The Seven Wonders by Steven Saylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The last 2 entries in this series left me a little underwhelmed but with this "prequel" set in Gordianus the Finder's youth, I fell back in love with author Saylor's "Roma Sub Rosa" series.  So much so that I'm going to go back and give the last 2 books another try.  Briefly, this latest book is a group of short stories regarding the 18 year old Gordianus and his tutor, the Greek poet Antipater of Sidon ( a real historical figure ) and their grand tour of the ancient Hellenistic world, with an itinerary which includes visiting each of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World."   Each of the short stories was previously published independently in the last few years but they read well both alone and in this form where some overall plot threads come together at the end of the book.  I think it would be better to have read some of the previous books in the series, especially Roman Blood before reading this book, but it's not necessary.  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries as well as anyone who is interested in Roman and Hellenistic history.  I'm hoping that Saylor will come back with some more stories set in the decade of Gordianus youth, between the events of this book and those of the aforementioned "Roman Blood."  



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