|
Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome |  | Author: Steven Saylor
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: eBooks
This item is no longer available
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 507
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: 1st
Pages: 555
Number Of Items: 1
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
ASIN: B000Q9ENSK
Publication Date: April 1, 2010
| | |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Spanning a thousand years, and following the shifting fortunes of two families though the ages, this is the epic saga of Rome, the city and its people.
---- Weaving history, legend, and new archaeological discoveries into a spellbinding narrative, critically acclaimed novelist Steven Saylor gives new life to the drama of the city's first thousand years -- from the founding of the city by the ill-fated twins Romulus and Remus, through Rome's astonishing ascent to become the capitol of the most powerful empire in history. Roma recounts the tragedy of the hero-traitor Coriolanus, the capture of the city by the Gauls, the invasion of Hannibal, the bitter political struggles of the patricians and plebeians, and the ultimate death of Rome's republic with the triumph, and assassination, of Julius Caesar.
---- Witnessing this history, and sometimes playing key roles, are the descendents of two of Rome's first families, the Potitius and Pinarius clans:- One is the confidant of Romulus. One is born a slave and tempts a Vestal virgin to break her vows. One becomes a mass murderer. And one-becomes the heir of Julius Caesar. Linking the generations is a
mysterious talisman as ancient as the city itself.
---- Epic in every sense of the word, Roma is a panoramic historical saga and Saylor's finest achievement to date.
|
| Customer Reviews:
 "Legend is Historical Just as History is Legendary." July 31, 2010
Raja N. Krishnan
"Legend is Historical Just as History is Legendary."
What a phrase.....and it's the opening quote in Steven Saylor's latest production on the Roman Republic, titled Roma. Mr. Saylor has stepped away from his acclaimed mystery based series with Gordianus the Finder to present a unique and fresh perspective on the ancient republic.
Mr. Saylor produces a nice effort to highlight the major events of the Roman Republic from pre-Roma days through the founding of Roma to the days of Julius Ceasar. The story that evolves through the generations of one family, with the Roman history in the backdrop, focuses more on the legends, spirituality, and cultural aspects of the Roman Republic. The author easily weaves the story of this family into the fabric of the history of the Roman Republic. This epic story shows the struggle between the lower class, plebians, and the upper class, patricians, through the generations of the Roman Republic. It also depicts the power and ego of successful political men who tried to reach the status of King, but could not stay in that position for long.
As each chapter goes by the author fast forwards in time to the next major or controversial event in the republic's history. This might first appear as though he is skipping events, but the author does a nice job of tieing chapters together and summarizing events that happened in the timeline. Although not a detailed account of the Roman Republic government, that not being the intent of the book, the book does convey how the government transformed through the generations with the rise and fall of the republic.
As I was reading this book I found myself excited about the possibilities of a second trip to Rome to visit the historical sites that I missed the first time, armed with this new knowledge of the legends of Rome. I would highly recommend this book for fans of Roman History, furthermore it would be worth a read if you plan to travel the historical sights in Italy.
 "Romulus Put The Iron Crown On His Own Head, Then Rose And Strode Out to Declare Victory to His Men" July 17, 2010
Ronin
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
There's enough reviews giving a recap of the story, so here's my $0.02 opinion. I have to start with a big thumbs up because Saylor obviously used original source material and followed the history as best he could, so the reader is richly rewarded with valuable insights into the Roman past. The format was good in the sense that the reader travels through over 1,000 years of Tiberian history in 549 pages; a bold approach that is very difficult to deliver successfully, and I would say he pulled it off. At times it was a problem because certain characters and events suffered from reaching their full development. At other times it spares us tedium and after a slowish start, once the narrative got going the pace was fast.
Saylor filled the book with a wealth of various Roman facts and trivia and did a very good job bringing Rome to life. Following the two families with all their famous branches was very interesting. He weaves in a good dose of mythology that gives the past vitality; for example his portrayal of Cacus & Hercules was well done. The book also does a pretty outstanding job of walking us through the growth and evolution of the city itself in the days up to the birth of the Empire.
There were a few things that irritated me throughout the book. For one, the constant use of "Roma" grated on my mind and I found myself imposing "Rome" every time I came across it, which was very frequent. Saylor used many original Latin words to good effect, and while theoretically correct, I had trouble with the feminized version of the name. I also struggled to accept his ideas on the early founding of the Seven Hills because it seemed to ignore the Etruscan influence and presence (he does include them, but it never felt complete). On the other hand, his portrayal of an early chance encounter with traveling northerners who were expert metal-smiths was a subtle yet quality touch.
The editing is embarrassing because there probably is a typo every 5-6 pages, which for an author who has published this many books is totally unacceptable. The beginning chapters were rather wordy at times and the story could have been better balanced. There are so many larger than life characters and each only receives a limited number of pages. Some characters felt all too feminine. The chapter dealing with Scipio Africanus spent a lot of valuable space focusing on sexual undertones at the expense of the great Roman general, and perhaps more tragic, his master opponent and Rome's greatest adversary Hannibal (a big disappointment which I am now remedying with "The Pride of Carthage").
Caesar's character was way off, as was some of the portrayal of his death. A few characters like Coriolanus or the Gracchi were good but would have benefited from just a little more. Sulla was very well done. Sulla's meeting with Caesar was true in substance but fictitious in setting, however given the limited pages devoted to Sulla, the author did a good job creating a fairly accurate image of the dictator and the times.
The mythology of the Fascinus was, dare I say it, quite fascinating. Saylor makes the case that a winged phallus was arguably the oldest god in Rome, which was a theme throughout the book that I was unfamiliar with and found interesting. While the Romans were known for their sexual liberty and any realistic story of Rome can hardly be faulted for portraying it, at times I felt a certain deviant nature that came directly from the mind of the author. Some of it was depiction and some was more subtle. Not really a big deal, but certainly different than most books I have read from this genre, and perhaps its just not my preference? Made me think of Melville at times, though no one would confuse the technique of either writer.
Regardless of my stated criticisms I did enjoy the book for the most part, and would recommend it to anyone seeking a solid fictitious Roman experience. I would also highly recommend any of the books by Robert Harris like "Imperium" or "Pompeii".
Love Saylor's take on Rome. July 16, 2010
Kathleen Erwin (Kent, Ohio United States)
I love Saylor's books. I read Roma once before, came back to read it again in anticipation of the publication of the next in the series. His "Gordianus the finder" series is also wonderful: good plotting, great language, in all his books, you feel like Saylor is writing about a Rome he has lived in and loved personally. Wonderful characterizations, makes all that ancient Roman history seem immediate and relevant. I devoured every one in the series.
Highly recommend.
Loved learning about Rome!!! June 29, 2010
YC (Monroe, NY United States)
Great book. It takes you from the very beginnings of Rome to the time of the first Emperor. The amazing thing is that the history of the city is all tied to one special amulet that is passed on from one generation to another. As the amulet changes hands, so does the city of Rome, going from one leader or form of government to another. Awesome book! It keeps you captivated from beginning to end. I love Steven Saylor's books!!!!
A superb interpretation of Roman history June 24, 2010
Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States)
"Roma" is essentially the story of ancient Rome, told in segments taking place at various times throughout Roman history. Here, the author assumes, using certain recent archaeological evidence, that the ancient Roman legends about the founding of the city by Romulus and Remus, were in fact based upon actual events. The author makes this hypothesis seem quite plausible. True or not, this book is great fun and a great read. Saylor shows us ancient Rome as it undoubtedly was: powerful, corrupt, violent, with plenty of rich living and hard dying. Despite its corruption and violence, Saylor shows us that ancient Rome invented concepts that are bedrock in today's society, such as the notion that laws must be written down so that all can read and know them, and the idea that the common people must have some voice in the operation of government. Notwithstanding all of this, Saylor also never lets us forget that Rome was very different from present day concepts of Republican government. Rome had an aristocratic class from which nearly all governmental officials derive, slavery, and featured indirect voting that effectively disenfranchised the lower class.
"Roma" is written in a somewhat distant third person; much different than Saylor's "Gordianus the Finder" series of novels about Rome which are written in the first person. While I was a bit put off at first, it works. "Roma" is extremely readable and represents a wonderful, if brief, look at ancient Rome.
Highly recommended. RJB.
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
| |
