''A Gladiator Dies Only Once'' is a collection of short stories by American author

Steven Saylor Steven Saylor (born March 23, 1956) is an American author of historical novels. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied history and classics. Saylor's best-known work is his ''Roma Sub Rosa'' historical mystery ...

, first published by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

in 2005. It is the eleventh book in his

Roma Sub Rosa ''Roma Sub Rosa'' is a series of historical mystery novels by Steven Saylor set in ancient Rome and therefore populated by famous historic roman citizens. The phrase "Roma Sub Rosa" means, in Latin, "Rome under the rose." If a matter was ''sub ros ...

series of mystery stories set in the final decades of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

. The main character is the Roman sleuth Gordianus the Finder.

Plot summary

In this second collection of short stories from the life of Gordianus the Finder, the reader gets more glimpses into the backstory of the protagonist, as well as meetings with famous historical characters such as

Quintus Sertorius Quintus Sertorius (c. 126 – 73 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian peninsula. He had been a prominent member of the populist faction of Cinna and Marius. During the l ...

and

Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and government service, he conquered the eastern kingdom ...

The Consul's Wife

''(Set in 77 BC.)''
Gordianus is hired by the consul Decimus Junius Brutus, who fears that his wife Sempronia is plotting with her lover to have him killed.

If a Cyclops Could Vanish in the Blink of an Eye

''(Set in 77 BC.)''
Gordianus helps his son Eco find out who stole three clay figurines. At the end it was the cat the one who had stolen the figures.

The White Fawn

''(Set in the summer and autumn of 76 BC.)''
Gordianus travels to

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

to find a young man who has run away to join the rebel

Something Fishy in Pompeii

''(Set in 75 BC.)''
Gordianus travels to

Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...

to find out who has stolen a recipe for

garum Garum is a fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment in the cuisines of Phoenicia, ancient Greece, Rome, Carthage and later Byzantium. Liquamen is a similar preparation, and at times they were synonymous. Although garum enjoyed its grea ...

from his patron Lucius Claudius.

Archimedes' Tomb

''(Set in 75 BC.)''
Gordianus is in

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, where he searches for the lost tomb of

Archimedes Archimedes of Syracuse (;; ) was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor from the ancient city of Syracuse in Sicily. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists ...

Death by Eros

''(Set in 75 BC.)''
Gordianus is in Neapolis, where he tries to solve the murder of a young man.

A Gladiator Dies Only Once

''(Set in the summer and autumn of 73 BC.)''
Gordianus is hired by a beautiful

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

n woman to find a dead gladiator. The author is Steven Saylor

Poppy and the Poisoned Cake

''(Set in 70 BC.)''
Gordianus is hired by an aristocrat who believes that his cake has been poisoned.

The Cherries of Lucullus

''(Set in the spring of 64 BC).''
Gordianus is hired by the paranoid general

to discover a plot against his life.

Reception

In a

starred review A starred review is a book review __NOTOC__ A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...

for ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', Connie Fletcher described the short stories as "marvelous reflections of ancient Rome" and praised the puzzle in each story. A reviewer for ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' wrote that the characters were realistic and favorably compared it to Saylor's historical novels. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' criticized it for lack of mystery, but wrote that the stories "engagingly evoke the last days of the Roman Republic". Alice Logsdon, writing for the

Historical Novel Society The Historical Novel Society (HNS) is a nonprofit international literary society devoted to promotion of and advocacy for the genre of historical fiction. Definition of historical fiction There are varying definitions as to what types of literature ...

, commented that the stories were easy to read and had "clever dialogue".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gladiator Dies Only Once Roma Sub Rosa 2005 short story collections St. Martin's Press books