Catilina’s Riddle
A Novel of Ancient Rome
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Narrated by:
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Scott Harrison
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By:
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Steven Saylor
About this listen
The year is 63 BC, and Gordianus the Finder unexpectedly achieves the dream of every Roman: owning a farm in the Etruscan countryside. Vowing to leave behind the corruption of Rome, he abandons the city, taking his family with him. This bucolic life, however, is disrupted by the machinations and murderous plots of two politicians.
When Gordianus’ longtime patron Cicero attains his lifelong dream of a coveted consulship, he urgently requests a favor of Gordianus: his help in keeping watch on a radical populist senator, Catilina - Cicero’s political rival and a candidate to replace him in the annual elections. Against his will, Gordianus finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a maelstrom of deceit and intrigue, uncertain of the dangers and even more uncertain of where his true allegiance lies. When his six-year-old daughter Diana finds a headless corpse in their stable, Gordianus is confronted with the deadliest mystery of his career.
Shrewdly depicting deadly political maneuverings, this addictive mystery also displays the author’s firm grasp of history and human character.
Steven Saylor is a freelance writer, editor, and the author of novels set in ancient Rome. He studied history at the University of Texas at Austin. His writing has appeared in the Threepenny Review, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He lives in Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas.
©1993 Steven Saylor (P)1996 BlackstoneListeners also enjoyed...
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Everyone knows the story-how Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, how Camelot came to be, and about the power struggles that ultimately destroyed Arthur's dreams. But what of the time before Arthur and the forces that created him?
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Fascinating new series
- By Jim R. Whitt Jr. on 08-27-13
By: Jack Whyte
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The Lions of Al-Rassan
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan - poet, diplomat, soldier - until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.
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Lots of drama
- By KH on 10-12-12
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
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The Snow Empress
- By: Laura Joh Rowland
- Narrated by: James Yaegashi
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Chosen by Publishers Weekly as a Best Book of 2007, The Snow Empress showcases author Laura Joh Rowland's deep understanding of 17th-century Japan and her impeccable gift of storytelling. This thrilling novel finds samurai detective Sano Ichirõ working to gain freedom for his son by investigating the murder of a lord's beloved mistress.
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Japanophile delight
- By Lee M. MD on 03-21-09
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Ben-Hur
- A Tale of the Christ
- By: Carol Wallace
- Narrated by: Firdous Bamji
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Now a major motion picture from MGM and Paramount studios, the story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman whose childhood friend, Messala, betrays him. Accused of trying to murder the new Roman governor in Jerusalem, Judah is sentenced to the galley ships and vows to seek revenge against the Romans and Messala. But a chance encounter with a carpenter from Nazareth sets Judah on a different path.
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Maginificient remake
- By Amazon Customer on 07-23-16
By: Carol Wallace
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The Memory of Earth
- Homecoming, Volume 1
- By: Orson Scott Card
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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High above the planet Harmony, the Oversoul watches. Its task, programmed so many millennia ago, is to guard the human settlement on this planet, to protect this fragile remnant of Earth from all threats...to protect them, most of all, from themselves.
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I keep hoping, but, alas, ...
- By Ole Hippie on 02-22-10
By: Orson Scott Card
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The Reluctant Swordsman
- By: Dave Duncan
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Wallie Smith can feel the pain. He goes to the hospital, remembers the doctors and the commotion, but when he wakes up it all seems like a dream. However, if that was a dream how do you explain waking up in another body and in another world? Little Wallie finds himself in the physique of a barbarian swordsman, accompanied by both an eccentric priest babbling about the Goddess and a voluptuous slave girl. Is this a rude awakening or a dream come true?
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An enjoyable listen
- By Joe on 10-21-12
By: Dave Duncan
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The Last Sacrifice
- By: Hank Hanegraaff, Sigmund Brouwer
- Narrated by: Doug Lamoreux
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Helius, Nero's most trusted advisor, anticipates the death of his sworn enemy, the legendary warrior Gallus Sergius Vitas, scheduled to die a gruesome death in the arena. However, the badly beaten man who appears in the amphitheater is not who he seems. Rescued by a stranger and given a mysterious scroll, Vitas is told that he must decipher this letter to find the answers he needs. It is a letter that Helius is also determined to decipher and to keep hidden from Nero.
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interacting historical drama
- By Michael E. on 12-27-16
By: Hank Hanegraaff, and others
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The Songs of the Kings
- By: Barry Unsworth
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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A thoroughly modern tale of politics, spin-doctoring, and media manipulation. As the harsh wind holds the Greek fleet trapped in the straits at Aulis, frustration and political impotence turn into a desire for the blood of a young and innocent woman - blood that will appease the gods and allow the troops to set sail. And when Iphigeneia, Agamemnon's beloved daughter, is brought to the coast under false pretences, it looks as if the ships will soon be on their way.
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The politics of power haven't changed.
- By susan on 12-06-12
By: Barry Unsworth
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Black Wolves
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 28 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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He lost his honor long ago. Captain Kellas was lauded as the king's most faithful servant until the day he failed in his duty. Dismissed from service, his elite regiment disbanded, he left the royal palace and took up another life. Now a battle brews within the palace that threatens to reveal deadly secrets and spill over into open war. The king needs a loyal soldier to protect him. Can a disgraced man ever be trusted?"
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Very engaging. Can't wait for book 2
- By Claudia Alderman on 01-15-16
By: Kate Elliott
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I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire
- Ravenloft: Strahd, Book 1
- By: P. N. Elrod
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Some of the parchment pages were the color of cream, thick and substantial, made to last many, many lifetimes. Other pages were thin and desiccated, positively yellow from age, and crackled alarmingly as Van Richten turned them over. There were no ornate illuminations, no fussy borders, only lines of plain text in hard black ink. The flowing handwriting was a bit difficult to follow at first; the writer's style of calligraphy had not been in common use for 300 years. No table of contents, but from the dates it looked to be some kind of history.
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Love it...just one complaint....
- By Ryan Conrad on 03-15-14
By: P. N. Elrod
What listeners say about Catilina’s Riddle
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Suzo
- 01-12-15
Not one of Saylor's best
Narration is awful! The narrator is very wrong for this genre. The story line is also weak. The first third is a rehash of Gordianus' past exploits through the device of conversations and remembrances.
I mostly listen while I'm painting, so I listened to the whole book. It gets a little more interesting toward the end, if you chose to slog that far.
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4 people found this helpful
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- James W.
- 01-18-21
A lot of history with a mystery on the side
This book seems to me like like an excuse by Saylor to write his take on the Catilina conspiracy, with an appended mystery as the fig leaf to call this a detective story. Be that as it may, Steven Saylor is an excellent and engaging story teller. Yes, there were large chunks of this book n which Gordianus listens to Cicero’s speech or Catilina’s speech or hearing so-and-so’s account of such-and-such historical event connected with Catilina’s alleged conspiracy. And I do admit that this did drag a bit at times. But only a bit as Saylor is such an engaging storyteller. The book’s mystery concerns dead bodies found at Gordianus’ recently inherited farm, and how this puzzle interacts - or doesn’t - with Gordianus’ visits from Catilina. Also at play is the conflict between Gordianus and his son Meto, who has just become legally an adult Roman male. The book is one of Saylor’s longest, but I found it an enjoyable read. Saylor is definitely one of the best authors of Roman historical fiction.
I need to say a word about narrator Scott Harrison. I found his voice to take a lot of getting used to. I don’t know quite how to describe his reading, but his reading sound forced and abrupt. I also heard at least three instances where he mixed up the words he was reading. It caused me to re-wind, listen again, and then realize he spoke the wrong word. So, for example, he would read “Cicero punched Caesar in the jaw, leading Cicero to hit Cicero back” when it should have been “....leading Caesar to hit Cicero back.” I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks but never experienced this issue before.
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1 person found this helpful
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- John J. Petry
- 06-24-22
don't bother
I have read a number of these books and listened to the audiotape as well. this performance inspired wishes to throttle the one reciting. Simply obnoxious . Likewise the text, as far as I could stand it, i.e. the hay blight, was boring enough to make me wish to stop my walk and fall asleep. I am very disappointed.
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- Shirlene
- 04-17-13
Caustic voice of narrator
Would you try another book from Steven Saylor and/or Scott Harrison?
I have read or listened to almost all of Steven Saylor's books with great relish. The author has an excellent grasp of Roman culture and his character development of Gordianus the investigator has been interesting to watch evolve. However the voice of Mr Scott Harrison sounds more like someone who should be reading contemporary dectective novels set in Miami or New York rather than ancient Rome. After less than 2 hours I simply turned the audio recording off. I will read the books from the public library rather than buy any historical novel narrated by Mr. Harrison.
What other book might you compare Catilina’s Riddle to and why?
Murder on the Appian Way. Features Gordianus the investigator.
What didn’t you like about Scott Harrison’s performance?
I'm sure this narrator is very effective when reading contemporary detective or spy novels. His vowels are very clipped and sharp. His reading pace seldom varies and one's gets the feeling he is racing to be done with the book. Consequently the emphasis on specific scenes is mismanaged
What character would you cut from Catilina’s Riddle?
.
Any additional comments?
Find a different narrator please.
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8 people found this helpful
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- 2Ponds
- 12-19-13
Stilted
I wish Audible would allow me to list readers I don't care for. Not even publicly list them, just keep a record so I know not to get a book with a crummy reader. This is one such reader. His stilted delivery and inappropriate pauses clearly don't do any favors to the story. The story needs help too, our hero is a numbskull and I swear he wasn't this dumb in previous books. Overall not the best listening for me.
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7 people found this helpful