HOUSE OF THE VESTALS (Novels of Ancient Rome, 6)

My problem with Steven Saylor's "mysteries" is that they are not, in any meaningful sense, mysteries: as a sleuth, Gordianus is little better than mediocre, and we are not able to see him, in any way, developing anything approaching a trail of sustained thought allowing him to unravel a complex, dark intrigue; what matters in the Roma Subrosa novels is the sensitive reconstruction of the historical setting of Late Republican Rome, which, in the larger novels, always gives the impression of physical accuracy, as one almost feels that Saylor is describing living experience - not a lesser accomplishment when you think of it. Therefore the fact that, in this short-stories volume, one feels the absence of the usual broader historical canvases;neverthless, there's always a reasonable amount of savvy, racy, lush, almost physical prose that allows for sustained interest and makes it impossible to put down the book.

This whole series is an amazing introduction to Ancient Rome. You walk the streets of that city with Gordianus the Finder; he isn't exactly a detective, but people hire him to find things out. With a home left to him by his father, a son, and a Jewish/Egyptian slavewoman who seems to actually own him, he deals with his life and his clients and benefactors.At the same time, he exists in the swirl of political Rome, and we the readers are given a peek behind the curtain at what actually went on there. Amazing characters from history inhabit these pages and it is not unusual for Gordianus to be speaking with the famous orator Cicero, or Cicero's slave Tiro (the guy who invented shorthand), or any of a dozen key characters from Roman history.I'm totally hooked. Have purchased and read at least 6 or 7 of the books in the Gordianus series. This one is number 3 (?). At least I think so. Anyway, it's a great read. Have fun!

If you have not read Saylor before this I would not start with this collection of short tales. But if you are hooked on Saylor then these tales will be very welcome and round out the series. Yes these are pretty simple mysteries but they work and are done in a light cheery way. They explain a few things along the way about the characters in Gordianus' life and if you are a fan you will find them delightful. And then you can go for a stroll through the Forum or watch some troops exercising on the Field of Mars.

Steven Saylor's "The House of the Vestals" is a collection of nine short stories featuring Investigator "Gordianus the Finder" in the 70's B.C. in ancient Rome and is part of Saylor's excellent and highly successful "Roma Sub Rosa" series of books. I've read them all.The main problem with these 9 stories is that they are quite transparent, with the reader having "solved" almost all of the little "mysteries" long before reading about Gordianus' solution (or Bethesda's in one case). Thus, there is not much mystery here in any of the stories, although the writing, as always, is excellent, and the stories are charming and mostly engrossing. They all are a very quick read. Seeing Eco grow up was fun, too. Your reading of these stories would be improved if you have read at least 3 or 4 of the book-length stories of Gordianus.With Saylor's stories, the reader learns more history than anything else, and the history lessons are always spot-on, relevant, and revealing of ancient times and customs that we don't know or have forgotten about. Saylor is simply a superb history writer and a first-rate historian.While I have loved most of Saylor's writing and all of his books involving Gordianus, this one is the weakest of the lot, though correctly filling in a gap in the chronology. I finished it in a couple days and rather easily forgot most of it quickly - except the history lessons.The best stories are: "Little Caesar and the Pirates," "The Disappearance of the Saturnalia Silver," and "King Bee and Honey." The story titled, "The House of the Vestals," is weak and not very interesting. However, all of the dialogue is very crisp and realistic, and there is often a nice touch of humor in the stories.If you like easy-to-figure-out "mysteries" and a fun romp through this time period in Rome's history, you will love this little book of short stories. But, if you want substantial mysteries to be solved in creative and surprising ways with many twists and turns, you will be disappointed.Even though the stories disappoint (me), because it is a sample of Steven Saylor's way with words, I rate it a 3 on Amazon's rating scale, giving Saylor the benefit of the doubt. Sorry Steven.

I discovered Steven Saylor just this year. The stories take you into every day Ancient Rome. Its been years since I woke up in the middle of the night to read more. I suggest you read the books in order. Start with Rome Blood and go forward. (the last page of Rome Blood introduce a new recurring character which is charming and heart warming.) They can be read out of order but there are little details of Gordinius' life that accumulate as the books go forward. A Great read every time. Enjoy

This is a pretty thin ebook. Same price as his real, complete, fleshed-out mysteries, but I finished it in a couple of hours. I have to admit, I got to the end, and thought “that’s it?”. Up side? I wanted more. Down side? I expect more.

Steven is not only a great writer but a super person to his fans as well. We met when a new book had just came out and not only signed all my hardback, but was kind enough to sell me several I couldn't find in hard back as well. He and Rick are great and I look forward to many,many more in the future.

It is a book of short stories, thus I will keep my review brief! I skipped over this book because I find so many short stories too short to capture me. Since Saylor seems to have paused the series and is going back to do more shorts, I gave this one a try. They were very entertaining, and while not as complex as his usual work, I really enjoyed them. Give them a read with an open mind, they aren't Roman Blood = they are short stories.

I rushed without looking to buy this, as I'd just finished the 5th book in the series and wanted more, there and then! Unfortunately, I then discovered that this is The House of the Vestals, which is included in the Omnibus edition of books 1-4. My fault for not toning the title, though it was a while since I'd read it, and I wasn't expecting something labelled book 6 to have been in an omnibus of books 1-4. Anyway, there it is - so don't make the mistake I did. Normally Amazon warns you if you've already bought a book, but it didn't this time - presumably because The House of the Vestals didn't appear as a title on its own in the advertising for the Omnibus.

Written as a form of gap filler, filling the gaps between his first and second novels about Gordianus, this groups of excellently constructed short stories is outstanding. Not only are they first class reads, but they each bring to the fore a different aspect of the character that is Gordianus.The book is also bringing to the reader more and more of an understanding of what life was really like in Rome during the life time of its central character, as well as introducing new and interesting characters that become his friends. If I was in any doubt as to whether I would read any more of Saylors books, then those doubts are dispelled. I have 12 of them now. I heartily propose that those of you reading this should do likewise. But, a word of caution-DO read the books in the order in sequence. Visit Saylors web site to see the right order.

If you are a fan of the Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder, then you will probably love this collection of short stories. They fit between the first and second books of the series, and fill in a little about Gordianus, but they are mainly a series of 'whodunnits'!Great fun, a good read, but a bit pricey for what they are.

I lowered the rating to 4 star as I felt the book would not really stand alone ... you'd need to be a Roma sub Rosa fan to appreciate it. This is certainly up to Steven Saylor's usual standard and filled in so many gaps in the life of Gordianus. An excellent read if you're already a fan. Start reading the others if you're not - you'll soon be hooked.

I brought the books in paperback version initially, now I've got them on my kindle. Great story lines and a rip roaring read, you feel you're part of Roman history. Love the diverse family and the plots woven around historical events.