What do you think?
The Roman Life and Times #2
Slave of Catiline
A young slave is confronted by the conspiracy of his master Catiline.
254 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1930
About the author
Paul L. Anderson
27 books5 followersPaul Lewis Anderson was an American photographer and author who wrote five young adult historical fiction novels focusing on ancient Rome and two young adult novels about life in a New England boys' prep school. He also wrote numerous outdoors-oriented short stories for magazines such as Boys' Life and The Outdoorsman.
Anderson was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended Lehigh University, where he was a member of the gymnastics team, specializing in the flying rings.
He graduated in 1901 and worked in electrical engineering before taking up photography in 1907. In 1910 he started working as a professional photographer.
In 1910, Anderson married Mary Lyon Green, with whom he had two daughters, born in 1912 and 1916.
Prior to World War I, he operated portrait studios in New York City and East Orange, New Jersey. In 1916 and 1917, he taught at the Clarence H. White School of Photography, founded by Clarence Hudson White, 1914–1918, and published several books and articles on photography. He set aside his writing on photography in 1925 and started instead to write fiction, beginning with short stories and two novels about student life at a boys' prep school in the fictional New England town of Lockport; he later followed with the five novels of his Roman Life and Times series, which have never been out of print since their initial publication. He returned to writing on photography some eight years later, at the same time continuing his fiction-writing career, which came to a close in 1939 with the publication of Pugnax the Gladiator.
Anderson was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended Lehigh University, where he was a member of the gymnastics team, specializing in the flying rings.
He graduated in 1901 and worked in electrical engineering before taking up photography in 1907. In 1910 he started working as a professional photographer.
In 1910, Anderson married Mary Lyon Green, with whom he had two daughters, born in 1912 and 1916.
Prior to World War I, he operated portrait studios in New York City and East Orange, New Jersey. In 1916 and 1917, he taught at the Clarence H. White School of Photography, founded by Clarence Hudson White, 1914–1918, and published several books and articles on photography. He set aside his writing on photography in 1925 and started instead to write fiction, beginning with short stories and two novels about student life at a boys' prep school in the fictional New England town of Lockport; he later followed with the five novels of his Roman Life and Times series, which have never been out of print since their initial publication. He returned to writing on photography some eight years later, at the same time continuing his fiction-writing career, which came to a close in 1939 with the publication of Pugnax the Gladiator.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 27, 2019
On page 116 so far
A Slave of Catiline
Paul L. Anderson
Do you like Historical Fiction? If so, you will definitely love “A Slave of Catiline”. A Slave of Catiline is full of adventure, and excitement. However, this book is also slow starting and hard to understand at times because of how the book is set up and the author’s style of writing.
A Slave of Catiline is all about Roman history and its government. It describes really well how society was and what actions/decisions people had to make.
Characters
• Tiberius- Tiberius is very strong, brave, confident and a good leader. Tiberius can also be pretty fierce and even annoying at times.
• Catiline- Catiline seems like an observer who is also a silent leader in a way that he leads by example.
I read most of the book in a relaxed mood until the action started happening. When the book started to get exciting I was very engaged in the book and was eager to read more and more. However, when the action wasn’t happening it wasn’t very interesting or fun to read at all. It felt really slow and boring. If I’m being completely honest I didn’t understand most of the book because of how it was written and formatted.
Some pros that the book has is that it’s mostly entertaining and very descriptive. Some disadvantages/cons to this book is that it’s very slow, hard to read, and the writing is odd. Overall I think that this book was entertaining and fun to read even though it was confusing and slow at times. I also think that this book would be a great fit for people who like to read Historical Fiction and learn about world history and foreign governments.
A Slave of Catiline
Paul L. Anderson
Do you like Historical Fiction? If so, you will definitely love “A Slave of Catiline”. A Slave of Catiline is full of adventure, and excitement. However, this book is also slow starting and hard to understand at times because of how the book is set up and the author’s style of writing.
A Slave of Catiline is all about Roman history and its government. It describes really well how society was and what actions/decisions people had to make.
Characters
• Tiberius- Tiberius is very strong, brave, confident and a good leader. Tiberius can also be pretty fierce and even annoying at times.
• Catiline- Catiline seems like an observer who is also a silent leader in a way that he leads by example.
I read most of the book in a relaxed mood until the action started happening. When the book started to get exciting I was very engaged in the book and was eager to read more and more. However, when the action wasn’t happening it wasn’t very interesting or fun to read at all. It felt really slow and boring. If I’m being completely honest I didn’t understand most of the book because of how it was written and formatted.
Some pros that the book has is that it’s mostly entertaining and very descriptive. Some disadvantages/cons to this book is that it’s very slow, hard to read, and the writing is odd. Overall I think that this book was entertaining and fun to read even though it was confusing and slow at times. I also think that this book would be a great fit for people who like to read Historical Fiction and learn about world history and foreign governments.
September 10, 2011
"Slave of Catiline," written by Paul Lewis Anderson (1880-1956), was published in 1930.
This story follows the adventures of a slave named Tiberius Rufus who lost his parents in a shipwreck and was raised by fishermen in Sicily. When pirates raided his village, he was captured, sold into slavery, and purchased by a lanista, a trainer of Roman gladiators.
Tiberius distinguishes himself in the arena as a red-haired left-handed net fighter. When this book starts, he is purchased to serve as a bodyguard to a scheming politician named Lucius Sergius Catilina, aka Catiline, who history remembers as the architect of a vast conspiracy to overthrow the Roman Republic in the 1st Century B.C.. These are the tumultuous times bracketed by Sulla, Cicero, and Caesar and, as such, make for a very interesting backdrop for a good, well-crafted story.
Tiberius' master, Catiline, is on the wrong side of history. He is rich, clever and persuasive, but ultimately outwitted by Marcus Tullius Cicero, Rome's greatest orater. Much has been written about Cicero, the self made man who was not born into fortune and status. In "Catiline," we get glimpses of his private and public life as he wrestles with the threat of a rebellion that has strong appeal to many in the upper class.
"Slave of Catiline" focuses on Tiberius Rufus as he struggles with the Roman ideals of honor, civic virtue, dignity, and duty. Tiberius, whose history and destiny make him a wonderful protagonist, must chose between duty to his master and a debt of gratitude he owes Cicero for having spared the life of his best friend.
This is a story about friendship and honor in the face of duty to an increasingly questionable cause. Given that the protaganist is a former gladiator, there is plenty of adventure and many well-written fight scenes though the violence is never graphic.
Anderson's formal, yet accesible prose is a real pleasure and it serves to anchor the story in an earlier time. I'm sure that real gladiators and scheming politicians were far more foul-mouthed than Anderson portrays, but it's a testiment to the author that he conveys the gritty times in language that was acceptable to his own times.
The pace is enjoyable but not relentless like so many modern adventure novels.
"Slave of Catiline" reads like a sequel to Anderson's "Pugnax the Gladiator (Roman Life and Times Series)" which was published nine years later. I recommend reading "Pugnax" first if you can, but the stories stand independent of each other.
Highly recommended!
This story follows the adventures of a slave named Tiberius Rufus who lost his parents in a shipwreck and was raised by fishermen in Sicily. When pirates raided his village, he was captured, sold into slavery, and purchased by a lanista, a trainer of Roman gladiators.
Tiberius distinguishes himself in the arena as a red-haired left-handed net fighter. When this book starts, he is purchased to serve as a bodyguard to a scheming politician named Lucius Sergius Catilina, aka Catiline, who history remembers as the architect of a vast conspiracy to overthrow the Roman Republic in the 1st Century B.C.. These are the tumultuous times bracketed by Sulla, Cicero, and Caesar and, as such, make for a very interesting backdrop for a good, well-crafted story.
Tiberius' master, Catiline, is on the wrong side of history. He is rich, clever and persuasive, but ultimately outwitted by Marcus Tullius Cicero, Rome's greatest orater. Much has been written about Cicero, the self made man who was not born into fortune and status. In "Catiline," we get glimpses of his private and public life as he wrestles with the threat of a rebellion that has strong appeal to many in the upper class.
"Slave of Catiline" focuses on Tiberius Rufus as he struggles with the Roman ideals of honor, civic virtue, dignity, and duty. Tiberius, whose history and destiny make him a wonderful protagonist, must chose between duty to his master and a debt of gratitude he owes Cicero for having spared the life of his best friend.
This is a story about friendship and honor in the face of duty to an increasingly questionable cause. Given that the protaganist is a former gladiator, there is plenty of adventure and many well-written fight scenes though the violence is never graphic.
Anderson's formal, yet accesible prose is a real pleasure and it serves to anchor the story in an earlier time. I'm sure that real gladiators and scheming politicians were far more foul-mouthed than Anderson portrays, but it's a testiment to the author that he conveys the gritty times in language that was acceptable to his own times.
The pace is enjoyable but not relentless like so many modern adventure novels.
"Slave of Catiline" reads like a sequel to Anderson's "Pugnax the Gladiator (Roman Life and Times Series)" which was published nine years later. I recommend reading "Pugnax" first if you can, but the stories stand independent of each other.
Highly recommended!
May 24, 2011
This novel offered an interesting perspective on the chain of events in Rome during Catiline's conspiracy against Cicero. It served both to educate and to entertain, although most of the information concerning the conspiracy could have been learned from reading Cicero's First Oration Against Catiline. Still, A Slave of Catiline was an enjoyable read, especially for those interested in the history and culture of ancient Rome!
December 15, 2011
Another enjoyable Roman tale. This one really brings to live the politics and intrigue of Roman government.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews