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A Mist of Prophecies A Novel of Ancient Rome Steven Saylor 9780312983772 Books

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A Mist of Prophecies A Novel of Ancient Rome Steven Saylor 9780312983772 Books

We're used to Gordianus being perfect. He doesn't have sex outside marriage, doesn't drink or eat to excess, is always very serious, professional, etc. Well, in this book he is seduced by a woman, and for the first time in his life, he has secrets from his family.

In a way I understood, Bethesda was sick, and his family were driving him crazy. There's violence in the forum and they want him to stay home all day, and there are debts piling up.

The story was fascinating, another great whodunit that was totally unpredictable, and unlike Last Seen In Massilia, not a disappointed when you discovered who the killer was.


Tags : A Mist of Prophecies: A Novel of Ancient Rome [Steven Saylor] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>In the year 48 B.C., Rome is in the midst of Civil War. As Pompey and Julius Caesar fight for control of the Republic,Steven Saylor,A Mist of Prophecies: A Novel of Ancient Rome,St. Martin's Paperbacks,0312983778,Mystery & Detective - General,Crime & mystery,FICTION Mystery & Detective General,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction Mystery & Detective Historical,Fiction-Mystery & Detective,General Adult,Historical,MASS MARKET,MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE FICTION,Mystery & Detective - Historical,MysterySuspense

A Mist of Prophecies A Novel of Ancient Rome Steven Saylor 9780312983772 Books Reviews

"Mist of Prophecies" is the latest installment of Steven Saylor's Sub-Rosa series. Immediately it is one of his best and most enjoyable works to date. The book is good enough to be read on it's own but is best enjoyed by checking out the previoius 2 novels, "Rubicon" and "Last Seen In Massalia", (Checkout the great review by the reviewer Booksforabuck.) Changed by the vicissitudes of time, we see our protagonist, Gordianus the Finder older and more worldly and confronted with the tragic death of his intriguiging lover Cassandra. A seeress of unknown origin who dies in his arms and who's prophecies were urgently sought after by some of Rome's leading matrons. At the funeral, no one attends except the very same group of women observing the funeral rite from a discrete distance. Here is an excellent view at the behind-the-scenes look at the feminine Roman mindset. There are numerous flashbacks that reveals the plot and Gordianus' state of mind in an interesting way that is at once personal and prosaic. Notice, as we age it is natural to reminisce and Gordianus does that in a such a way to make his dilemma of loss and pain all the more real and convincing. Looking back at the past plots from the earlier books (makes you want to re-read, the Venus Throw and Murder On The Appian Way), brings Mist of Prophecies in sharp focus to the state of affairs in Rome, (the fall of the Republic) and the rise of Ceasar.
The similarities between ancient Rome and our world and are so close that there is much to consider; economic upheavals with a poplulation deep in debt, war, rogue politicians causing trouble and plenty of grandstanding and intrigue to keep you awake at night. A must read. Enjoy!
For those long-time fans of Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa mysteries, "A Mist of Prophecies" is a deeply satisfying return after several years' gap between it and Saylor's "Last Seen in Massilia."
The shocking conclusion of Massilia is referenced, but Gordianus' problems with his own family take backstage to the chaos of Rome during Civil War. Both Pompey and Caesar have moved east to the ultimate battle between them for control of the Roman world. Left behind, the capitol seethes in financial collapse, rumor, and fear. Into this, a beautiful, half-mad seeress, Cassandra, explodes into Gordianus' life. Dying in his arms in the Forum, we then backtrack through Gordianus' meetings with her and her involvement in the intrigues taking place in the paranoid world in which Caesar and Pompey, far away, are determining Rome's future. In discovering why she died, we meet some of Rome's most famous women, each of whom may be a suspect and each of whom is deeply involved with the desperate civil struggle playing out all around them.
The women are sketched with particular vividness. We have met Fulvia and Clodia before in earlier novels. I particularly enjoyed Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, whose small but highly memorable part in the mystery makes her far more interesting than the little that is known from history. Old friends Milo and Caelius also help turn the plot.
Saylor easily balances the personal woes of Gordianus with the the larger canvas of war and intrigue. I found it consistently satisfying and, in its surprise ending, I suspect we may look forward to the next in the series as a completely different change of pace.
Although I missed actually seeing Caesar and Cicero in the novel (both are in the East), this is a fun, refreshing, and energetic read and - as always with Saylor - you will learn something about Rome. Enjoy it!
I'm a big fan of Saylor's Gordianus series and gladly give four or five stars to the other "Roma sub rosa" books. But this one volume in the series is a disappointment on several counts. First, Gordianus starts an affair that's totally out of character for him, as a person who's normally all about truth and integrity. Second, the book is written in alternating chapters that jump between two timelines in a very jarring way; it's a dumb literary device that detracts from Saylor's skill as a writer. Third, the plot isn't much fun, it's just Gordianus visiting a series of potential suspects until things fall into place.

Last but not least, the edition of this book is overflowing with appalling (and sometimes hilarious) typos due to poor text recognition software. Clearly no attempt was made to clean it up with even the most basic spelling checks. I know that's not Saylor's fault, but there's no good place to point it out except in a review. The fact is that 's versions of books often do a disservice to their authors and readers, and should be ashamed to be charging normal paperback prices for digital books of such poor quality.

I wish I could just say, "skip this book," but aspects of it carry over to the next one, The Judgment of Caesar -- and that volume is excellent, so it would be a shame to miss the background you need to fully enjoy it.
Torn about this book. I very much enjoyed seeing all the women of Rome, the power behind the scenes. The timing is perfect because all the men are off doing Civil War things and so the women are left in more control than usual at least openly. I however very much disliked Gordianus in this entry. The mystery itself was nicely tied up with a couple blinds that I missed, probably because I was so annoyed with the way the Finder was acting.
We're used to Gordianus being perfect. He doesn't have sex outside marriage, doesn't drink or eat to excess, is always very serious, professional, etc. Well, in this book he is seduced by a woman, and for the first time in his life, he has secrets from his family.

In a way I understood, Bethesda was sick, and his family were driving him crazy. There's violence in the forum and they want him to stay home all day, and there are debts piling up.

The story was fascinating, another great whodunit that was totally unpredictable, and unlike Last Seen In Massilia, not a disappointed when you discovered who the killer was.