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The Seven Wonders: A Novel of the Ancient World Audiobook
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(3.03) - 384 listener ratings
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The year is 92 B.C. Gordianus has just turned eighteen and is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: a far-flung journey to see the Seven Wonders of the World. Gordianus is not yet called " the Finder"-- but at each of the Seven Wonders, the wide-eyed young Roman encounters a mystery to challenge the powers of deduction. Accompanying Gordianus on his travels is his tutor, Antipater of Sidon, the world' s most celebrated poet. But there is more to the apparently harmless old poet than meets the eye. Before they leave home, Antipater fakes his own death and travels under an assumed identity. Looming in the background are the first rumblings of a political upheaval that will shake the entire Roman world. Teacher and pupil journey to the fabled cities of Greece and Asia Minor, and then to Babylon and Egypt. They attend the Olympic Games, take part in exotic festivals, and marvel at the most spectacular constructions ever devised by mankind. Along the way they encounter murder, witchcraft and ghostly hauntings. Traveling the world for the first time, Gordianus discovers that amorous exploration goes hand-in-hand with crime-solving. The mysteries of love are the true wonders of the world, and at the end of the journey, an Eighth Wonder awaits him in Alexandria. Her name is Bethesda. The Seven Wonders is a Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor.
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"The Seven Wonders is the prequel to Stephen Sayler's novels of Rome and, like all of them, is rich in ancient Roman cultural and political detail. It is fabulous vacation reading for the Romanly inclined. We meet Gordianus as an 18-year-old who sets off with his elderly Greek tutor Antipater, for a tour of the seven wonders of the world. As often happens in books, Gordianus is faced with a series of murders along the wAy, each of which requires his unique blend of cleverness and craft to resolve. The plots are interesting but the best of these books is always Gordianus' musings on ancient civilizations. The only bad part is when the book is over because now I have to wait for Saylor to write another one."
— Elizabeth (4 out of 5 stars)
The Seven Wonders Listener Reviews
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" Excellent - it was just like being there with my friend Gordianus! "
— Marilyn, 2/18/2014 -
" This was a great read! Now I am passing this on :) "
— Julia8274, 1/27/2014 -
" A welcome change of setting in this veteran series takes Gordianus around the ancient world. The locations are interesting and appealing and the separate stories are quite good, but the metaplot is somewhat weak and predictable. "
— Alberto, 1/9/2014 -
" Again the adventures of Gordiano captivate the readers attention and the description of his journeys through the Seven Wonders are splendid. The end of the book is very interesting and unexpected :-). I strongly advise this book and if you have followed other books over Gordiano this will not disappoint you. "
— Catarina, 12/28/2013 -
" series of individual mysteries tied loosely together "
— Kim, 12/27/2013 -
" A collection of short stories featuring Gordianus the Finder at the very beginning of his career. Each story features one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I learned quite a bit about them and the stories were very good. "
— Mysteryfan, 12/21/2013 -
" Another book that "hides" background as dialog or teaching. "
— Melissa, 12/2/2013 -
" Another well researched book by Saylor. I found it rather too disjointed, perhaps because each story has been published in a magazine already. The action flowed too easily from wonder to wonder. "
— Duncan, 11/21/2013 -
" A fun book that tells the story of Gordianus the Finder's voyage to see the Seven Wonders when he was young. Of course at each Wonder, Gordianus is confronted with a mystery to solve. But the book is really more about the settings of each of the Wonders. Lots to learn about there. "
— Dustin, 10/22/2013 -
" Gordonius the Finder is one of my favorite characters of the past two decades and this collection of stories from his youth is a delight. "
— Kathleen, 7/22/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this voyage through the ancient world to the seven wonders. Saylor's descriptions of the wonders, especially the statue of zeus and the pharos, were moving. The adventure was nice and the setting, in the late Roman Republic is a fascinating time. "
— Rob, 2/16/2013 -
" Another fantastic novel following the adventures of Gordianus. "
— Tara, 10/21/2012 -
" I loved the series, so I was excited to see this. I enjoyed it at first, but then grew disappointed as each section seemed to follow the same formula, only without the skill. I grew tired of the random trysts which added nothing to the plot. "
— Susan, 8/16/2012 -
" Upgraded the rating to six stars. The Final part of the book was exceptionel. "
— Gunnar, 8/4/2012
About Steven Saylor
Steven Saylor is a freelance writer, editor, and the author of novels set in ancient Rome. He studied history at the University of Texas at Austin. Saylor’s writing has appeared in the Threepenny Review, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He lives in Berkeley, California, and Austin, Texas.