Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Publisher: Little, Brown (Time Warner)
Release Date: January 2003
ISBN: 0316861138
Awards:
Format Reviewed: Hardback
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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.

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