Share for friends:

Read SPQR VII: The Tribune's Curse (2004)

SPQR VII: The Tribune's Curse (2004)

Online Book

Genre
Series
Rating
4.06 of 5 Votes: 1
Your rating
ISBN
0312304897 (ISBN13: 9780312304898)
Language
English
Publisher
st. martin's griffin

SPQR VII: The Tribune's Curse (2004) - Plot & Excerpts

This is a vivid retelling of a critical moment in the history of the Late Roman Republic, and is accurate. Yes, the Tribune Ateius Capito did pronounce a bizarre curse upon Crassus as he left Rome, which led to the purification rites described herein; only the historical Ateius did live for a few more years to die in the Civil Wars -- but that is a minor discrepancy I'm willing to overlook.However, I am giving this only three stars because Roberts was sloppy in resolving his plot: Decius Caecilius Metellus is given two tasks to complete: uncover the murderer of Ateius (which he does) & to report to a special committee of religious dignitaries who revealed the secret name of Rome (which he does not).* Yes, he does identify a possible source for this secret name, but Decius never reports his discovery to the religious dignitaries; Roberts gets distracted by the doings involved with Decius' other task & never bothers to resolve this issue -- although it would have only taken a page or two somewhere in the middle. If you can handle that oversight, however, this is a ripping yarn & worth your time to read.* I don't consider sharing this information as spoilers. One reads a mystery, one expects a murderer to be identified and punished. Only in this case, the murderer is a surprise.

I enjoyed this book as I have all of this series. However, it's a problem sometimes when two historical novels have widely different descriptions of people and also different interpretations of events. After reading Colleen McCullough's series I'm inclined to accept her interpretations, which I keep telling myself are not necessarily more correct than Mr. Roberts'. After all, these people lived and these events happened too long ago for any of us to be sure of what exactly happened. Hers are more convincing, though. That said, the mystery is interesting and the solution a surprise and the story is entertaining. So really, why quibble?

What do You think about SPQR VII: The Tribune's Curse (2004)?

Another of Roberts' Decius the Younger detective stories. Ripping through them like peanuts. This time, the famous Crassus and his departure to Parthia. The incident where he was cursed is correct and the centre of the novel. Roberts brings this incident to life, however, after reading a few in this series, is the detection proving to be not sufficiently well laid out to the reader? It seems as if our hero walks through Rome several times, collects clues, has an epiphany, and identifies the kill
—Ian

Another solid outing from Roberts, this time the hero just fresh back from Gaul and running for the dubious honor of the office of Aedile. Set just as Crassus sets out for his doomed campaign to defeat the Parthians, our hero Decius Metellus the younger is caught up in yet another mystery.This time the mystery is twofold and appears separate, and is even more complex and mystical than ever before. The writing is solid and enjoyable, with plenty of historical information and insights into ancient Rome.One thing I truly appreciate and enjoy about this series is how seriously and honestly John Maddox Roberts takes the faith, superstitions, and beliefs of the time period. His narrator, Senator Metellus, is very Roman and finds non-Roman ideas and behavior strange and even suspicious. He presents the beliefs and religion of the people non-ironically, and the hero is not the typical "only skeptic in the time period who is just like modern man" that so many writers of historical fiction do.A solid mystery with fascinating details, another fine read.
—Christopher Taylor

Decius is back in Rome to stand for election 3 years after the last book having spent the interim in Gaul with Caesar. Crassus sets out to conquer Parthia and a tribune curses him, true story, on his way out of town in a majorly nasty way. That tribune washes up in the river a few days later and the city is ready to erupt into rioting. The priests set Decius to figure out how the tribune knew the things he said in his curse and then Pompey and Milo assign him the task of finding the murderer of the tribune who did it. We learn about lots of strange religious beliefs and the complex machinations of empire as Decius works his way to a resolution.
—Argum

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Read books by author John Maddox Roberts

Read books in series spqr

Read books in category Fiction