SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses
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Narrated by:
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John Lee
About this listen
When Roman junior senator Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger has a chance to join a diplomatic mission to Alexandria, he welcomes the opportunity to temporarily elude his enemies in the Eternal City - even though it means leaving his beloved Rome. Decius is just beginning to enjoy the outpost's many exotic pleasures when the suspicious death of an irascible philosopher occurs, coinciding with the puzzling and apocalyptic ravings of a charismatic cult leader. Intrigued, Decius requests and is given permission by the Egyptian Pharaoh to investigate the heinous crime. What he discovers is beyond shocking.
And when the corpse of a famous courtesan mysteriously turns up in his bed, Decius suddenly finds himself entangled in a web of conspiracy far more widespread and dangerous than he ever imagined - one that threatens to bring about the downfall of the entire Empire.
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An epic re-creation of the exhilarating and mysterious time when the Sun King ruled Egypt, Ramses, the Son of Light, has become the rage in France. With over two million copies sold, it is the greatest publishing phenomenon to hit the shelves there in 20 years. Rameses is only 14 when his father, the Pharaoh Seti, begins testing his true mettle. Being the younger of two sons, the proud Ramses has a problem with being relegated to second place.
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Teenager drama with little insight into Egyptian culture
- By Consuelo on 10-24-17
By: Christian Jacq
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The Course of Honour
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Diana Bishop
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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He has no money, no reputation and no famous ancestors.' The love story of the Emperor Vespasian, who brought peace to Rome after years of strife, and his mistress, the freed slave woman Caenis, this book recreates Ancient Rome's most turbulent period - the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero and Vespasian's rise to power. As their forbidden romance blossoms, Caenis is embroiled in political intrigue, while Vespasian embarks on a glorious career.
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Great love story
- By Julie on 05-04-20
By: Lindsey Davis
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Funeral Games
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India.After Alexander's death in 323 B.C. his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt.
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Postmortem of an Empire and the Dream that United
- By James on 02-26-15
By: Mary Renault
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Hero of Rome
- By: Douglas Jackson
- Narrated by: Cornelius Garrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The Roman grip on Britain is weakening. Emperor Nero has turned his face away from this far-flung outpost. The Druids are on the rise, spreading seeds of rebellion among the British tribes. Roman cruelty and exploitation has angered their British subjects. The warrior queen Boudicca will lead the tribes to war. Standing against the rising tide of Boudicca's rebellion is Roman Tribune, Gaius Valerius Verrens, Commander of the veteran legions at Colonia.
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Good story, well told and well read
- By Mike Varley on 10-01-14
By: Douglas Jackson
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I, the Sun
- By: Janet Morris
- Narrated by: Chistopher Crosby Morris
- Length: 24 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the saga of the Hittite King Suppiluliumas, and rings with authenticity and the passion of a world that existed 1400 years before the birth of Christ. They called him Great King, Favorite of the Storm God, the Valiant. He conquered more than forty nations and brought fear and war to the very doorstep of 18th Dynasty Egypt, but he could not conquer the one woman he truly loved.
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Wonderfully Researched and Fantastic Performance.
- By Rev. Zombie on 07-08-15
By: Janet Morris
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The Reluctant Swordsman
- By: Dave Duncan
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Wallie Smith can feel the pain. He goes to the hospital, remembers the doctors and the commotion, but when he wakes up it all seems like a dream. However, if that was a dream how do you explain waking up in another body and in another world? Little Wallie finds himself in the physique of a barbarian swordsman, accompanied by both an eccentric priest babbling about the Goddess and a voluptuous slave girl. Is this a rude awakening or a dream come true?
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An enjoyable listen
- By Joe on 10-21-12
By: Dave Duncan
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Mistress of Rome
- Empress of Rome, Book 1
- By: Kate Quinn
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, passionate, musical, and guarded. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea will become her mistress' rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life, but that is quickly ended when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.
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If you loved the series Rome; don't miss this.
- By Dixie Diva on 12-16-15
By: Kate Quinn
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Black Wolves
- By: Kate Elliott
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 28 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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He lost his honor long ago. Captain Kellas was lauded as the king's most faithful servant until the day he failed in his duty. Dismissed from service, his elite regiment disbanded, he left the royal palace and took up another life. Now a battle brews within the palace that threatens to reveal deadly secrets and spill over into open war. The king needs a loyal soldier to protect him. Can a disgraced man ever be trusted?"
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Very engaging. Can't wait for book 2
- By Claudia Alderman on 01-15-16
By: Kate Elliott
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Battle of Kings
- By: M. K. Hume
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In the town of Segontium a wild storm washes a fugitive ashore. He brutally rapes the granddaughter of the ruler of the Deceangli tribe, leaving her to bear his son, Myrddion Merlinus (Merlin). Spurned as a demon seed, the child is raised by his grandmother and, as soon as he turns nine, he is apprenticed to a skilled alchemist who hones the boy’s remarkable gift of prophecy. Meanwhile, the High King of the Britons, Vortigern, is rebuilding the ancient fortress at Dinas Emrys.
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Underrated book author and narrator!
- By Zachary on 04-15-22
By: M. K. Hume
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The Last Sacrifice
- By: Hank Hanegraaff, Sigmund Brouwer
- Narrated by: Doug Lamoreux
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Helius, Nero's most trusted advisor, anticipates the death of his sworn enemy, the legendary warrior Gallus Sergius Vitas, scheduled to die a gruesome death in the arena. However, the badly beaten man who appears in the amphitheater is not who he seems. Rescued by a stranger and given a mysterious scroll, Vitas is told that he must decipher this letter to find the answers he needs. It is a letter that Helius is also determined to decipher and to keep hidden from Nero.
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interacting historical drama
- By Michael E. on 12-27-16
By: Hank Hanegraaff, and others
What listeners say about SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- lynn
- 06-17-13
great Roman novel
If you could sum up SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses in three words, what would they be?
another great myster novel tied in with Roman history
What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
love to listen to his voice one of the best
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1 person found this helpful
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- Bryan E. Canter
- 07-17-15
Getting a Little Overboard
The storytelling is good, but our hero is starting to get a little too raucous and a bit too proficient with arms. He started out "snooping" out of a sense of duty and loyalty to Rome. That trait maker the character admirable and ennobled, despite his rough edges. In this installment his motivations appear to have become more capricious.
I do plan to continue on with the series.
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- Terry
- 02-13-16
One of my favorite series
I am rereading this series - I own all of the books in print form, and am now listening to them via Audible. The main character is interesting, has wry comments, and I like the spin Roberts puts on ancient Roman events. After all, we have so little real information, just the rough outlines, that someone who can write - Roberts can - has a lot to work with. One problem with Roman historical mysteries is that the society was incredibly brutal and primitive, and slavery is ugly - there is no way these things can be completely evaded. It was an amazing civilization given the world at the time, but the Romans were basically a tribal people who somehow found a way to achieve some mind boggling feats of engineering, art, and architecture. I appreciate that the author does his best to keep the worst of these things enough in the background so that you aren't so grossed out you can't enjoy the story and characters. If he uses some creative license - that's what creative people are supposed to do!
This is only #2 in the series, and it gets better over time - but I wanted to give it all the stars, since I feel I'm rating the series as much as this one book. The only thing that's missing in the audio version is the glossary and I admit I'm not sure how they would do it without putting the reader to sleep. However, it's more than worth it to get the book out of the library to read the glossary, which explains how the names work, what the various weapons are, how the political system works, and other things that are so different from our world. It's not necessary, but it does help flesh out and enrich the story. All told, I think that this series may be my all time Roman mystery series.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Jeff Wiser
- 12-17-20
SPQR
Excellent, SPQR is like a Roman Sherlock Holmes kinda guy and the performance by John Lee was great as always.
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- Benad Shoef
- 09-19-24
Toghroughly Enjoyable
If you are looking for an enjoyable light and humorous listen, this is it. John Lee is amazing as always. Well worth the time and credit
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- Bonnie
- 03-07-13
Hard to beat the system
What made the experience of listening to SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses the most enjoyable?
Decius, always tries to hold the high ground. Once again he's sent from Rome (for his own health) on a mission to Alexandra. There is murder and mystery that he must solve. As usual the political situation puts him in a position of having to flee or die.
What was one of the most memorable moments of SPQR IV: The Temple of the Muses?
The last chapter, when he makes it to the Roman headquarters thinking he will be save........there is always a twist in the SPQR series.
Which scene was your favorite?
The last scene, seems like Decius can't get a break. even thought he solves the crime he must let many of the guilty people go because of politics. He's learned a lot since the first book but even so he's the one that has to leave Alexandra to go to Rhodes to make sure his life is spared.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
All the SPQR books are amazing with historical facts and keep you on the edge of your seat.....at least for me Even though they changed narrators from Simon Vance who did the first two books in the series to John Lee who is doing the rest of the books. I find that I love both narrators, they are in my top ten so to me it really didn't make a difference.
Any additional comments?
I love historical mysteries this is one of my favorites.
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2 people found this helpful
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- James W.
- 04-29-23
Decius visits Alexandria
This book was an okay, but not great, mystery. Decius is in Alexandria and is called upon to investigate the murder of a librarian there. He traces it to a strange and corrupt priest and a small band of political plotters. It took a while for the story to get going as a lot of the story is a walking tour of ancient Alexandria. The pace of the story is a bit slow, though it picks up considerably in the second half. I found John Lee’s non-Roman voices to all sound a lot like Sesame Street’s Count character.
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