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The King’s Gambit
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
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The King’s Gambit
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Publisher's Summary
Blackmail, corruption, treachery, murder - the glory that was Rome.
In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes listeners back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike. So the garroting of a lowly ex-slave and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger, highborn commander of the local vigiles, was determined to investigate. Despite official apathy, brazen bribes, and sinister threats, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves.
What listeners say about The King’s Gambit
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2024-08-02
"Meh" Book. Unsuitable Narration, Too
Author John Maddox Roberts researched this book extensively: portraying a fairly accurate version of Ancient Rome (surprisingly multicultural and populated with a mindblowing number of slaves, for example). I studied Ancient History and Classics at University.. and Roberts is pretty good at depicting the city - albeit Wikipedia-level extensive in terms of detail.
Unfortunately, he destroys any sense of authenticity by name-dropping and actually inserting famous figures into his plot with abandon (Crassus, Pompey, Cicero, and Asclapius - actually a God, not a physician - but whatever). The mystery/crime (the murder of a merchant with connections to high-ranking Senate officials, among others) is somewhat ho-hum and the protagonist - head of a local Vigiles constabulary Decius Caecilius Metellus the younger - is cynical, pugilistic, and awkwardly horny all of the time (there are only two female characters in the novel, and Decius - Spoiler Alert - bangs both of them.. at the same time, of course🙄). It was a hard book to settle into.
As to presentation: Reader John Lee is a little bit too crisply "British" to read the book. His professional diction, cadence, voice-acting, and tone fit the novel nicely, but his natural upper-crust timbre really brings out the matter-of-fact nature of the names, dates, and events the author employs - making the book sound academic (it too often sounds as though Lee is reading a textbook). Blackstone Audio Inc. should have cast someone else for the project.
Altogether, this recording of 'The King's Gambit' merits 5.5/10 stars. It was a serviceable distraction for a couple of quiet afternoons.. but not worth a Credit should they ask for one. I had considered downloading Book Two but ultimately decided not to continue with the series.
[NOTE: I understand that there is an interpretation available of the 'SPQR' series voiced by Simon Vance (not on Audible). That one may be superior if you can find it]
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew77
- 2022-08-05
Excellent - Rome in realism
Nice to listen to a story that doesn't deify the great men of the period. greatly enjoyed.
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1 person found this helpful