awwhh's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable, interesting time period to be set in. Looking forward to reading the next and finding out what happens to the characters
mgcco's review against another edition
5.0
Love the book's twist. Reading it is like watching HBO's Rome all over again.
inesbeato's review
4.0
Não sei explicar a razão porque gosto tanto dos livros de Steven Saylor e o porquê de Gordiano ser, neste momento, o meu herói preferido, com todos os seus defeitos e manias.
Não se tratam certamente de obras primas e a escrita não é nada de excepcional (não é má, atenção, Saylor tem uma escrita até bastante elegante), mas têm essencialmente uma magia e uma capacidade singular de me transportar para o mundo do império romano, fazer-me sentir que estou a passear pelas ruas de Roma, seja no monte Palatino ou na Subura, ou a fazer compras nos seus mercados ou a habitar as suas casas. É fantástica a forma realista e direta como Saylor passa a mensagem e nos dá a conhecer história, interligando-a com ficção.
Neste livro em concreto, o pano de fundo é o Rubicão e o início da guerra civil entre Júlio César e Pompeu. Aqui já encontramos um Gordiano nos seus 60 anos, mais frágil e fraco, mas que, ainda assim, com a sua inteligência e perspicácia, consegue levar a sua avante.
Uma série excelente, que me viciou por completo! Para continuar a acompanhar com todo o entusiasmo.
Não se tratam certamente de obras primas e a escrita não é nada de excepcional (não é má, atenção, Saylor tem uma escrita até bastante elegante), mas têm essencialmente uma magia e uma capacidade singular de me transportar para o mundo do império romano, fazer-me sentir que estou a passear pelas ruas de Roma, seja no monte Palatino ou na Subura, ou a fazer compras nos seus mercados ou a habitar as suas casas. É fantástica a forma realista e direta como Saylor passa a mensagem e nos dá a conhecer história, interligando-a com ficção.
Neste livro em concreto, o pano de fundo é o Rubicão e o início da guerra civil entre Júlio César e Pompeu. Aqui já encontramos um Gordiano nos seus 60 anos, mais frágil e fraco, mas que, ainda assim, com a sua inteligência e perspicácia, consegue levar a sua avante.
Uma série excelente, que me viciou por completo! Para continuar a acompanhar com todo o entusiasmo.
kyokroon's review
2.0
2.5 / 5 stars
Mehh.. This book turned out to be a disappointment to me.
I really love the Roma Sub Rosa series, because I love the Antiquity and detectives. Just like the other books, this book begins with a mysterious murder and Gordianus tasked with solving it.
Throughout this whole book there seemed to be more political stuff going on than actual detective work. While that's great if it's encompassed in the mystery (see A Murder on the Appian Way for instance), it felt really disconnected here. The murder and the political turmoil that's happening seem not really woven together. Don't get me wrong: Roman politics interest me greatly, but when I want to read a mysterious murder mystery, I want a book to be about the murder and the act of solving it, not the surrounding political problems that may (slightly) play into it.
So, not my favourite book of the series, but I was still planning to give it 3 or 3.5 stars. That definitely changed during the so-called "plot-twist"
this was me:
.
All with all, definitely not my favourite book in the series (probably even the least favourite).
Happy reading!
Mehh.. This book turned out to be a disappointment to me.
I really love the Roma Sub Rosa series, because I love the Antiquity and detectives. Just like the other books, this book begins with a mysterious murder and Gordianus tasked with solving it.
Throughout this whole book there seemed to be more political stuff going on than actual detective work. While that's great if it's encompassed in the mystery (see A Murder on the Appian Way for instance), it felt really disconnected here. The murder and the political turmoil that's happening seem not really woven together. Don't get me wrong: Roman politics interest me greatly, but when I want to read a mysterious murder mystery, I want a book to be about the murder and the act of solving it, not the surrounding political problems that may (slightly) play into it.
So, not my favourite book of the series, but I was still planning to give it 3 or 3.5 stars. That definitely changed during the so-called "plot-twist"
this was me:
Spoiler
the idea that Gordianus had done it himself and that he was an unreliable narrator was so incredibly far-fetched to me; it just seemed like Saylor had to find a way to encompass mystery in another book he'd already written about the beginning of Rome's civil warAll with all, definitely not my favourite book in the series (probably even the least favourite).
Happy reading!
tartancrusader's review against another edition
4.0
Nice twist in this one, makes it stand out a little from the others in the series so far.
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in March 2000.
In only seven novels together with a few short stories, Saylor has covered thirty years of the career of his detective, Gordianus the Finder, taking him into his sixties. This is quite rapid progress for a series of detective novels, which often have central characters who hardly age at all over thirty years' worth of writing. In Saylor's series, the character has been closely if sordidly involved in a datable sequence of historical events, which has forced him to age at a sensible rate. He is now reaching quite a formidable age for a Roman, and it will be interesting to see what Saylor does next.
Rubicon is concerned with the beginning of the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, which would eventually lead to the end of the Republic and the establishment of the Empire. As Caesar crosses the Rubicon river into Italy with his troops - something a provincial general was forbidden to do - Rome succumbed to fear over his intentions, government and economy breaking down as thousands fled the city. Pompey also leaves, to organize his own troops, but pays a visit to Gordianus before doing so. He arrives at a rather awkward time, to discover the garrotted body of his nephew and heir Numerius Pompey in the garden. This naturally puts Gordianus in a difficult position, and he is forced to try to find the murderer.
This puzzle is quite difficult, but in fact much of the book is concerned with Gordianus' atttempts to rescue members of his family from the consequences of the civil war. Like all the Gordianus novels (I don't really like the Roma Sub Rosa title of the series), Roman politics is really what interests Saylor in Rubicon, and the puzzle takes a secondary place.
In only seven novels together with a few short stories, Saylor has covered thirty years of the career of his detective, Gordianus the Finder, taking him into his sixties. This is quite rapid progress for a series of detective novels, which often have central characters who hardly age at all over thirty years' worth of writing. In Saylor's series, the character has been closely if sordidly involved in a datable sequence of historical events, which has forced him to age at a sensible rate. He is now reaching quite a formidable age for a Roman, and it will be interesting to see what Saylor does next.
Rubicon is concerned with the beginning of the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, which would eventually lead to the end of the Republic and the establishment of the Empire. As Caesar crosses the Rubicon river into Italy with his troops - something a provincial general was forbidden to do - Rome succumbed to fear over his intentions, government and economy breaking down as thousands fled the city. Pompey also leaves, to organize his own troops, but pays a visit to Gordianus before doing so. He arrives at a rather awkward time, to discover the garrotted body of his nephew and heir Numerius Pompey in the garden. This naturally puts Gordianus in a difficult position, and he is forced to try to find the murderer.
This puzzle is quite difficult, but in fact much of the book is concerned with Gordianus' atttempts to rescue members of his family from the consequences of the civil war. Like all the Gordianus novels (I don't really like the Roma Sub Rosa title of the series), Roman politics is really what interests Saylor in Rubicon, and the puzzle takes a secondary place.
traveller1's review
3.0
For me, this did not work as well as the other Gordianus novels I have read. The story did not have the usual investigative process with the answer becoming apparent towards the end of the novel, rather, we had a tour (well written, well researched, and intense—admittedly), through civil war Italy, but then BANG, the answer to the mystery thrown into our laps. All in all, a bit of a let down.
silverstarswept's review
4.0
Rubicon could not have been more different to the previous Roma Sub Rosa book, [b:The House of the Vestals|102717|The House of the Vestals (Roma Sub Rosa, #6)|Steven Saylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1339311428l/102717._SY75_.jpg|652030], a fairly light-hearted collection of short stories set a couple of decades before the two books it comes between. The House of the Vestals did a nice job of filling in some of the gaps between [b:Roman Blood|102720|Roman Blood (Roma Sub Rosa, #1)|Steven Saylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388555429l/102720._SY75_.jpg|2569207] and [b:Arms of Nemesis|102712|Arms of Nemesis (Roma Sub Rosa, #2)|Steven Saylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316126310l/102712._SY75_.jpg|1609422], detailing the development of Gordianus' relationships with his eldest son Eco, his then-slave Bethesda, and various friends. Rubicon threw me right back into the "present", with the political and military landscapes seemingly merging into one as Caesar and Pompey vie for control of Italy and, ultimately, the Roman Republic. Gordianus, famously honest but notoriously non-partisan, finds himself with obligations to both sides: his younger son Meto is an aide, confidant, and (many say) lover of Caesar, while, rather more pressingly, a young relative of Pompey's is murdered in Gordianus' home, and the Great One demands Gordianus finds the killer, taking away his daughter Diana's husband until Pompey knows who's responsible.
Although previous novels have certainly dealt with dark themes (sexual violence in Roman Blood and The Venus Throw come to mind, as well as the ever-present murder), I would argue that Rubicon escalates this to a point we haven't seen before. It also sees Saylor employing a kind of ingenuity that I certainly hadn't expected -
I found this a pretty upsetting read, because I've come to love Roma Sub Rosa for the characters and the relationships between them almost more than the mystery element or the historical setting, and Rubicon changed much of that, moving the series towards what I suspect will be a continued darker and edgier tone. However, it was still a gripping, entertaining, and emotional read - my main complaint being that I feel Meto's storyline deserved proper attention throughout the whole novel, rather than a series of jokes and insinuations about his relationship with Caesar, followed by several huge revelations in a row in the final 15% of the book - and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
Although previous novels have certainly dealt with dark themes (sexual violence in Roman Blood and The Venus Throw come to mind, as well as the ever-present murder), I would argue that Rubicon escalates this to a point we haven't seen before. It also sees Saylor employing a kind of ingenuity that I certainly hadn't expected -
Spoiler
the revelation around 85% of the way through immediately called to mind Agatha Christie's [b:The Murder of Roger Ackroyd|16328|The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389734015l/16328._SY75_.jpg|1073110], and led me (and Gordianus himself) to reflect on issues of trust and morality. It wasn't only Gordianus whose character was called into question, as Tiro received his first proper spotlight since Roman Blood and was found to be much changed and yet somehow still the same, if only in the fact that his unwavering loyalty is to Cicero alone.I found this a pretty upsetting read, because I've come to love Roma Sub Rosa for the characters and the relationships between them almost more than the mystery element or the historical setting, and Rubicon changed much of that, moving the series towards what I suspect will be a continued darker and edgier tone. However, it was still a gripping, entertaining, and emotional read - my main complaint being that I feel Meto's storyline deserved proper attention throughout the whole novel, rather than a series of jokes and insinuations about his relationship with Caesar, followed by several huge revelations in a row in the final 15% of the book - and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
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