Roman Blood : A Novel of Ancient Rome

Rating:
Summary: "CSI" in a book
Review: Now lets be honest with everyone I myself can not stand to read, I would rather get my teeth pulled out. I would also much rather watch T.V., but when I was reading Roman Blood for school, somthing changed me about this book. It reminded me of the hit T.V. show "CSI". The book Roman blood involves Gordianus a vary cunning and smart detective.
I only have one beef with the writer Steven Saylor...Steven my good man you made me loose a ton of sleep reading this book because I couldn't put it down. I love the way how you described everything, it felt like I was in the midst of all the action. I am begining to wonder if Saylor lived in the time of the Roman era, to know all of this information, PROPS TO YOU MY GOOD MAN.

Rating:
Summary: "More twists than the allies of Rome!"
Review: Wow! I can't even recall all of the reasons I am giving this book 5 stars. The excitment was continuous. It seemed as though a new adventure started on every page. Even Gordianus, the main character, said he can't remember, "...a case with so many twists and turns." Steven Saylor obviously has done his homework when it comes to knowing about Rome. This was a wake up call to what the reality of Rome really was. I would gladly read the next adventure of Gordianus the Finder in Saylor's series. Read it!

Rating:
Summary: This is a Good Book
Review: The is a great book that makes you feel as if you are living on the same street and experiencing it for yourself. I'm not a huge fan of mysteries, but this one is great. It has incredible detail in the street names, historical figures, building design, and a ton more. I thought that the main character Gordianus the Finder was very deductive in finding information. I enjoyed the many twists and turns that occurred when the murder was being solved. I also enjoyed Gordianus the Finder's openness in politics.

Rating:
Summary: "Roman Blood" an exciting blend of history and mystery
Review: "Roman Blood" is not quite a mystery, for any student of Roman history will know the outcome of the matter presented. But it is a wonderful retelling of what happened, and it is full of rich detail and description that bring ancient Rome to life--which makes it an excellent find for historical fiction enthusiasts.

Saylor's hero is Gordianus the Finder, a young Roman with a dilapidated house, an insolent Egyptian concubine named Bethesda, and an income gained from 'finding' information. He is hired by an up-and-coming (some say upstart) advocate named Marcus Tullius Cicero, who has just been given a murder case to defend. His client is Sextus Roscius, accused of patricide; if found guilty, his punishment would be one of the most horrific Roman justice could mete out. Gordianus must find out who really killed Roscius's father before the man goes to trial.

The investigation leads Gordianus into the Subura, Rome's slum district, and into the rural town of Ameria; it covers sibling rivalry, the hatred between a father and son, and the political corruption of Rome under the dictator Sulla. For Gordianus's findings lead him to one of Sulla's creatures, an ex-slave named Chrysogonus--and Chrysogonus's involvement in the Roscius murder raises the stakes dangerously high for Gordianus, Cicero, and his client.

Saylor does a wonderful job of characterization, and his dialogue is pithy without being anachronistic. He portrays Rome as a place half-decayed, half-reborn, with the glittering houses of the upper class juxtaposed against the sewage-splattered streets of the lower-class neighborhoods. And Gordianus's observations are well worth the price of the book--he is a wry, sarcastic narrator, never dull or pedantic.

The book does end with a twist that's rather timeworn, but the conclusion makes up for the unsatisfying resolution. There is a definite sense of current threads wrapped up, with new ones just beginning. I not only recommend "Roman Blood," but the rest of the Roma Sub Rosa series.