Nero and Sporus

Review - Damnatio by S.P. Somtow

My rating:

Sporus is on his way to Greece with Nero, after the emperor had the young man’s genitals removed so that he would remain looking forever young, in the image of the Empress Poppaea, whom Nero killed in a fit of rage. The onetime slave may now be Empress of Rome, but in every way that matters, Sporus has less freedom than when he belonged to Petronius. I had thought that this third book would be the final in the series, but there’s now a fourth book announced.

Tags: Ancient Rome Novella

Review - Imperatrix by S.P. Somtow

My rating:

Sporus’ master Petronius is dead, having taken his own life after being implicated in a plot to overthrow Emperor Nero. Petronius freed Sporus before he died, but nobody is truly free from the attentions of the mad emperor. Without his protector, Sporus must quickly learn how to navigate the ups and downs of Nero’s mercurial temperament, as well as the intrigues of the imperial court. It will take all his skills to keep his head, not to mention other parts of his anatomy.

Tags: Ancient Rome

Review - Delicatus by S.P. Somtow

My rating:

In the first century AD, a small village on the very edge of the Roman empire was overrun by pirates, who took a young boy hostage to sell on the slave market. The pirate's ship is captured by Romans, but the boy is still transported to the slave market in Ostia, on the coast near Rome. While waiting to be sold, someone notices that the boy bears a strong resemblance to one of the most powerful women in Rome, Poppaea.

Tags: Ancient Rome