Catilina's Riddle vs Lays of ancient Rome: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Rome, History
Catilina's Riddle
63 BC: Gordianus attempts to find out why headless bodies keep appearing on his newly-inherited farm and contend with hostile neighbors—all cousins of his benefactor—while he is entangled in republican conspiracy and…
vs
Lays of ancient Rome
Lays of Ancient Rome is an 1842 collection of narrative poems, or lays, by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Four of these recount heroic episodes from early Roman history with strong dramatic and tragic themes, giving the…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Lays of ancient Rome is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 8 for Catilina's Riddle.
- Catilina's Riddle has the widest readership — 37 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Catilina's Riddle | Lays of ancient Rome | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 4.1 (7) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (7) | 4.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (3) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (37) | 4.0 (27) |
Reception
| Catilina's Riddle | Lays of ancient Rome | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 37 | 27 |
| Editions | 17 | 176 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 4 |
| Written reviews | — | 2 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1125 | 3188 |
| Pages | 468 | 95 |