Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108642 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Synopsis
In Greece at the time of the Colonels, 1973, an archaeologist discovers a gold Mycenaean vase embellished with images of the last voyage of Ulysses. But his mysterious death and the vase's disappearance remain unexplained for ten years until disturbing signals catalyse different characters into a relentless pursuit for the truth. "The Oracle" is another action-packed adventure from the bestselling author of the "Alexander" trilogy, "Spartan" and "The Last Legion".

From the Inside Flap
An ancient prophecy. Brutal murders. A deadly game.

November 1973. Professor Periklis Harvatis, working alone and late into the night on an important archaelogical dig, has unearthed a magnificent golden vase upon which the enigmatic images of a long lost, second Odyssey are engraved, showing the mystery of Ulysses’s last and final voyage. But in the bleak chamber where he finds it he sees something so frightening that - a broken man - less than 7 hours later he is dead… but not before he has ensured the safety of the vase.
Ten years on… a series of violently gruesome deaths connected to the rape and murder, during the student protests in Athens, of a beautiful Greek woman on the same night as Prof Harvatis’s discovery is perplexing the authorities. Each atrocity is accompanied by dire quotes from the ancient sources exposing an ingeniously cruel mind behind these events.
Who is behind these murders? How are these two events connected? And what is the significance of the age-old prophecy of the Odyssey?
After conquering the ancient world with his best selling novels of antiquity, best-selling author, Valerio Manfredi, takes on a page-turning, modern thriller with an ancient twist.

About the Author
Valerio Massimo Manfredi is professor of classical archaeology at Luigi Bocconi University in Milan. He has carried out a number of expeditions and excavations in many sites throughout the Mediterranean, and has taught in Italian and international universities. He has published numerous articles and academic books, mainly on military and trade routes and exploration in the ancient world.
He has published nine works of fiction, including the "Alexander" trilogy translated into 24 languages in 38 countries. He has scripted and hosted documentaries on the ancient world and has written scripts for cinema and television as well.
He lives with his family in the countryside near Bologna, Italy.

Customer Reviews

his best contemporary novel
I divide VMM's fiction in two groups: historical novels and archaeologist's adventures, of which I prefer the former. The Oracle is my favourite of the latter - I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot kept me turning the pages and characters were varied, ranging from the not-so-perfect to the utter evil. Notice that the main man always uses his cunning and eloquence rather than violence and that is a clue too.

The final twist is the best, though I must confess I had to re-read the beginning to complete the jig-saw.

An Enjoyable Read
Few authors can be better equipped to write about the subject of Rome and its Legions than Manfredi. Professor of archaeology at the the university of Milan, he has carried out many excavations and expeditions in the Mediterranean region. He has produced many factual books on historical matters, mainly military and has still found the time to write several novels, although as far as I can recall this is the first time he has brought one his books almost to the modern day, give or take thirty or forty years..

1973 and a Professor is working alone and late into the night on an archaeological dig. He unearths a vase that contains many important images showing Ulysses' final voyage. Unfortunately the professor also sees something in the chamber in which he has made his important find, something that frightens him so much that within hours he is dead . . . Probably of fright . . . But not before he has ensured that the vase is safe.

A decade later and a series of brutal deaths that somehow seem interconnected with the death of the professor and his unique find. Who is behind the murders and how on earth can they be connected to events that occurred 10 years ago . . .

Not his best
I have read nearly ever book by Manfredi and love all of them! but this one was not his best! i did enjoy it, but i did start to get bored by the end. The thriller parts to it were good but i think VMM should stick to the good old classical history fiction. things wernt too explained in it and towards the end i couldnt understand the relevance of the classical bits. But as a novel and if you arent used to reading VMM i think its a great book and a worthwhile buy! but if you love VMM stuff like me then think twice before reading this one! but it is ennjoyable none the less and would recomend it to anyone! i love his work!