die if I didn't reach the end of the section before stopping - unfortunately, I do feel that these were kind of interspersed with bits that were just a bit... dull. There was a lot of rumination about the nature of Roman politics and the day-to-day running of a farm and the like, and I feel that the book could probably have got by with about 20% less of that. I'm very glad that in the end
Spoiler
Gordianus and his family move back to Rome, because frankly the country life was a bit too boring for me, even with a neighbour plotting to kill you!All in all, it was a pretty great book. It had murder, it had intrigue, it had family relationships, it had an interesting take on an interesting affair, and it had the return of
Spoiler
RufusEdit: This one has really grown on me!
munchkindad's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
raptorimperator's review against another edition
5.0
Great addition in the Roma Sub Rosa series. Give great examples of Cicero's reign as consul and his paranoia over revolution.
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
Gordianus on a farm just didn't quite have the same appeal as Gordianus in Rome. But I do love Roman history and the political machinations of Catilina and Cicero made an excellent setting for the story.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
5.0
Fun and easy reads through which to learn Roman History - if you don't know your Cicero from your chickpea, this will help
csdaley's review against another edition
3.0
My least favorite of the Gordianus books so far. I really felt like I was plodding through it. I still enjoyed but I think that it was a just barely enjoyed it. I thought the first two books were plotted tighter with a more engaging central mystery. I will still be buying the 4th book but I hope that it returns to a faster pace.