The Golden Dice

Written by Elisabeth Storrs

Narrated by Christina Traister

“An enthralling tale of political intrigue, romance, and corruption.” —M. Louisa Locke, author of Maids of Misfortune

During a bitter siege between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii, three women follow different paths to survive.

Caecilia, Roman born but Etruscan wed, forsakes Rome to return to her husband, Vel Mastarna, exposing herself to the enmity of his people while knowing the Romans will give her a traitor’s death if Veii falls. Semni, a reckless Etruscan servant in the House of Mastarna, embroils herself in schemes that threaten Caecilia’s son and Semni’s own chance for love. Pinna, a destitute Roman prostitute, uses coercion to gain the attention of Rome’s greatest general at the risk of betraying Caecilia’s cousin.

Each woman struggles to protect herself and those whom she loves in the dark cycle of war. What must they do to challenge Fate? And will they ever live in peace again?

The Golden Dice is the sequel to The Wedding Shroud. The third book in the Tales of Ancient Rome saga is Call to Juno.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781531891091

Elisabeth Storrs

Elisabeth Storrs has long held an interest in the history, myths, and legends of the ancient world. She studied classics at the University of Sydney, and she is a director of the NSW Writers’ Centre and one of the founders of the Historical Novel Society Australasia. Over the years she has worked as a solicitor, a corporate lawyer, and a governance consultant. She lives with her husband and two sons in Sydney. Visit her at www.elisabethstorrs.com.

Reviews for The Golden Dice

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Much better than vol.1 in the series, which I consider more of a historical romance. This novel has three heroines and alternates between their stories: Caecilia, wife of the Etruscan general, Vel Mastarna, and her life and family, several years on; Pinna, a Roman prostitute, who desires to raise herself from that lifestyle and wishes to follow a Roman general, Camillus; and a servant in Caecilia's household, demoted from her position as a potter and who seeks revenge on Caecilia, by way of her oldest son. In the midst of these stories Rome and the Etruscans are fighting a war; Caecilia, by marrying a Etruscan, is ostensibly the cause of war between the two city-states and although the marriage was none of Caecilia's doing--a political match, supposedly to bring peace, has led to war.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Golden Dice is the second of the Tales of Rome trilogy by Elisabeth Storrs, which details the Etruscan people and their conflicts with Rome. This detailed historical novel centers on three women instead of just the aristocratic Caecilia alone. She's far more mature now and the mother of three sons. The other two woman are Pinna and Semni. Pinna is a former tomb whore who sees an opportunity to change her future when she discovers the secrets of Marcus Aemilius. Semni, formerly an artist and now down on her luck, works as a servant in Caecilia's household. The woman are believable and sympathetic and all three are in love with a warrior. All three women struggle with their roles and the pressures of their lives.

Vel Mastarna is away for a majority of the book but we do get to know Camillus, the Roman general tasked with conquering the Etruscans, as well as Caecilia's cousin Marcus who serves under him. I like the way the author alternates between the different perspectives and we see the war from both Roman and Etruscan views.

The characters are well developed, wonderfully written and full of life. The customs, religions and lifestyle of the Etruscan seems meticulously researched and the reader is easily transported into the strange and exotic world of Etruria. There is such a wonderful attention to detail that makes this an enthralling story.

I prefer to read books in order but this can easily be a stand-alone novel since any relationships in the prior book (Wedding Shroud) are explained adequately. I'll be excited to read the third of this series as soon as it's available.

[marysgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A satisfying read, set in a little-explored time period. I always enjoy stories set in different times or places, where I learn about new societies while I'm enjoying the journey of a well-drawn character. Storrs' excellent research shows in her detailed setting and characters development.

[judith_starkston · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Golden Dice is the second novel in Storr’s series about the Etruscans and their conflicts with the Romans during the early period of Roman history. At the heart of this novel is the marriage and love between the Roman Caecilia and the Etruscan general Vel Mastarna. In the earlier novel, The Wedding Shroud, Storr showed how this unlikely union came about and moved it from fear and distain to a powerful bond of complicated passion. Although this marriage still has its strains and doubts, the conflict of the story no longer arises from the relationship between Caecilia and Vel, but rather from external forces brought on by the long war between Rome and the Etruscan city of Veii. The dangers to Vel and Caecilia come from the Roman army outside the walls and from within the highest ranks of Veii’s nobility, whose distrust of the Roman woman provides an excellent excuse for undermining her powerful husband. The reader’s view into this world is widened in this book to include multiple women as narrators: Caecilia, Pinna and Semni. Since Pinna and Semni are from the lower ranks in their respective cities, Storr is able to build a vivid picture of Etruscan and Roman life from both ends of the social spectrum instead of only through Caecilia’s privileged point of view. While Semni in Veii is of the artisan class, Pinna is a Roman whore who cleverly parlays information into an escape to a better but tenuously held position in life. Her crafty role shows us a very different woman than Caecilia’s somewhat stern and morally unambiguous one. We can walk the streets of Rome and the solders’ camps with Pinna and see the war from the “enemy” side, even while our sympathies lie with Vel and Caecilia. In this way, Storr develops our understanding of the expansionist and self-preserving motivations of both sides with good subtlety. Storr’s books contain a wealth of detail about Etruscan and Roman life. Once in a while I found obscure word choice or an overload of detail slowing my reading, but for the historically curious, Storr’s thoroughly researched books offer a rewarding read. If you want to learn about this early period of Rome’s conquests and the remarkable, luxuriant lives of the Etruscans while being engaged with a compelling story, I recommend Storr’s series.