Vox in Tenebris: A Latin Novella

by Andrew Olimpi

Lucanus, a Roman citizen travelling through Greece, has a big he is far from home, broke, and desperate to make some quick money. A job opportunity soon comes his way, with a big one hundred gold coins! The catch? Lucanus has to stay up all night with the dead body of a prominent citizen. Lucanus takes the job, even though he’s heard the stories that citizens of the town tales of witches, ruthless and bloodthirsty, who wander the streets after the sun the sun goes down . . . This novella, accessible to intermediate readers of Latin, is a rollicking and thrilling adaptation of a famous episode from Apuleius’ ancient novel Metamorphoses . This volume includes marginal glosses of unusual vocabulary, a full glossary, and over 100 illustrations to make the reader as accessible as possible. About the Andrew Olimpi lives in Dacula, Georgia with his beautiful and talented wife, Rebekah, an artist, writer, and English teacher. When he is not writing and illustrating books, Andrew teaches Latin at Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Georgia. He holds a master’s degree in Latin from the University of Georgia, and currently is working on a PhD in Latin and Roman Studies at the University of Florida. He is the creator of the Comprehensible Classics series of Latin novellas aimed at beginner and intermediate readers of Latin.

117 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2020

Reviews

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm learning latin on my own & this is the first novella I've completed. It's difficulty level is listed as intermediate, but, other than looking up a few words, it was very readable. I was unfamiliar with this particular tale from the Golden Ass, so it was pretty engaging as well.

My only complaint is the huge number of pictures! They're poorly drawn & feel like they're just padding out the page count of an already too short story. (it's only 94 pages without the glossary & has w i d e margins)

That said, I enjoyed it & would recommend it to anyone studying latin.

[Addie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally entertaining, this Latin reader was filled with mystery. I wish I could have finished it closer to Halloween because it was such a good spooky Halloween story! The story line was amazing and has a bang finish that leaves the reader pondering on the technicalities of exactly how this went down! Super fun, and super stuck in your head, I'd read this one again any day! (But especially in October!) I love the updated glossary that helps the young Latin student look up even the unusual forms of words as their own separate entry.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is (so far) Olimpi's best novella. His drawings are a ridiculous support to the story. I read this book so I could be familiar with the novellas I have on hand for students in my classroom. There are more than a few laugh out loud moments in it. If you're a Latin teacher who is running a library of Latin readers for students, this one is definitely one to have. My second year students are reading it with a degree of ease that kind of surprised me. It's been popular. I probably need another copy.

[Magister E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story based on Apuleius's metamorphosis. My students love this and can read it on their own in Latin 3. My faster processors can usually read it in Latin 2.

[Justin Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

very cute and entertaining

[MG King · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Pretty good, though I thought it’d be longer than it was considering it was described as intermediate level.

[Kookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad actually