Download Shadows in Bronze: A Marcus Didius Falco Novel djvu

I'm a guy who loves series books. But I also love historical fiction - fiction that is as close to the real thing as I can get. I've read all of the Master and Commander series, Hornblower, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches to name a few. I like it exciting but drenched in details - details that don't bore me or slow me down. The words have to flow well. With those kinds of requirements, it's a bit hard to find series books that I can take serious and enjoy. Somehow or another, I stumbled across the Falco series on my Kindle app and I'll finish them all (even thought I'm on the third book).

The series takes place in classical antiquity in the time of Vespasian/Titus's rule in Rome (time of the Caesars). Lindsey Davis does a fantastic job of bringing history to life in a very realistic and down to earth manner. While it takes the form of mystery with Falco as a detective ("informer" by Roman standards) who pursues various criminals and intrigues for citizens as well as the Emperor.

In the opening books of the series, we are taken on a guided tour of Rome via the eyes of Falco as takes on a job for a beautiful young woman who ends of dying before he can complete his mission. Slowly the tapestry of lies and deceit begins to unfold as Falco has to travel all the way to savage Britain to solve his case and avenge the girls death.

Overall, a solid opener that takes several chapters to set it's hooks into you but once they are set, they are set for good.

I found it hard to locate an exact reading order of the books - they are meant to be read in order. The books themselves, especially the Kindle versions, don't really list the order or it's a bit skewed. Either way, here's a list I got that should help everyone who wants to read this awesome series of books:

1) The Silver Pigs, originally published as Silver Pigs (set in Rome and Britain) in AD 70-71. (1989)
2) Shadows in Bronze (set in Rome and Campania) in AD 71. (1990)
3) Venus in Copper (set in Rome) in AD 71. (1991)
4) The Iron Hand of Mars (set in Rome and Germania) in AD 71. (1992)
5) Poseidon's Gold (set in Rome and Capua) in AD 72. (1993)
6) Last Act in Palmyra (set in Rome, The Decapolis and Palmyra) in AD 72. (1994)
7) Time to Depart (set in Rome) in AD 72. (1995)
8) A Dying Light in Corduba (set in Rome and Córdoba, Spain) in AD 73. (1996)
9) Three Hands in the Fountain (set in Rome) in AD 73. (1997)
10) Two for the Lions (set in Rome, Carthage, and Libya) in AD 73. (1998)
11) One Virgin Too Many (set in Rome) in AD 74. (1999)
12) Ode to a Banker (set in Rome) in AD 74. (2000)
13) A Body in the Bath House, aka A Body in the Bathhouse (set in Rome and Britain) in AD 75. (2001)
14) The Jupiter Myth - set in Britain in AD 75, follows on from the previous novel (2002)
15) The Accusers (set in Rome) in AD 75. (2003)
16) Scandal Takes a Holiday - set in Rome and Ostia in AD 76. (2004)
17) See Delphi and Die - set in Rome and various locations in Greece in AD 76. (2005)
18) Saturnalia (set in Rome) at year-end. (2007)
19) Alexandria (set in Alexandria) in AD 77. (2009)
20) Nemesis (Set in Rome and Latium) in summer AD 77. (2010)

EDIT - 4/15/14

As of this point, Amazon does not offer all of these books for Kindle. Indeed some of these aren't available in any digital format at all! Hopefully, the publishers will choose to release these for the Kindle. In the meantime, look a couple books ahead and make sure you have a hardback/paperback version available if the Kindle version isn't out. You don't want to be stuck without the next book.

I already had the Cassette version of this book - but the quality was not good. I purchased this book just to replace my cassette version with this new recording. The reader is the top rated Simon Prebble. But in spite of the accolades for this readers he is simply not Falco for me. To me the voice of Falco and all the characters is Christian Rodska who does Silver Pigs and almost all the later books. He created Falco for me with all the wit and humor that Falco has, Prebble is much too staid in his character to be Falco. I have given it just 3 stars because of Prebble who reading make Falco seem rather dull and boring.

See Delphi and Die is one of the better books in the Falco series of stories. I found it to be an enjoyable read and interesting, even though it poked fun at the tourist industry throughout its chapters. In this book Falco and Helena head off to Greece with two tasks in hand; one to corral Helena's brother Aulus and get him to university in Athen's and two to find a murderer. Falco takes with him Albia, and his nephews Gaius and Cornelius and a bodyguard in the form of Galucus Jr, the son of Falco's trainer. It is interesting to meet these people and to see them interrelating with Falco. It is also interesting to see the ongoing development of Albia as a character, especially since most loyal readers of Falco knows that Albia takes over the family business in her own series of books.

What I liked the most about this book was the fact that Falco came across strong and reasonably confident. In previous books I spent more time sympathising with Falco as he is maligned by his family and friends than enjoying the story. This time things were different.

Overall it is a good read and I recommend it to anyone following the series.

Falco is a great character and immediately grabs the reader with his cynical and witty opinions of the world around him. Falco's Rome seems authentic, this is a tale of the backstreets and alleys with occasional forays into what we usually think of when we think of ancient Rome, the Forum. The supporting characters are solid as well, esp Helena who is a headstrong woman living in a man's world. Nicely paced, not too much exposition or trying to be a sort of tour-book for the ancient world. The plot is solid and offers good twists and turns as any good detective novel should.

Overall a really brilliant idea to put a "hard-boiled" detective in an ancient setting. As the progenitors of our own legal system, it is not as far-fetched as might be believed that someone like Falco might exist. He does come across as a little too "modern" in some ways, not as misogynist as one might imagine, but Falco does seem to be different in other ways, his refusal of a generous offer towards the end also sets him as a man apart, so maybe his chivalrous attitude is of the same ilk.

Heartily recommended!

I've never met a snarkier Roman than Falco! This series was recommended by another author that I admire & read everything she writes & she was right...this is going to be loads of fun & just enough history to make it interesting. I loved the plot twists & look forward to the rest of the series!

In this second Marcus Didius Falco book, ancient Rome's private informer is wrapping up the results of the first Falco novel and engaged by the relatively new Emperor Vespasian to go to Pompeii and investigate treasonous activities. There, accompanied by his buddy Petro, he again encounters the beautiful, patrician Helena Justina and definitely finds himself involved with traitors seeking to unseat Vespasian. Thbis brings him back to Rome for the finish. As always the writing is compelling with its word pictures of Roman street life sprinkled throughout the scenes in the Eternal City. Always great.