Lindsey Davis' Marcus Didius Falco

[Ashley]

I think I liked See Delphi and Die the best. And I just started Alexandria; so far so wonderful as per usual. Although I do have a weird thing happening to me now while I'm reading it - it 'feels' different for some reason. Perhaps it's due to the fact I've never read any Falco books in trade paperback? Weird.

Falco is funny and sarcastic and yet loving to his family which I think is what draws me to him (does anyone else see Ioan Gruffudd playing him? ) but I miss Petro in this one. Hopefully he'll turn up soon. I also bought the hardback of Nemesis, so that will be next.

[Eigon]

Anton Lesser plays him on the radio, and just catches that cheeky, sarcastic tone nicely - so much so that I've started to look out for him in other things (he was Feste in a BBC production of Twelfth Night, for instance, and he's done a lot of readings for Radio 3).

[parthianbow]

She's written an English civil war novel, Rebels and Traitors, which weighs in at a hefty 752 pages (I wish my editor would go for mss. that long!). Anyone read it yet? It's had mixed reviews. On the civil war topic, I've read the absolutely fantastic Best of Men by Claire Letemendia, and eagerly await the sequel.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebels-Traitors-Lindsey-Davis/dp/0099538571/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284668777&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Men-Claire-Letemendia/dp/0224089374/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284668996&sr=1-1

[Margaret]

Parts of Rebels and Traitors, I thought, were very good - the main characters are well drawn, and I enjoyed the story whenever it stuck with those characters. But the novel goes into many flights of historical detail when it felt more like a (rather boring) history book than a novel, and these sections were extensive enough that they tended to overwhelm the rest of the story. Also, the publishers billed it as a romantic love story along the lines of Gone With the Wind, but the two characters who fall in love don't get together until quite near the end. In a novel of 750+ pages, "quite near the end" still offers room for a pretty good love story, but there's a lot of the novel to get through before that, and readers who are mainly looking for a love story will probably find that aggravating. I've posted a review at HistoricalNovels.info.

[Ashley]

Ben, I've seen that book out, but have not read it yet. I'm almost done with Alexandria, which is excellent as per usual, but feels different to me somehow. Not sure I can explain that better.

I also picked up Nemesis so I'll get to that soon too.

[annis]

I have to confess that I still have Rebels & Traitors sitting like an accusing doorstep on my bookshelf, and to be honest I'm not sure that I'm ever going to get to it . Although I love Falco, I agree with Ashley about Alexandria - it was good, but to me it just felt a bit flat compared to others in the series. I'm wondering if Davis had her mind on R&T at the time she wrote it, or if as Falco becomes a more serious paterfamilias and responsible citizen, so the tone is becoming a bit more sober.

Ben, I'm glad you enjoyed Letemendia's Best of Men - I thought it an excellent balance between intelligent political thriller and swashbuckler, and i'm keen to see how the sequel develops.

[Minnie]

Love Falco; he strikes me as a realistic and rounded character, and the touches of cynicism, sarcasm and appreciation of ironies add to the attraction of following him.
The series is a terrific achievement by any standards. It must be inordinately difficult to maintain such momentum, book after book. But The Silver Pigs is still my favourite, possibly because it is so dark and rather starkly dramatic + not least, deliciously romantic, which gives it an additional tension the subsequent novels necessarily lack.
Anton Lesser does personify him in the radio series, doesn't he? And the late Fritha Goody (the original Helena) was perfect: I heard her voice and thought "yes, that's her!" Hard act to follow; but not impossible, happily - although never quite as good.
I enjoyed Rebels and Traitors enormously. The characters were well-drawn, the story compelling and the author's own slightly bleak vision and wit are very evident. Unlike most, I suspect, I relish detail. The more the merrier: bring it on! But might be due to my lack of access to an anglophone public library. All the historical/socio-economic stuff saved me much related research. I can well understand the lengthy digressions/disquistions might annoy other readers ...

[parthianbow]

I'm keen to see how the sequel develops.

Me too, Annis!

[Eigon]

I'm sorry to learn that it's the late Fritha Goody, Minnie - I thought her voice was perfect, too, and I was a bit annoyed when I noticed that she'd been replaced (though the new Helena is also very good).

[Minnie]

I'm sorry to learn that it's the late Fritha Goody, Minnie - I thought her voice was perfect, too, and I was a bit annoyed when I noticed that she'd been replaced (though the new Helena is also very good).

So sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Eigon; but, yes, it's true. Sad story; sad loss. I agree that her replacement is good. But when one's heard the right voice ...
PS You live in a super place for a bibliophile! My last home was downriver from you (between Tintern and Monmouth). The landscape's glorious, isn't it?