Ubi Mors Habitat: A Latin Novella

by Andrew Olimpi

In ancient Rome, a terrible plague is sweeping the city. People are suffering, and there seems to be no relief in sight. Rather than wait around for Death to come for them, three friends–Martianus, Corvina, and Paulus–decide to take matters into their own hands. They devise an audacious scheme to save the city by capturing and defeating Death himself! However, they are about to find out that beating Death at his own game can be trickier than they imagined, and sometimes things don’t always go according to plan…

Based on the medieval “The Pardoner’s Tales” from Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, this crime and suspense classic contains many twists and turns that will leave you in suspense until the very last page. The original story has been adapted and translated in simple Latin appropriate for beginner-level readers of Latin.

95 pages, Paperback

Published June 19, 2022

Reviews

[Amy Bernard Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wine, Death and Disease
Martianus and his friends are pretty much scum. Martianus steals money from a blind beggar boy. Corvina get her money from her "amici". Paulus has a rich daddy. They then spend the day drinking wine in the bar. Until one day when a disease kills the whole town! Now where will they get money?! The three come up with a [ebrium] plan to go kick Death's butt. They just need to find him first. An old man wandering by tombs directs them to an urn under a tree at the end of a secret path. But why would Death live in an urn full of money? This was an entertaining story with a very clever ending.

Each page has numerous illustrations which helps reinforce meaning. Words were repeated often or were clear cognates (e.g. urna). Although at a beginning level, the plot is one that older students would enjoy too.

[Maanas Chinni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ubi Mors Habitat is about 3 scummy friends who always look for ways to get drunk. I liked the story mainly due to the plot twist at the end. The characters were not exciting and highly generic. I learned about roman culture and attitude towards different things.

I am currently in Latin 1. The book was fairly easy due to the dictionary at the back of the book, and some words at the bottom of each page. The book can be read half as fast as a regular book in English of the same level. There were plenty of pictures which made it easy to follow the story and infer whats happening if you don't have the strongest level of Latin.

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Latin reader was quite simple to read and understand. It's about 3 friends who try to cheat the plague that is bringing death to the city, by finding and killing death itself. But their plan doesn't quite go exactly as they thought it would. While this wasn't my favorite Latin reader by Olimpi, this would make a great Halloween story to read! And it did the job helping me brush up on and practice my Latin.

[Ronan O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book where the three friends make some very poor decisions, leading them to increasingly chaotic situations. A nice beginner book with a very prominent message, easily understood by someone who may not be very familiar with the language. A very good way to begin your journey into latin, even if it is a bit grim.

[Justin Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story with a hilarious ending. Romae antīquā, avārī sunt avārī. This story is for beginners, which I didn't realise when buying, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Kookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny. I loved it!