Review - "The Pericles Commission," by Gary Corby

This book introduces the style of historical mystery fiction mastered by Roman historical fiction writers Lindsey Davis and David Wishart to ancient Greece. Fans of ancient Roman historical fiction who want to try something different are the perfect market for The Pericles Commission. It should also appeal to readers of period historical fiction and people who want to get a feel for daily life in ancient Periclean Athens without reading dry textbooks and articles.

Often when I'm reading a new author, I find the first chapter heavy going because it leaps into the middle of things (in medias res). That is not the case in The Pericles Commission, which starts with the humorous much-quoted line: "A dead man fell from the sky, landing at my feet with a thud." For all that it is very easy to follow, there were sections that made me despair. Told from the 1st-person perspective of Nicolaos, the older (imaginary) brother of a pre-teen Socrates, there really is little excuse for having dialogue devoted to "What's your name?" and "What's yours?" other than, perhaps, a too-literal acceptance of the dogma "show, don't tell," and a minor set-up that could easily have been re-worked: Failure to recognize Pericles with his pointed head need not have been the only sign that Nicolaos was immature. Between that, info dumps, and the (to my mind) perplexing modern vision of party politics in ancient Athens, were glimmers of incredible wit and descriptive flair far exceeding what I've come to expect in historical mysteries.

By chapter 3, I was completely enthralled, almost having trouble remembering why I had had such a hard time getting going and realizing that although Corby's vision of ancient Athens is nowhere near mine, little of it could be positively refuted. No, the long walls to the Piraeus were not intact at the time of murder of archon-deflaing Ephialtes, but standard history says they were rebuilding them starting the same year. Usually democracy is dated to Cleisthenes' day, but "radical democracy" is dated to the time of Pericles and company, and we don't have a written source for the use of the Greek term "demokratia" earlier (the personal name Demokrates is a different matter), providing a rationale for Corby's treating the deeds of Ephialtes as the point at which democracy began.

The Pericles Commission creates a host of characters one can hope to meet again on future adventures. The plot line was well-developed and Corby took care to tie in almost all the loose ends. Throughout the reading there were rarely occasions when I had to reread something because I'd forgotten an important detail, but that didn't make it simplistic. Especially in the first chapter there were noticeable one-liners and other much-enjoyed humor. However, for all that The Pericles Commission works in these basic ways, its strongest point is its vividness. The description of the muck in which Nicolaos was constrained to roll, the care to describe the skin-soft surface of the sledge, the sights and smells of 5th century B.C. Athens were all there in lush and loving detail.

I am now eagerly anticipating the sequel to The Pericles Commission.

See Ancient/Classical History forum Co-host Irene Hahn's review of The Pericles Commission.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.