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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
It's a prequel full-length novel of short stories woven together for the Roma Sub Rosa historical mystery series in which we're introduced to Gordianus Junior.
The short story, Down These Strange Streets: Styx and Stones, is pulled from this novel.
My Take
Yep, it's a torture session all the way through as Saylor won't let on why Antipater had to fake his death until the very end. I did enjoy his "death" by the way — Roman funereal rites are, um, interesting.
Seven Wonders is a nice blend of being introduced to Gordianus (the younger) and our tagging along on their tour of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in this collection of short stories woven into a single tale.
Reading the trip is a great way to travel and discover new cultures, new foods, and be involved in mystery after mystery — at least until they invent time travel! — not that I enjoyed everything I learned in each culture.
Oh, man, the Cynic at the Games was pretty funny — a natural-born heckler, he had some good points. The bare bones of what's left of the Hanging Gardens is fascinating, but more so is the tour we embark on of the Pharos Lighthouse. Wow. It's incredible what the Ancients were able to accomplish.
And I still want to get an airline ticket to follow in their footsteps…!
The Story
Gordianus Senior is also a Finder, and he's worried about Junior being caught up in the wars that will soon engulf Rome. So together Gordianus the Papa and Antipater, a Greek tutor and poet, fake Antipater's death and Antipater whisks Gordianus out of Rome.
It will be a challenging trip for the two: in Rome, sentiment is rising against Greeks while everywhere else in their known world, the tide is turning against the Romans.
The first stop on their journey is Ephesus, "home to the great Temple of Artemis" where they will stay with a former pupil of Antipater's and solve a terrible crime. The next stop is in Halicarnassus, home of the great Mausoleum and where Antipater's widowed cousin, Bitto, lives a most horrific lifestyle — in Antipater's eyes. It's her neighbors that are the problem. One which Gordianus resolves quite unexpectedly. It's on to Olympia from there where Gordianus and Antipater are in time for the Olympic games. And, yes, another mystery even as they take the tour to view the great statue of Zeus. The ruins of Corinth are along their path to the harbor, and the two stop to rummage and pay homage to its destruction. The next stop is Rhodes to see what remains of the Colossus of Rhodes where Gordianus uncovers a nasty plot.
It's Babylon and its fabled hanging gardens after this where Antipater and Gordianus experience the same regrets we do in this modern day about the Mayan ruins. It's off to Egypt and the Great Pyramid after that where Gordianus prevents the ruin of a man and finds another ruin.
Last on the list is the Library of Alexandria, for Antipater and Gordianus have the same question: who made this list of Seven Wonders and why? And along the way, they pass the Pharos of Alexandria. It's a stop that resolves a number of questions and strips Gordianus of the last of his innocence. He also encounters what he considers the Eighth Wonder of the World.
The Characters
Gordianus is turning eighteen as they set out on their journey from Rome. Gordianus, the father, is a Finder who loves puzzles and his son. Damon is the ancient doorkeeper in the house. Antipater of Sidon, soon to become Zoticus of Zeugma, is a world-renowned Greek poet and scholar with a secret life. He has been, informally, Gordianus' Teacher. Consul Quintus Lutatius Catulus had thought he was Antipater's best friend, and he's rather put out about the funeral.
Ephesus
Eutropius is a widower with a daughter, Anthea, who will perform in the procession along with one of her friends, Chloe, the daughter of her father's friend, Mnason. Amestris is a slave girl in the household of Eutropius. The Megabyzoi are the priests with Theotimus, the head priest.
Halicarnassus
Bitto, Antipater's cousin, loves life and has found a unique way to ensure a comfortable lifestyle. Tryphosa and her daughter-in-law, Corinna, are Bitto's unwelcome neighbors; Timon was Tryphosa's son and Corinna's husband before he died.
Olympia
Exagentus, a wealthy man from Pontus, is the friend with whom Gordianus and Antipater stay during the Games. Protophanes of Magnesia is an athlete favored to win the pankration, until events threaten to derail his plans to participate. Simmius is the Cynic. Phidias is the artist who sculpted the great statue of Zeus.
Corinth, or at least its ruins
Titus Tullius and his party are fellow guests at the inn where Antipater and Gordianus are staying. Ismene is a waitress and a witch while Gnaeus is a retired Roman soldier who runs the inn. Marcus, Quintus Menenius, and Lucius are Roman soldiers stationed there.
Colossus of Rhodes
Posidonius is a scholar, scientist, and explorer who has spent time in Gaul. Zenas is his faithful and reliable slave. Gatamandix is a Druid of a tribe called the Segurvoi and another guest. Cleobulus is a young Rhodian and one of Posidonius' pupils. Vindovix is a Gaul with a fairly extravagant mustache and an interest in Gordianus. He claims an ancestor of his posed for the Colossus.
Babylon
Darius is the guide who attaches himself to our duo. Mushezib is an astrologer who befriends them. The priestess of Ishtar has jurisdiction over the abandoned temple.
Egypt
Hidden relics and the origin of the Delta's name appear here along with Antipater's musings over the Nile's origin. Kemsa is their guide there. Djal, son of Rhutin, is in desperate need of help, and we learn of the reverence Egyptians have for the mummies of their ancestors. We also learn of the three different funerary plans. All graded by cost, of course. Anubis and Isis are part of a vision quest Gordianus experiences.
Alexandria
Isidorus is a chance-met fellow passenger on the way who just happens to work at the Library. And we learn that inter-office politics and paperwork have been around for a very long time. It's also where Gordianus discovers the truth of the saying "Stay here long enough, and every traveler in the world will cross your path" when he sees the assassin who escaped in Olympia. He also encounters a small group of spies against Rome: Anubion is some sort of supervisor at the lighthouse and Nikanor has become a liability. Bethesda is the slave Gordianus buys.
The Cover
The cover is the greens of a sea at dark of night with a pair of ships sailing under a lightning-filled sky off the coast where the lighthouse of Pharos shines.
The title sums it up quite succinctly, for we are visiting The Seven Wonders.
The short story, Down These Strange Streets: Styx and Stones, is pulled from this novel.
My Take
Yep, it's a torture session all the way through as Saylor won't let on why Antipater had to fake his death until the very end. I did enjoy his "death" by the way — Roman funereal rites are, um, interesting.
Seven Wonders is a nice blend of being introduced to Gordianus (the younger) and our tagging along on their tour of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in this collection of short stories woven into a single tale.
Reading the trip is a great way to travel and discover new cultures, new foods, and be involved in mystery after mystery — at least until they invent time travel! — not that I enjoyed everything I learned in each culture.
Oh, man, the Cynic at the Games was pretty funny — a natural-born heckler, he had some good points. The bare bones of what's left of the Hanging Gardens is fascinating, but more so is the tour we embark on of the Pharos Lighthouse. Wow. It's incredible what the Ancients were able to accomplish.
And I still want to get an airline ticket to follow in their footsteps…!
The Story
Gordianus Senior is also a Finder, and he's worried about Junior being caught up in the wars that will soon engulf Rome. So together Gordianus the Papa and Antipater, a Greek tutor and poet, fake Antipater's death and Antipater whisks Gordianus out of Rome.
It will be a challenging trip for the two: in Rome, sentiment is rising against Greeks while everywhere else in their known world, the tide is turning against the Romans.
The first stop on their journey is Ephesus, "home to the great Temple of Artemis" where they will stay with a former pupil of Antipater's and solve a terrible crime. The next stop is in Halicarnassus, home of the great Mausoleum and where Antipater's widowed cousin, Bitto, lives a most horrific lifestyle — in Antipater's eyes. It's her neighbors that are the problem. One which Gordianus resolves quite unexpectedly. It's on to Olympia from there where Gordianus and Antipater are in time for the Olympic games. And, yes, another mystery even as they take the tour to view the great statue of Zeus. The ruins of Corinth are along their path to the harbor, and the two stop to rummage and pay homage to its destruction. The next stop is Rhodes to see what remains of the Colossus of Rhodes where Gordianus uncovers a nasty plot.
It's Babylon and its fabled hanging gardens after this where Antipater and Gordianus experience the same regrets we do in this modern day about the Mayan ruins. It's off to Egypt and the Great Pyramid after that where Gordianus prevents the ruin of a man and finds another ruin.
Last on the list is the Library of Alexandria, for Antipater and Gordianus have the same question: who made this list of Seven Wonders and why? And along the way, they pass the Pharos of Alexandria. It's a stop that resolves a number of questions and strips Gordianus of the last of his innocence. He also encounters what he considers the Eighth Wonder of the World.
The Characters
Gordianus is turning eighteen as they set out on their journey from Rome. Gordianus, the father, is a Finder who loves puzzles and his son. Damon is the ancient doorkeeper in the house. Antipater of Sidon, soon to become Zoticus of Zeugma, is a world-renowned Greek poet and scholar with a secret life. He has been, informally, Gordianus' Teacher. Consul Quintus Lutatius Catulus had thought he was Antipater's best friend, and he's rather put out about the funeral.
Ephesus
Eutropius is a widower with a daughter, Anthea, who will perform in the procession along with one of her friends, Chloe, the daughter of her father's friend, Mnason. Amestris is a slave girl in the household of Eutropius. The Megabyzoi are the priests with Theotimus, the head priest.
Halicarnassus
Bitto, Antipater's cousin, loves life and has found a unique way to ensure a comfortable lifestyle. Tryphosa and her daughter-in-law, Corinna, are Bitto's unwelcome neighbors; Timon was Tryphosa's son and Corinna's husband before he died.
Olympia
Exagentus, a wealthy man from Pontus, is the friend with whom Gordianus and Antipater stay during the Games. Protophanes of Magnesia is an athlete favored to win the pankration, until events threaten to derail his plans to participate. Simmius is the Cynic. Phidias is the artist who sculpted the great statue of Zeus.
Corinth, or at least its ruins
Titus Tullius and his party are fellow guests at the inn where Antipater and Gordianus are staying. Ismene is a waitress and a witch while Gnaeus is a retired Roman soldier who runs the inn. Marcus, Quintus Menenius, and Lucius are Roman soldiers stationed there.
Colossus of Rhodes
Posidonius is a scholar, scientist, and explorer who has spent time in Gaul. Zenas is his faithful and reliable slave. Gatamandix is a Druid of a tribe called the Segurvoi and another guest. Cleobulus is a young Rhodian and one of Posidonius' pupils. Vindovix is a Gaul with a fairly extravagant mustache and an interest in Gordianus. He claims an ancestor of his posed for the Colossus.
Babylon
Darius is the guide who attaches himself to our duo. Mushezib is an astrologer who befriends them. The priestess of Ishtar has jurisdiction over the abandoned temple.
Egypt
Hidden relics and the origin of the Delta's name appear here along with Antipater's musings over the Nile's origin. Kemsa is their guide there. Djal, son of Rhutin, is in desperate need of help, and we learn of the reverence Egyptians have for the mummies of their ancestors. We also learn of the three different funerary plans. All graded by cost, of course. Anubis and Isis are part of a vision quest Gordianus experiences.
Alexandria
Isidorus is a chance-met fellow passenger on the way who just happens to work at the Library. And we learn that inter-office politics and paperwork have been around for a very long time. It's also where Gordianus discovers the truth of the saying "Stay here long enough, and every traveler in the world will cross your path" when he sees the assassin who escaped in Olympia. He also encounters a small group of spies against Rome: Anubion is some sort of supervisor at the lighthouse and Nikanor has become a liability. Bethesda is the slave Gordianus buys.
The Cover
The cover is the greens of a sea at dark of night with a pair of ships sailing under a lightning-filled sky off the coast where the lighthouse of Pharos shines.
The title sums it up quite succinctly, for we are visiting The Seven Wonders.
julietlol's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
It was highly predictable and all of the chapters followed the same sort of plot pattern: the main characters travel somewhere, someone dies, they figure out whodunit, and then one of the main characters has sex with someone. I also found the language to be quite difficult, and I ended up having to buy a little pocket dictionary so I could look up all the words without getting distracted on my phone. I’m sure the book would be more interesting to someone who is more interested in Ancient Rome and the ancient world in general, but the book just wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
raptorimperator's review against another edition
4.0
A nice addition to the Gordianus the Finder stories. At first I thought this was a merely a collection of short stories with a common theme of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World tying them together, but then I came to see how Saylor tied them all together in the end, making this kind of a coming of age story for the young Gordianus. The long time fans of the Roma Sub Rosa series are in for a nice little nod in the epilogue to the rest of Gordianus's life, which we know from those books.
peterthelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Somewhat meandering due to the narrative being based on a trip to see the Wonders of the World. At times, reads more like a travelogue. I found the author's dialogue to be somewhat stiff, but I did get used to it. The novel is constructed, really, of short story-like chapters, each centered around one of the seven stops made on the trip. Luckily, the narrative threads created at each of the stops, seemingly only loosely-related, all get tied together in the end in satisfying fashion, which is good because about halfway through I had decided, reluctantly, that I probably wouldn't go on to read the author's Roma Sub Rosa series; however, having enjoyed the exciting conclusion of The Seven Wonders, I've decided I do want to go on and read more about Gordianus the Finder.
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
3.0
Back to the beginning for Gordianus. An interesting way to link together short stories with a larger subplot winding through them
mgcco's review against another edition
3.0
Steven Saylor never fails to amuse (and educate) with his stories. Some bits better than the others. Noticed that this particular collection is somewhat lighter in tone than the Roma Sub Rosa series.
Final rating: 3.5 stars
Final rating: 3.5 stars
jbleyle63's review against another edition
4.0
This was my second encounter with Saylor's Gordianus the Finder after Roman Blood, and I continue to very much enjoy this character and series. This collection of stories in particular appealed to me as a fictional travelogue through the ancient Seven Wonder of the World which have fascinated me since my childhood. Saylor's descriptions and scholarship of these places brought them vividly to life for me. Also enjoyed getting a sense of Gordianus' training and young adulthood as a foundation for the older character from the series of novels. I look forward to reading another in this series!
otherwyrld's review
3.0
It must be tricky trying to write a prequel to a long-running series. The author must take everything that we have learned about our protagonist and gradually cut it all away until what you have left is the essence of the character with none of the life experiences. To my mind, the only successful prequel I have read is Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe stories set in his early days in India.
Which brings us to this story - I have always enjoyed historical crime stories, and the Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder has always been a favourite of mine. So it was a bit of a shock to find a book set during his teenage years. Gordianus and his teacher Antipater set out to visit the Seven Wonders of the World. This they do so over the course of three years, and in each location Gordianus finds a mystery to solve and has a sexual adventure.
It was this element that was the most frustrating part of the book to me, as it was clear that this was a set of short stories that were later put together to form this book (something the author acknowledges in the author's notes). The framing sequence - the threat of war between Rome and various opponents - was underwritten, and only really forms the backdrop of two of the stories. So it feels like Gordianus goes and gapes at a Wonder, trips over a crime which he then solves, then has a bit of a romp with someone he has met during the story, the end.
The framing story only really comes together in the last story, set in Alexandria, and it's frustrating because the story seems to be left unfinished. However, in the very last page of the book, Gordianus happens to buy a certain female slave, and it's this final part that almost made me give it 4 stars, because any fan of these stories know that the heart of them is based on the love story between these two characters. It was too little too late though.
So an entertaining story, but in the end it fell short.
Which brings us to this story - I have always enjoyed historical crime stories, and the Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder has always been a favourite of mine. So it was a bit of a shock to find a book set during his teenage years. Gordianus and his teacher Antipater set out to visit the Seven Wonders of the World. This they do so over the course of three years, and in each location Gordianus finds a mystery to solve and has a sexual adventure.
It was this element that was the most frustrating part of the book to me, as it was clear that this was a set of short stories that were later put together to form this book (something the author acknowledges in the author's notes). The framing sequence - the threat of war between Rome and various opponents - was underwritten, and only really forms the backdrop of two of the stories. So it feels like Gordianus goes and gapes at a Wonder, trips over a crime which he then solves, then has a bit of a romp with someone he has met during the story, the end.
The framing story only really comes together in the last story, set in Alexandria, and it's frustrating because the story seems to be left unfinished. However, in the very last page of the book, Gordianus happens to buy a certain female slave, and it's this final part that almost made me give it 4 stars, because any fan of these stories know that the heart of them is based on the love story between these two characters. It was too little too late though.
So an entertaining story, but in the end it fell short.