17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A great big mess., September 22, 2004
This review is from: Atticus of Rome, 30 B.C. (The Life and Times Series) (Hardcover)
I was very much looking forward to this book, as I am a big fan of Barry Denenberg's books from the Royal Diaries and Dear America series, and I love historical fiction set in the ancient world. However, this book has many problems. It is the story of a young boy, Atticus, who is brought as a slave to Rome after his small village is destroyed by Roman soldiers. His sister and mother die in the attack, and Atticus and his father are separated in slavery. Atticus ends up being purchased by a wealthy and powerful lawyer, who treats him well. Eventually, Atticus becomes a spy for him, trying to find traitors to the Empire. I thought the plot of this book was good. But that's about it. First off, the writing style was terrible. The book was written more like a nonfiction book than a novel for children. I can't imagine kids enjoying the style at all. There is very little dialogue. There are also historical errors. The cover says the story is set in 30 B.C. However, in the book, Atticus says he was born in 82 B.C. This would make Atticus over 50 years old. So obviously, one of the dates was wrong. And neither date fits with the story, as Rome was still a republic until 27 B.C. The story also has some minor plotholes that don't really make sense. I really cannot recommend this book at all, due to its numerous problems. It's too bad it has so many mistakes. If not for the mistakes, I personally would have enjoyed it, although I still don't think it would have had much appeal for young readers. I don't know how the mistakes got past the editor; I suppose the publisher can be blamed for putting the wrong date on the cover.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
An unfortunate work by a good author, November 14, 2004
This review is from: Atticus of Rome, 30 B.C. (The Life and Times Series) (Hardcover)
In a story somewhat similar to "Gladiator", Atticus,a young boy, is sold to a high level Roman politician as a slave after his mother and sister were both killed by Roman soldiers, and his father was separated from him. It turns out that his owner, Master Lucius Opimius, is a spy for the Emperor, on the lookout for any traiters. Opimius eventually makes Atticus a spy himself and unexpectatly one day Atticus hears the plot to assasinate the emperor. Atticus and his Master manage the foil the assasination attempt and at the celebration festeval, Atticus meets the one person he never thought he'd see again, his father.
I'm sad that I have to give only two stars to an author whose books in the Dear America series I have thoroughlly enjoyed. Unfortunately there were just so many things wrong with Attiucs. The plot had tons of holes and the writing style was just so dull. It took me 4 days to read this book when it would usually only take me 1 if it were interesting. I don't see little kids having enough resolve to finish such a dull book that falls flat in the end. There really was no climax and I don't rememeber one time that I felt on the edge of my seat or had any anticipation. There were also other numerous mistakes that the editor should have caught but didn't. The good thing is that the other book in this series, Pandora of Athens, is quite enjoyable and should be read even if you didn't enjoy this book. Overall a big disappointment. After Pandora, I was expecting something way better than this big mess of a book.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
What happened to Atticus?, October 25, 2004
This review is from: Atticus of Rome, 30 B.C. (The Life and Times Series) (Hardcover)
Atticus, a young boy, gets taken away by the
Romans to be sold as a slave just like his dad.
He is bought by a powerful Roman politician,
Master Lucius Opimius, who is a spy for the
Emperor. Atticus is favored highly and much more
than all the other slaves. He follows his master
Opimius wherever Opimius goes. One day Master
Opimius tells Atticus to spy on a wealthy man and
tell him what Atticus hears. Atticus succesfully
completes his mission and when the wealthy man
comes to a party Master Opimius and Atticus
overhear the man plotting to assasinate the
Emperor. They tell the Emperor and they prevent
the Emperor from being assasinated. After the
failed assasination attempt, the Emperor invites
Opimius and Atticus to a festival with
Gladiators. Atticus discovers that his father is
about to get killed by a gladiator. Will Atticus
be able to save his dad?
Opinion: I don't think the book was that good because
it wasn't really exciting and there really was no
climax and no close calls. The style the author
wrote the book in was real slow and not very
detailed. The plot was boring and I wasn't very
excited to read this book. I would have liked to
know what happened to Atticus when he grew up.
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