Quo Vadis (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

Quo Vadis is not for the faint at heart. It is gut-wrenching, soul-piercing, and heart-rendering and not for the casual reader. The author makes you an eyewitness to the atrocities from the hand of Nero. The mental pictures given to you as a reader are unforgettable. This is not a trashy romance, but a love story that transforms the protagonist of the book. It is a book about the cosmic battle between Good and evil, not just an epic about the days of Rome. It does have so many parallels to society today, especially here in America. Take heed, people. History repeats itself. This was one of the finest works of literature I have ever read!!! I highly, highly recommend it!

The Christian v. lion's story has been around so long that it has pretty much become a kind of myth. It is a phrase one brings up in order to illustrate some point or other, but is hardly ever thought about in historical terms. In fact, Christianity itself sometimes seems as if it is becoming a kind of myth. The left doesn't take it seriously, and bashes Christians for being intolerant and condescending. But Christians, in their haste to retaliate, often act intolerant and can be arrogantly condescending. The sense of what it means to be Christian seems to get lost in all of this. Quo Vadis takes us back to the days when Christianity was fresh and new and shows us just what kind of world it was then that caused such a movement to flourish. This alone would make it an excellent novel, but it works wonderfully on all levels. The characters are superbly drawn, the setting is realistic, the plot crackles along, and, perhaps most importantly in a novel with this subject matter, it never becomes preachy or didactic, instead maintaining an objective perspective throughout. Rome was the greatest of the ancient empires, yet despite all of its glorious achievements, it was truly a barbaric place. The concept of human rights was non-existent. Slaves--of all races--were property, and could be used in any way one saw fit, including the most vicious or depraved. The rule of law, while discussed in philosophical terms, was only sporadically and occasionally applied. The law instead came and went at the whim of the powerful, and if the powerful happened to be someone like Nero--the ruler of Rome during the course of this novel--then the law was sadistic, cruel, wicked and unpredictable.We see the effect that living this kind of society has on the two main characters of the novel, both of whom are members of the upper crust: Petronius, a courtier; and Vinicius, a military officer. Petronius, as Nero's confidant, can never let his guard down. He must flatter, cajole, deceive and manipulate Nero every minute of the day, for his very life depends on it. It is a life, "drained and listless and detached," as we are told in the first sentence of the novel. Vinicius falls in love with a captive Christian female, and through his love we see how Christianity changes his life. But it is an unbelievably difficult and dangerous undertaking--with the demented presence of Nero and his sycophants looming over everything--to form an attachment with a person and then a cause such as this. It gradually dawns on us how the Christian movement began in the first place, and why attempts were made so mercilessly to stamp it out. Instead of dishonesty and cruelty, it called for honesty and kindness. Instead of privilege for the elite, its promises were made to all. Instead of arrogance, it preached submissiveness. Perhaps most importantly, it simplified one's life, and allowed one to live without fear. Rome is burned, possibly at Nero's orders, incredibly, s

This book is without question the greatest of the classics that I have ever read. Involving suspense, romance, death, and survival; it will lead you through one of greatest adventures of your life. I highly recommend it.

but the melodrama is due to the time period (such passions) wonderfull descriptive phrases. I found myself wondering about the accuracy of the tale but my copy is not indexed. It reminds me of The Kingdom of the Wicked by Burgess but is softer and more consistent.

This is certainly one of the best novels of Ancient Rome I have read, despite the pushing of Christianity which can be ascribed to the period in which it was written. What is really amazing, to me, is that, though written in the ninteenth century, Quo Vadis accurately describes Western culture today. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this novel should be required reading for high school students, so frighteningly modern is it.