Product Description

Fresh from his duel of wits with Cleopatra in "The Judgement of Caesar", Gordianus the Finder, detective of ancient Rome, returns in this new collection of short stories. Nine tales of mystery, murder and intrigue take Gordianus from the seamy streets of Rome to elegant villas on the Bay of Naples, and from a Sicilian graveyard with a deadly secret to a bloody battlefield in Spain. Whether against the spectacular backdrop of a chariot race, or settling a domestic dispute with his beautiful Egyptian concubine Bethesda, Gordianus is always on the case. As in Saylor's previous collection, "The House of the Vestals", all the stories in "A Gladiator Dies Only Once" take place early in Gordianus's career. Often at his side, rapidly growing up, is the mute boy Eco, his adopted son. Frequently conferring with Gordianus is his good-hearted patrician friend, Lucius Claudius. Cicero, the great lion of the Roman law courts, makes several appearances. Sertorius, the rebel general who set up a rival Roman state in Spain, casts a shadow across the book from beginning to end, and makes a haunting appearance in the story "The White Fawn." In the title story, a beautiful Nubian actress begs to Gordianus to solve an impossible problem: how can she have just seen her beloved brother in the marketplace, when she previously saw him die a gruesome death as a gladiator?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #106603 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"* 'How wonderful to have a scholar write about ancient Rome; how comforting to feel instant confidence in the historical accuracy of the novel' The Sunday Times * 'Saylor's gifts include authentic historical and topographical backgrounds and... sombre themes set off the brilliant scenery and clever plotting.' Times Literary Supplement * 'Saylor evokes the ancient world more convincingly than any other writer of his generation.' Sunday Times"

About the Author
Steven Saylor is best known as the author of the 'Roma sub Rosa' series set in ancient Rome and featuring Gordianus the Finder. His work has been widely praised for its remarkable accuracy and vivid historical detail as well as for its passion, mystery and intrigue. Steven divides his time between Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas. His website is at www.stevensaylor.com

Customer Reviews

Another winner
I am a huge Steven Saylor fan and have loved every singe one of the books; I was so upset after finishing the Judgement of Ceaser because it seeemed that Gordianus was no more... This collection of short stories, as with the previous (house of Vestals I believe) are genius, thet fill in the various time gaps which are left by the longer volumes, they introduce different characters and the quick pace makes a nice change from the longer investigations. I enjoyed all the short stories but especially 'A Gladiator Dies only once' as it was full of very rich characters and the twist of the investigation was although slightly predictable, fulfilling and fun. If you enjoyed the other Gordianus books you certainly will not be disappointed.

Books with Gordianus in them are Always a Good Read
This book is a compilation of nine mysteries involving that likeable sleuth Gordianus the Finder. They are all new stories and anyone who is a fan of Saylor will certainly want to add this book to their collection.

Steven Saylor is right up there with a number of excellent authors who use the backdrop of Ancient Rome as a canvas for their literary works. It is a period of history that holds a particular magic for me, so basically I cannot get enough of them, excellent, good or mediocre. I would certainly put Saylor's books in the excellent category and although in the main not a great lover of short stories, in this case I am more than happy to make an exception.

A lighter read than usual
Saylor's Gordianus the Finder operates as a private detective in Rome during the unstable times that mark the end of the Republic. He has starred in a whole series of excellent novels.

This collection of short stories (I recognise two of them that have already been anthologised elsewhere) lacks the dark intensity that so often characterises the novels. Even where the subject is murder there is a lighter feel to them. There is also, in some of the stories at least, a predictability that lets the reader work out the twist in the tail long before he should. The overall result is a light, undemanding read: pleasant, and I don't regret having bought the book, but it's not what we have come to expect with Gordianus.