⋙ Download Rubies of the Viper Martha Marks Books

Rubies of the Viper Martha Marks Books

Download As PDF : Rubies of the Viper Martha Marks Books

Rubies of the Viper Martha Marks Books

I changed my mind a lot about this book while reading, but now that it's finished, I'm certainly interested enough in reading the sequel. The action takes place around 50 AD in ancient Rome and features a mix of fictional characters and historical ones, like Emperor Nero and prominent members of high society. The story is intriguing, with lots of fascinating period detail, but the attempts to make it more approachable are a little hit-and-miss. Using American slang to remind us that slaves did not speak pure Latin gets a bit annoying, and the language and dialogue are unashamedly modern.

Characterization is fine for most supporting characters but not so good for the main one. Theodosia, the street-smart protagonist, managed to survive humble and unscathed, living alone at sixteen in a Roman slum, yet the moment she inherits amazing wealth and position, she starts acting bratty and downright reckless. So, as I progressed through the story, the heroine's inconsistent behaviour became irritating and, despite her appalling ordeal, I felt no sympathy for her plight. The main issue for me is that all the big, life-altering events are entirely due to Theodosia's monumental idiocy, stubbornness and refusal to follow good advice.

The pace is a bit uneven. I'm a sensitive reader with a vivid imagination. For the first half of the story, I was bothered by the unremitting gore and brutality that, to me, are overpowering to the detriment of other aspects of daily life. By the 60% mark, the story moves away from Rome and follows Alexander, the Greek steward of Theodosia's villa and estate. I loved Alexander's portrayal. He's a fully fleshed out, complex character who really made things interesting. The pace also picks up, where it had been dragging before. By the time of the musical competition, I was ready to forgive the author for the drawn-out melodrama of the Carcer. That whole section is superb and full of dramatic tension.

The plot is action-driven and, for the most part, it works. However, a huge suspension of belief is required when it comes to Theodosia's physical prowess with knives and horses. I won't discuss too many specifics, but the horse sequences are wildly improbable, and here I speak from long experience. From galloping bareback in a thunderstorm to how much one can push an exhausted horse, to effectively riding an animal used to pulling a cart, it was all high fantasy and almost cartoonish. Also, one has to remember that, in Roman times, all horse breeds were small, barely over 14 hands high, and comparable to our large ponies, as evidenced by friezes and equestrian statues of the times.

Despite my stated criticism, I enjoyed this book. If you like historical sagas with strong-minded characters and an abundance of political intrigue, backstabbing and physical action, give this lively tale a try.


Tags : Amazon.com: Rubies of the Viper (9780979519345): Martha Marks: Books,Martha Marks,Rubies of the Viper,Martha's Art,0979519349,1001224759,FICTION Thrillers Historical,Fiction Romance Suspense

Rubies of the Viper Martha Marks Books Reviews

Starting in the reign of Claudius and ending with Nero, our protagonist Theodosia inherited a huge estate from her half-brother who was murdered in the streets of Rome. This was no ordinary inheritance; Theodosia was a bastard, having been raised a Roman but thrown out of her father’s house when he died. To say it felt awkward for her—stepping into the role of the ultra-wealthy, owner of thousands of slaves—would be an understatement. From the beginning she didn’t know how to behave, as witnessed by her attempts to befriend her steward, a Greek slave, then raising up another slave who was her childhood playmate. Then she improved the living conditions of the slaves on her manor. Naturally they all came to appreciate—and love—her, but she was the scandal of polite society notwithstanding the fact that her great wealth made her a marital prize. Otho, in particular—her brother’s friend—started out wooing her, but soon enough his true colors came through and her refusal to marry him was wrought with terrible repercussions.

Theodosia was a sympathetic enough character, but I found her behavior a bit of a stretch at times. She was impetuous and incautious, which got her into plenty of trouble. She wouldn’t listen to advice—or threats—and plunged blindly into danger while I, as a sensible reader, grew impatient with her foolishness. I almost felt she deserved what she got—not a good thing when talking about our heroine. Regardless, we get a good dose of ancient Rome, its customs, and the Suburra along with its associated rowdies. It was an enjoyable read.
I am not a fan of the trilogy. My complaint about them is that each book cannot stand alone. This trilogy looks like it will measure up. The first volume does stand alone very well, even though major characters may well survive for part two of the trilogy. If the first novel can stand alone, it does not necessarily mean the reader is committed to go on. But this one, is testing my hypothesis about the trilogy and I already have the second book. Hopefully, I can look forward to the third. Theodosia Varro’s brother is brutally murdered, making her the sole heir of a vast estate populated mostly by her slaves. Young and wealthy, she is considered a prize for the Roman lucky enough to wed her, but she has other ideas. Her brother’s murder is just the beginning of the traumatic events that loom in her future ... events that are engineered toward a number of surprising acts on both sides of the good vs. evil equation. A solid read worth every minute spent with it.
This book is very well written and the story is quite compelling. The device of having the heroine's ancestry challenged helps overcome the improbable main relationships that are, after all, nearly essential to the genre. The locales and accessories are well-researched, perhaps too much so (every author of the period assumes you know how a strigil works). In a work with a specific historical setting with big-name players available I tend to expect the story to weave in and depend on some key historical event and get the fictional characters involved sonehow, but that doesn't happen. In fact, the events are set in a cusp between Claudius and Nero, and beyond symobolizing the exercise of despotic power, the actual key Roman figures are not very relevant; the story could as easily be set in Babylon. It may be that the long-term intent is to have the Vespasians take a longer role in a multi-volume story, otherwise their role is disappointingly small. For a while I thought that the characters were a bit one-dimensional but almost all develop some unexpected complexity except for Otho, and given his real history there really was no 2nd dimension there, if anything Ms. Marks cuts him quite a bit of slack. I'm really looking forward to the 2nd volume, already in hand. Note I did receive a courtesy copy for review.
I changed my mind a lot about this book while reading, but now that it's finished, I'm certainly interested enough in reading the sequel. The action takes place around 50 AD in ancient Rome and features a mix of fictional characters and historical ones, like Emperor Nero and prominent members of high society. The story is intriguing, with lots of fascinating period detail, but the attempts to make it more approachable are a little hit-and-miss. Using American slang to remind us that slaves did not speak pure Latin gets a bit annoying, and the language and dialogue are unashamedly modern.

Characterization is fine for most supporting characters but not so good for the main one. Theodosia, the street-smart protagonist, managed to survive humble and unscathed, living alone at sixteen in a Roman slum, yet the moment she inherits amazing wealth and position, she starts acting bratty and downright reckless. So, as I progressed through the story, the heroine's inconsistent behaviour became irritating and, despite her appalling ordeal, I felt no sympathy for her plight. The main issue for me is that all the big, life-altering events are entirely due to Theodosia's monumental idiocy, stubbornness and refusal to follow good advice.

The pace is a bit uneven. I'm a sensitive reader with a vivid imagination. For the first half of the story, I was bothered by the unremitting gore and brutality that, to me, are overpowering to the detriment of other aspects of daily life. By the 60% mark, the story moves away from Rome and follows Alexander, the Greek steward of Theodosia's villa and estate. I loved Alexander's portrayal. He's a fully fleshed out, complex character who really made things interesting. The pace also picks up, where it had been dragging before. By the time of the musical competition, I was ready to forgive the author for the drawn-out melodrama of the Carcer. That whole section is superb and full of dramatic tension.

The plot is action-driven and, for the most part, it works. However, a huge suspension of belief is required when it comes to Theodosia's physical prowess with knives and horses. I won't discuss too many specifics, but the horse sequences are wildly improbable, and here I speak from long experience. From galloping bareback in a thunderstorm to how much one can push an exhausted horse, to effectively riding an animal used to pulling a cart, it was all high fantasy and almost cartoonish. Also, one has to remember that, in Roman times, all horse breeds were small, barely over 14 hands high, and comparable to our large ponies, as evidenced by friezes and equestrian statues of the times.

Despite my stated criticism, I enjoyed this book. If you like historical sagas with strong-minded characters and an abundance of political intrigue, backstabbing and physical action, give this lively tale a try.