The Triumph of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome)

The Triumph of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome)
by Steven Saylor

The Triumph of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome)
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $14.38
You Save: $10.57 (42%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $13.19 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Steven Saylor
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-13
ISBN: 0312359837
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur

Book Reviews of The Triumph of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome)

Book Review: The Aging Gordianus
Summary: 5 Stars

"The Triumph of Caesar" is Saylor at his best. There really is a nice pace to the story that begins strongly on Page 1. It never lets up. Good dialogue, a decent amount of suspense, tons of correct historical fact and description, and humor characterize the story. There is true suspense, a real mystery (murder) to solve, and clever resolution. This is a first rate Roman detective story, period perfect and reader friendly.

I confess that since Steven is a friend, that I'm a bit biased, but, irrespective of that, I really did like this story for its focus and simplicity. Some of the earlier tales in the Gordianus series are more intricate and the characters more numerous - thus harder to follow. Here I think Saylor has matured as a novelist to simplify not only the story but his writing. There is not one extraneous word in this 300-page novel.

Of course, the story is populated by some of the most famous historical figures of all time, and we meet them face-to-face, warts and all, through dialogue and description from Caesar to Octavian to Brutus to Antony to Cleopatra and Calpurnia. Who can resist a story with these folks gracing the pages? Gordianus (and the blossoming newbie-detective -- his daughter Dianna) handle these encounters with little trepidation and quite a bit of moxie. I liked Dianna's insertion into solving the "who done it?" Will she eventually replace the aging Gordianus?

I did tire of repeated descriptions of the 4 Triumphs, although Saylor did shorten each one substantially. Thank you for that. One Triumph is quite a bit like another and we could have been spared some of the repetitious recounting of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

The book is a triumph for Saylor, quite possibly his best. Congratulations.

Summary of The Triumph of Caesar: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome)

The Roman civil war has come to its conclusion - Pompey is dead, Egypt is firmly under the control of Cleopatra (with the help of Rome's legions), and for the first time in many years Julius Caesar has returned to Rome?itself.?Appointed by the Senate as Dictator, the city abounds with rumors asserting that Caesar wishes to be made King - the first such that Rome has had in centuries.?And that not all of his opposition has been crushed.

Gordianus, recently returned from Egypt with his wife Bethesda, is essentially retired from his previous profession of 'Finder' but even he cannot refuse the call of Calpurnia, Caesar's wife. Troubled? by dreams foretelling disaster and fearing a conspiracy against the life of?Caesar, she had hired someone to investigate the rumors. But that person, a close friend of Gordianus, has just turned up dead - murdered -- on her doorstep. With four successive Triumphs for Caesar's?military?victories scheduled for the coming days, and Caesar more exposed to danger than ever before, Calpurnia wants Gordianus to uncover the truth behind the rumored conspiracies -- to protect Caesar's life, before it is too late. No fan of Caesar's, Gordianus agrees to help - but only to find the murderer who killed his friend. But once an investigation is begun, there's no controlling what it will turn up, who it will put in danger, and where it will end.

Historical Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in He's getting ready for work...got his little flashlight ready...
New York Public Library (The Classical America series in art and architecture) ImageNew York Public Library (The Classical America series in art and architecture)
by Henry Hope Reed
W W Norton & Co Ltd; Published: 1986-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $157.06
AstroAnalysis: Leo (AstroAnalysis Horoscopes) ImageAstroAnalysis: Leo (AstroAnalysis Horoscopes)
by American AstroAnalysts Institute
Berkley Trade; Published: 2000-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.78
Price in other shops: $12.95
The Making of the Modern Architect and Engineer ImageThe Making of the Modern Architect and Engineer
by Ulrich Pfammatter
Birkh?user Basel; Published: 2000-02-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops: $45.95
Aquarius (Super Horoscopes 2006) (Super Horoscopes) ImageAquarius (Super Horoscopes 2006) (Super Horoscopes)
by Margarete Beim
Berkley Trade; Published: 2005-07-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.25
Price in other shops: $8.99
Neroli ImageNeroli
by Nelly A. Essandoh
PublishAmerica; Published: 2006-06-19; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $21.95
BRK Hardwire Smoke Alarm with Battery Backup #9120B ImageBRK Hardwire Smoke Alarm with Battery Backup #9120B
BRK Brands; Tools
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops: $17.99
Astrology for the Soul (Bantam Classics) ImageAstrology for the Soul (Bantam Classics)
by Jan Spiller
Bantam; Published: 1997-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops: $19.00
Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life ImageThink BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life
by Donald J. Trump, Bill Zanker
Collins Business; Published: 2007-10-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.67
Price in other shops: $26.95
The Moving Finger ImageThe Moving Finger
by E.F. Hughes
Trafford Publishing; Published: 2006-07-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.00
Canvas Print, Arm and Finger Repair - 12 x 18 ImageCanvas Print, Arm and Finger Repair - 12 x 18
ClassicPix.com; ClassicPix.com; Kitchen
Best price: $39.95
Similar Books and other products
The Water Thief (Aelius Spartianus Mysteries) ImageThe Water Thief (Aelius Spartianus Mysteries)
by Ben Pastor
St. Martin's Minotaur; Published: 2007-02-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops: $24.95
SPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead (The SPQR Roman Mysteries) ImageSPQR XII: Oracle of the Dead (The SPQR Roman Mysteries)
by John Maddox Roberts
St. Martin's Minotaur; Published: 2008-12-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.47
Price in other shops: $24.95
A Gladiator Dies Only Once: The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder (Novels of Ancient Rome) ImageA Gladiator Dies Only Once: The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder (Novels of Ancient Rome)
by Steven Saylor
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2006-05-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.79
Price in other shops: $13.95
Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire ImageMedicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire
by Ruth Downie
Bloomsbury USA; Published: 2008-03-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.90
Price in other shops: $14.95
Illegally Dead (Marcus Corvinus Mysteries) ImageIllegally Dead (Marcus Corvinus Mysteries)
by David Wishart
Hodder & Stoughton; Published: 2008-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.21
Price in other shops: $24.95
Antony and Cleopatra: A Novel ImageAntony and Cleopatra: A Novel
by Colleen McCullough
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2007-12-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.75
Price in other shops: $26.95
Saturnalia: A Marcus Didius Falco Novel (Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries) ImageSaturnalia: A Marcus Didius Falco Novel (Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries)
by Lindsey Davis
St. Martin's Minotaur; Published: 2008-04-29; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.98
Price in other shops: $7.99
Terra Incognita: A Novel of the Roman Empire ImageTerra Incognita: A Novel of the Roman Empire
by Ruth Downie
Bloomsbury USA; Published: 2008-03-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.96
Price in other shops: $23.95
SPQR XI: Under Vesuvius (The SPQR Roman Mysteries) ImageSPQR XI: Under Vesuvius (The SPQR Roman Mysteries)
by John Maddox Roberts
St. Martin's Minotaur; Published: 2007-12-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.39
Price in other shops: $23.95
Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome) ImageRoma: The Novel of Ancient Rome (Novels of Ancient Rome)
by Steven Saylor
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-03-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.64
Price in other shops: $15.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories