There is a scene in Pillars of Blood when the two chief characters arrive in court charged with murder. It reads:
‘It seemed to Talaemenes like the Roman gladiator’s arenas Polydektos had once told him about’.
I suppose this sentence sums up what I found so irritating about this novel, its sustained mix of historical and grammatical inaccuracy. (The novel is set in Fifth Century Athens, long before Roman gladiators, singular or plural.)
I do not believe that I have ever read a book with so many syntactical howlers. Below are a few choice examples:
‘He poured half a cup of wine over his wife’s grave and the other half over his daughters.’
‘He pushed himself along the dark tunnel, filled with death worms and two dead mice.’
‘Do you love me with all your hearts?’
‘He too was naked, learn (sic) and thin, and with a stomach that went in like a shallow cave, and not resembling a bolder (sic), like his.’
Gardens are ‘tendered’, revenge is ‘metered’ and ‘pastas’ are constantly being walked across or around.
So what is good about the book?
It’s a short, quick read, with a passable plot.
Its English expression provides much puerile amusement.
It provides excellent raw material for anyone wanting some practice in literary editing or proof-reading.

Ancient Greece is brought to life again in this wonderfull murder story...an absolute winner!