Customer Reviews

The Judgment of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've read all Saylor's books since "Roman Blood" over a decade ago, and have watched him deepen in texture and subtlety in the process. His marvelous fictional detective, Gordianus the Finder, is a Roman private eye in Rome during the time of Julius Caesar and the late Republic. Saylor has always been (unlike many others in the "Roman gumshoe" novels, now so popular) meticulous in his research and takes a given historical set of facts, then plays with their possibilities without straying from history as we know it. However, of the history we do know, there is much that can be questioned, and no one is better at finding out the truth than Gordianus.

I have noticed, particularly since his "Last Seen in Massilia," that Saylor seems to have lately gone beyond simply writing a good historical mystery, which may account for some reviewers' who don't like this book for precisely the reason I find it one of his best.

Saylor no longer hangs his entire plot around a murder, but has branched out, as his fictional characters have developed, into a more mature and complex web. At the same time, the actual historical period he's entered is one of the most amazing periods in all world history - the Civil War brought on between Caesar and the Republicans, after Caesar crosses the Rubicon. Many long books ago, Gordianus' adopted son, Meto, became a staff aid to Caesar when he was just another ambitious general in the provinces. Now, of course, it's 48 BC and Caesar, having destroyed Pompey's armies, rules the Roman world. Personal events bring Gordianus and his wife, Bethesda, to Alexandria just at the time that Pompey has fled there after his defeat by Caesar at Pharsalus, seeking to grasp Egypt's riches to save his cause. Caesar follows hot on his heels, with much the same plan. Gordianus, Meto - even Bethesda - are caught in this web of shifting allegiance, lies, betrayal, high politics, and stunning world characters; thus this book becomes much more than just a simple murder mystery. Gordianus is strengthened in his character of the staunch Republican who prefers truth to diplomatic truths and integrity to self-aggrandizement - but you will see what it brings him in this new, raw, Roman world.

I've studied much about Alexandria in Caesar's time, but I recall no book that made me 'see' its magnificent streets and temples, its tempestuous mobs and tortuous rulers, as clearly as Saylor does in "The Judgment of Caesar." Just as his plots are much richer than before, so the very title speaks to many facets of the plot - the most important being, how Caesar's judgments, large and small, right or wrong, are now capable of changing the Roman world. Whether adversaries succeed in twisting his judgment, is part of the fun of the story. The murder is integral to the story and I found it well written and well solved; but it's only one of the pleasures of this book.

I've written at length on Caesar, Pompey, and Cleopatra in my own web site, but Saylor also finds a fascinating twist in his view of King Ptolemy - and deftly weaves that into the facts of history as we know it, as if he was painting in the backdrop for historical characters to strut before.

I would highly recommend this book for those who want a good touch of mystery, but far more well-written fictional history. Saylor just gets better.

S. Cross
Web Author, Julius Caesar: The Last Dictator

Steven Saylor's novels about Gordianus the Finder of Ancient Rome have not only been one of the most consistently compelling historical mystery series written, the individual volumes have grown over time in depth and power. And "The Judgment of Caesar" continues in that path. The Gordianus books unlike most "historical mysteries do not merely use the past as a setting for the stories, but instead employ great historical figures and real events as the driving motors behind the plots. The reader is carried through a succession of events in one of the most tumultuous eras of Roman history, the mid-First Century BCE when the old Republic was dying and the emergence of the Empire was not far distant. But at the same time, the novels are also very much about the evolving story of Gordianus himself as the years pass, ever challenged by the stresses and pains of life. For that reason, the stories are best read in sequence, and a reader of "The Judgment of Caesar" would be deprived of much of the force of this novel without previous familiarity with what has passed over the decades before with Gordianus, his wife, and his children. Yes, there is a mystery to be solved in the midst of the rest of the plot, but it is virtually secondary in comparison with historical events and what is happening regarding Gordianus's personal life, right up to the enigmatic ending.

Saylor's Gordianus novels are without doubt among the very best historical mystery series ever written, works of genuine complexity and subtlety. Inevitably, comparison will be made with Lindsey Davis's Marcus Didius Falco series set a century and more later in Rome. As much as I enjoy Davis's books, their tone is utterly different, being in part a pastiche of contemporary hard-boiled detective stories - Sam Spade in a toga - and for the most part in them history is a backdrop, not the heart of the tale. And while Falco is an engaging, wisecracking character, Steven Saylor's Gordianus is much more a genuine fallible human being in whom we can find ourselves.

Steven Saylor has been an occasional guest on educational TV commenting upon the history and cultural mores of ancient Rome. This expertise clearly is evident in the way in which the past is brought to life in his excellent series of books dealing with Gordianus the Finder. The title "Finder" describes Saylor's hero - a amn who seeks to "find' the truth in the labyrinth of deceit and half truthes that seem to be the fabric of much of ancient Rome's society.
His character is neither young nor dashing but possesses several endearing, old fashioned qualities - a commitment to truth and honor. He no longer moves as easily as he once did as he enters his early sixties but that allows him to seek the assistance of others in his family circle. This circle provides support as well as more than a few challenges and one of the interesting things done by Mr. Saylor is to bring forward the conflict with his son, Meto, that led to their estrangement in the last book in the series.
All this is done in the rich backdrop of the Egyptian city of Alexandria. Gordianus has gone to Egypt with his critically ill wife, bethesda, who believes that the cure for the illness causing her to waste away will be found in the mystical waters of the god-river, the Nile. The setting provides the reader with a wonderful stage upon which the historic romance of Caesar and Cleopatra is begun.
Our hero watches the cruel betrayal and death of Pompey at the hands of Ptolemy, is present when the rug with Cleopatra is unrolled in front of Caesar, and witnesses the death of Cleopatra's taster. The last is the crime for which Gordianus must find the answer as his son, Meto, is charged with not only that death but an attempt upon the life of Caesar himself.
Saylor remains true to the history of the period and his historical notes at the end of the novel are an interesting read as well. But more than history, Saylor writes a strong story with a hero who is at once vulnerable and strong, richly human and given to deep feelings of loyalty, kinship, honor and familial love. He deals with all of the great personalities who inhabit the world of the declining days of the Roman Republic. We get to view the end of that institution through the eyes of a man who influences and who, in turn, is influenced by the likes of Cato, Caesar, Cicero and Pompey. He has aged and like the Republic itself is slowly coming to the end of his time. It remains to be seen how the last four years of Caesar's life will intertwine with that of Gordianus in future stories.
For those who love a well written historical mystery, this book comes highly recommended. Saylor lays out the answer to the mystery if a perceptive reader can but put them together like the pieces of a fine Roman mosaic. But beyond that, the author offers the reader a picture of a Rome that is rapidly transforming and of a character, Gordianus, whose notions of human decency and honor hearken back to a better time. The latest story in the Gordianus saga resolved at least one major story line in a way which left this reader both satisfied and looking forward to the author's next instalment in the series.

This is the best fiction book I have read in the past year. (I read about 50 books a year- and would probably pick "Collapse" by Diamond as a slightly better book read in the past year but it is nonfiction). "The Judgement of Caesar" slightly edged out "A Plot Against America" which also deserves kudos.

The only thing I would say is- read the previous books before this one. I read the first two and enjoyed them a lot, and ran across this in the library so picked it up. I wish I hadn't (because I wish I had read the intervening books first!). However, I could barely put the book down.. then I entered that state where I wanted to keep the reading experience alive so started trying to read it really slow.

Anyway, he does a fantastic job of bringing Caesar, Pompey, Ptolemy and Cleopatra to life- he both uses their original (as historians recorded) dialog and gives them incredibly believable personas. Perhaps slightly anachronistic, but barely.

Add to this the incredible personal journey of Gordianus and this book is simply incredible. His relationships with Bethesda and Meto are explored and deep.

A little bit of philosophizing thrown in with the immersion in Rome like I have never found anywhere else (I like reading Byzantium history on the side so have a prediliction for the ancient times) and this is simply fantastic.

Something about the characters in this book made them stand out as solid, real, and you worry about them. The murder mystery is incidental to the plot (of the protagonists growth) , but is very well done nonetheless. Most of the way into the book I wondered "where is the mystery?" and then I thought "who cares I don't want it anyway". Then when it came along it was executed meticulously. You won't be disappointed with this book

Steven Saylor has done it again! I waited anxiously for this book to come out and it was worth the wait!

I've been a fan of this series since it began with "Roman Blood", and devour each new installment in the series as soon as they become available. The main character, Gordianus, is now in his later years and taking his wife home to Alexandria in hopes of curing an unnamed and mysterious illness that is wasting her away. Things take a turn when they become embroiled in the politics and battles of Pompey and Julius Caesar (for whom Gordianus' adopted & disowned son Meto is a close companion). To me, all this is a backdrop for an event I have been hoping for - the reunion of Gordianus & Meto. If you don't tear up a little when they finally reunite, you're heartless. The only part that left me wondering was the ending. I won't spoil it here for anyone that didn't read it, but something happens at the very end (the last few pages) that had me scratching my head. I'm sincerely hoping the author will resolve it in the next installment.

Regardless of the headscratcher at the end, I can't recommend this book and the entire series enough. Run, don't walk, to a bookstore, library, or anywhere you can find them all.

When a storm blows his ship off course, Roman investigator Gordianus is captured by the one man who most hopes to see him dead--Pompey the Great. Before he can carry out his threats, however, Pompey himself is killed by the Egyptian king, Ptolemy and Gordianus makes his way to Alexandria just in time to see Julius Caesar taking control. Caesar intends to secure Egypt as a base, ensure that Pompey's allies cannot use it agaisnt him, and then move on but the conflict between Ptolemy and his sister/wife/rival, Cleopatra threatens Caesar's peace.

Cleopatra and Ptolemy both use every persuasion possible to encourage Caesar to chose them as the singular ruler of Egypt. In the course of this persuasion, Gordianus's estranged son, Meto, is accused as an attempted assassin and Gordianus realizes that he will lose his son forever if he doesn't do his best detecting ever. Unfortunately, if Meto isn't the poisoner, either Ptolemy or Cleopatra probably is--and Caesar is unwilling to allow either of them to be accused.

Author Steven Saylor spins a convincing and gripping tale of Egypt in the dying days of the Roman Republic. Egypt's wealth makes it a treasure that Rome must have, but its mysterious religions and its concepts of god-king make it anathema to republican Romans like Gordianus. Saylor deepens the mystery and the reader's emotional involvement in the story by making Gordianus a fascinating and complex character. His love for his wife (despite an affair), his torn feelings for Meto, and his wish for the republican virtues of a vanishing Rome engaged my sympathies and increased my investment in the story and in Gordianus finding a solution to what seemed an insolvable problem. Indeed, the actual Judgment of Caesar comes down to solving the unsolvable.

Saylor's strong writing and fascinating insights into history add to the book's appeal. THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR is a winner.

The latest in the excellent series featuring Gordianus the finder is not among the very best in the series, but Saylor is so far ahead of his competitors that even a near miss reads like a direct hit! The only other writer who even belongs on the shelf with Saylor is Lindsay Davis, and her quasi-comic novels, set in the Rome of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, are to Saylor's books what asti spumati is to aged burgundy.

Saylor's stories are set in the Rome of legend, when the Republic is crumbling and the Empire of the Caesars is being born. This Rome that Saylor unveils to us is utterly real, strangely familiar; even the smells are convincing. The people are real as well, reminding us of people we have known -- or heard about, and wished that we might know -- or felt grateful not to know! Best of all, Gordianus is a man whose very flaws make him more admirable, because more human. His fundamental decency raises the character, hence the series, to the level of literature.

In comparison, Davis's worldly, cynical "Falco" seems callow. (And I say this as a reader who owns every book Davis every published, along with all of Saylor's books.) Oh, if only Saylor could write these little masterpieces as quickly as I can read them!

Gordianus's wife Bethesda believes that she can be cured of her debilitating ailment if she can only bathe in the Nile. She and Gordianus sail to Alexandria, accompanied by the mute Rupa and the two slave boys Mopsus and Androcles. No sooner does their ship get blown off course by a horrific storm than they are intercepted by none other than Pompey, a sworn enemy of Gordianus. And so begins the calamitous voyage to Egypt. This is a swashbuckling melodrama full of intrigue, narrow escapes, sexual innuendo, and horror that unfolds in the wake of Caesar's arrival in Alexandria to play peacemaker in the war between Ptolemy and his sister Cleopatra. The central mystery story kicks off when Gordianus's son Meto is accused of trying to assassinate Caesar. All the evidence points toward him. But Gordianus is sure that someone has framed Meto. But who? Cleopatra? Ptolemy? They both see Meto as a rival for Caesar's affection. They both have a motive. And both of them hinder his investigation at every turn. Or could it be someone else? THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR contains some very witty writing on Saylor's part and it's also fast moving and suspenseful. The mystery was intriguing and the clever plot surprised me a couple of times. And, as usual, I learned a lot about Roman history.

This volume seems more of a sequel than any of the previous novels in the Sub Rosa series. This is not a good place to start. The three volumes immediately preceding THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR (RUBICON, LAST SEEN IN MASSILIA and A MIST OF PROPHECIES) are important prerequisites. But like all the other books in this series, this one is tremendously entertaining. I'll give THE JUDGMENT OF CAESAR three stars and the Sub Rosa series five stars.

I very much liked Steven Saylor's writing - the initial chapter

describing an encounter with a storm at sea off Alexandria

gripped me, and provoked my own visual images, much more

effectively than most such descriptive writing does in

adulthood. There are a number of books, indeed series,

that put detective stories in a Roman setting, and the

overall standard is quite strong. This one however is

a bit ahead of the pack in terms of unquestionable, although

not slavishly used, scholarly background, and emotional insight.

I will immediately look for other titles by the same author,

who was unknown to me before this book. For those who have

seen the excellent HBO series "Rome", you will wonder if the

writers on that series had read this book - although I am

suggesting inspiration not plagiarism, and I am not sure

the date of publication would have made it possible for

there to be any cross-fertilization. However the book

does focus on the same period as Rome Series 1, and the

same struggle between Pompey and Caesar as a plot driver.

Although this latest Gordianus novel contains little mystery, Saylor's writing is still mesmerizing and sensual. Reading these novels out of order is absolutely not recommended, but faithful readers will be rewarded, as usual. I am a bit worried, though - is this the last Gordianus novel? Say it isn't so, Mr. Saylor!