Via Periculosa: A Latin Novella

by Andrew Olimpi

Niceros is a Greek slave on the run in ancient Italy, avoiding capture, and seeking his one true love, Melissa. However, a chance encounter at an inn sets in motion a harrowing chain of events that lead to murder, mayhem, mystery, and a bit of magic. Loosely adapted from the Roman author Petronius, Via Periculosa ("The Dangerous Road") is an exciting and surprising supernatural thriller suitable for Latin readers in the first year of study and beyond.

97 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2018

Reviews

[Dana Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Level C (Novice High)
I like every Latin novella I’ve read by Andrew Olimpi, and I think I’ve given five stars to all of them except maybe one (which I gave a four), but this is my favorite so far. Like the author, I’ve used other versions of this story loosely adapted from Petronius with students, but as the author notes of his own experience in the preface, not with much success. In this version, Olimpi sets the mood from the very first page. Like the other novellas of his that I have read, this story employs a first person narrator, and given the outcome, this is an especially good narrative choice. This is the kind of story told in a hushed voice around a campfire at dark (or at Trimalchio’s dinner party, in Petronius’ work), and the narrator’s voice preserves that quality. Andrew Olimpi is a master storyteller, which sets his work apart from other Latin novellas I have read, and this book does not disappoint. I think I now own a copy of everything he has written and I’ve read all but three, so I hope Magister Olimpi continues to write compelling, comprehensible Latin novellas, especially for novice readers of Latin (and their teachers).

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hic liber me placet quod non scivi finem suum. Multae picturae in libro sunt, quod me intellegere verbos adiuvavant.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with other novellas by this author, I like the story and enjoyed reading it to my children. The spelling errors were too many to ignore, though, and I felt a loss of a star was warranted.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of you familiar with teaching reading to small children, I call this my Latin Bob Book. It even has pictures!

Seriously, for it’s purpose (reading continuous Latin prose without looking at a dictionary or grammar) this was a perfect book. It was a great way to brush up on my skills by repetitive use of basic grammar and vocabulary.

[Connor Yu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content:

The story moved a bit too fast for my liking. In the beginning, it started off simply with a fugitive slave making his way to Italy. However, it quickly turns from him hiding to a story about magic, with him meeting and eventually killing a werewolf. Additionally, there are multiple random short stories that add little to the story besides introducing certain characters. Overall, the story is a little bit disjointed and not very coherent.

Grammar

The book is very easy, with no signs of difficult grammatical structures. However, there is a wide range of vocabulary words used. The book is hard to read as a result of these many different words, but the lack of complex grammar makes it easy to fill in. This book is good for beginners however you may need a dictionary to properly follow along.

7 / 10, would recommend

[Clare Bonacci · Rating 4 out of 5]

The overall plot of this story was pretty good; for the most part, it was easy to understand what was happening in the story line, yet in some instances I found myself confused as to what was happening and how it related to the general story. I found it helpful that there was a word bank at the end of each page that defined unknown latin words. In addition, this story has an unexpected plot twist that makes you rethink everything you just read. Lastly, the author uses simply grammar and vocab which is good for beginners.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zeer fijn leesboekje voor eerste en tweede klassers. Spannend verhaal, leuk verteld, goede herhaling van vocabulaire en bekende zinnetjes. Gebruikt moeilijke grammatica waar logisch, zoals abl.abs. diverse constucties met coniunctivus en gerundivum, zonder het ondoenlijk te maken. Qua opmaak mag er wat meer rust in: niet én schuingedrukt én aanhalingstekens én verduidelijkende plaatjes én voetnoten én alles achterin ook vertaald.

[Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hic liber, quoniam ad ūsum tīrōnum dēstinātus est, plēnus mendōrum est. Facile tamen lēctū est. Ad discendum eum lēgī, at satis bene fuit.

Duae fābulae narratae sunt: prīma, servum Graecum sequitur quī mīlitem mystērium occurrit, dum domum amīcae suae it. Secunda phantasma habet, quod philosophus fortis nōn timet et ossa eius reperit.

Is bonus liber est cum familiā Rōmānā ad legendum.

[Patrick Callen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this story was good because the plot was interesting and the grammar was easy enough to fully read but still challenging enough that it wasn't super easy. The plot with Niceros trying to find Melissa while experiencing strange events is a good one, and the twist at the end is surprising and entertaining. Overall the good story and the good level of grammar made this a good read.

[Leila Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Andrew Olimpi is a genius. He manages to write a fun and interesting story in easy Latin! It made me feel like I was really good at Latin haha. The vocabulary is repetitive, which is perfect for beginning learners. I can't wait until my kids are at a good enough level to read these books to them.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beginner Latin reader. It was filled with pictures, and was easy to read and understand. This story is great for Halloween since it is one about a werewolf! And it has an additional story (4 pages long) about a ghost after the werewolf story ends. It was engaging and entertaining. I really enjoyed reading this simple, short Latin book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great class novella. Plot is compelling and kept students interested during distance learning; they wanted to read and find out what was happening which took care of motivation problems for me. There are some errors- but subject matter and student engagement win out for me here.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had found this earlier in my Latin studies!

[Michael Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facilis est, sed fabella bona.

[Lydia]

Adding this bc it was in another language and also HE WAS THE WEREWOLF????

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A startling take in easy year one Latin. Ego opus fruor viri vocatur Andrew Olimpi.

[Kookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

good actually