Falco: The Official Companion (A Marcus Didius Falco Novel)

If you haven't read the Falco books (why? Go and buy them quickly!) you won't understand much of this book. It is a gentle visit with the author. And that author has written a series (starting with The Silver Pigs) which is sort of ancient Roman detective/soap opera with lots of humor and sarcasm and information hidden in the corners.For fans of the series it is just perfect. She gives reasons for some of the things in the books and a bit of insight into her writing style. Her research and ideas are just so unique and enjoyable. This book shines just like the others, but only for those who have read the series. So try one. :) You can read this later when you will appreciate it more.

This book is as much fun as her mysteries! I wanted background inf. on the places (parts of the Roman empire) visited, & got a lot more - when Lindsey writes that she's scandalized about what she has to write about a vestal virgin (when she's the one who created the character), I laughed out loud, just as I do with the books. I've read about 9 in the series, plus the MARVELOUS Course of Honour. Reading the Companion, I want to go back to read the books even before I go on to the next ones, & I have the whole set. I've even order some I'd given away! I think my favorites will always be Silver Pigs & The Iron Hand of Mars.

This book has everything a Falco devotee could want (need?): a review and reminder of the many, many characters, Roman life, etc., and even the chance to read about the very interesting Ms. Davis herself. I'm having so much fun reading it that I'm being very careful to ration myself to just a few pages a day. I too have been inspired to start rereading the series (after all, 20 years is a bit long to remember a plot...). Thank heavens I've saved most of them and won't have to find and/or pay for them again! The only thing I'm not liking about the book is that Ms. Davis leaves a tiny bit of doubt that she will be writing another, but at least she's left us a real body of work, unlike the marvelous Ariana Franklin and Kate Ross.

I loved reading this book. I am very fond of this series and the companion filled in some areas I was curious about. Plus, it is very entertaining. I laughed out loud at many comments. It's worth your while to get your hands on this.

I have been a Falco fan from the beginning. This book is as wonderful as the novels, full of the author's trademark sly and wry wit. It can be dipped into for specific information, but it is also fun just to read straight through. After a short autobiography, Davis supplies answers to everything you ever wanted to know about the world of Marcus Didius Falco from where Davis gets her ideas, to summaries of the novels, character sketches, even a couple of family trees. There is also general information on ancient Rome including maps, glossary of terms, timeline and much, much more. There is also a wealth of photos of relevant places and objects and even a photo of the dog that inspired the appearance of Nux.

I'm writing this from the UK but my friend in the US requested this on her Amazon wishlist. She (and I) love Falco stories and she asked for this as she said it would accompany the books and she wanted to read more about the Romans and the time in which they are set. So a great gift and she's enjoying it very much. Thanks.

I ordered this book as a reference bookLindsey Davis with the whole series of Falco books, that i have introduce d me to the everyday life in the roman Empire in the first Century .It is wonderful to read about her contacts and research etc.I have always loved great historical writers ,my favorite Barbara Tuchman.there are a few others that i treasure.

This is the book Falco-ites have been waiting for: a feast of backstage Marcus Didius Falco served up by Miss Lindsey Davis herself. Book contains many sections, including recaps of all the Falco book plots; a carefully explored biographical section on all the characters, big and small; background information about Miss Davis's writing process, travels, friends and secrets, and much much more. The section on Frequently Asked Questions is especially illuminating and entertaining. There is also a wonderful section on Roman life and culture. This book has inspired me to re-read the series again.

I bought this book by mistake: it is too easy with a Kindle to hit "Buy" instead of the "More information" I was aiming for. However, finding it immediately on my screen, and having just finished 'The Ides of April', I decided to press on and found it more compulsive reading than I had expected.I think the subheading to the title: 'A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery', is extremely misleading, though. Verging on misrepresentation. This is not a mystery, and not even a continuous narrative. It's more like one of those featurettes that are sometimes included on DVDs -- The Making of Such and Such film.However, as a longstanding follower of Falco -- though not an obsessive Davis 'fan' -- I was interested in the background to the writing of the books. More so than the Roman details. (I studied both Latin and Classical History, so a good deal of that was not new to me.) And I suppose it's inevitable that the successful author of more than 20 books, published all over the world, can sound a touch pleased with herself -- it comes with the territory.As a book, I found it patchy. As I expect most readers will find, some of it was of much more interest to me than other bits. However, it is easy to dip into, and no hardship to skip topics. I am sure most Falco readers will find some insights of sufficient interest to justify the purchase, even if these are different things for different people.Overall, for me, the most worthwhile discovery I made was that I was right to prefer the very first Falco mysteries -- maybe the first five or six -- and that I should go back and read them again forthwith.

Did you ever think you had "met"a character briefly in one book and maybe that character has appeared again in another.but you are not quite sure.?Fear not, this companion to the wonderful Falco books will sort you out. It is a complete dictionary of people, buildings, historical facts, not to mention who did what to who and why!Finally there is a charming personal account by Lindsey Davis of her life and adventures and why she loves Roman history.Add to this some interesting illustrations an d the reader has access to all he or she needs to know about informers and their surroundings in ancient Rome.

An interesting addition to the author’s Falco series. Learned a lot more about the period in I thought I knew! One to enjoy.

A significant milestone for Falco's fans, this is not necessary in the strictest sense, but a very welcome exposition of the hows and whys of this most popular of series.As one would expect from Lindsey Davis it is lucid, amusing and well written, with plenty of background information and pictures. It does not have the feeling (common in such works) that the author is just looking for one last squeeze of the fruit, having run out of ideas. I am glad I bought it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the books and the Flavia Albia ones too, like the historical accuracy behind the fun, when I read which books Lindsey Davis had liked as a child and found them to be all the ones I'd enjoyed I knew I'd be onto a winner with this interesting lexicon.