Mercurius: Infans Horribilis: A Latin Novella

by Andrew Olimpi

Baby Mercury is not like an ordinary human baby; he can speak, he is incredibly strong, and he can even fly! However, things aren't always easy for the divine infant. Whenever he tries to help someone, things tend to go terribly wrong! And one day when little Mercury steals some cattle, the god Apollo is forced to track down the thief and try to set right all the chaos the mischievous infant has caused! Mercurius, Infans Horriblis is a novice-level Latin novella written for advanced beginning and low-intermediate readers of Latin.

104 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2021

Reviews

[Teagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Mercurius: Infans Horribilis by Andrew Olimpi. The story covers the god Mercury and the well-known myths about his life, such as stealing Apollo's cattle and some made-up or lesser-known myths. I learned about the mythology surrounding Mercury, and by reading the story, I learned Latin vocab words related to the story I may not have come across in class, like "boves" for cows. My favorite part of the book was Mercury fighting skeletons.
I am in Latin one, the book was not too challenging for many reasons. I already knew some stories about Mercury, so I could piece together some things with context clues. The book also provided images to depict the story and defined uncommon words on the page. The sentences were also typically simple and short, which helped me translate. The book was written in 3rd person.

[Leila Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've said it before but I'll say it again, Andrew Olimpi is a genius! Not only is the book funny, but it's easy and very, very repititive. It also has a lot of images to help with comprehension. I read it to my 7 and 8 year olds, giving a translation into English as I read, but by the time we were on the last few chapters they could supply some of the translations themselves, or not need a translation at all. Thank-you Andrew Olimpi! My kids loved it.

[Ronan O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to introduce yourself to Roman mythology and language. The classic story of Mercury, as a small infant, stealing the cattle herds of Apollo. With a few new shenanigans for the small god to get into, this story will keep you guessing till the very end. With simple language it is a great book for readers of any level.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun Latin novella with the naughty adventures of baby Mercurius . . .

[Kookie]

Very amusing story.