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No roads lead to Rome
There's no time like the past to laugh at the present.
A.D. 123. On the edge of the Roman Empire, a dead governor leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime.
Mysteriously promoted, a senator's son finds himself in an ancient world of trouble. Within days of taking office, Hispania's taxpayers are in open revolt, all legionaries depart to build Hadrian's Wall, and the once-sleepy province is rocked by slave revolts, bread riots, and fad religions.
"No Roads Lead to Rome" chronicles the clumsy schemes of an inept new governor and his shadowy adviser, a superstitious centurion's struggle to save his faith in the faded ideals of the Republic, and a young rebel's reluctant vow to change the course of history. All are pitted against the Gods, the Emperor, and the decline and fall of damn near everything.
I
t's A.D. 123--a time not unlike the present--and No Roads Lead to Rome.
A.D. 123. On the edge of the Roman Empire, a dead governor leaves behind the opportunity of a lifetime.
Mysteriously promoted, a senator's son finds himself in an ancient world of trouble. Within days of taking office, Hispania's taxpayers are in open revolt, all legionaries depart to build Hadrian's Wall, and the once-sleepy province is rocked by slave revolts, bread riots, and fad religions.
"No Roads Lead to Rome" chronicles the clumsy schemes of an inept new governor and his shadowy adviser, a superstitious centurion's struggle to save his faith in the faded ideals of the Republic, and a young rebel's reluctant vow to change the course of history. All are pitted against the Gods, the Emperor, and the decline and fall of damn near everything.
I
t's A.D. 123--a time not unlike the present--and No Roads Lead to Rome.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2009
12 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
R.S. Gompertz
5 books32 followersR.S. Gompertz grew up in a Los Angeles suburb of Disneyland.
He writes historical fiction served up in a thick broth of humor, gravitas and adventure.
"Life's Big Zoo" is a catcher in the rye bread coming of age story set in Los Angeles, 1968, in an eccentric family where the bright lights of the sixties meet the shadow of the Holocaust.
"No Roads Lead to Rome" takes place in A.D. 123, a time not unlike the present, and chronicles the decline and fall of damn near everything. The saga continues in "Aqueduct to Nowhere."
While working on "No Roads," he published "The Expat's Pajamas: Barcelona," a series of articles about travel and expat life.
A collection of his humorous articles can be found in "Quirk In Progress."
He writes historical fiction served up in a thick broth of humor, gravitas and adventure.
"Life's Big Zoo" is a catcher in the rye bread coming of age story set in Los Angeles, 1968, in an eccentric family where the bright lights of the sixties meet the shadow of the Holocaust.
"No Roads Lead to Rome" takes place in A.D. 123, a time not unlike the present, and chronicles the decline and fall of damn near everything. The saga continues in "Aqueduct to Nowhere."
While working on "No Roads," he published "The Expat's Pajamas: Barcelona," a series of articles about travel and expat life.
A collection of his humorous articles can be found in "Quirk In Progress."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 14, 2013
I will open by stating for the record that This book is Historical Fiction, but with the emphasis heavily tilted towards the fiction part. Those of you who are seeking the heavy, fact-laden world of Rome, a la Harry Sidebottom, Ben Kane and the like may not appreciate the light-hearted style. It seems to me that Gompertz has not chosen the world of Rome as his arena and written a tale based in it, but rather has invented a plot and characters that enthralled him and then sought a milieu in which to base it.
No Roads centres on humorous narrative with clever turns of phrase and rib-tickling moments rather than the gritty historical reality of many books set in the era. Historical accuracy is not a paramount concern, but then that is not what the book is written for. One does not slam a Douglas Adams or a Robert Rankin for their accuracy, but instead appreciates the humour they provide. And that is it in a nutshell. I have enjoyed both Gompertz’s books not as a historian but as a reader of light-hearted fiction, chuckling along as I read.
No Roads Lead To Rome is the tale of an itinerant centurion seeking his retirement pay, and an unfortunate Jewish boy sought in connection with a crime, and focused on the way the two characters’ lives intersected, involving along the way: a hapless governor, a greedy and dubious advisor, a peasant girl, a former gladiator, and a plot to do away with the Emperor Hadrian. It was a somewhat intricate plot and, while containing a few jarring historical inaccuracies, tickled me enough that I enjoyed it on its own narrative merit rather than the Classical history I had initially expected. The tale was a little disconnected at times, jumping hither and thither and perhaps a little loosely wound, but I would recommend it to a reader who sought light, humorous entertainment and had at least a passing interest in the era. That last is, however, less important than is usually the case with books set in ancient Rome.
So there you have it. This tale is an enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek romp through a dishevelled and poor backwater province, set against the glorious, rich, deep tapestry of Hadrianic Rome. If you want a good few hours of entertainment and colour, dive right in.
No Roads centres on humorous narrative with clever turns of phrase and rib-tickling moments rather than the gritty historical reality of many books set in the era. Historical accuracy is not a paramount concern, but then that is not what the book is written for. One does not slam a Douglas Adams or a Robert Rankin for their accuracy, but instead appreciates the humour they provide. And that is it in a nutshell. I have enjoyed both Gompertz’s books not as a historian but as a reader of light-hearted fiction, chuckling along as I read.
No Roads Lead To Rome is the tale of an itinerant centurion seeking his retirement pay, and an unfortunate Jewish boy sought in connection with a crime, and focused on the way the two characters’ lives intersected, involving along the way: a hapless governor, a greedy and dubious advisor, a peasant girl, a former gladiator, and a plot to do away with the Emperor Hadrian. It was a somewhat intricate plot and, while containing a few jarring historical inaccuracies, tickled me enough that I enjoyed it on its own narrative merit rather than the Classical history I had initially expected. The tale was a little disconnected at times, jumping hither and thither and perhaps a little loosely wound, but I would recommend it to a reader who sought light, humorous entertainment and had at least a passing interest in the era. That last is, however, less important than is usually the case with books set in ancient Rome.
So there you have it. This tale is an enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek romp through a dishevelled and poor backwater province, set against the glorious, rich, deep tapestry of Hadrianic Rome. If you want a good few hours of entertainment and colour, dive right in.
January 23, 2014
Another hilarious jaunt through the garden spot of Hispania, the city of Tarraco. I say another as I read the second book in the series,Aqueduct to Nowhere, first. The governor has been murdered and his replacement has arrived and in trying to impose his style of governing finds to his dismay that he is handcuffed by corporate entities that really run things(sound familiar?). Severus,one of the main characters, is thrown from his home during a fit of proscription and ends up a conscript legionnaire. His commanding officer is Centurion Marcus Valerius a twenty year veteran who only wants to retire and collect his pension. The city is broke and owes Hadrian his tribute; Winus Minem, erstwhile adviser to the governor, hatches a scheme to corner the wine market. They order the city garrison to cross the border into Gaul and acquire oak wood barrels, a task they carry out in shall we say, an over enthusiastic manner. The story is full of the unlikely, the ironic and the just plain funny scenarios. One in particular, Severus is standing post as the legion is camped. He ventures to investigate voices off in the distance. What he finds is his father preaching to a group of outcasts on Moses and the Burning Bush. The conversation and negotiation between God and Moses concerning the Commandments is worth the price of admission.
No Roads Lead to Rome is a madcap tale of intrigue, greed, heroism; all the traits that made Rome great. It is a wonderful satire on what makes a society run, for good or ill. 5 stars.
No Roads Lead to Rome is a madcap tale of intrigue, greed, heroism; all the traits that made Rome great. It is a wonderful satire on what makes a society run, for good or ill. 5 stars.
August 7, 2011
This tongue-in-cheek adventure chases a Roman centurion and his Jewish conscript through Spain in a delightfully ridiculous effort to successfully complete what he hopes is his last mission. All he wants is to retire comfortably . . . to Rome.
The action bounces back and forth between Valerius the Centurion and the decadent governor he serves. There are a few places where blocks of time appear to have been misplaced, but the missing transitions just keep us stumbling along like the faulty paving stones under the Centurion’s feet, doing the story no harm at all and reinforcing the rollicking pace.
It brought to mind Don Quixote, with its wry humor. I’m not a big fan of farce (Don Quixote itself has never been a favorite of mine), but it’s presented here with such an insouciant touch that I enjoyed it right to the last irresistible image in its final line.
The action bounces back and forth between Valerius the Centurion and the decadent governor he serves. There are a few places where blocks of time appear to have been misplaced, but the missing transitions just keep us stumbling along like the faulty paving stones under the Centurion’s feet, doing the story no harm at all and reinforcing the rollicking pace.
It brought to mind Don Quixote, with its wry humor. I’m not a big fan of farce (Don Quixote itself has never been a favorite of mine), but it’s presented here with such an insouciant touch that I enjoyed it right to the last irresistible image in its final line.
June 11, 2010
I really wanted to like this book. The premise is strong: In the reign of Hadrian, an aging Roman warrior seeks an end to his army career; an uncaring and cantankerous governor of a Roman outpost takes control of his new post; a mysterious box contains a secret and politically explosive document. This self-published book was also attempting to take a novel approach to the sand-and-sandal epic by introducing a light and more humorous voice and approach.
Author R.S. Gompertz writing is, at times, very strong. He does a wonderful job with exposition, and his powers of description bely the fact that this is his first novel. An example as Centurion Valerius walks through the Roman province of Hispania: "The misty silhouettes of trees reached over the path like bony arms of death...The gray gloom infiltrated every wet breath that Valerius suck through his teeth." I truly enjoyed Gompertz' mood and scenery setting.
Where Gompertz fails is in the cohesiveness of the story, the dialogue and an ability to draw the reader into his characters. The story doesn't have the strong connective component from chapter to chapter, or as one transitions between scenes, that one finds in more polished work. The dialogue is stilted and I found myself re-reading conversations to try and get a comprehensive grasp of motivation and understand the base meaning of an exchange between characters (let alone trying to identify what deeper meaning there may have been).
In the end, I suspect the novel would move from a 2-star rating to a high 3 or 4 with some professional editing. Gompertz is a genuinely good writer and has a fine sense of humor. Those components alone aren't able to make up for a fractured and disconnected story.
I look forward to Gompertz securing a publishing contract and the services of a strong editor.
Author R.S. Gompertz writing is, at times, very strong. He does a wonderful job with exposition, and his powers of description bely the fact that this is his first novel. An example as Centurion Valerius walks through the Roman province of Hispania: "The misty silhouettes of trees reached over the path like bony arms of death...The gray gloom infiltrated every wet breath that Valerius suck through his teeth." I truly enjoyed Gompertz' mood and scenery setting.
Where Gompertz fails is in the cohesiveness of the story, the dialogue and an ability to draw the reader into his characters. The story doesn't have the strong connective component from chapter to chapter, or as one transitions between scenes, that one finds in more polished work. The dialogue is stilted and I found myself re-reading conversations to try and get a comprehensive grasp of motivation and understand the base meaning of an exchange between characters (let alone trying to identify what deeper meaning there may have been).
In the end, I suspect the novel would move from a 2-star rating to a high 3 or 4 with some professional editing. Gompertz is a genuinely good writer and has a fine sense of humor. Those components alone aren't able to make up for a fractured and disconnected story.
I look forward to Gompertz securing a publishing contract and the services of a strong editor.
May 29, 2011
As soon as Centurion Valerius, the Eternal City’s version of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, takes young Severus (and the reader) by the metaphorical scruff of the neck the plot of No Roads Lead to Rome, couched in competent descriptive prose, detonates into action without jeopardising clarity or purpose. The main plot, has sufficient twists, turns and 'didn't see that coming' elements, plus revealing the mores and customs of the era, that it provides an interesting and vibrant read. BACKED. Robert Davidson. The Tuzla Run
July 25, 2011
Eh, its a better idea than it comes together. The bureaucracy and cronyism of Ancient Rome as a humorous parallel to our modern, privatized corporate empire.
August 9, 2011
Fun book that's easy to read with lots of plot twists and turns with interesting characters that pop to life as you read keeping you engaged and entertained. Give it a read...
September 20, 2011
awful, could not finishing read the book
November 7, 2012
Just couldn't finish this. Too silly.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews