|
Publisher:
Little, Brown (Time Warner) |
Release
Date: January 2003 |
ISBN:
0316861138 |
Awards:
|
Format
Reviewed: Hardback |
Buy
it at Amazon US || UK
|
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Historical Humor (1st Century AD, Rome and various locations)
|
Reviewer:
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewer
Notes: |
|
A
Song For Nero
By Tom Holt
As every
schoolchild knows, Nero died by his own hand (assisted by his valet)
in 69AD, following General Galba's coup. But Tom Holt, writer of
a number of comic fantasy novels and several set in the ancient
world, tells a different tale. Here Nero only has to trade places
with his double and then can walk away, as free as air with the
double's brother in tow. It is this brother, Galen, who in his own
words is a little rat-faced Greek, who tells the story of their
many (mis)adventures in the ten years following Galba's rise to
power. They turn their hand to being unsuccessful con men and spend
most of the time getting arrested, flung into jail and escaping.
But there are two people on their trail who want to get them: one
appears to be a fan of Nero's poetic work, but the other has far
more sinister purposes in mind.
Galen makes a wonderful narrator and
Tom Holt is adept at describing life in the 1st century, to the
extent that sometimes I wondered if he had been there. Unfortunately,
this is a long novel that doesn't contain quite such a long story
as it pages indicate on first seeing the tome. The second half of
the book is exciting with pirates, treasure, all the most interesting
escapes and much food for thought, but the first half tends to drag
its feet more than a little. If it had been half as long in fact,
it would have been twice as good, but this notwithstanding there
has been a good deal of research and some nifty plotting and my
enduring memories of reading this novel are of the evocative descriptions
of the many places the duo visit, the humorous tone of Galen's narrative
and, well, pretty much everything that happens in the second half
of the book. If you enjoy reading the historical crime novels of
writers like Lindsey Davis, David Wishart and Marilyn Todd, then
this lively adventure ought to be up your street.
|