Write Out Loud (Reviews and Writing)

“…fantasy rooted deeply in historical reality.”

I said in my review for book VII that I would be grabbing this one and reading avidly. I described it as a ‘Goblet of Fire’ moment because the adventures the four young detectives in this series had, up until this point, been cosy. You knew no matter what dangers they would face that all of them would come out alright.

Not in Book VII. We’re left with one of them gone, presumed dead and, if not, liable to face the death penalty for their (presumed) actions. Book VIII picks up on this beginning with the three remaining detectives and the parents of the fourth, mourning their loss. How can anything be the same again?

It nearly isn’t. The setting for book VIII is back in Rome for the one hundred days of games at the new amphitheatre Emperor Titus has declared. These are vicious games and, in investigating rumours that their young friend is there as a prisoner, the children put themselves in the worst dangers they’ve ever faced.

For the first time, we get no real backstory for any of them, having pretty much covered everything there is to say for each of them. But I do detect a deepening of our understanding of Nubia, the ex-slave and companion of Flavia. I can’t help but feel her story is going somewhere and Lawrence is preparing the ground for something to come eventually.

And do they find their friend? Yes and no. The story is so fraught with tension that there is no time to get the missing friend into the story until very near the end. I’m trying very hard not to give spoilers, but I will say that by the end, there’s going to be some considerable trauma to heal from for most of the characters. One thing is for sure, we’ve come along way from the Thieves of Ostia where they were all so young and innocent, despite their many emotional scars at that time.

As always, Lawrence’s historical accuracy is on the nail. Also, as usual, she’s based her fictional characters and plotline around actual historical events (in this case both the 100 days of games and plot against Titus). That means, you can enjoy the romp of four pre-teens doing outrageously dangerous things without stressing too much over the unbelievable nature of it all. This is fantasy rooted deeply in historical reality. As such, it’s a brilliant read for young minds just as much as a thoroughly enjoyable read for those of us who are (ahem) young in heart.

If there is a criticism, it is the continued need Lawrence has to explain certain English words in terms of their origin in Latin, voiced by the characters explaining the words to each other (usually Nubia who is foreign and learning to speak Latin). Interesting though this is (and I’m sure the intent is for the author to have a good excuse to explain where some of our words come from), it doesn’t make sense as we’re reading a ‘translation’ of these children already speaking Latin. It is the equivalent of me saying “food means food in English”. I don’t mind it occasionally, but the routine crops up in every book, often several times. Now I’m halfway through the series, it is a little wearing.

But that is the minorest of minor irritations. The book is, otherwise, just wonderful. the plot is exciting, sad, believable and even though it is certainly the goriest of the stories so far, still manages to be wholesome. Now I’m on to the next to see just how our young heroes get over the trauma of all this.

My Verdict:

You can buy me a coffee if you like! More accurately, you can help support my work either as a one off or monthly if you really want to show your love…

Read all the reviews for this series:

• Reflection: The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries I – The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries II – The Secrets of Vesuvius by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries III – The Pirates of Pompeii
• The Roman Mysteries IV – The Assassins of Rome by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries V – The Dolphins of Laurentum by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries VI – The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries VII – The Enemies of Jupiter by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries VIII – The Gladiators from Capua by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries IX – The Colossus of Rhodes by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries X – The Fugitive from Corinth by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries XI – The Sirens of Surrentum by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries XII – The Charioteer of Delphi by Caroline Lawrence
• The Roman Mysteries XIII – The Slave-girl from Jerusalem by Caroline Lawrence

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 7.9 million times.

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