Book Review by R.W. Jensen
The very first chapter will give the reader truth in advertising for the whole book; it is written in the first person point of view in the style of classic detective novels. Hold on, if you are not a fan of gum shoe stories; the story here is all purely historical and takes that part of its mission seriously. This novel will appeal to those who like a good enthralling story, detective stories, and also those who find themselves captivated by our ancient history.
The heart of this novel is based on fact, or at least fact as far as the opinion of the author of memoirs written on papyri around 105 B.C. is concerned. These scrolls were found in a hidden compartment in the floor of an opulent villa near Herculaneum. Human nature being what it is and has always been, the point of view shown in these papyri are enlightening as they seem to be written as a rebuttal to the memoirs of Rutilius Rufus and Cornelius Felix Sulla. Such a rebuttal is sure to expose some quiet little secrets that will lead to more little secrets. And so the fun in the novel begins...
The reluctant hero is Lucius Panderius, once a soldier and now the well-placed owner of a Roman brothel catering to powerful senators in the late years of the Roman Republic. Intrigue starts right away as the author, Philip Matyszak, weaves the pitfalls which any honest (or dishonest) business owner would face in ancient Rome. The factions in play at the time of this story are a group of excitable thugs who back that famous fellow, Gaius Marius. These Marians are intent on upsetting the status quo of the powerful senatorial class. Panderius happens to be a client of Sulla, a new arch enemy of Marius; yet they have converging military careers in front of them so they stay in the shadows and use others to wage their feud.
Panderius is forced to flee Rome and in so doing finds himself escorting an ex-slave/priestess who is on a sacred mission from two gods to retrieve a stolen statue. It just so happens this statue is being stored with one of the biggest gold and silver treasures in Tolosa (modern day France). But the problem is not breaking into the guarded treasure, the problem is getting there before the Roman Army or their enemies the Cimbri – as both armies are on a crash course strait for Tolosa.
Perhaps the biggest gold heist in history is now afoot. The tone of The Gold of Tolosa is filled with wry humor and has a modern cast to it. This is a deliberate style choice and was held consistent and crafted well throughout the entire tale. No style will please all readers, yet the story transcends the method and should appeal to a very wide audience. No section seemed to lag and the pace was lively right to the very end.
This is not a blood soaked gladiatorial tale. It has some very informational battle scenes – but they are not the crux of the story. This is a personal memoir of a very exhilarating, tell it to you grandchildren, adventure.
The author crafted the environment in such a way that anyone new to the world of Rome under the Republic can follow along. The challenge for any historical fiction set in a time and under a different language is what nouns/names to use and how to introduce them. Here there is a mix of using context to explain words unique to the time and some parenthetical editorial notes. The footnotes to bolster the truth of parts of the story was superfluous and could be distracting. The information therein was good, but perhaps better presented as an appendix.
This book will appeal to any general reader – the subject matter is based on a real story and the lives the characters led were harsh, yet the book still comes off leaving a reader with a slight smile. However, it is soaked in horridly missed typos and ill-applied punctuation. While I would not lay this at the author’s feet, nor would I want such a refreshing story to suffer; I must say that any publishing house or editor who let this go should hang their heads in shame because having character’s names misspelled on the same page and more than 15 typos in the first ¼ of the book distracted from the rollicking adventure.
May Aphrodite and Apollo take mercy on them for the wound they inflicted on this otherwise tightly written book.
