Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Catilina's Riddle by Steven Saylor ISBN: 0-8041-1269-X Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.96 (54 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Steven Saylor's Gordianus gets better and better!
Comment: I am reading Saylor's Sub Rosa series in sequence, and this third novel is so far the most ambitious. This time Gordianus is faced with the Catilina conspiracy in the year of Cicero's consulship. Saylor has the infinite cleverness not to take historical sides, and to show us that every story can be told in different ways. Cicero's foibles and Catilina's appetites are superbly shown, as well as the passage of seasons in the Etruscan countryside, a day of elections in Rome, the taking of the auguries on a young man's sixteenth birthday, every detail of Roman life and more that we have learned to expect from the author. The book is a great success, not least because we believe in the characters and we see them grow and change, from Cicero to Gordianus's teen-aged son. Saylor also manages to convey Catilina's homoerotic attraction to any reader with economy and talent (if you read well, it seems obvious from the clues that he seduces Gordianus - as a straight reader I was impressed with the elegance and efficacy of the writing of what could have been a very dicey passage.) We have come to expect, in more ways than one, that a Steven Saylor book will transport us into a different universe, and "Catilina's Riddle" doesn't disappoint. I am eagerly waiting for the next volumes and a larger part given to Caesar.
Rating: 3
Summary: History- Not Mystery!
Comment: I read Catalina's Riddle because I enjoy historical fiction and historical mysteries in particular. It is the first book of Steven Saylor's that I read and I must say I am not really interested in reading any others. While I enjoyed the depth of character of Gordianus the Finder, I found that Gordianus mostly fretted over the mystery for the entire book, instead of working to find clues, etc. The mystery is revealed at the end with information we would not have gleaned from the story, so this is not for readers who like to figure out the clues for themselves as they go along. And while the history of early Rome is interesting, the book was overly concerned with detailed political information best suited for textbooks rather than a novel. I ususally like to read all of a series once I get started, but this time I am not going to.
Rating: 4
Summary: Artistry of words and intellectual scholarship
Comment: Saylor gives us another powerful novel in Catilina's Riddle. I took Latin in high school and we studied the Catilinarian conspiracy. I had to memorize the first part of one of the speeches in the book: "Quo usque tandem abutere Catilina patientia nostra..."! I love how Saylor brings these great historical figures to life with his descriptive writing. With each novel in the series we also learn more about and grow to like Gordianus and his family. This novel shows artistry of words and intellectual scholarship together. That combination would seem to be hard to pull off, but Saylor does it well. Like other reviewers, I got a little bogged down at times with the intellectual scholarship, but it's not difficult to plug through. It's worth it to experience the action and revelation at the end. I am an even greater fan now and can't wait to start The Venus Throw.
 |
Title: Arms of Nemesis (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) by Steven Saylor ISBN: 0312978324 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 01 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
 |
Title: The Venus Throw by Steven Saylor ISBN: 0312957785 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: Roman Blood (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) by Steven Saylor ISBN: 0312972962 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: The House of the Vestals: The Investigations of Gordianus the Finder (House of Vestals) by Steven Saylor ISBN: 0312964528 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: A Murder on the Appian Way (Dead Letter Mysteries) by Steven Saylor ISBN: 0312961731 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
