Rubicon

by Steven Saylor

Book Overview

As Caesar marches on Rome and panic erupts in the city, Gordianus the Finder discovers, in his own home, the body of Pompey's favorite cousin. Before fleeing the city, Pompey exacts a terrible bargain from the finder of secrets-to unearth the killer, or sacrifice his own son-in-law to service in Pompey's legions, and certain death. Amid the city's sordid underbelly, Gordianus learns that the murdered man was a dangerous spy. Now, as he follows a trail...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312971184
• ISBN13: 9780312971182
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Best Saylor Book yet!

Part of the Roma Sub Rosa series, this has to be Saylors best book so far! It has everything a good book needs: history, political strife, mystery, death, and best of all a shocking ending. Saylor's high caliber writing and eye for detail is not lost on this book. What makes this book entirely worth the price is the unexpected twist at the end that prepares us for the next book (Last Seen in Massalia) I can't wait!!

Superb research ecapsulated in wonderful fiction.

Saylor's work is based on excellent research, culminating in exciting story-lines which follow accurate events, characters, and times. Being an historical novel writer who has spent numerous hours of research in the libraries of Rome and Athens, I admire Saylor's study. Rubicon stands as another jewel in the necklace of his Sub Rosa Series. Saylor's descriptions of characters and events brings the reader as close a proximity to the times being written about as one could hope, save access to a time-machine! Superb writing, magnificent story-telling, backed by impeccable research!

Fans of the Roma Sub Rosa books will be genuinely surprised.

I have been reading all of Steven Saylor's "Roma Sub Rosa" novels (featuring the First Century BC detective Gordianus the Finder) since he began publishing them nearly a decade ago. The historical background for the series is superbly researched, and the reader inevitably learns much about Ancient Rome. Moreover, the plots and characters are intricate and compelling. With "Rubicon" Saylor has reached a new level, delving deeper into Gordianus's soul than he has ever done before. And Saylor has done something which is very difficult for the author of a series to accomplish -- in "Rubicon" he genuinely surprises the reader. I would urge people, however, to first read the other novels in the "Roma Sub Rosa" cycle before approaching "Rubicon," so that they better understand Gordianus and his family.

Saylor skillfully brings history to life

In RUBICON, Steven Saylor plunges the reader into the chaos and intrigue of the Roman Republic's last civil war. Less a whodunnit than a vivid, panoramic historical novel with mystery elements, RUBICON nonetheless features all the trademarks of Saylor's "Roma Sub Rosa" series -- vivid characters, polished writing, and brilliantly unexpected plot twists. The siege of the Italian port city of Brundisium is masterfully rendered, as are the terrors of traveling through a countryside ravaged by war and poisoned by suspicion and fear. Fast-paced, well researched, and exciting, RUBICON offers all that any reader of historical fiction could ask for. It's one of Saylor's best.

Saylor is a great writer

No matter how clever the words he conveyed to people, most individuals believed that Caesar wanted to rule Gaul as well as Rome. Once he led an army across the Rubicon, Civil War between the followers of Pompey and those of Caesar was imminent. On the eve of the war, Numerious Pompeius visits Gordianus the Finder, renowned for exposing threats to the government. Gordianus leaves Numerius in his garden for a few minutes, but when he returns he finds his guest dead. Gordianus notices that the deceased holds a dossier that questions the Finder's loyalties. Pompey arrives, sees the corpse of his cousin, and orders Gordianus to ferret out the identity of the killer. To insure a proper investigation, Pompey holds the son-in-law of Gordianus hostage. He follows the threads to their original sources. However, Gordianus realizes that his reputation as "the most honest man in Rome" is an illusion as the fallible human is trapped by the same Civil war currents engulfing everyone else. Using the eve of a critical historical event as its setting, RUBICON provides readers with a believable look at the world's greatest ancient power. Steven Saylor shows the desperate scramble to join the winning side as everyone understands that to the winners goes the spoils. Gordianus is an extremely complex protagonist. His efforts to remain honest during the upcoming fray show how difficult it is for even the most moral of beings. He struggles with his principles when the survival of loved ones are at stake. The secondary players, punctuated with real persona from Ancient Rome, turn the early Caesar era into a vivid display that alone hooks readers. The clever who-done-it is the final icing on what is a spectacular historical mystery.Harriet Klausner