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The Octave Of Claudius
""The Octave of Claudius"" is a historical novel written by Barry Pain and first published in 1897. The story is set in ancient Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius, and follows the lives of several characters who are caught up in the political turmoil and intrigue of the time. The central figure is a young man named Lucius, who is torn between his loyalty to his family and his desire for personal freedom. As he navigates the treacherous waters of Roman politics, Lucius becomes embroiled in a web of deceit and betrayal that threatens to destroy him and those he loves. Along the way, he meets a cast of colorful characters, including a beautiful and mysterious woman named Livia, a cunning politician named Sejanus, and a wise old philosopher named Seneca. Through their interactions and experiences, the novel explores themes of power, corruption, loyalty, and the struggle for personal identity in a complex and ever-changing world. Pain's vivid descriptions and attention to historical detail bring the world of ancient Rome to life, creating a rich and engaging narrative that will captivate readers of all ages.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
334 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1897
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 16, 2015
I read this 1897 book by Barry Pain because a lost Lon Chaney film, A Blind Bargain, is based on it, and I thought it might give me some insight into the film.
From what we know of the film, a scientist (Dr. Lamb) persuades a down-on-his-luck Mr. Sandell to sign his life over to him, in exchange for allowing him eight days to live life as he chooses (the "octave" of the book's title), and the money with which to do it. Wallace Beery appeared as an ape/man hybrid making it clear what sort of experiments the mad doctor might have in mind.
The book, however, is not horrific in hardly any way. A loooooong set-up introduces Lamb's household and his simpering wife to little purpose. Sandell's eight days of high living are dull and melodramatic, as he falls in love, spending most of his time in vapid conversation.
It's somewhat interesting that Sandell's love interest now gives him reason to want to back out of his contract with Lamb, but by the time the eight days are up, I had suffered through so much tedium that I was sort of rooting for the doctor to hurry up and remove Sandell's brain. I might have voluntarily given up mine.
Of some interest just for the literary history of the mad scientist and the connection to the Chaney film, but not much fun.
From what we know of the film, a scientist (Dr. Lamb) persuades a down-on-his-luck Mr. Sandell to sign his life over to him, in exchange for allowing him eight days to live life as he chooses (the "octave" of the book's title), and the money with which to do it. Wallace Beery appeared as an ape/man hybrid making it clear what sort of experiments the mad doctor might have in mind.
The book, however, is not horrific in hardly any way. A loooooong set-up introduces Lamb's household and his simpering wife to little purpose. Sandell's eight days of high living are dull and melodramatic, as he falls in love, spending most of his time in vapid conversation.
It's somewhat interesting that Sandell's love interest now gives him reason to want to back out of his contract with Lamb, but by the time the eight days are up, I had suffered through so much tedium that I was sort of rooting for the doctor to hurry up and remove Sandell's brain. I might have voluntarily given up mine.
Of some interest just for the literary history of the mad scientist and the connection to the Chaney film, but not much fun.
December 1, 2020
George Orwell in his Essay "Good Bad Books" praises certain books as "escape literature", describes Barry Pain as "a cut above" populist writers and adds: "...to anyone who comes across it I recommend what must now be a very rare book - The Octave of Claudius, a brilliant exercise in the macabre."
This piqued my interest and I acquired an electronically-transcribed modern print.
Leaving aside the numerous irritations of misprints and formatting I have to say I was a tad disappointed. The novel starts intriguingly but introduces a rather clumsy love-interest and the ending is sudden and somewhat unsatisfying. Of course since 1897 the "mad scientist" theme has been repeated countless times and to the modern reader it all seems a bit familiar.
However Barry Pain was obviously a good writer and for enthusiasts of Victorian literature there are still things to savour - the reference to a character drinking "coca-wine" made me wonder if this was indeed Coca-Cola that had been invented in the U.S only 12 years earlier.
This piqued my interest and I acquired an electronically-transcribed modern print.
Leaving aside the numerous irritations of misprints and formatting I have to say I was a tad disappointed. The novel starts intriguingly but introduces a rather clumsy love-interest and the ending is sudden and somewhat unsatisfying. Of course since 1897 the "mad scientist" theme has been repeated countless times and to the modern reader it all seems a bit familiar.
However Barry Pain was obviously a good writer and for enthusiasts of Victorian literature there are still things to savour - the reference to a character drinking "coca-wine" made me wonder if this was indeed Coca-Cola that had been invented in the U.S only 12 years earlier.
June 3, 2024
Who wrote the description of this novel above? It is completely inaccurate. Not even remotely a description of Pain's novel, which is a Victorian macabre novel. Not an ancient Roman in sight.
A mildly entertaining read. Just don't be misled by the Good Reads blurb! Just cos someone is called Claudius doesn't make em Roman.
A mildly entertaining read. Just don't be misled by the Good Reads blurb! Just cos someone is called Claudius doesn't make em Roman.
March 18, 2022
Interesting book, well written, for me the deus ex machina ending spoiled things - though it had to be so- in 1897 the plot could never have played out as planned
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews