The Gold of Tolosa

Lucius Panderius #1

by Philip Matyszak

Meet Lucius Panderius, war hero, connoisseur of fine wines and Germanic prostitutes - and the perpetrator of the biggest gold theft in history. This first novel by well-known writer and historian Philip Matyszak takes us from the mean streets of Rome to the even meaner streets of Gallic Tolosa in a journey filled with ambush, intrigue, battle and double-cross.

In 105 BC Rome is faced with extinction, both from a huge army of invading barbarians and by a dark curse that has been festering for generations. It falls to Lucius Panderius to avert both threats, and incidentally to make himself richer than Croesus. Though fiction, The Gold of Tolosa is historically accurate and explains how enough loot to recapitalize a third-world economy was taken in a theft that really did happen.

Whether Lucius is crossing swords with barbarian warriors or Roman magistrates, the pace is never less than frantic, and ancient Rome has never been more fun ...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

266 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

Philip Matyszak is a British nonfiction author, primarily of historical works relating to ancient Rome. Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St. John's College, Oxford. In addition to being a professional author, he also teaches ancient history for Madingley Hall Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge University.

Reviews

[Wilmington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philip Matyszak is a historian specialising in Roman history, and particularly the period of the late Republic and early Empire. In this first historical novel he takes the reader on a thrilling adventure from Rome to southern Gaul, where the protagonists attempt to rob the immense treasure plundered by the Gallic tribes in Delphi back in 279 BCE. This is based on real events. In 106 BCE, the Romans captured the city and its treasure. According to ancient authors there were 100,000 pounds of gold and 110,000 pounds of silver, which would amount to over $2 billions in today's money. The gold and silver were shipped to Rome, but the gold never reached the city. Papyri found in a Roman villa in Herculaneum were scanned in the 2010's. One of the scrolls was apparently written as a memoir by Lucius Panderius (the main protagonist of the book) and, if true, would explain what happened to the Gold of Tolosa. Professor Matyszak deciphered the papyrus written in Latin and wrote this novel based on the account (it is not clear how much of it is fiction).

In any case, the author's story-telling skills are sensational, punctuated with highly graphic depictions and irreverent humour. His deep knowledge of this period means that though the story of partly fictional, it is set a a historically accurate context and interspersed with historical tidbits and anecdotes. The author's expertise in ancient warfare imparts the reader with useful explanations about the military background of the period, such as the detailed Roman siege of Tolosa and the Battle of Aurosio. Highly recommended!

[Greg Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable historical fiction book set in historical Rome. It is a part crime heist/espionage thriller with a little bit of military action for flavor. Knowing the details of the timeline is not a requirement to enjoy this book. The book ended on a cliffhanger and I look forward to reading the next book in the series

[Anton Gladchenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Matyszak – историк, который пишет не только научно-популярные книги, но и художественные. У него их 2 на данный момент. Обе связаны с его основной работой и посвящены Древнему Риму.

Мне книга Matyszak’а понравилась. Это тот пример исторического фикшена, когда автор действительно придерживается всех мыслимых и немыслимых деталей (иногда даже лишних) и прекрасно разбирается в вопросе. Батальные сцены описаны просто блестяще, как и общее окружение.

В процессе чтения не возникает ситуации (как часто бывает с историческим фикшеном), когда герои больше напоминают современных людей, нежели представителей своей эпохи.
Наконец, сама история, которая крутится вокруг реальных событий, получилась занятной. Ну и не самой стандартной для такого типа литературы. Все же обычно нам рассказывают историю обычного легионера со всеми деталями повседневной армейской жизни. Здесь речь пойдет совсем не про армию (хотя и без легионов не обойдется).

Есть у книги и существенный недостаток. Автор потратил уйму времени (он сам об этом писал на сайте), чтобы проработать верно все исторические детали. Так оно и есть. Но вот персонажи получились не очень интересными. Эмоциональная связь с героями отсутствует полностью. Все они (и даже главный герой) скорее введены для того, чтобы рассказать историю. Но фактически в процессе за них не переживаешь. Они выглядят как «мебель». Да и мы фактически про них мало что знаем.

Итог?

Достойная книга. Отличный пример проработки всех исторических деталей. И вроде бы первый (на моей памяти), когда профессиональный историк пишет роман по своей эпохе. Плюсов много, но все равно понятно почему Matyszak на сегодня не является одним из популярнейших авторов фикшена по Древнему Риму. Все же упускается самое главное в художественной литературе - персонажи, эмоциональная связь с ними…

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an enjoyable romp, neither romance nor blood ’n’ guts, about a gold heist in first-century BC Toulouse, then part of the semi-pacified Roman province of Transalpine Gaul. Lucius Panderius, a youngish Roman of good birth but no apparent family, is abruptly rousted from his contented ownership of a high-class brothel in Rome by enemies of his patron Sulla. In company with Momina, an oddly prescient priestess of Aphrodite, and Vidnu, her Schwartzeneggeresque protector, Panderius decides to make his way to Tolosa and relieve a certain temple of a statuette stolen from Momina and Vidnu’s people, while helping himself to a quantity of temple treasure. Many picaresque adventures ensue en route; then things turn serious as the Roman army menaces the rebellious Tolosans and Panderius must decide where his duty lies.

Matyszak’s scholarship is impressive; he provides a wealth of accurate detail and allows Panderius to explain things amusingly to readers unfamiliar with the era. He’s an accomplished and fluent writer who knows how to create engaging characters. However, the book’s lack of professional copyediting and proofreading will irritate many readers. I held back a star for this lapse, which is unconscionable for a professional novelist. Also, scholarly footnotes frequently interrupt the story’s flow. These should have been moved to the end of the book. Last, I would add that I was tremendously impressed by the way the author handled Panderius’s return to arms. Though only 30 pages of the book, this part of the story was related with a sure-handedness that rivals Bernard Cornwell. I would definitely enjoy reading more of Panderius’s adventures.

[Sally Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

He should stick to non-fiction.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read a book from this author before and what a pleasent surprise it was. Witty,informative and action and kept me wanting to keeping reading to the wee hours. Although on saying that,what a weird ending...... Saying no more. Try it you'll enjoy.