4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Story Telling, July 30, 2008
This review is from: Assassins Of Rome, The (Hardcover)
The fourth volume in the Roman Mysteries series takes the reader to Rome. The book begins with Jonathan's birthday party and his observation that nothing good happens to him on his birthday. The celebration does go badly and the mood sets the stage for the story to follow. Jonathan's uncle Simeon appears - the first contact that Doctor Mordecai has had with his brother-in-law since the impending siege of Jerusalem by the Roman army. Simeon was a Zealot during the war and fought on when Doctor Mordecai fled Jerusalem with Miriam and the infant Jonathan; his wife, however, had elected to stay in the doomed city for an unknown reason. We are left wondering if Simeon is one of the assassins of the title and why did Jonathan's mother stay behind.
Caroline Lawrence spins an interesting and delightfully complex tale and brings ancient Rome to life with its colorful people, magnificent sights and an idea of how the city may have smelled. Her descriptions of Nero's Golden House are impressive and intricate. Also of particular interest is the description of the apartment block that Simeon and Jonathan take a room in which harkens back to the poems of Martial. I must confess that having finished this book I considered it the best of the series so far; but having said that, I reminded myself that I thought the same of the prior books too. Each volume in the Roman Mysteries series is a great read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Assassins of The Assassns of Rome, March 8, 2004
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Assassins Of Rome, The (Hardcover)
I think this book is amazing and outstanding. I think anyone should read it. I rated it 5 stars because it puts so many things in perspective from the world. This is my favorite mystery book. Everything in the book has a lot of details. Again I think you should read it right now.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"It's My Fault That Mother Died...", August 9, 2010
This review is from: Assassins Of Rome, The (Hardcover)
It is Jonathan de Mordecai's eleventh birthday, and despite the presence of his friends Flavia, Nubian and Lupus, he's feeling a little apprehensive. Something bad always happens on his birthday, and sure enough, a visit from the local magistrate informs the family that a dangerous assassin known as Simeon is on the loose, and could be targeting Jonathan's father.
Yet things may not be as bad as they appear: only a few chapters in, we learn that the assassin is actually Jonathan's uncle - the brother of his missing mother. He is on an important secret mission to Rome, and under the cover of darkness, he shares some astonishing news with his nephew. Refusing to be left behind, Jonathan accompanies Simeon to Rome, ignorant to the fact that his father has just been arrested. Hot on his tail are Flavia, Nubian and Lupus, hoping to stop their friend before he does something that gets him killed.
"The Assassins of Rome" marks the first installment in this series that is specifically character-centric. Up until now the children have shared the spot-light, but "Assassins" definitely belongs to Jonathan. Likewise, it is less of a mystery as it is a mission, for Jonathan accompanies his uncle to Rome in the hopes of finding what happened to his long-lost mother.
Previous books have mentioned the siege of Jerusalem by Roman legions in 70AD, and Lawrence draws upon the bloody aftermath of that event in order to shape the context of this plot. No one, either adult or child, will walk away from this book without a rudimentary understanding of what happened and why, as well as the major figures that were involved. As Jonathan uncovers the sad story about his mother's past and her current whereabouts, Lawrence draws upon themes of child abandonment and religious persecution - and the potentially frightening idea that a child may not be the most important factor in a parent's life.
With his low self-esteem and rather self-deprecating nature, Jonathan suffers under the implication that he's responsible for his mother's disappearance, particularly after overhearing a conversation between his father and uncle that confirms his guilt. Lawrence takes him on a journey of discovery through the streets of Rome and into the old Emperor's palace, guided by a little girl who lives in secret behind the walls. Meanwhile, his friends uncover what the assassins are *really* doing in the city, and find their own way into the palace...
Historical figures such as Emperor Titus, his brother Domitian, and his ex-paramour Berenice have important roles to play, in keeping with their real-life personalities, and other original characters are introduced or explored further. Particularly delightful is the young Jewish girl Rizpah, who lives in the darkness of the palace's secret passages and tunnels, and who is implied to be an albino who hides herself away from the sun (though in an odd oversight, Lawrence describes her as having pink eyes; despite this widespread belief, albino eyes are usually grey or blue - it just bugs me). Other than that, Lawrence once again finds the perfect balance of interesting and relevant historical tidbits to weave into her story, without getting too bogged down with displaying her extensive research to the detriment of the plot.
At times the two plot strands that are at work throughout most of the book change too often between paragraphs, flitting back and forth in a choppy manner to the point where you begin to lose track of what's happening, but "The Assassins of Rome" is more character-driven than previous installments, and has the usual plot twist that manages to be neither convoluted nor obvious.
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