Customer Reviews

House of the Vestals: Investigations of Gordianus the Finder

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I can't get enough of Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder, and this marvelous collection of short stories was like opening a box of Godiva chocolates - each one is delicious! I have read nearly all of the Roma Sub Rosa series featuring the wonderfully human, intelligent, and dedicated Gordianus, and come to think of him almost as an extended family member. For other Gordianus-aholics, this collection of stories nicely fills in the gaps left in the longer novels - finally we find out all about the night Catilina raped a Vestal...or did he? We hear Gordianus' sexy, sassy slave (now wife) tell tales of her native Alexandria, and we learn all about Lucius. But the best part of this collection is you need no previous experience with Gordianus to have a rollicking good time. As Gordianus winds through the streets of ancient Rome, exposing frauds, murderers, and thieves, you will be caught up in the spell Saylor's crisp writing always weaves. Warning: clear some shelf space. Once you're hooked on Gordianus, you'll want to read them all.

THE HOUSE OF THE VESTALS may be my favorite in the Sub Rosa series so far. This is a collection of nine short mysteries from the files of Gordianus the Finder. Usually the actual mystery is pretty elementary. What makes the stories so interesting is their detailed description of Roman life and the social attitudes and emotional lives of the Romans. How did the Romans celebrate their Solstice holiday? The answer is in the mystery "The Saturnalia Silver." How far would a Roman wife go to avenge a husband's infidelity? Check out my favorite story in this collection, "King Bee and Honey." Many of the regular characters from the novels appear in these stories: Gordianus' wife Bethesda (who even solves one of the mysteries), his mute son Eco, his jovial patron Lucius Claudius, his hulking bodyguard Belbo and several others. This collection is probably a pretty good introduction to the lively Sub Rosa series. If one is unsure whether he wants to begin reading a series, these stories can give a sampling of what the series is like, even if they don't have the depth or texture of the novels. Regular readers of the series can consider these the literary equivalent of extra deserts or between-meal snacks in comparison to the full-course dinners the novels offer. These are delightful stories told with charm, good humor and a dash of sex. This is a very enjoyable book.

The House Of The Vestals is very enjoyable collage of ancient Roman mystery stories loosely based on either real history or ancient folklore. And somehow Saylor's irrepressable private eye, Gordianus, winds up being a bit like Forrest Gump - he always finds himself in the middle of this historic events. All the stories are rather trifling and forgettable, but somehow very readable and enjoyable. Saylor has a very light and breezy style to his prose. And unlike his other Gordianus novels, this collection of short stories does not get bogged down with explanations of Roman history ... and so even folks who might have found Saylor's other works to be a bit dry will like The House Of The Vestals.

Bottom line: perfectly enjoyable Roman fluff. Recommended.

This is a collection of short stories centering around Gordianus the Finder, Saylor's Ancient Roman "detective" first featured in his novel, *Roman Blood.* Chronologically, these stories fall within the eight years separating the first novel and the second, *Arms of Nemesis.* The collection is useful in finding out what has happened in Gordianus's life in the interim (and some events which will come into play in later novels): how Gordianus met his noble friend Lucius Claudius and Belbo the bodyguard; how he decided to adopt Eco; watching Eco grow up from age 10 to 18; how Gordianus first met Catilina (featured in novel #3, *Catilina's Riddle*). There are some nice character details, such as a taste of young Gordianus during his days in Alexandria; another story which allows slave-concubine, Bethesda, to solve a mystery; and a tale (told by Bethesda) about an Egyptian king, a thief and a courtesan which may explain why Gordianus sometimes says he's not sure if he picked Bethesda for his concubine or she picked him.

The stories range from simple fables to interesting mysteries and all are enjoyable--sometimes amusing, sometimes tragic, sometimes both at once. Their chief attraction for me was how they advanced the character development for the series as a whole. I like Saylor a great deal, but it is frustrating that there are such large time gaps between his novels. There's an even larger gap (nine years) between *Arms of Nemesis* and the third book, *Catilina's Riddle,* and so far nothing like *The House of the Vestals* to bridge that gap. This novel series is otherwise remarkable and entertaining, and I can only hope that Saylor will produce another collection of bridging stories soon for those of us who like to watch story and character unfold gradually.

Roaming the Internet a couple of months ago I stumbled across "The House of the Vestals", a new title by Steven Saylor. Ordering the book via Amazon.com was a new experience and proved to be both simple and efficient. During my holidays in Italy - where else - I found the time to read this collection of short stories that provides us with some answers as to how Gordianus, the main character in Saylor's "Roma Sub Rosa" sequel, got his nickname "the Finder". "Roma Sub Rosa" is set in the period in Western history wherein ancient Rome was getting ready to change its government from a tormented republic to an long-lasting empire. Saylor has a broad knowledge of the era and has the ability to remodel hints in history, mostly concerning events on the byways of time, to breath-taking mysteries. Saylor's books are interesting in that they provide the reader with more than just a whodunit plot. They alo give a lot of insight in both the po! litics and everyday life in Rome around 50 B.C. Saylor evidently needs all the pages of a novel to elaborate both a gripping plot and the historical setting. He isn't able to do this within the confines of a short story. Sure, it's all there: the humor, sex and violence that the cover promises. But each plot of "House of the Vestals" is so thin that it left me with a feeling of "is that all there is?". Still, I am looking forward to his next novel.

I did enjoy the short mysteries in this book, but I must warn anyone thinking of buying it on the Kindle: it is riddled with typos. At one point the "Finder" is referred to as the "Tinder" . . . there's an annoying typo like that every few pages. Very disappointing after spending $9.99 for this book.

I did not like this book. It is not that Steven Saylor is any less erudite or any less able to create brilliant portraits of Rome during the Republic. It is just that the genre itself is not Satlor's strong point. At its best, fiction creates a bond between the reader and the characters, and most of the time that takes a certain number of words. These stories are simply too short to create any compelling relationship between the reader, author and characters. While Gordianus the Finder is in all the stories, and while Lucius Claudius is in most of the stories, they are simply too short. Saylor never has enough time to hook the reader in, to make the story compelling and gripping. Rather, before the situation even gets interesting, the story is over.

Towards the end of the book, the solutions are not even clever. While there is a certain amount of imagination in the early stories, the later ones can be solved with little work. I still admire Saylor's ability to combine history and fiction together so effortlessly; I still am amazed at how much Roman History gets imparted in the course of - at least here - very few pages. But I miss getting truly involved with the story and characters. I look forward to getting back to Saylor's strong point - the complete novels. But even when not at his best, Steven Saylor is worth reading, and you will pick up bits of history do matter how simplistic the story.

'The House of the Vestals' is Steven Saylor's first collection of short stories that fill in the gaps in the history, personal and professional of Gordianus the Finder. (Saylor later wrote 'A Gladiator Dies Only Once' to fill in even more of the blanks.)

Fans of the Roma Sub Rosa series that began in 'Roman Blood' will love these short stories. Saylor's stories are easy on the brow, enjoyable, not too taxing - the 'mysteries' are often pretty simple - but you root for Gordianus because he is a good and decent citizen.

Saylor's stories do have a serious side - they paint an admirably convincing portrait of late Republican Rome. I am by no means a scholar of ancient history, but I have read a half dozen or so histories of this era (such as 'Rubicon' by Tom Holland and 'Caesar' by Adrian Goildworthy) and he has me convinced. Saylor has a reputation for scrupulous accuracy and often cast his stroies admidst some actual event in history.

Highly recommended.

This collection of short stories about Gordianus the Finder, the Philip Marlow of the Roman Empire, shows how a fine hand at historical research can enliven the most traditional and well-tilled of genres.

Because these tales of murder, fraud and revenge would sound familiar to those who have read enough short stories, but Saylor has recast these stories with personalities, attitudes and customs that are foreign to us, and read much fresher than they would otherwise. Take for instance there's the story of the wealthy man's son who attempts to emulate Julius Caesar's arrogant behavior when he was captured by pirates. Gordianus is hired to deliver the ransom. It is easy to tell who instigated the kidnaping and why, but the story still compels us follow the thread to the end.

It helps that Gordianus is a compelling character, a man who makes a living investigating the dark side of the Roman Republic, when Julius Caesar was still a politician aspiring to become a divine dictator. He is aided sometimes by Bethesda, his Egyptian slave who sometimes acts more like his wife. Even his mute adopted son, Eco, plays a crucial role in the story of the actor murdered backstage during a performance.

The Roman era has been well-served by writers such as Saylor and Lindsay Davis. For those interested in the era who haven't made Gordianus' acquaintance, this book offers an ideal introduction.

My problem with Steven Saylor's "mysteries" is that they are not, in any meaningful sense, mysteries: as a sleuth, Gordianus is little better than mediocre, and we are not able to see him, in any way, developing anything approaching a trail of sustained thought allowing him to unravel a complex, dark intrigue; what matters in the Roma Subrosa novels is the sensitive reconstruction of the historical setting of Late Republican Rome, which, in the larger novels, always gives the impression of physical accuracy, as one almost feels that Saylor is describing living experience - not a lesser accomplishment when you think of it. Therefore the fact that, in this short-stories volume, one feels the absence of the usual broader historical canvases;neverthless, there's always a reasonable amount of savvy, racy, lush, almost physical prose that allows for sustained interest and makes it impossible to put down the book.