REVIEWS & PLAUDITS
What reviewers are saying about
DEATH COMES BY AMPHORA
“Roger Hudson has written a truly original and amazing book. The research involved must have been massive. Not only does he plot an excellent mystery with intriguing characters; he re-creates the fascinating world of Ancient Athens for the reader's entertainment. His whodunit is sophisticated, and his treatment of the coming of age of Lysanias, complete with his sexual education, is inspired. This is a great book and a wonderful read that can't help but teach as well as entertain.”
Shelley Glodowski, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review (USA)
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“With a combination of scholarly research and highly creative imagination British author Roger Hudson has fashioned a believable and highly readable story in Death Comes By Amphora, a murder mystery that could as easily have happened in Greece’s Golden Age of Athens as in modern America….
… Sometimes told from the point of view of different characters, but always consistently true to the plot, atmosphere and setting, Death Comes By Amphora is a first-rate history/mystery, complete with credible maps of the Athens and the Agora (city market place) of 461 BC, a list of characters with the names in italics of those who were known real people, and the author’s two-page historical note about the history used in the book.”
M. Wayne Cunningham in Mysterious Reviews
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“Death Comes by Amphora is clearly a labor of love. Mr. Hudson’s love for the subject matter at hand and his scholarly exploits into the lives and times of Greek nobles, workers, and slaves are impeccable. The ease with which he weaves a gripping tale against the backdrop of bona fide Athenian politics is nothing short of amazing and considering that many works of this nature either sink or swim this one is a definite winner. The characters are astonishing in their depth and the internal struggles that both Lysanias and his personal slave undergo add greatly to the gist of the story that not only focuses on the socioeconomic situation of Athenians but also on the internal struggles that threatened to tear apart the fabric of their society.”
Sylvia Cochran in Roundtable Reviews
“…an excellent book, with a very high standard of writing and a content which is both entertaining and instructive. The reader has to work at it to get the maximum value, as the machinations of Athenian politicians were easily as tortuous as our modern day, but this is a novel well worth reading.”
Bernard Knight (author of the Crowner John series) in Tangled Web
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“Death Comes by Amphora is not only a pleasurable, atmospheric and illuminating read but it captivates a period of Athenian history amidst a historical political thriller and a tale of revenge. Be prepared for inrtrigue, political infighting and a fascinating look at Athenian life.
It will be interesting to see what Fraud Under the Akropolis is like. I certainly hope that it is as good as Death Comes by Amphora. Roger Hudson is certainly an author to keep your eye on.”
Ayo Onatade, Shots
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“First novel by Roger Hudson, this is a good start. It allows we, the reader, to learn - a little - about the politics of Greece in 461 BC, so different from the dusty pages of idealised stories of heroes, Gods and legends. Don’t get me wrong - it isn’t only about political intrigue (however interesting it is made) but is also a corking good detective story. The motives abound and the suspects practically form a disorderly queue. There is also plenty of humour, understated but present, and the whole is highly enjoyable to read! I look forward to more episodes.
Verdict: A great and highly entertaining investigation, following a winding trail through intrigue, lies, high finance, religion and politics.”
Alan J. Bishop, Criminal History
“It is immediately apparent that Roger Hudson knows his classical Athens and that a vast amount of research underpins Death Comes By Amphora. That’s not to say the narrative is weighed down by unnecessary detail, but that every description, situation, noise, and smell feels absolutely authentic.
With engaging characters and a sufficiently interesting plot to keep the reader turning the pages, this is a worthy entrant into the historical mystery genre.”
Sara Wilson, Historical Novel Society Review Online
“Once all the political factioneering is done with, the story becomes pretty gripping. The actual mechanics of investigating a murder when religious doctrine is keen on purifying the site of any death make a nice change from detailed forensic work.
Overall, a pretty good read with likeable characters but a rather slow start. I'll be interested to see what Lysanias, Sindron and Philia do next.”
Rik Shepherd, Eurocrime
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“Hudson’s settings are vivid, his main characters compelling and likable and his conspiracies well-tangled. Solid historical research, character lists, and maps should please history buffs. The first in a promising new series. Recommended.”
Kris Swank, Sybil & Sleuth
Interviews with Roger Hudson have appeared in
Crime Time: Ancient Mayhem: Roger Hudson talks about Death Comes by Amphora
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And Poets About the Poems
GREYBELL WOOD & BEYOND
Roger’s poems capture treasured moments, and, when he reads them aloud, he gracefully unfolds them for us – this is a blessing.
Stephen James Smith, performance poet
Reading Roger Hudson’s ‘Greybell Wood And Beyond’ feels like sitting in a cosy pub on a Sunday afternoon listening to an old friend reminiscing. Each is memory recalled through a cascade of images, the narrative punctuated by fascinating asides and digressions. There is humour and honesty here and the voice, though rueful or sad at times, never judges the younger self but instead filters the experience through the wisdom of hindsight and a life fully lived.
Anne Tannam, poet
PLAYTHING OF THE GREAT GOD KAFKA
'I’ve enjoyed reading these poems for their range and their depth of experience and also for their ambition. The title poem of the book is a concrete poem and it’s worthy of E E Cummings… it’s a book that’s varied, rich in its depictions, and, I suppose, it’s right in demanding our ear, our sympathy and sometimes compassion. And it’s also a book you return to relish and enjoy.'
Joseph Woods, then Director of Poetry Ireland, launching Plaything of the Great God Kafka at Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, May 2013
'Memory and passage of time are dealt with in poems such as ‘Pleasures of Puberty’, again looking back on those awkward adolescent years of first erections and opening of the sensual world through heat, water, touch, the flowering of manhood. Or ‘San Francisco Dreaming’, a poem made up of dream and longing, searching for beat poets, magic, opportunities.'
Karl Parkinson, performance poet, at Dublin launch of Plaything of the Great God Kafka at Monday Echo, International Bar, May 2013.
"Born and raised in England, Hudson has lived and raised his own family in Ireland. He currently lives in Drogheda where he is a novelist, film maker and photomontagist. He came to poetry relatively late in life although this is his third collection and, like the others, is characterized by thoughts and reflections on his life. The title comes from the idea of circumstances suddenly changing for no apparent reason, leaving you confused as to why a friend has become an enemy or someone suddenly says something that is wrong and hurtful. This captures the essence of the collection which delves into the intriguing, dramatic and significant incidents in Hudson’s personal life and the times he has lived through."
Books Ireland
And Artists about the Art
“Hudson’s photomontages are full of an enquiring energy that dislodges the everyday into something critical and questioning about how we see the world.” “The book really looks terrific, printing, layout, images, text all work together so well - his explanation of the work is very true to the spirit of the images, which is unusual for an artist.
Peter Kennard, leading British photomontage artist
“Roger’s work occupies, I think, a very interesting territory, and encapsulates interesting tensions between being images of things and of pure colour and pattern and form, and does this very convincingly in a way I admire. Interestingly, there are relations too - one might think about pattern in them.”
Sean Hillen, artist and photographer, Ireland’s most well- known exponent of photomontage
“I say, Roger, surely to take the flotsam and jetsam and garbage and detritus and help us see something true and eternal is really something! Art has its own duty – a dereliction is to not say it, it has a duty to speak to power, to truth – an artist speaks up.”
“Roger has made a gorgeous human statement in his life’s work as shown in this presentation tonight.”
David Newton, artist
