Render Unto Caesar: A Novel

by Gillian Bradshaw

Hermogenes is a young Greek from Alexandria, heir to a noble and vibrant society. But in his youth Hermogenes and his family were held captive to the whims of the queen Cleopatra, whose machinations spelled doom for an entire nation--whose schemes for empire caused the might of Rome to conquer his people. While the citizens of Rome may ape Hellenic ways, the Alexandrian Greeks are viewed as less than human because they are not of Rome. But a man may win the coveted citizenship in more ways than birth on Roman soil. When Hermogenes father is granted such a boon, it appears as if his family has found favor from the gods--except then a business deal goes sour and Hermogenes father dies at sea. It is left to Hermogenes to reclaim all monies owed to the family... including a debt from a very well connected Roman consul who has reneged on his obligations and refuses to deal with "Greek trash."Hermogenes will travel to Rome to reclaim what he is owed and finds it is no simple matter. Along the way, he will encounter base desire and power struggles, plots within plots... and a beautiful woman gladiator who is more than she seems. His life is in danger, and ultimately Hermogenes is left with the Can the conferring of a title make one truly Roman? And if not, how far will a man go to satisfy honor?Render unto Caesar is a fascinating historical that explores the nature of what it means to be free, to truly be a citizen of Rome, and the lengths a man will go to call himself a man.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Roman, Mystery

476 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Born in Arlington, Virgina, Gillian Bradshaw grew up in Washington, Santiago, Chile and Michigan. She is a Classics graduate from Newnham College, Cambridge, and published her first novel, Hawk of May, just before her final term. A highly acclaimed historical novelist, Gillian Bradshaw has won the Hopwood Award for Fiction, among other prizes. She lives in Cambridge with her husband and their four children.

Reviews

[Cassandra Kay Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to make this point since it will sound sexist no matter how I word it but this book was obviously authored by a woman. The man was completely unrelatable to his sex. Too mushy, too overly concerned about every damn characters feelings, too observant and so introspective that it was just utterly utterly obviously contrived by a woman. The plot was actually good but how many times do we have to watch our supposed hero get beat up? His fighting is all with his words? Oh wow great I hate it. Someone throw a punch already other than the woman? Yah ok once again written by a woman I get it. The woman is the tough guy. But the romance was completely unbelievable and unlikable even. It was all together too well tied up at the end for me too. Even the slaves get their happy ending? Every one of them? Life for a slave is never so neat in the end, not that we can't wish or hope things would have been different but they weren't and this stark contrast makes these slaves almost contemptible for their luck in life. Oh gosh, this whole book was just ridiculous and yet during the reading I admit I liked it, there were these massive problems to be sure and it was all together ridiculous but yah I have to admit at the time of reading it I was actually enjoying myself. So how do you rate a book like that? I have no idea.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this one for a long time. Much as I've enjoyed other books by Gillian Bradshaw (I think I gave Island of Ghosts 5/5 stars!), this one really didn't work for me. It's easy enough to read, and the research and detail seems as solid as I've come to expect from Bradshaw, but I just didn't enjoy myself. I didn't get involved with the characters or plot, which is too bad considering it involves figures like a female gladiator.

I kept putting it aside for when I felt more like it, but months have passed without me being any more 'in the mood', and I've even read another Bradshaw book in the time which had similarities in terms of the tone and pace, but which I loved and read compulsively.

I'd say I'll give this another chance someday, but I think I've given it a pretty fair one already. Bradshaw had me enjoying even a gutting of 'Bisclaveret'; this just didn't work for me. Time to cut my losses and move on to Bradshaw's other work, which I will most likely enjoy.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Los ciudadanos son todos iguales, pero unos más iguales que otros-.

Género. Novela Histórica.

Lo que nos cuenta. Hérmogenes, ciudadano romano residente en Alejandría, viaja a Roma para reclamar una deuda bastante considerable y que forma parte de la herencia que recibió de su padre. El problema es que el deudor es cónsul, general y amigo personal del emperador Augusto.

¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Deborah Pickstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my favourite of Gillian Bradshaw's books (the other contender is The Sand-Reckoner), a story of a decent man who won't lie down and submit to bullying. I Can't think of a single book she has written that has disappointed me.

[Carlos Magdaleno Herrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

SINOPSIS

Hermógenes, un comerciante romano originario de Alejandría decide partir a la capital del Imperio con la intención de cobrar una deuda familiar. El deudor es Tario Rufo, un rico e influyente cónsul romano que no sólo se negará a devolver el dinero al joven, sino que intentará acabar con éste en una emboscada. Hermógenes logrará salvar la vida gracias a la intervención desinteresada de una exgladiadora de origen cántabro. A pesar de las amenazas de Rufo y el círculo de amistades de éste, el griego no cejará en su empeño de ver saldada la deuda, ya que ésta provocó la ruina de su familia.

OPINIÓN

Ha resultado ser una novela diferente sobre una época concreta del Imperio Romano (16 a.c.), en la que los protagonistas no son grandes conquistas y heroicos generales, sino un tenaz comerciante Alejandrino con unos valores de justicia dignos del presente real. El personaje de Cántabra hace aún más interesante la novela a los que somos del norte peninsular, aunque ya de por si sola es digna de admiración y aprobación. En resumen, un libro feminista sobre una época muy poco feminista. Muy recomendable.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in Augustan Rome, Render Unto Caesar is the story of Hermogenes, a merchant from Alexandra, who travels to the capital to recover a debt owed to his late father, only to find himself ensnared in the financial machinations of Vedius Pollio, the fabulously rich plutocrat, notorious for feeding unsatisfactory slaves to the lampreys in his pond. Refusing to be intimidated by Pollio who seeks to brush him aside as an impudent barbarian, Hermogenes, politely persists with his requests until he finds himself arrested and accused of plotting to kill a consul.

Still refusing to be cowed, Hermogenes sets out to discover what is really at the bottom of the plot to kill the consul. When his own life is threatened he gets himself a bodyguard in the form of a celebrated female gladiator fallen on hard times. Together they manage to outwit the cabal of monstrous Roman aristocrats.

Well researched and full of colour, Render Unto Caesar brings first century Rome to life with all its arrogance, cruelty and splendour.

[Ozymandias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: 9 (unique and constantly shifting with uncertain ending)
Characters: 8 (likable and sometimes truly special)
Accuracy: 8 (superb research is significantly impacted by modern ideals)

I really liked this book. The book is basically a combination of two things: a slice of life story about everyday life in Rome and the relations between different social units (master/slave, Greek/Roman); and a political thriller about a man trying to claim his money from a powerful Roman and survive doing so. Neither one have been done adequately before in my book. You commonly find both elements in quaint Roman murder mysteries, but those books are so formulaic and modernist that they barely scratch the surface of the issues. This book handles things better.

The political thriller aspect is fairly original I thought. At least for this period. Trying to decipher the political shenanigans and personal relationships of all involved while isolated and separate from any powerful patron who might help make clear makes for good reading. And there is quite a bit of adventure involved here, The Roman who owes the debt proves far more unwilling to pay than seems logical, which means that something else is going on. And that leads to more clues and different approaches and some fine derring do. Plus a lot of escaping and planning.

The slice of life story is interesting as well, giving us some insight into the running of a slave household and what freedom and unfreedom really means. It also delves into issues like consent, status, loyalty, and how slavery mucks about with them. As in her other books Bradshaw's guilty of placing far too modern a viewpoint on all of this in order to make her characters sympathetic, but she's far from alone in doing that. Most writers are much worse and at least she tries to base her justification for such attitudes in the ideals and beliefs of the time. Even if it is all a little too pat.

And of course, one of the really fun bits is the gladiatrix the protagonist hires as his bodyguard. Female gladiators did exist, and this provides the perfect opportunity for a female viewpoint we haven't seen before. And the character is well written and fun. Also, rather kickass without seeming like a superhuman.

The negative bits of the book come towards the end. Once you find out what's going on the story becomes something of a slog as you just wait to find out how things play out. At this point we also get a lot of self-righteous anger at the Roman state that would never have been tolerated by any magistrate or elite. Indeed, it is here that the modern viewpoint appears most strongly as the outrage over the unfairness of the system is presented in a way that makes sense only to an audience with modern preconceptions about the universality and impartiality of justice. Romans (or indeed Greeks) would have just scratched their heads and laughed about naïveté and ridiculous assumptions. Character motivations seem really stretched here.


Still, the core of the book is excellent. It provides us a look into Roman society that we don't often see. So it's definitely recommended from that angle. The modernish political thriller approach that the author takes to the material is also entertaining on its own. And the appearance of a gladiatrix is obviously going to be crowd-pleasing. Well worth a read.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has never been about the money, Roman. This has been about whether Roman officials can rob, cheat and murder with impunity.

The setting is Rome, 16BC. Cleopatra was defeated fairly recently: many Romans still look down on the Greeks. Hermogenes is a Greek businessman from Alexandria who travels to Rome to seek justice from the man who ruined his family by defaulting on a debt. He's accompanied by two slaves, and he stays with a friend of his father's, Titus Crispus. His initial meeting with Tarius Rufus, who owes him over half a million sestertii, doesn't go well: Rufus spits on Hermogenes, calls him 'Greekling', and generally seems disinclined to pay. When Hermogenes -- who is a Roman citizen, with all the rights that entails -- pursues the matter, he finds himself in mortal peril. He's attacked in a dark alleyway, but rescued by a witness, an ex-gladiator who becomes his bodyguard.

There's a lot packed into this novel: anti-Greek sentiment, citizens' rights, Roman politics (Hermogenes is opposed by a trio of wealthy men, friends of the absent Emperor Augustus, who are manoeuvring for dominance), and the ethics of slavery -- in particular, of sexual relations between slaves and citizens. Hermogenes, whilst definitely a man of his time and perfectly comfortable with slavery as an institution, finds himself considering how to help one of Crispus' slaves, who is not happy at having to sleep with Crispus. And that leads him to recollections of his own youthful relationship with an enslaved woman...

Hermogenes is a delightful character: he is interested in people, and he likes to be liked, but there's an inner strength that not even Hermogenes himself realises is beneath the sunny exterior. His resolution and courage are in sharp contrast to the corrupt Romans he encounters. Render Unto Caesar would be interesting if it consisted solely of his quest for justice and his growing awareness of the inequities of slavery: that it's also an unusual and thoughtful romance, and a vivid evocation of Imperial Rome with its bedbugs and stenches and wealth and squalor, makes it a splendid read.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this story started out very good but was not stitched together well. The main character assumes most of what happens and I think the author could have put twists and turns letting the reader figure out what’s going to happen instead of it being told to them. Also, the main character rambled a lot, a little too much which was annoyingly long at times. But it was an easy read and now I want to read about Alexandria!

[Juan Arellano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entretenida novela historica. La ambientacion me parecio buena pero el personaje poco creible, menos aun mientras avanzaba la obra, pero no puedo negar que la disfrute, asi que diria que el balance es positivo.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Points for a gladiatrix character and a lot of fun details about life in ancient Rome. I felt like I was there. Reminded me of the Gordianus the Finder books. I enjoyed reading it and was always eager to see what would happen next.

I enjoyed the main character's quest for justice, even though it really wasn't very wise. He spends the book getting more and more beat up because of his pride and insistence on principle. I was constantly flipping ahead to see if things were getting better or worse, dude is up against some steep odds.

Minus points for the attitudes about homosexuality, which seem less liberal than they would have been at the time. Hermogenes doesn't judge men who like boys, per se, he gets that some people have that preference and it's normal in his culture. But he also finds himself "repulsed" by the idea of a man being in love with him or wanting to sleep with him, personally. He seems astonished that his valet is into this. I think that if it were that common and accepted at the time, one would be more likely to shrug and move on than have one's whole self-concept of masculinity fall to pieces over it. It was weird, but I just kind of edited in my head to make more sense. YMMV.

Also some of the attitudes about slavery - our hero had to have VERY modern attitudes to think that it is not right to have sex with slaves because they can't choose it, and to judge others for doing the same. Being nice to people and cultivating them is part of his schtick, but I think that really the author was trying to fit a modern hero into the year 16 BCE and struggled a bit.

I enjoyed this overall and am rounding up from 3.5 stars, but probably wouldn't re-read it. The plot is the kind that's a bit tough to execute - man being buffeted around and used by powerful people in a quest where he doesn't really understand the big political stuff happening. So the reader only understands what he pieces together. Which can be frustrating. But give me slice-of-life ancient Rome and I can apparently forgive a lot.

"If you love me, I think it is because I am the only woman who has gone above the slopes, and met you on the steep places, there, in your heart, where there was only stone and snow and silence" (p. 380).

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful, satisfying book!

I decided to read this book on a whim while bouncing around the Kindle store because I had read Gillian Bradshaw's work before. I'm so glad I picked this one up! I flew through it.

Not only does Ms. Bradshaw succeed (again) in pumping life into the ordinary lives of ordinary people but she has a knack for bringing ancient Rome to life. However, what I really enjoyed was how she developed the differences between Romans and Alexandrian Greeks (cultural, philosophical etc.) She does this seamlessly, and without lecture, so that the reader is not necessarily for or against one civilization or the other. You are for the characters, particularly Hermogenes and Cantabra.

The story is great but the only problem I had is that I wanted it to go on and was so sorry when it finished. There is so much more that could happen and be developed (I'll say no more so I don't spoil things for potential readers). I don't think there is a sequel to this but I do hope one is in the works. I want to read more about Hermogenes and Cantabra!
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A note of the actual e-book: I bought this for my Kindle and have to say that the publisher should be ashamed to have put such a great author's work out in such a state. I don't know if they scanned the book with some kind of text recognition software but almost every single 'page' had a typo on it, or missing letters. Very odd and no fault of the author's.

That is not to say I would not buy it again for the quality of the storytelling far outweighs the e-book glitches. Just to say that the publisher should be more careful next time.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bradshaw's latest tome leaves the impression that it was cranked out in a hurry, a pale shadow of her previous books. It tells the story of Hermogenes, a moneylender from Alexandria who comes to Rome to collect a bad debt from a high-up Roman. As always, it asks question about identity, about an outsider fitting in -- Hermogenes is a Roman citizen and idealises Roman justice, but to many of the rich, powerful Romans he meets he is beneath contempt as a "Greekling", whose demands can safely be ignored whatever the law says.

The historical detail is as vivid and convincing as ever, but I'm afraid Hermogenes just doesn't seem as complex and sympathetic a character as some of Bradshaw's earlier heroes -- Caesarion, Cleopatra's heir, had his faults, but you came to like him despite them, whereas Hermogenes appears a little too good to be true from the start, constantly concerned about the wellbeing of every slave he meets, able to instantly figure out the complexities of Roman politics within a few days of his arrival, and boldly standing up to consuls and prefects who are threatening to kill him. The plot also is rather too smoothly oiled, with few genuine surprises -- but perhaps that's an after-effect of reading Wilkie Collins immediately beforehand!

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book, but it is a long way from her best work.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh God I stayed up far, far too late reading this. But it was worth it.

This pushes a button for me. That button is the hero who gets in so over his head, knows it, and grits his teeth and does his damnedest. And is *awesome*. Bonus points for people around him thinking he's a total BAMF, and his response being, omgwtf I am so not the droid you are looking for. See also: Season 1 John Sheppard, and whatsherface in Naamah's Curse.

While this doesn't pass Bechdel (on-screen; there's a referenced conversation but it's very brief), I am willing to forgive on the grounds that Maerica kicks every possible variety of ass and the hero clearly adores his (off-screen) daughter.

I love that the book is from the perspective of the conquered peoples of Rome. I love that the plot is explained clearly without a single instance of "as you know, Bob." This is one time when the audience knowing as much as the point-of-view character works really well; pace Lawrence Block, but I find I often prefer stories where the audience knows more than the characters.

Oh, and the treatment of sexuality in early imperial Rome is pretty awesome.

[skein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young-ish Greek man visits Rome; gets tangled up in politics and plots; makes vehement speeches about citizenship, slavery, honor; meets brash female gladiator; falls in lust love; writes many sad-face letters to his daughter; returns home.
Gave it three stars, because it's terribly engaging, but it's not very *good* so feel as tho I am being dishonest. Hermogenes is just too freaking perfect. He's clever, he's brave, he's rich, he's forthright and honest. His slaves love him. Other peoples' slaves love him. He makes immaterial mistakes and prays feverently and OH MY GOD I WANTED TO SMACK HIM. (plus: he's cool with homo/bisexuality 90% of the time and lets out with a nasty slur, randomly, why?)

Characterization was an utter fail, & there were too many (useless) info-dumps; and thanks for pointing out how to pronounce your daughters name *yet again*; but the attention to detail caught me now and then. Like: a rag is stuffed in his mouth and it tastes of ashes and oil - it's a rag to clean armor (affecting to me, for whatever reason, but it's another irritant: how and why would Hermogenes know this?)

(1/8-1/9, 460 pages)

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gillian Bradshaw is an underrated historical fiction writer. I have read most of her books (I'm still working on the rest of them), and she does an excellent job integrating a compelling plot with interesting characters set in a historical time period. She does especially well with the Roman Empire, where many of her books take place.
In this particular book, we learn much about the intrigues surrounding the Roman Empire and the relationship between Rome and her colonies as a result of an Egyptian merchant who inherits a large debt owed by an important Roman politician. As a result of the merchant's attempt to collect this debt, there are attempts made on his life, and he gets sucked into the vortex known as Roman politics. In between the assassination attempts, we learn about slavery, the gladiator school, and the role of women in the Roman Empire (among other things).
I don't think this is one of the author's best books, but she is such an excellent author that it doesn't matter. Her characters are interesting, and the historical detail well-integrated into the novel. If you're interested in this time period, this is a definite recommended read!

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, so it's kind of a thriller, not so much a "whodunnit" but a "whydhedoit." So, I guess it is a genre book after all. And there is a romance component, so, boom, another genre. But Bradshaw really excels at bringing the setting (the late part of Augustus's reign) to life -- she had a way of adding texture to every scene, so you get an image of what Rome must have smelled and sounded like as well as the rest of it. If you like Lindsey Davis's or Seven Saylor's Roman mysteries, this is a no-brainer; if you are interested in the ancient world or Rome or just like a good thriller, you could do a lot worse.

[Meggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the two previous Bradshaw books I read (Island of Ghosts and The Sand-Reckoner). I liked getting to see Augustan-era Rome, and Maerica the ex-gladiatrix was probably my favorite character, yet I never connected fully with our protagonist and the pace of the plot seemed to drag for me. Still 3 stars, though, because I ended up googling a lot.

[Ursula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the perfect joke review of this book, but as it turns out, it was based on a mashup of two badly-remembered series titles (Rome and Spartacus: Blood and Sand). It's unfortunate that there really wasn't a series called Rome: Blood and Sand but it's not going to stop me from saying what I would title this book if it were to follow that formula.

I would call this one Rome: Adverbs and Italics.

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Appealing and interesting characters together with a rich representation of historical Rome complemented a relatively simple and straightforward plot.

Events unfold at a measured place. The actual storyline is quite simple, the richness of the book comes from the author’s characters and successful evoking of 16 B.C. Rome.

[Dusti · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strong start to the book but not a strong finish. Loved the historical look at Rome in 16 B.C. and the main character, Hermogenes. But the interactions and discussions with his slaves and slaves of his host in Rome was distracting and, unfortunately, not believable.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing storyline. Enough to keep you turning the pages and trying to find out whether our main protagonist finally got what he wanted. Only a talented novelist like Bradshaw is able to turn a “debt-collector chasing his debt” kind of story into something of an interesting plot line for a novel. But, the story is a bit bogged down when it almost reaches a conclusion and the main character is too good to be true (he was kind, generous, understanding, believing in shared freedom for his slaves in the era where it’s acceptable to own slaves in a wealthy household).

Hermogenes is a Greek businessman from Alexandria who has arrived in Rome to pursue a debt that is owed to his family member by a distinguished Roman consul. Unfortunately, the debtor showed no indication that he would honour the agreed written terms to pay the debt back and its interests. After both the creditor and debtor met, what happened was; Hermogenes was being mistreated, violated physically, and threatened instead. As a proud businessman, Hermogenes won’t stand by and do nothing seeing that his creditor doesn’t want to pay up. He decided to pursue the matter by going to several distinguished Roman consuls who seemed to be the debtor's political enemies.

The premise is really intriguing but there’s something amiss. Despite being an accomplished businessman and investor, I just feel like Hermogenes is too lenient (not suing the debtor to the court) and too trusting of others’ intentions despite the latter showing the contrary (as a result, Hermogenes became a pawn in the Romans’ political drama) which is contradictory if his occupation is being a professional businessman. Surely, he should have been more prudent?
The other character, Hermogenes’ bodyguard called Cantabra, a female ex-Gladiatrix should also have been an interesting character (knowing that Bradshaw has established a unique background like that) but she’s really just a sideline to this novel and contributing not much except being reactive to the whole predicament that Hermogenes found himself in.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuestra historia se centra en Roma en el siglo I a.c, en el cual Hermogenes un comerciante de Alejandría, quien viaja a Roma para cobrar un deuda, y según el sera un viaje de no mas de unos cuantos días, y sin ningún problema.

Claro esta que no sera una tarea fácil de cumplir y tampoco será un viaje placentero, pero en su travesía por los poderosos de Roma no estará solo, tendrá amigos que le ayudaran de una u otra forma cuando se este enfrentando no solo al Cónsul Tario Rufo sino a toda la politica que siempre ha rodeado a Roma.

Pero no sera otra que Cantabra la que se llevara uno de los personajes principales bien merecido, porque esta ex-gladiadora quien se ha ganado mi afecto, y mi admiración como uno de los personajes femeninos mejor logrados por su determinación, su lealtad, su corazón, su sabiduría, sus momentos de debilidad, de felicidad, de tristeza y mucho más que Cantabra te ofrece pagina a pagina.

Una historia muy bien lograda que no te aburre en ningún momento, sabe llevar tu interés incluso en aquellos momentos tranquilos en que cuentan su respectivo pasado.

Una novela que no te deberías perder, sino es el genero histórico el que te llama la atención, este libro podría ser uno que te enganche a este genero como a mi.

[Ester Pablos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado, pero esperaba más. He leído más libros de la autora y me parecen muy entretenidos y originales, pero este se me ha hecho un poco lento. Se centra demasiado en cuestiones administrativas y hay demasiadas idas y venidas de los personajes. Demasiado diálogo interno para mi gusto.
El protagonista, Hermógenes, es interesante, pero a veces no sabes si es muy astuto o muy tonto. El romance me ha parecido un poco forzado, la pareja no me terminaba de convencer.
A nivel de documentación no está nada mal, soy cántabra y aprecio el trabajo que ha hecho la autora al incluir un personaje de la tierruca, aunque sea en época romana. Hay ciertos errores en cuanto al modo de vida de los cántabros, pero supongo que esas cosas las sabemos porque aquí se le dan bastante importancia.
En general lo he disfrutado, pero habría cambiado algunas cosas. Además, me queda la duda de por qué no intentaron chantajear a Hermógenes con la vida de su hija, cuando tenían medios para hacerlo. Pero lo dejaré correr.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this historical novel, a Greek financier comes to Augustus's Rome to collect an overdue debt, to find that his creditor has become consul. Full of optimism about Roman honor and justice, he proceeds, to find unexpected dangerous difficulties. Meanwhile, he also comes to new uncomfortable realizations about his own role as a master of slaves.

Our protagonist regularly seemed painfully naive, and at times he seemed to have disturbingly modern sensabilities in a lot of ways. In the last novel of hers I'd read, I think Bradshaw explained the modern parts of her protagonist's sensibilities or at least excused them as a personal peculiarity - but here, it goes without explanation. That's the biggest flaw, I believe, in the novel.

But still, I enjoyed it. The background and supporting characters are well done, the protagonist excusable, and the ending message quite good.

[Andrés Salvatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un comerciante griego devenido en una especie de Ulises moderno ya que pelea contra los poderes del destino (encarnados en personajes históricos de Roma) para luchar por lo justo. Lo más destacable es la ambientación, realmente vives en la Roma antigua.

[ainsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

i feel like this book has a bit of a dull synopsis and honestly a very simplistic take on its characters and plot but that doesn't matter at all actually because i love the boring minutiae of grecoroman history RAH

[Ray S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intertwining of Roman and Grecian themes and reads well until near the end where it slows down a bit.

[Kathryn McConaughy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My second favorite Bradshaw (right behind Island of Ghosts). I was worried that the story was going to end with one of Bradshaw's Pyrrhic victories, but was pleasantly surprised.

[Joanne Renaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Render Unto Caesar is a timeless, fast-paced and deeply felt romantic thriller set in first century Rome by historical fiction master Gillian Bradshaw. It seems to be about a man trying to get an important politician to pay his legal debts, but it's actually about a life-or-death struggle of the Roman West and the Greek East, rendered in exquisite miniature. This is also the closest to a historical romance as Bradshaw has ever written, and I find it completely delightful.

I've read this book about five times over the past fifteen years, and I've enjoyed it more and more as the years go by-- there's so much to love about it. The characters are fully realized; the setting is portrayed with all the depth, detail and rigor you'd expect from a classics scholar; and there's a lot of action too. But the heart of it is a compelling romance between people of completely different backgrounds--Hermogenes, the sober Alexandrian businessman, who is looking for justice from the Roman political elite, and Cantabra, a Celtic Cantabrian gladiatrix whom he hires as a bodyguard. The character arcs are beautiful and deeply satisfying. At the beginning, it's impossible to imagine these two getting together, but the MMC and FMC have some major growth, and their feelings and their relationship comes about in the most natural and moving way.

Some tropes, if you're into that sort of thing: Fugitive Arc, Clear My Name, There Is Only One Bed, Break the Stoic, Hurt/Comfort, Hidden Depths, Bodyguard Crush, Action Girlfriend, among others. And it has an HEA! I do think this book probably didn't get the audience it deserved because it has very strong romantic elements, which is not really evident in the publicity it got when it was originally released.

Anyway, if this sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend it! It's a great book that deserves to be better known. IMO, Bradshaw deserves to be better known too.