A Mist Of Prophecies
Steven Saylor Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Mist Of Prophecies

"

St. Martin's, May 2002, 24.95, 288 pp.
ISBN 0312271212

    In 48 BC Rome is engaged in a great civil war with both sides led by a powerful warrior. Though the battles take place in the outer province of Thessaly, Rome is being drained by the war as inflation is running rampant and people are going into debt with barely enough money to eat.

    Gordianus the Finder finds himself besieged at every turn. He is worried about the debt to his banker, deeply concerned with his wife's mysterious and lingering illness, and frets over the end of his relationship with his adopted son Meto. When Cassandra, a mysterious woman who appear in Rome one day sprouting prophecy, dies in the Finder's arms saying she was poisoned, he takes it upon himself to bury her and find her killer. His quest takes him into some of the richest and most influential homes in Rome.

    A MIST OF PROPHECIES takes us into the heart of Rome during a civil war that makes the inhabitants of the city wary, fearful, and uncertain of the future for themselves and for their glorious Empire. Stephen Saylor descriptions of the times are so detailed that the audience can picture the city in the mind's eye. Experience grants the hero the wisdom to search out the killer using his brains while not relying on brawn as he did in his youth. This is a fascinating work, as much a historical novel as it is a mystery.

Harriet Klausner

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout.

"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Mist Of Prophecies

Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%

Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - ancient rome
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60%
Special suspect? - best friend
Kind of investigator - skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in that culture
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - homemaker
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
Motive of antagonist - insanity
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Italy
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 3-4
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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A Mist Of Prophecies
Steven Saylor Book Review