Melvadius Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 I recently found an article by Roger Pearse saying later books of the serie did not live up to his expectations, to the point he's decided not to buy them anymore : http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/?p=5178 What do you enthousiast readers think ? Any individual comment on a series as 'not very good' is always on person's opinion. Personally I tried a couple of the SPQR series touted by Pearse as 'starting dreadfully but improving' and they hit the bottom of the stairs on the way out of the house. I do know that several people here have said they also like them and cannot wait for the next in the series so it tends to be 'buyers' choice. As far as Lindsey Davis' Falco stories are concerned we have bought all of them. One or two were possibly a bit weaker than others but overall I have found the stories fairly consistent good reads and worth the time invested in them. Admittedly because of pressures of time over the last year or so my fiction reading fell to almost zero and I haven't gotten around to reading the last two in the series but my wife has and generally seemed to have enjoyed them. I really don't know what Roger Pearse's complaint about the series is even though I have read past the point he gave up on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 I recently found an article by Roger Pearse saying later books of the serie did not live up to his expectations, to the point he's decided not to buy them anymore : http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/?p=5178 What do you enthousiast readers think ? I guess I'll have to wait until I get to "The Jupiter House" and see for myself, then let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted October 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 Off topic, but do you work in a library? I'm a public library administrator. I recently found an article by Roger Pearse saying later books of the serie did not live up to his expectations, to the point he's decided not to buy them anymore : http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/?p=5178 What do you enthousiast readers think ? I think that Roger Pearse (whoever the fook he is) could not begin to imagine the immensity of the fook I do not give for his opinion. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted October 30, 2010 Report Share Posted October 30, 2010 Roger Pearse (whoever the fook he is) could not begin to imagine the immensity of the fook I do not give for his opinion. Thanks for giving me my first real belly-laugh of the weekend, Nephele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted November 3, 2010 Report Share Posted November 3, 2010 Nephele, I always wondered why Falco never mentioned Nero's Golden House in any of the books; but in the "Poseidon's Gold" he finally does as "....where Nero's Golden House use to (stand).." The year is suppose to be 71AD now. The recent thread about The Colosseum here, mentions it was officially opened in 80AD. So how come the author never mentions The Colosseum in the process of being built? Just curious. Also do you have any clue as to what year the final book in the series is suppose to take place? I know I can just wait and find out, but just wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 The recent thread about The Colosseum here, mentions it was officially opened in 80AD. So how come the author never mentions The Colosseum in the process of being built? Just curious. Actually, Lindsey Davis does mention the Colosseum being built -- in her novel Two for the Lions. I know this because that was one of the two novels in the Falco series that I read out of order. In the novel [not a spoiler] there's a lot of rivalry going on between gladiatorial schools and beast collectors, who are hopefully vying for contracts for when the Colosseum (called Vespasian's new amphitheatre) is completed. Also do you have any clue as to what year the final book in the series is suppose to take place? I know I can just wait and find out, but just wondering. Haven't a clue, and I'm avoiding trying to find out by going to Wikipedia or other sources because I don't want to spoil the story arc, now that I'm reading the novels in their correct order. If you find out, don't post it here without using spoiler blocks! -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted November 4, 2010 Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 The recent thread about The Colosseum here, mentions it was officially opened in 80AD. So how come the author never mentions The Colosseum in the process of being built? Just curious. Actually, Lindsey Davis does mention the Colosseum being built -- in her novel Two for the Lions. I know this because that was one of the two novels in the Falco series that I read out of order. In the novel [not a spoiler] there's a lot of rivalry going on between gladiatorial schools and beast collectors, who are hopefully vying for contracts for when the Colosseum (called Vespasian's new amphitheatre) is completed. Also do you have any clue as to what year the final book in the series is suppose to take place? I know I can just wait and find out, but just wondering. Haven't a clue, and I'm avoiding trying to find out by going to Wikipedia or other sources because I don't want to spoil the story arc, now that I'm reading the novels in their correct order. If you find out, don't post it here without using spoiler blocks! -- Nephele I really don't want to search out the answer either. I'll wait. Thanks for the info about "Two for the Lions". I'm almost ready for "Last Act in Palmyra". Sure hope I find out soon where that kitchen knife came from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 I really don't want to search out the answer either. I'll wait. Thanks for the info about "Two for the Lions". I'm almost ready for "Last Act in Palmyra". Sure hope I find out soon where that kitchen knife came from. Me too. I'm not quite through Poseidon's Gold yet. I'm loving Lindsey Davis' turns of phrase so much. I have to remember snarky expressions such as: "I found him about as exciting as watching a bird-bath evaporate." lol -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted November 7, 2010 Report Share Posted November 7, 2010 Well I guess I should have waited until I read the ending of PG. My question is answered there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 Nephele, I finished "Last Act in Palmyra" today and already fetched "Time to Depart" from the library. LAIP - brilliant ending! As usual Ms.Davis manages to add humor in just the right places and does it so well. This seventh book has to be one of my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nephele Posted November 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 Nephele, I finished "Last Act in Palmyra" today and already fetched "Time to Depart" from the library. LAIP - brilliant ending! As usual Ms.Davis manages to add humor in just the right places and does it so well. This seventh book has to be one of my favorites. You're leading me in Davis' books like a breakout auriga! I'm only partway through LAIP. I love the story arc of all these novels, and I especially love the way Helena Justina assists Falco in his sleuthing. They remind me so much of the patrician Nora and her somewhat seedy detective mate, Nick Charles, in those old The Thin Man movies. I know from having read a couple of the later novels (before I started reading them in order) that Falco even has a dog as Nick had. Now that I'm reading the novels in order, I'm curious as to when Nux (the counterpart to Asta) will make her first appearance. -- Nephele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted November 25, 2010 Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 Nephele, I finished "Last Act in Palmyra" today and already fetched "Time to Depart" from the library. LAIP - brilliant ending! As usual Ms.Davis manages to add humor in just the right places and does it so well. This seventh book has to be one of my favorites. You're leading me in Davis' books like a breakout auriga! I'm only partway through LAIP. I love the story arc of all these novels, and I especially love the way Helena Justina assists Falco in his sleuthing. They remind me so much of the patrician Nora and her somewhat seedy detective mate, Nick Charles, in those old The Thin Man movies. I know from having read a couple of the later novels (before I started reading them in order) that Falco even has a dog as Nick had. Now that I'm reading the novels in order, I'm curious as to when Nux (the counterpart to Asta) will make her first appearance. -- Nephele I'm thinking Nux has already been in one of the earlier books, albeit a paragraph or two. Or maybe there was another dog that adopted him for awhile on one of his travels. Forget the goat's name! The book I've just started has the title of "Time to Depart", totally not what I expected the title to refer to. Yes, I tend to get excited and read through a series rather quickly just as I did the Cato and Macro novels. The problem is I forget their contents just as quickly when I do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted November 26, 2010 Report Share Posted November 26, 2010 I'm about halfway through Venus In Copper. The goat turned up at the start of Shadows in Bronze, though I can't remember it being given a name. He also 'came by' a racehorse called 'Little Sweetheart' at the end of Shadows in Bronze. No sign of a dog yet, though. It's quite a menagerie he has going. In Venus in Copper, he's just been introduced to a parrot that keeps repeating "all men are bastards!" - I wonder if that will end up joining the throng? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispina Posted November 27, 2010 Report Share Posted November 27, 2010 (edited) I try not to post spoilers, but Nephele's right - Falco does get his dog soon, or the dog gets him. Just wanted to share something funny. You know that old movie, "Clueless" with Alicia Silverstone? Well, I admit I like this silly quirky movie and I've watched it more than once. Today it was on again. This time, and I'm sure it's because I've been reading these books we speak of, I heard a line I never picked up on before. "Cher" (Silverstone) makes a remark while watching a movie with Tony Curtis. She says something like "who cares about a movie about "Sparatacus", obviously meaning "Spartacus". Does that name ring a bell? Sparatacus is Falco's landord! Edit: My bad. Told a lie, just picked up the book and the name is "Smaractus", not "Sparatacus". Now who's the one that is clueless? Sheesh. Edited November 28, 2010 by Crispina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted November 28, 2010 Report Share Posted November 28, 2010 (edited) Just to blow a little bit of a smokescreen over Crispina's little 'memory incident'. A thought struck me today. It may not have aired over in the states, but in the UK we had a brilliant TV cop series that gained itself quite a cult status. It was called "Life on Mars", and the sequel was "Ashes to Ashes". The common character between these two was a so-called 'old-style' copper called Gene Hunt. Although M. Didius Falco is, thankfully, nowhere near as 'old-school' as Mr. Hunt, I can't help seeing parallels between the two. I would say that, had Gene Hunt found himself in Ancient Rome, he would have made a cracking Private Informer. Anyone from this side of the pond care to comment? Edited November 28, 2010 by GhostOfClayton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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