Arms of Nemesis

A Novel of Ancient Rome

By: Steven Saylor

Narrated by: Scott Harrison

South of Rome on the Gulf of Puteoli stands the splendid villa of Marcus Crassus, Rome's wealthiest citizen. When the estate overseer is murdered, Crassus concludes that the deed was done by two missing slaves, who have probably run off to join the Spartacan Slave Revolt. Unless they are found within three days, Crassus vows to massacre his remaining 99 slaves.

To Gordianus the Finder falls the fateful task of resolving this riddle from Hades. In a house filled with secrets, the truth is slow to emerge. And as the hour of the massacre approaches, Gordianus realizes that the labyrinthine path he has chosen may just lead to his own destruction.

©1992 Steven Saylor (P)1996 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A compulsively entertaining whodunit." ( New York Times Book Review)
"Entertaining...Saylor's sense of style and elegantly witty writing make the most of this genre transference." ( Boston Guide)

Crassus crassus rich as Croesus

If you could sum up Arms of Nemesis in three words, what would they be?

Murder and mayhem at the foot of Vesubius

What did you like best about this story?

I liked Olympia's apprentice, forget her name.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed listening to it during my commute

Narrator is Distracting

Difficult at times to tell who is talking. I wonder if Romans of the era really tied references to “The Gods” into so many conversations. At times those ubiquitous references become just plain gratuitous.

don't read it for the mystery

If you want a good "who done it" mystery, you should probably move on to another novel. The story is good but the mystery lacks suspense or an unexpected twist. The joy if this series is the well-researched and informative details about life in Ancient Rome. Through the cases he takes on, the novels main character encounters some of the most famous figures in Rome's history. Yet these are not novels about generals and great battles. It's the details of daily life, the descriptions of Rome and other regions of the Empire, and the insights into Roman’s traditions and way of thinking, that make this series such a worthwhile read.

Ok

The reader not has good as other Steven Saylor books. I did like the story

Thought provoking and fascinating mystery

This is another excellent Roman mystery in the Gordianus the Finder series. In this story, two slaves are accused of murdering their master and the household’s owner, Marcus Crassus, plans to make an example by executing the 100 remaining household slaves. It is up to Gordianus to find out who really committed the murder and so save the slaves. The story takes place in the context of Spartacus’ slave revolt and Saylor includes a fascinating examination of the Roman views on the personhood of slaves. As an aside, I find that reading Saylor’s well-researched novels on life and social views in Roman times to be be a tremendous aid in interpreting the Bible. For example, read the book of Philemon after reading this book and see how the chilling Roman view of slavery relates to the Apostle Paul’s approach to the escaped slave Onesimus. Anyway, Saylor is an excellent story-teller, creating rich characters, complex mysteries and suspense. This book is a great addition to the series. One last note is that I didn’t think that Scott Harrison’s voice was the right fit for several of the characters, including Gordianus. he’s an okay narrator, but he just doesn’t seem to fit for this story.