A gripping, multifaceted story of an emperor and his era.
A novel that tells the story of the brutal Roman Emperor Caligula, as told by his close friend.
In this latest in Stein’s Vox Populi series of historical novels set in ancient Rome, the narrative centers on one of the most infamous figures in Roman history: Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, known to posterity by his nickname “Caligula” (or “little boots”). As the novel opens, the narrator, Publius Decimus Silvanus, a small child, has been drafted by his upper-middle-class family to become the playmate of young Caligula; Silvanus’ late mother had been friends with Caligula’s great-grandmother Livia, the wife of the Emperor Augustus. The story progresses through the lives of the two characters; Caligula rises in the ranks of the Julio-Claudian dynasty as the beloved son of the popular general Germanicus, and Silvanus becomes an increasingly confident doctor. The author balances familiar details from ancient accounts by Suetonius and Tacitus with the entirely invented story of Silvanus and his medical practice, which is described in vivid detail; a scene in which an unlucky stonemason has his leg amputated, for instance, is both gory and realistic. In a neat narrative twist, these medical details, meticulously recorded by Silvanus on scrolls that long survive him, come in handy for a Roman doctor a generation later; these result in intriguing sequences that allow Stein to dramatize a wider swath of Roman life. Readers receive highly detailed realizations of other societal aspects, such as the workings of Roman silver mines and the administration of the Roman Mint. Stein skillfully anchors his wide-ranging story to the odd relationship at its center, with Silvanus reflecting on the young man he knew, whom he describes as “sharp as a flake of obsidian.” Readers of historical fiction set in ancient Rome will appreciate Stein's well-researched attention to detail, and all will enjoy his understated wit.
A gripping, multifaceted story of an emperor and his era.Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73-411594-9
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Abeel Street Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PROFILES
A weird, wild ride.
Celebrity scandal and a haunted lake drive the narrative in this bestselling author’s latest serving of subtly ironic suspense.
Sager’s debut, Final Girls (2017), was fun and beautifully crafted. His most recent novels—Home Before Dark (2020) and Survive the Night (2021) —have been fun and a bit rickety. His new novel fits that mold. Narrator Casey Fletcher grew up watching her mother dazzle audiences, and then she became an actor herself. While she never achieves the “America’s sweetheart” status her mother enjoyed, Casey makes a career out of bit parts in movies and on TV and meatier parts onstage. Then the death of her husband sends her into an alcoholic spiral that ends with her getting fired from a Broadway play. When paparazzi document her substance abuse, her mother exiles her to the family retreat in Vermont. Casey has a dry, droll perspective that persists until circumstances overwhelm her, and if you’re getting a Carrie Fisher vibe from Casey Fletcher, that is almost certainly not an accident. Once in Vermont, she passes the time drinking bourbon and watching the former supermodel and the tech mogul who live across the lake through a pair of binoculars. Casey befriends Katherine Royce after rescuing her when she almost drowns and soon concludes that all is not well in Katherine and Tom’s marriage. Then Katherine disappears….It would be unfair to say too much about what happens next, but creepy coincidences start piling up, and eventually, Casey has to face the possibility that maybe some of the eerie legends about Lake Greene might have some truth to them. Sager certainly delivers a lot of twists, and he ventures into what is, for him, new territory. Are there some things that don’t quite add up at the end? Maybe, but asking that question does nothing but spoil a highly entertaining read.
A weird, wild ride.Pub Date: June 21, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-18319-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
A vivid, exciting page-turner from one of our most interesting authors of historical fiction.
When a man accused of rape turns up dead, an Early American town seeks justice amid rumors and controversy.
Lawhon’s fifth work of historical fiction is inspired by the true story and diaries of midwife Martha Ballard of Hallowell, Maine, a character she brings to life brilliantly here. As Martha tells her patient in an opening chapter set in 1789, “You need not fear….In all my years attending women in childbirth, I have never lost a mother.” This track record grows in numerous compelling scenes of labor and delivery, particularly one in which Martha has to clean up after the mistakes of a pompous doctor educated at Harvard, one of her nemeses in a town that roils with gossip and disrespect for women’s abilities. Supposedly, the only time a midwife can testify in court is regarding paternity when a woman gives birth out of wedlock—but Martha also takes the witness stand in the rape case against a dead man named Joshua Burgess and his living friend Col. Joseph North, whose role as judge in local court proceedings has made the victim, Rebecca Foster, reluctant to make her complaint public. Further complications are numerous: North has control over the Ballard family's lease on their property; Rebecca is carrying the child of one of her rapists; Martha’s son was seen fighting with Joshua Burgess on the day of his death. Lawhon weaves all this into a richly satisfying drama that moves suspensefully between childbed, courtroom, and the banks of the Kennebec River. The undimmed romance between 40-something Martha and her husband, Ephraim, adds a racy flair to the proceedings. Knowing how rare the quality of their relationship is sharpens the intensity of Martha’s gaze as she watches the romantic lives of her grown children unfold. As she did with Nancy Wake in Code Name Hélène (2020), Lawhon creates a stirring portrait of a real-life heroine and, as in all her books, includes an endnote with detailed background.
A vivid, exciting page-turner from one of our most interesting authors of historical fiction.Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780385546874
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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