Roma Sub Rosa series, by Steven Saylor
Overall, this series is pretty good as far as mysteries go. Saylor's prose is crisp and concise, the characters are well-developed (especially Gordianus's family), and the setting is captivating. I'm not usually a big fan of the mystery genre, but this and John Maddox Roberts's SPQR series are the exceptions (though the two are very different in protagonist and length). Each volume has its own merits and drawbacks, so I'll review them briefly.
Roman Blood (401 pages, paperback): B+
Steven Saylor's debut novel starts off with a fascinating portrayal of the relationship between Gordianus and his then-slave Bethesda. As the entire series is told in first person, Gordianus also presents his unique voice right from the beginning. My first taste of Saylor was A Mist of Prophecies, one of the later books, so this novel confused me at first. Certain scenes really gave me a yearning for more backstory about Bethesda and Gordianus in their youth, when they first met in Alexandria. By the way, the parracide description early on isn't for the squeamish.
The Judgment of Caesar (290 pages, hardcover): B
And this, of course, is Saylor's newest work. Another confusing jump in time that's entirely my fault, so read in order, folks! Not as good as Roman Blood in my opinion, though I greatly envy the plotting--I could never come up with such complex, yet logical character motivations. THe strong historical setting works, but ultimately I never really immersed myself in the story. Saylor has a tendency to overdo the description sometimes, and I slogged through one too many heavy blocks of it. I'm generally a fan of description, but the prose style, the opposite of lyricism, can be tiring.
Arms of Nemesis (? pages, paperback): B
Somehow I skipped over this novel, second in the series, after I finished it. My notes are sparse, so all I can tell you is that there's a great ending twist.
The Venus Throw (400 pages, paperback): C
At this writing, I still haven't finished reading. I made the mistake of skimming ahead, and since then it's sat on my desk for weeks. A lesson on just how important suspense is to this genre. From what I've read: Saylor has a bad habit of starting two consecutive sentences with "the"--and descriptive sentences, no less! Also, Catullus nicknames Clodia "Lesbia," which may be historically accurate, but snorting out loud doesn't help the scene much.
And now, a collection of short stories in the series, which I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing about by now. Saylor's shorts possess most of the pros of his novels without many of the cons (chiefly, clunky blocks of setting description). While some of the stories were a bit too summarized, others certainly made me smile.
A Gladiator Only Dies Once: the Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder
"The Consul's Wife"
Not my favorite, but still lovely. I expected a usual mystery with a twist at the end; so it was. However, the twist was quite original and I adore the character of Lucius Claudius. The last line is perfect!
"If a Cyclops Could Vanish in the Blink of an Eye"
I love Gordianus's family, and I loved this story. It's so short that it's hard to discuss without spoiling. I'll just say this: how in the world does Saylor come up with such witty dialogue? I want to kidnap his muse.
"The White Fawn"
A more serious story. It was too similar to the Finder's everyday cases for my taste, but still definitely classic Saylor.
"Something Fishy in Pompeii"
The beginning started out well--I rarely think badly of any scene involving Lucius--but somehow this short never really developed. It's meant to be humorous, but the plotting is weak by Saylor's standards. At only eight pages, the story is all too brief and lacks any twist or punch line. "If a Cyclops Could Vanish in the Blink of an Eye" is also very short at nine pages, but that story works and this one doesn't. It' s a pity, for I was looking forward to the garum story--historical foods are always interesting--but Saylor fails to deliver.
"Archimedes's Tomb"
Again, this story could be better. The ending is obvious and devoid of any clever twists. A disappointment.
"Death by Eros"
And, yet another disappointment. The plot premise is slightly better, but I hated how Saylor handled the climax. The confession is implied, and then the scene cuts to Gordianus and Eco on the road, discussing the case. Show, don't tell! I never much liked long paragraphs of expository dialogue so prevalent in mysteries, but skipping the climax? Please. On a brighter note, I did enjoy the snippets of love poetry; I wonder if it's original.
"A Gladiator Only Dies Once"
Well, at least the title story lives up to my (admittedly high) expectations. Clever and sentimental--the latter is a note I didn't expect. The ending is touching.
"Poppy and the Poisoned Cake"
An interesting look into Roman politics, which makes up for the predictable ending.
"The Cherries of Lucullus"
This is one of the longer short stories, and it shows. Plot is properly developed and summary transitions are rare. The unusual ending is not conventional for mysteries, but it works well for a shorter piece.
Roman Blood (401 pages, paperback): B+
Steven Saylor's debut novel starts off with a fascinating portrayal of the relationship between Gordianus and his then-slave Bethesda. As the entire series is told in first person, Gordianus also presents his unique voice right from the beginning. My first taste of Saylor was A Mist of Prophecies, one of the later books, so this novel confused me at first. Certain scenes really gave me a yearning for more backstory about Bethesda and Gordianus in their youth, when they first met in Alexandria. By the way, the parracide description early on isn't for the squeamish.
The Judgment of Caesar (290 pages, hardcover): B
And this, of course, is Saylor's newest work. Another confusing jump in time that's entirely my fault, so read in order, folks! Not as good as Roman Blood in my opinion, though I greatly envy the plotting--I could never come up with such complex, yet logical character motivations. THe strong historical setting works, but ultimately I never really immersed myself in the story. Saylor has a tendency to overdo the description sometimes, and I slogged through one too many heavy blocks of it. I'm generally a fan of description, but the prose style, the opposite of lyricism, can be tiring.
Arms of Nemesis (? pages, paperback): B
Somehow I skipped over this novel, second in the series, after I finished it. My notes are sparse, so all I can tell you is that there's a great ending twist.
The Venus Throw (400 pages, paperback): C
At this writing, I still haven't finished reading. I made the mistake of skimming ahead, and since then it's sat on my desk for weeks. A lesson on just how important suspense is to this genre. From what I've read: Saylor has a bad habit of starting two consecutive sentences with "the"--and descriptive sentences, no less! Also, Catullus nicknames Clodia "Lesbia," which may be historically accurate, but snorting out loud doesn't help the scene much.
And now, a collection of short stories in the series, which I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing about by now. Saylor's shorts possess most of the pros of his novels without many of the cons (chiefly, clunky blocks of setting description). While some of the stories were a bit too summarized, others certainly made me smile.
A Gladiator Only Dies Once: the Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder
"The Consul's Wife"
Not my favorite, but still lovely. I expected a usual mystery with a twist at the end; so it was. However, the twist was quite original and I adore the character of Lucius Claudius. The last line is perfect!
"If a Cyclops Could Vanish in the Blink of an Eye"
I love Gordianus's family, and I loved this story. It's so short that it's hard to discuss without spoiling. I'll just say this: how in the world does Saylor come up with such witty dialogue? I want to kidnap his muse.
"The White Fawn"
A more serious story. It was too similar to the Finder's everyday cases for my taste, but still definitely classic Saylor.
"Something Fishy in Pompeii"
The beginning started out well--I rarely think badly of any scene involving Lucius--but somehow this short never really developed. It's meant to be humorous, but the plotting is weak by Saylor's standards. At only eight pages, the story is all too brief and lacks any twist or punch line. "If a Cyclops Could Vanish in the Blink of an Eye" is also very short at nine pages, but that story works and this one doesn't. It' s a pity, for I was looking forward to the garum story--historical foods are always interesting--but Saylor fails to deliver.
"Archimedes's Tomb"
Again, this story could be better. The ending is obvious and devoid of any clever twists. A disappointment.
"Death by Eros"
And, yet another disappointment. The plot premise is slightly better, but I hated how Saylor handled the climax. The confession is implied, and then the scene cuts to Gordianus and Eco on the road, discussing the case. Show, don't tell! I never much liked long paragraphs of expository dialogue so prevalent in mysteries, but skipping the climax? Please. On a brighter note, I did enjoy the snippets of love poetry; I wonder if it's original.
"A Gladiator Only Dies Once"
Well, at least the title story lives up to my (admittedly high) expectations. Clever and sentimental--the latter is a note I didn't expect. The ending is touching.
"Poppy and the Poisoned Cake"
An interesting look into Roman politics, which makes up for the predictable ending.
"The Cherries of Lucullus"
This is one of the longer short stories, and it shows. Plot is properly developed and summary transitions are rare. The unusual ending is not conventional for mysteries, but it works well for a shorter piece.