"Unto Caesar"

This historical novel, set seven years after the crucifixion of Christ, takes place in imperial Rome during the reign of Caligula. Taurus Antinor is the praefect of Rome, beloved of the praetorian guard and known to hold himself aloof from the debaucheries and excesses of patrician Roman society.

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While supervising an estate slave auction, Taurus is crossed by the powerful Dea Flavia of Caesar's family. Proud and breathtakingly lovely, Dea expects Taurus to fall prey to her beauty—and is angered when he doesn't. But Taurus owes allegiance to a crucified Galilean, and will not prostrate himself at the altar of Dea's vanity.

The setting is weak and contrived. After his superhuman feat in the arena saving the life of an enemy, Taurus is hailed by the people as their chosen Caesar. But his loyalty to the crucified Christ—who said to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's—prevents Taurus from betraying the cruel Caligula, even as the emperor seeks Taurus's life.

The characters are little more than cardboard cutouts, stock characters who speak, think, and spend themselves predictably. Every now and then Orczy would give a brief touch to a minor player (such as the slave girl over whom Taurus and Dea dispute, or the slave acting as auctioneer), but the main characters are woefully simplistic.

Despite my enjoyment of Baroness Orczy's popular Scarlet Pimpernel, this story certainly doesn't inspire me to seek out more of her lesser-known works. The only thing this story really had going for it was the period; I do love historical fiction set in Rome. And I did want to find out what happened, even as I rolled my eyes at the clumsy contrivances of the plot and the overblown poses of the characters. Overall, Unto Caesar was a disappointment; read Henryk Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis for the real thing.

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