No Roads Lead to Rome [Paperback]

R.S. Gompertz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

It's 123 A.D. On the edge of the Roman Empire, a dead governor leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime. Mysteriously promoted, a senators son finds himself in an ancient world of trouble. Within days of taking office, Hispanias taxpayers are in open revolt, the legionaries depart to build Hadrian's Wall, and the once-sleepy province is rocked by slave revolts, bread riots, and fad religions. A picaresque saga steeped in humor and history, "No Roads Lead to Rome" chronicles the clumsy schemes of the new governor and his shadowy advisor, a superstitious centurion's struggle to save his faith in the faded ideals of the Republic, and a Jewish rebel's reluctant vow to change the course of history. All are pitted against the Gods, the Emperor, and the decline and fall of damn near everything. It's 123 A.D.-a time not unlike the present-and No Roads Lead to Rome.

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Via del Prat; First Edition edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982582900
• ISBN-13: 978-0982582909
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

R.S. Gompertz grew up in a suburb of the original Disneyland. Since then, he has lived and worked in France and Spain.

The inspiration for his humorous novel "No Roads Lead to Rome" came while hiking in the hills above Barcelona, Spain when he stumbled over an ancient wagon rut. The story came to him in a blinding flash that took the next 5 years to extract.

The action takes place in AD 123, a time not unlike the present, and chronicles the decline and fall of damn near everything.

"No Roads" was a semi-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest. The book has been very popular on political humor lists.

While working on "No Roads," he published a series of articles about travel and expat life, the first volume of which is now available as "The Expat's Pajamas: Barcelona" on Kindle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare wit and great observations, October 29, 2009

By 

Claudia Smith "Constant Reader" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Roads Lead to Rome (Kindle Edition)

Humor, wit, a considerable amount about Rome you never knew before, marvelous characters, antic humor and profound observations, No Roads Lead to Rome is a must read for this generation. I have not had the chance to read many authors who are this funny. It's hard to read aloud because the chuckles get in the way. The richness of this book is such that you will be arguing with friends about your favorite character. There are so many to love and hate and some with whom you cannot help but empathize even if their bizarre actions make you shake your head. They complicate their own lives in ways that are all too human. I understand there is a sequel to this book and it deserves several. This is a whole world teaming with manic motives and noble aspirations that mirror our present age with biting wit and a lot of heart. It's a great read.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Solid Writing Undone By Story, June 10, 2010

By 

Jason Golomb (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Roads Lead to Rome (Paperback)

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is strong: In the reign of Hadrian, an aging Roman warrior seeks an end to his army career; an uncaring and cantankerous governor of a Roman outpost takes control of his new post; a mysterious box contains a secret and politically explosive document. This self-published book was also attempting to take a novel approach to the sand-and-sandal epic by introducing a light and more humorous voice and approach.

Author R.S. Gompertz writing is, at times, very strong. He does a wonderful job with exposition, and his powers of description bely the fact that this is his first novel. An example as Centurion Valerius walks through the Roman province of Hispania: "The misty silhouettes of trees reached over the path like bony arms of death...The gray gloom infiltrated every wet breath that Valerius suck through his teeth." I truly enjoyed Gompertz' mood and scenery setting.

Where Gompertz fails is in the cohesiveness of the story, the dialogue and an ability to draw the reader into his characters. The story doesn't have the strong connective component from chapter to chapter, or as one transitions between scenes, that one finds in more polished work. The dialogue is stilted and I found myself re-reading conversations to try and get a comprehensive grasp of motivation and understand the base meaning of an exchange between characters (let alone trying to identify what deeper meaning there may have been).

In the end, I suspect the novel would move from a 2-star rating to a high 3 or 4 with some professional editing. Gompertz is a genuinely good writer and has a fine sense of humor. Those components alone aren't able to make up for a fractured and disconnected story.

I look forward to Gompertz securing a publishing contract and the services of a strong editor.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Roads Lead to Worms, December 27, 2009

By 

skay "Library Lady" (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Roads Lead to Rome (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns in the road. Lots of pointed humor transgressing time and pointing to the futility of mankind and our abilities to constantly screw up and then do it again and again. Almost like the Myth of Sisyphus--the rock keeps rolling over the pusher and one wonders how and why they keep getting up. A new perspective on ancient history: the true beginning of civilization. I'm glad that there is a somewhat happy ending as I got quite close to the quirky characters.