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Book Review by Germanicus AD69 : The Year of four Emperors, by Gwyn Morgan, reads like a commentary of Tacitus as a classical author as much as it does as a commentary of the events discussed. All the major events are covered, and for one not having read "The Histories", were depicted wonderfully, and often in the words of Tacitus himself. Morgan does go further than this however, by looking at the three sources that discuss the year in question with any detail, Suetonius, Plutarch and of course Tacitus. Dio is most often dismissed in Morgans account. Morgan makes the point that Tacitus is often misunderstood by modern scholars, who do not understand the rhetorical devices he uses, and that were expected at the time, this feeling runs through the whole book. It interested me to find out that the very fact that his Annals and History are both written in an Annal form, is not because he chose to, but was just the way it had to be done if one was writing a "History". Biography had a different form to be followed (ala Suetonius), as did so called "lesser" forms of literature. Some very interesting details are bought to light, particularly with regard to the demeanor of the various Armies fighting, mutinying and sacking throughout Italy at the time, and what (or who) lead them to their actions. The Praetorian Guard are given a similar treatment, with the suggestion that in the period they may not have been as fickle as some have thought. Some of the commanders serving under Vitellius, Otho, and before him Galba were adept at changing sides for profit and/or power, and Morgan illustrates his belief that more often than not in this period, mutiny occurred because the commander in charge desired it for political or financial reasons, but that it was Commanders, rather than the rank and file, who wanted to manipulate events. Also interesting was the negative view one gets of Paulinus (of Boudicca fame) as a second guessing, time wasting delayer when working under Otho, despite his mammoth reputation as a General at the time. Galba appears as the old, flea-bitten stick in the mud, Otho the jealous but ultimately self sacrificing plotter(he could have continued the war), Vitellius the hapless fool who fell into Emperorship and mistakenly thought he was up to the task, and Vespasian the careful, calculating slow and steady mover he was, they were spin doctors all. ...more Book Reviews! The Venus Throw by Steven Saylor Latin Via Ovid by Goldman and Nyenhuis There Is No Crime For Those Who have Christ by M. Gaddis Morgan for the most part does resist the temptation to make sweeping generalizations, and carefully weighs one authors account against another, and then combined with other factors such as inscriptions about the men involved and any potential author bias, puts forth his case strongly demonstrating clearly why and how he has reached his conclusions. While not what I would call an "edge of my seat" read, for anyone interested in the events of that fateful year, and for a resource gathering together often conflicting accounts of these events, I think it well worth reading. Tell us your opinion - Submit your Review - Buy the book! Book Review of AD69 : The Year of four Emperors - Related Topic: Year of the Four Emperors Bibliography Get it now! The Year of four Emperors for the UK ________________________________

Book Review by Flavius Valerius Constantinus The Venus Throw is one of nine volumes in the Roma Sub Rosa series written by Steven Saylor. The exposition of The Venus Throw is set in mid-January 56 B.C. at mainly Rome. To those who know about it, that year was the year when Julius Caesar defeated the Veneti in the most decisive battle by naval action in the Battle of Gulf of Morbihan. Other events of the year 56 B.C. is tied nicely well into the novel. Our main character is a certain man named Gordianus the Finder. His service is sought for by many because of his great reputation. Through his reputation and dealings, he quite often is involved in the political fray. His wife is a half-Jewish slave named Bethesda, belonging to him, that he married in a previous book and the product of their marriage is a child called Diana (Gordiana). Other characters that make this book of great interest are the Clodii gens(mainly featuring Clodia and Clodius) , Marcus Caelius Rufus, Catullus the poet, Cicero, Cassius Dio, Belbo, Meto, and Trygonian the Cybelen priest. Characters with no appearance but yet tie greatly into the plot are Caesar, Pompey, senators, and many others. All these characters are of great intrigue that makes the novel a true mystery novel. The plot is really wonderful, it includes what every Romanophile would be interested in. The story starts out with two strange visitors to Rome in search of Gordianus. One is an ambassador, Dio, and the other Trygonian, an enauch priest. They come to ask Gordianus to help keep Dio alive, but Gordianus rejects because he knows that this request is impossible. Dio is murdered before the next day. But who would want to kill Dio and for what purpose? Thus, Gordianus ventures on a dangerous case that will involve politics, murder, scandals, poisoning, revenge, and sex. Can it get any better, certainly yes. There are two main intrigue in this novel. One is when someone trys to poison Clodia. Clodia then accuses her former lover Marcus Caelius Rufus of trying to poison her. It results in a trial, well you know how it ends, with the Pro Caelio speech of Marcus Tullius Cicero, Marcus Caelius Rufus is acquitted. The second is about Roman interests in Aegyptus, which plays a huge reason in why Dio is murdered. So how does these two intrigues connect? Well you just have to read it and find out. In terms of cultural and historal authenticity, it is portrayed really well. Everything that occurs in the plot is almost accurate that you can relate to Roman culture sensibly. Most interestingly about the book is the essence of a Roman family which the novel uses the family of Gordianus as a prime innovative example of the Roman household. But don't read into the Roman family stuff because the family of Gordianus can be easily compared to any other modern family. The reason why Saylor might not go into full detail about the Roman household is because that there may be too much complications with the other aspects of the story that has to be focused on. All in all, this book rates five senators out of five senators, according to the Ursus system. This book is highly recommendable if one wants a Roman novel that can compare to the HBO Rome series, with the exception of the promiscuous sex. Throughout the whole book, there has never been on dull moment thanks to the strong plotline that runs smoothly while interesting at the same time. Remember these aspects: politics, murder, scandals, poisoning, revenge, sex, and others found in The Venus Throw will make your time. ...more Book Reviews! The Lion's Brood by Rafael Scott Woman of Stone by Debra Tash Pompeii by Robert Harris Steven Saylor (born March 23, 1956) is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and classics. Saylor's best-known work is his Roma Sub Rosa historical mystery series, set in ancient Rome. The novels' hero is a detective named Gordianus the Finder, active during the time of Sulla, Cicero, Julius Caesar, and Cleopatra. Outside this crime novel series, Saylor has also written two epic-length historical novels about the city of Rome, Roma and Empire. His work has been published in 21 languages. Saylor has also written two novels set in Texas. A Twist at the End, featuring O. Henry, is set in Austin in the 1880s and based on real-life serial murders and trials (the case of the so-called Servant Girl Annihilator). Have You Seen Dawn? is a contemporary thriller set in a fictional Texas town, Amethyst, based on Saylor's hometown, Goldthwaite, Texas. Tell us your opinion - Submit your Review - Buy the book! Book Review of The Venus Throw: A Mystery of Ancient Rome - Related Topic: Venus Bibliography Get it now! The Venus Throw for the UK ________________________________ Archive