Review: The Sacrilege

The Sacrilege by John Maddox Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger's (what a mouthful) character is getting better and better with each installment of SPQR. I like his verbal sparrings with his insolent slave, Hermes. Very very funny. And I love the way the book makes you feel--like Ancient Rome is your neighborhood (J.M. Roberts' descriptions of Roman life are delightfully vivid).

However, some of the characters seem to be one-dimensional: Publius Clodius Pulcher, for example (and his sister, Clodia). Clodius was (simply) portrayed as a mean, bullheaded (bordering on the stupid), ugly thug, and Clodia a sinister slut. Maybe it's just written from the point of view of Decius, who considers these two his mortal enemies. And so I conclude early on in this series that SPQR is more fiction than history (or a variant/interpretation of it; as opposed to S. Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series).

But those who love Ancient Rome as much as I do will surely have fun reading this. Pretty darn good fun.



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