Book Review: The Ionia Sanction

Nico's back! And he's even funnier and more interesting than ever. We met our intrepid, bumbling, loveable young hero from ancient Greece in Gary Corby's The Pericles Commission, the first in a series about Nicoloas, the young man determined to live a life of intrigue as an investigator rather than follow in his father's footsteps as a sculptor.

In the Ionia Sanction, Nico initially bungles a murder investigation, angering his patron Pericles, and travels to Ephesus in a last-ditch effort to get to the bottom of the case. This set up allows us to spend some time with him (and his brilliant little brother, Socrates) in Greece, which he evokes with fascinating detail (including a slave auction).

In Ephesus, Nico tracks down his love, the brilliant Diotima, who is serving Artemis as a priestess in the famous gigantic temple there.  I won't say more mostly because, honestly, I don't like reviews that detail the plot for me (those are the bits I skip when I'm reading reviews), so I'll just focus on my review: I loved it!

So. Much. Fun.

That's a huge feat in and of itself, don't you think? I mean, how many writers could actually make ancient Greece at the dawn of democracy "fun?" Yet Corby succeeds masterfully by balancing intrigue with both physical and intellectual humor.  I found The Ionia Sanction even funnier than The Pericles Commission, which says a lot. But the humor wasn't at the expense of characterization--rather, it enriched it and made Nico and Diotima even more likeable.

The politics with Persia was fascinating and I really like the way that Corby ramped up the intensity with Diotima with some very interesting...er, scenes. And, of course, the twist at the end is both surprising and satisfying. It feels like Corby is hitting his stride with his second book, which bodes well for the series. I am already looking forward to the next one.

Ancient Greece, Jersey Shore, and Drunk Men Hurling

Gary Corby recently made mention of Greek pottery depicting drunk men vomiting. I had to check them out for myself in detail. And, oh, the Greeks did not disappoint. The Getty Villa features my favorite piece, one of the most...um..."vivid" examples. 

Photo courtesy of Mary Harsch.

Hahahahaha! I don't know why this cracks me up so much, but it completely undoes me. There's just something about imagining the hours an expert potter/artisan spent lovingly depicting a man hurling that slays me.

Ancient drunks--just like us. And Jersey Shore! (For any readers not in the U.S., Jersey Shore is a reality TV show featuring a group of young Italian-Americans who do nothing but groom and get drunk. Don't worry, I don't get it either.)

But there's more! Check out this one on the right showing Jersey Shore's "The Situation" and his impressive abs having to abandon his lyre so that he can direct "Ronnie's" head toward the handy vomit-pythos dragged over for just that moment.

And good ol' lush "Snookie" gets her own ancient moment too in the plate (below) showing her being drunkenly escorted from the party. Thankfully, this ancient Snookie is not tottering on ridiculous heels, though she seems sadly unaware that she is flashing all her friends at the Symposium.

These wonderfully detailed and evocative "moments" of ancient partying leave me wanting more examples of "daily life" in ancient Greece.

Unfortunately, many other examples tend to skew toward illustrations of a more "earthy" nature, which I can't show here.

(Think of the children!)

Still, it's clear (and hilarious). Those Greeks sure knew how to party!