[ERO]∎ PDF Gratis Of Merchants Heroes Paul Waters 9780330452670 Books

Of Merchants Heroes Paul Waters 9780330452670 Books

Download As PDF : Of Merchants Heroes Paul Waters 9780330452670 Books

Of Merchants Heroes Paul Waters 9780330452670 Books

If you like historical novels, Paul Waters has a treat for you in "Of Merchants and Heroes." It's a big book with at least three plot lines, each of which could have been a stand alone novel. A robust book, it's set in the Mediterranean in the second and third centuries (BC) and involves some heavy players who'd be a good match for the good, the bad, and the ugly on the international stage today. It's a credit to his novelist's skills that Paul Waters can bring these many complicated issues together without confusing the reader: instead, one learns about multiple roles in the Greco-Roman worlds of the second century (BC.

The story opens with villainous pirates killing and plundering their way through the middle east at sea and ashore. The story also involves a small republic on the mediterranean and their inability to collectively protect themselves (let alone prevent their greedy neighbors) from aiding countries who thrive on plunder. And, finally, two protagonists, one Greek and one Roman, fall in love with one another. And, this is 2000 years before, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Author Waters leads you through the political processes, good and bad, that exist between the small nation states of the story. One is also led to appreciate the primacy of Rome in that setting, not just Rome in its role as empire builder. There is cruelty and greed in "Of Merchants and Heroes," the book also dramatizes philosophies of beauty, love, and humanitarian impulse. The role of gymnasium and the Olympic lifestyle are portrayed as religious theory.

Perhaps the best part of Paul Waters' "Of Merchants and Heroes" is the exploration of the Heroic, whether senator, soldier, or lover and how they try to grow in mind and body to become "better" human beings. Marcus, the Roman Protagonist, spends much of the book in a quest to kill the pirate who has killed his father. When he has successfully carried out that mission, he realizes that the hatred he has curried is not just a shallow motive, but one that can destroy the good in men. "Of Merchants and Heroes," a rollicking page turner in the old world, is full of lessons like that, things to think about long after the adventure is finished. Once you've read the first page of "Of Merchants and Heroes," you won't put it down till you've read the surprising final episode.


Tags : Of Merchants & Heroes [Paul Waters] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A consuming story of love, loss and redemption set in the classical world of Rome and Greece, <em>Of Merchants & Heroes</em> is the story of a young man’s pursuit of his father’s murderer and and of the values and qualities he develops that will make him a man... a man capable of a deep,Paul Waters,Of Merchants & Heroes,Pan Books Ltd,0330452673,Action & Adventure,Historical - General,Greece;History;To 146 B.C.;Fiction.,Historical fiction.,Rome;History;Republic, 510-30 B.C.;Fiction.,FICTION Action & Adventure,FICTION Historical General,Fiction,Fiction & related items,Fiction-Historical,Great BritainBritish Isles,Historical fiction,TEXT

Of Merchants Heroes Paul Waters 9780330452670 Books Reviews

Interesting author, different "spin" on the roman era, but a very great writer. I had not previously been this aware of the roman/greek wars and interactions. Great style.
Historical novel about a period in ancient Roman history we don't know that much about from fiction - the war against Philip of Macedon (not that one, the other, later one). The novel is entertaining, especially for history buffs, and stands many levels above so many other historical novels, but still not up there with the very best in the genre (in my opinion, Vidal, Mantel, Renault, Sienkiewicz).
The novel gives a vivid feeling of actually being in the Ancient world before the high noon of Roman power, in the days when everything still hung in the balance and the Roman empire might well have been just a footnote in history. It's an exciting place to be, and the author is a perfect guide.
I do have some misgivings about the novel, however.
I felt that the main character Marcus was slightly too perfect; as was his lover. They are not just perfect physical specimens, they fight with honour, they philosophize eloquently about life and love, and they always, always do the right thing. That's not very believeable, I feel. Also, having though about it, the whole history of Marcus' grievance with the pirate feels unnecessary and is something that tends to pop up from time to time, making the protagonist's claim that he has nightmares about his arch-nemesis seeming slightly like an after-thought.

There were certain annoying things about the book - mostly, the fact that you can decode a character's place on the good/bad-scale by their looks alone the bad guys are fat, lazy and look mean, the good guys are invariably beautiful, slender, strong, upright, forthright, you name it. That's sloppy writing, in my humble opinion - building characters by looks alone is for childrens' books, and not the good ones, either. Only Philip of Macedon somehow transcends this tendency, making me feel that I should have liked to get to know him better.

Also, I believe that on at least four different occasions we hear about someone's "intelligent eyes," something that ought to have been weeded out in editing; it's the kind of repetition that tends to make you take a step back from the reading process and say, didn't I just read that somewhere else? On a couple of occasions, the switches from one setting to the next are too fast, leaving me a bit baffled - where are we now, and why? In many instances, I should have liked more description, not less.
I believe this is a very good historical novel, very entertaining, but with the few objections noted above.

Saying that the author is up there with Mary Renault, as some critics have done, is stretching it a bit far, I think. I believe that historical novels, when they are best, also reflect back on our own times; in fact, I think that is their main raison d'être, and this novel doesn't really do that.
If you like historical novels, Paul Waters has a treat for you in "Of Merchants and Heroes." It's a big book with at least three plot lines, each of which could have been a stand alone novel. A robust book, it's set in the Mediterranean in the second and third centuries (BC) and involves some heavy players who'd be a good match for the good, the bad, and the ugly on the international stage today. It's a credit to his novelist's skills that Paul Waters can bring these many complicated issues together without confusing the reader instead, one learns about multiple roles in the Greco-Roman worlds of the second century (BC.

The story opens with villainous pirates killing and plundering their way through the middle east at sea and ashore. The story also involves a small republic on the mediterranean and their inability to collectively protect themselves (let alone prevent their greedy neighbors) from aiding countries who thrive on plunder. And, finally, two protagonists, one Greek and one Roman, fall in love with one another. And, this is 2000 years before, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Author Waters leads you through the political processes, good and bad, that exist between the small nation states of the story. One is also led to appreciate the primacy of Rome in that setting, not just Rome in its role as empire builder. There is cruelty and greed in "Of Merchants and Heroes," the book also dramatizes philosophies of beauty, love, and humanitarian impulse. The role of gymnasium and the Olympic lifestyle are portrayed as religious theory.

Perhaps the best part of Paul Waters' "Of Merchants and Heroes" is the exploration of the Heroic, whether senator, soldier, or lover and how they try to grow in mind and body to become "better" human beings. Marcus, the Roman Protagonist, spends much of the book in a quest to kill the pirate who has killed his father. When he has successfully carried out that mission, he realizes that the hatred he has curried is not just a shallow motive, but one that can destroy the good in men. "Of Merchants and Heroes," a rollicking page turner in the old world, is full of lessons like that, things to think about long after the adventure is finished. Once you've read the first page of "Of Merchants and Heroes," you won't put it down till you've read the surprising final episode.