Review - The Pericles Commission, Gary Corby
Book Title: THE PERICLES COMMISSION
Author: Gary Corby
Publisher: Penguin
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-14-320591-3
Book Synopsis:
Athens, 461BC. A dead man falls from the sky, landing at the feet of a surprised Nicolaos.
It doesn't normally rain corpses. This one is the politician Ephialtes, who only days before had turned Athens into a democracy.
The young statesman Pericles commissions Nicolaos to find the assassin. Nico walks the mean streets of Classical Athens, but what's really on his mind is how to get closer (much closer) to Diotima, an intelligent and annoyingly virgin priestess, and how to shake off his irritating twelve year old brother, Socrates.
Book Review:
Of course Ancient Greeks didn't "sound" Australian, but there's nothing wrong with the idea that they had senses of humour, the ability to comment on their own actions, and a strong understanding of the way that the world in which they moved worked and if that feeling has to be imparted in a way that we can "get" why not in our sort of voice? At first the gentle humour and the very Australian voices in THE PERICLES COMMISSION came as a bit of a surprise, albeit a rather pleasant one, but the more I read this book, the more I realised that the voice works. Mixed in with sufficient historical perspective and details, this book could work for fans of historical crime fiction, just as it would be a perfect introduction for readers who have steered clear until now.
The story told is as old as the setting though - politicians fighting for power, for their version of politics, for their view of the world. Nicolas, the son of a sculptor is only given the task of investigating this death because he happens to be the man on the spot. His reactions impress Pericles, a supporter of democracy (from the same "side" as the dead man), so Pericles commissions Nicolas. There's a lot of detail in the book about the whys and wherefores of how these sorts of things normally work in Ancient Greek society, as there are details about the various political movements - but the delivery of that detail is not heavy handed. At no stage did I feel like there was definitely going to be an exam at the end of this book, the details just flowed into the narrative.
There is a large cast of characters and one of those cast listings at the front (including a pronunciation guide). More importantly the real-life characters are also indicated and it's interesting to see how Corby has woven fact into fiction in what seems to this reader, at least, a seamless manner. One of the more appealing parts of the book was definitely the way that it seemed to be providing a bit of a history lesson, woven into a really interesting tale - making the history both palatable and very real.
As with all these sorts of lone, private, accidental investigators, a lot of the enjoyment of the book hangs on whether or not a reader can believe the situation. There's something very believable about Nicolas taking up the investigator role - despite absolutely no experience, ability, training, or even much of an idea of how to start. Sure there's a fair amount of him acting as a catalyst for events, rather than a finder of facts, but facts he does discover, and he does garner help from some unlikely quarters including a love interest. Ephialtes, illegitimate but acknowledged daughter of the dead man is a great character, although you are going to have to brace yourself for a bit of that romantic carry on. Not too much thankfully, and nicely balanced out with Ephialtes being no shrinking violet and not afraid to get into the action in her own right.
There are other great characters in this book, and there are some excellent insights into the setting and the period (albeit that I have no way of knowing how accurate any of it is - but it certainly feels, reads and sits well within the context of the story). Ultimately what really works if the character of Nicolas himself. His dogged determination to make his own way in the world, his relationship with his father, mother and younger brother Socrates (make of his name and description what you will), and his way of seeing the world around him made this a really engaging, light, fast and ultimately extremely enjoyable book.
Author: Gary Corby
Publisher: Penguin
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-14-320591-3
Book Synopsis:
Athens, 461BC. A dead man falls from the sky, landing at the feet of a surprised Nicolaos.
It doesn't normally rain corpses. This one is the politician Ephialtes, who only days before had turned Athens into a democracy.
The young statesman Pericles commissions Nicolaos to find the assassin. Nico walks the mean streets of Classical Athens, but what's really on his mind is how to get closer (much closer) to Diotima, an intelligent and annoyingly virgin priestess, and how to shake off his irritating twelve year old brother, Socrates.
Book Review:
Of course Ancient Greeks didn't "sound" Australian, but there's nothing wrong with the idea that they had senses of humour, the ability to comment on their own actions, and a strong understanding of the way that the world in which they moved worked and if that feeling has to be imparted in a way that we can "get" why not in our sort of voice? At first the gentle humour and the very Australian voices in THE PERICLES COMMISSION came as a bit of a surprise, albeit a rather pleasant one, but the more I read this book, the more I realised that the voice works. Mixed in with sufficient historical perspective and details, this book could work for fans of historical crime fiction, just as it would be a perfect introduction for readers who have steered clear until now.
The story told is as old as the setting though - politicians fighting for power, for their version of politics, for their view of the world. Nicolas, the son of a sculptor is only given the task of investigating this death because he happens to be the man on the spot. His reactions impress Pericles, a supporter of democracy (from the same "side" as the dead man), so Pericles commissions Nicolas. There's a lot of detail in the book about the whys and wherefores of how these sorts of things normally work in Ancient Greek society, as there are details about the various political movements - but the delivery of that detail is not heavy handed. At no stage did I feel like there was definitely going to be an exam at the end of this book, the details just flowed into the narrative.
There is a large cast of characters and one of those cast listings at the front (including a pronunciation guide). More importantly the real-life characters are also indicated and it's interesting to see how Corby has woven fact into fiction in what seems to this reader, at least, a seamless manner. One of the more appealing parts of the book was definitely the way that it seemed to be providing a bit of a history lesson, woven into a really interesting tale - making the history both palatable and very real.
As with all these sorts of lone, private, accidental investigators, a lot of the enjoyment of the book hangs on whether or not a reader can believe the situation. There's something very believable about Nicolas taking up the investigator role - despite absolutely no experience, ability, training, or even much of an idea of how to start. Sure there's a fair amount of him acting as a catalyst for events, rather than a finder of facts, but facts he does discover, and he does garner help from some unlikely quarters including a love interest. Ephialtes, illegitimate but acknowledged daughter of the dead man is a great character, although you are going to have to brace yourself for a bit of that romantic carry on. Not too much thankfully, and nicely balanced out with Ephialtes being no shrinking violet and not afraid to get into the action in her own right.
There are other great characters in this book, and there are some excellent insights into the setting and the period (albeit that I have no way of knowing how accurate any of it is - but it certainly feels, reads and sits well within the context of the story). Ultimately what really works if the character of Nicolas himself. His dogged determination to make his own way in the world, his relationship with his father, mother and younger brother Socrates (make of his name and description what you will), and his way of seeing the world around him made this a really engaging, light, fast and ultimately extremely enjoyable book.
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