Poseidon's Gold

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Poseidon's Gold

1st edition
Author Lindsey Davis
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Series Marcus Didius Falco
Genre Crime novel
Publisher Century
Publication date
1993
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 336 pp
ISBN 0-71-265831-9
OCLC 227274016
Preceded by The Iron Hand of Mars
Followed by Last Act in Palmyra

Poseidon's Gold is a crime novel by Lindsey Davis.

Plot introduction

Set in Rome during AD 72, Poseidon's Gold stars Marcus Didius Falco, Informer and Imperial Agent. It is the fifth in her Falco series.

Explanation of the novel's title

The title refers to the treasure, taken by Falco's brother Festus for one of his wild schemes, and which now appears to have gone down with the ship - returning to Poseidon.

Plot summary

In Poseidon's Gold, Falco returns from a six-month mission to Germania Liberia, only to become embroiled in the after-effects of a scam by his, now deceased, older brother, Festus. The story recounts shipping scams, crooked antiques auctions and hired thugs, all while Falco is trying to clear his family's name and sort out his deceased brother Festus' business dealings.

Characters in "Poseidon's Gold"

Main characters

  • Decimus Camillus Verus - Senatorial father of Helena Justina.
  • Helena Justina - Daughter of the Senator Decimus Camillus Verus
  • Julia Justa - Wife of Decimus Camillus Verus and mother of Helena
  • Junilla Tacita - Mother of Falco
  • Lucius Petronius Longus - Investigator for the vigiles and friend of Falco
  • Marcus Didius Favonius (aka Geminus) - Auctioneer and Father of Falco
  • Marcus Didius Falco - Informer and Imperial Agent from the Aventine.

Other characters

  • Anacrites - Imperial spy
  • Apollonius - An ex-geometry teacher
  • Cocceius - Auctioneer
  • Domitian Caesar - Youngest son of the Emperor
  • Epimandos - A waiter
  • Lenia - A Laundress
  • Manilus - A painter
  • Marponius - A trial judge and encyclopedia salesman
  • Orontes Mediolanus - A sculptor
  • Rubina - An artist's model
  • Varga - A painter

Major themes

  • Investigation into the murky business dealings of Marcus Didius Festus and the fight to clear the family name,
  • Developing relationship of Marcus Didius Falco and Helena Justina.

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

  • Set in Rome in AD 72, during the reign of Emperor Vespasian.

Allusions/references to other works

  • The novel ends on a somewhat elaborate joke. I would advise that you not read this if you haven't finished the book. The Judean slaves attempt to send Falco on a quest to recover a missing artifact. At first, Falco is afraid that they want him to "Raid" the treasures brought back after the conquest. However, they then tell Falco that they want him to look for a "Lost Ark." Falco demurs, and tells that someone more of a daredevil than he would have to perform that particular quest. A convoluted and entertaining reference to Indiana Jones and the "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Publication details

Film, TV, Radio or theatrical adaptations

  • BBC Radio 4 starring Anton Lesser and Anna Madeley, in May 2009. Unlike previous Radio 4 dramatisations of novels from the Falco series (in four or six half-hour episodes), this adaptation was broadcast as ten 15-minute episodes as the Woman's Hour Drama.[1] It also added Trevor Peacock to the recurring cast, as Geminus.

Sources, references, external links, quotations

Author's Official Website

References

  1. Falco on Radio 4
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.