This is the original volume of a series featuring the wry exploits of Decius Caecilious Metellus, a noble ancient Roman and a snoop. At the beginning of his career up the Roman political ladder he is a ward conmmissioner in a murderous sector of the city of Rome, c. 70 B.C. during the fall of the Roman Republic. Beginning from a little murder and a small arson, Decius gradually links and unravels a horrendous plot to undermine the state, against many hazards to his morality and his health. Along the way we are introduced to major historical and series characters who oppose or further Decius's inquiries and ascension, from Crassus (the Richest Man in the World) and Pompey (self-proclaimed The Great), ambivalent Julius Caesar, to lawyer Cicero and useful figures from the underworld of Rome. Decius recruits and adopts several independent assistants who promise to be of help in the future, either forensically or as smart muscle.

There is more of Roman administrative intrigue here than in most mysteries set in ancient Rome, because Decius is pursuing a political career, is himself a noble from an exalted lineage, and his father is already a high official (but frustratingly remote from his son's endeavors and progress). Decius is too old-fashionedly morally upright for his own good, but--happily for us--he is pleasantly cynical in his outlook and in his historically informed asides to us. This story is spendidly written, marvelously worldly, and rich with historical and archaeological detail that actually moves the story along. I disagree this is a fantasy; it is a fictional but plausible mystery set in a solidly realized historical context. Roberts writes this series in a rather more breezy style than the parallel Roma sub Rosa series by Stephen Saylor. Roberts depends too much on an illogical climactic confession by the villain to wrap up the many loose ends he has creatively developed in this story. (St. Martin's Press has republished the first two books in this apparently intermittant series. This as SPQR I: THE KING'S GAMBIT, q.v.)

It disturbs me that many SF/Fantasy books contain pathetic explanations like "Being a product of the (non-democratic or whatever) society I was born in, I was so stupid as to actually believe everything he (a bad guy) told me." JMR does nothing like that. His characters really act, talk and think like ancient Romans are supposed to. They don't apologise to 20th century American readers for not being politically correct. That's one thing I love about this book - it's so realistic! You'll get the feeling of actually being there, you actually start seeing things through the eyes of that Metellus guy.

The other thing that makes this book so great is the brilliance of John Maddox Roberts' writing. He has written other great novels too, but SPQR is his best book I have read. If you like historical fantasy and you're interested in ancient Rome, this book is a must-read for you.

(I'm sorry to tell you, however, that JMR wasn't able to maintain this high quality through the whole SPQR series. Don't buy them all now, just read one book before you buy the next one.)

I have read all of the SPQR-Series and can only recommend them both to the informed and the lay(wo)man. Being a student of Roman archaeoloy myself, I have seldom found such a good historical FUN novel, where you get to know all in IN men and woman of Rome at one of the most interesting times in her history.

Roman Senator Decius Caecilius Metellus is back in Rome, standing for election, when the always dangerous city is convulsed by a Tribune's curse. The Tribune curses Crassus as he sets out for war against the Parthians (a war that ended with Crassus's death and one of the worst defeats that Rome had ever suffered), invoking a number of secret gods and the secret name of Rome itself. Everyone knows that knowledge of the true name constitutes power, and Rome must take extraordinary measures to purify itself. When the Priestly colleges come to Decius and insist that he bring them the name of the one who betrayed Rome's secret name, Decius is thrust into mystery, danger, and death.

Author John Maddox Roberts makes this turbulent era in Roman history come to life. From details of Decius's candidate toga (whitened with chalk to stand out), to the economics of being a Roman politician, to the scheming of the three men--Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar--who rule Rome, THE TRIBUNE'S CURSE drips with authenticity. Better yet, the history lesson is fully integrated into the story. Roberts delivers information as it is needed, involving the reader in the mystery and the history simultaneously.

Decius, with his fears of poverty, his love of wine, and his loving but greedy wife, makes a sympathetic character--important since the story is told as a first person narative. He is positioned high enough in society to have access to information and contacts, yet low enough to be fair game for anyone who thinks that the truth would be better hidden.

Fans of Roman history, historical mysteries, or fine writing won't go wrong with this compelling mystery.

The year is AUC 700, or 56 BC by our calendar. Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger, back from several years in Gaul and happily married to his longtime love, the niece of Julius Caesar himself, is plunged into a whirlpool of intrigue when a tribune attempts to derail a powerful politician by invoking a curse on him, using religious elements he had no business using.

Reading this, the reader gets a sense of how alien the Romans really were---and how much they really believed in their religion.

After fighting the Gauls for a year under Julius Caesar, Decius Cecilius Metellus, the black sheep of the powerful and wealthy Metellus clan, is glad to be home again in his beloved Rome. Married to Caesar's niece Julia and running for political office that could lead to bigger and more powerful positions, Decius is a very happy man. The populace is not in favor of Tribune Marcus Licinus Craessus going to war against the Parthians.

On the day he is to depart, the fanatical opposition leader, the tribune of the people Caius Ateius Capito delivers a curse on Marcus, daring to speak the secret name of Rome. Decius is ordered to find out how he learned such a sacred name but before he gets very far in his investigation, the mauled body of Ateius is found. Decius must get answers and soon otherwise the frightened populace will start rioting.

John Maddox Roberts, through the use of the first person narration of his protagonist, gives the reader a glimpse into the mindset of the citizens of the Roman Empire on the subject of slavery, magic, politics, and war. The story line is colorful allowing readers to feel as if they have gone back in time to Ancient Rome. THE TRIBUNE'S CURSE is an exciting, well-researched historical mystery.

Harriet Klausner

This is a political mystery set around the historical Catiline conspiracy. The detail of what life was like in those days (for the elite) is wonderfully done while the reading is light and easy. This is like Colleen McCullough's historical series but much lighter in tone and slimmer. For me the pleasure was much more in the details of life in the last days of the Roman Republic thanin the mystery (although I like a good mystery too). Also, I finally made some sense of what the Catiline Conspiracy was about, after having puzzled over it in Latin and history classes in my youth.

It is wonderful to see J. M. Roberts' SPQR novels back in print. With the sixth novel 'Nobody Loves a Centurion' now published, it gives a good excuse to go back and re-read this magnificent series of historical mysteries.

In this second novel, the protagonist Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger continues his rise through the Roman political system as the yearly quaestor in charge of the treasury-a low ranking, thankless and mundane job. Caius Julius Caesar is the pontifex maximus, Pompey is wielding his imperium in the near east, and Cicero is one of the consuls-the supreme magistrates of the Republic. In this post-Sulla era, Rome is fairly quiet but marred by the unexplained murders of several equites-the upper middle class businessmen/citizens that don't have the prestige of being patricians, but but the true holders of much of Rome's financial wealth.

In his usual sideways manner, Decius Caecilius gets himself involved and appointed to investigate. What follows is a rather well told tale of intrigue and desire based upon the historical conspiracy of Lucius Sergius Catilina against the Republic. Steven Saylor covered some of the same material in his equally excellent novel 'Catilina's Riddle'-but from a slightly different perspective. This key moment in Roman history was truly a political turning point that presaged the end of the Republic and the coming of the Imperators.

Crassus, Pompey, Caesar and Catilina are brought to life in a way that history books can't do, and J.M. Roberts has created a most likable character in his Decius Caecilius. The extensive use of Roman titles and terminology is offset by the short glossary explaining key Latin terms as they were used in this era. A smart and fascinating novel with not so much mystery as history. Highly Recommended.

At long last, SPQR II: The Catiline Conspiracy is back in print--in a nice trade paperback edition. (The original release, from about a decade ago was a pocket-sized mass-market edition, with a rather tacky cover).

The basic plot of the story is that Decius Caecilius Metellus, young scion of a patrician line, in the course of his duties as quaestor (a temporary public office), discovers a number of signs that lead him to believe that some serious trouble is afoot-- caches of weapons hidden away in unused rooms at the temple of Saturn being only the first of them.

Eventually, he discovers the existence of an organized plot, led by the young noble Cataline, to overthrow the government of Rome. The only way to stop this plot, however, is to learn more of it-- which means pretending to join the conspiracy. But the price of admission is that he must kill one of his most trusted friends!

All in all, this is a rollicking good, high-action historical mystery. Like the mysteries of Steven Saylor, it's strongly rooted in actual history-- there was, after all, a real Cataline, who did indeed lead a plot to overthrow the Republic. He, his co-conspirators-- and many of the other characters with whom Decius interacts-- are real. In terms of its 'historicity', it's worth noting that Roberts' take on Cataline is very traditional in that he basically presents him as a spoiled, rotten, corrupt, brattish nobleman. This is, of course, how Cataline was portrayed by his enemies (e.g. Cicero), who-- due to the fact that history is written by the winners-- have tended to be well-represented in surviving documents. This is quite a different presentation of Catalina than Steven Saylor gives in his own mystery novel on the same subject, _Catalina's Riddle_, which presents Catalina more as a well-meaning, attractive, if somewhat naive populist. It's quite interesting to see the contrast, and those who enjoyed one book should also read the other-- just to see a different take on things.

In terms of the writing itself-- Maddox is quite fluid and engaging... and occasionally quite witty. His style is very different from Steven Saylor's, as is his detective (Decius is an up-and-coming young patrician actively involved in politics, as opposed to a philosophically-oriented plebian)-- but I'd say Saylor fans would still enjoy this book a lot, as would anyone who enjoys really good historical fiction-- particularly intrigues and mysteries-- set in or about ancient Rome.

This is a great book which I havn't read for some time and can't find-this should definitely be reprinted

After reading "The Strayed Sheep of Charun", I was hooked on the universe created. I eagerly read "Cestus Dei" to see how Mr. Roberts had expanded the story, and was not disappointed. If you can find either of these books, hang on to them. They are definitely books to read more than once.

While exploring on the Saturnian moon Rhea, Derek Kuroda discovers the first alien artifacts found in more than a century of space exploration. Tests on the enigmatic object suggest that they are either energy packs or weapons. One thing is certain: they are sources of immense power. And so Kuroda joins forces with Sieglinde Kornfeld-Taggart, whose scientific skills and inventive genius helped to form the Island Worlds group of orbiting colonies. Following what had at first seemed a successful Asteroid Belt Rebellion, Liberty has somehow become no more than a word in the Belt as well as on Earth-so the plan is to use the newfound power of the artifacts to launch dozens of asteroid worlds to freedom among the stars. But repressive elements throughout the Solar System are just as intent on stopping them...
Eric Kotani is the pseudonym of a noted physicist. John Roberts is a well-known science fiction writer.

The sequel to "The Islander" Book One of the Stormlands, was an absolute treasure of fantasy, adventure and a splash of romance mixed together in a wonderful blend of story-telling.John Maddox Roberts did a wonderful job of mixing in the real life learned strengths of Hael (hero) and a touch of a higher power type Colorful, adventureous and a pick up and don't put down kind of book.

Roberts writes with humor and grace; the charm of his SPQR series is evident in "Strayed Sheep" as well; instead of ancient Rome, however, it takes place far in the future and at the fringes of the known universe. Whatever possesses George Lukas et al. to film such stories as "Phantom Menace," when there is material out there just begging to be made into rip-roaring movies, like "The Strayed Sheep of Charun"? Much more visual and thrilling than Starship Troopers, this book deserves to be filmed and, of course, widely read. Now if only it were in print -- and where to find "Cestus Dei"?

Once again the crew of the Eurynome is thrust into the strange region of space called the Cingulum (this is novel 3 of the series) where beings who might as well be gods created for their own amusement worlds that cannot be.

All Hakon and his friends must do is deal with Pancho Villa,, the Emperor Montezuma and the Shogun of Japan to stop the destruction of the world Meridian. Meridian is the last stronghold of resistance against the Bahadur Tyrrany that has swallowed most of human occupied space.

A great romping sci fi reader by the author of some of the best Conan books.

After reading this book I was "hungry" for more. Marcus Didius Falco is one of the funniest guys in historical fiction and I am surprized not all of his adventures were published in the US.

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If not to do your own repair work, consider this to help you understand your car and better communicate with your mechanic.