Given by some sources as Fabullus; Smith (in his Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology) argues that Amulius is the more likely. Searching for the right words to describe this book, Rushdie's 13th, and my very first foray into his oeuvre, the best thing I can come up with is hot mess. Overblown, bombastic in parts, melodramatic most of the way through, mind-numbingly boring in others, pinged with moments of social satire and brilliance. And then, out of the blue, I see a chance. Netgalley. I jumped on it and was pleasantly surprised to get it. And then I read my very first Rushdie.

A. Carandini, The houses of power in ancient Rome, Rome-Bari, Laterza, 2010, ISBN 978-88-420-9422-7 p250Sometimes, watching him, I thought of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, a simulacrum of the human that entirely failed to express any true humanity.” Frescoes covered every surface that was not more richly finished. The main artist was Famulus (or Fabulus according to some sources). [21] [13] Fresco technique, working on damp plaster, demands a speedy and sure touch: Famulus and assistants from his studio covered a spectacular amount of wall area with frescoes. Pliny, in his Natural History, recounts how Famulus went for only a few hours each day to the Golden House, to work while the light was best. The swiftness of Famulus's execution gives a wonderful unity and astonishing delicacy to his compositions. But I’m not an artist”, I said, “not sexually conflicted, not autistic, not a Russian gold digger, not a powerful old man in decline.” Scaiola, Serena. "Domus Aurea - A Stunning Tour of Emperor Nero's Underground Golden House in Rome - La Gazzetta Italiana". www.lagazzettaitaliana.com . Retrieved 2019-05-14. A recognizably Rushdie novel in its playfulness, its verbal jousting, its audacious bravado, its unapologetic erudition, and its sheer, dazzling brilliance.” — The Boston Globe

The Goldens all told stories about themselves, stories in which essential information about origins was either omitted or falsified. I listened to them not as 'true' but as indications of character. Ball, Larry F. (2003). The Domus Aurea and the Roman architectural revolution. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82251-3. Wildly satiric and yet piercingly real . . . If F. Scott Fitzgerald, Homer, Euripides, and Shakespeare collaborated on a contemporary fall-of-an-empire epic set in New York City, the result would be The Golden House.” —Poets & Writers a b c Rome, Wanted in (2017-07-03). "Domus Aurea: A mad emperor's dream in 3D". Wanted in Rome . Retrieved 2019-05-14. Rushdie’s story is a morality tale which unfolds with great verve and erudition, missing no opportunity to pillory Donald Trump with its withering contempt. Richard Hopton, Country & Town HouseOur guide to the Goldens’ world is their neighbor René, an ambitious young filmmaker. Researching a movie about the Goldens, he ingratiates himself into their household. Seduced by their mystique, he is inevitably implicated in their quarrels, their infidelities, and, indeed, their crimes. Meanwhile, like a bad joke, a certain comic-book villain embarks upon a crass presidential run that turns New York upside-down. A tonic addition to American—no, world!—literature . . . a Greek tragedy with Indian roots and New York coordinates.” — San Francisco Chronicle After reading a book so full of references to Greek mythology, Aesop’s fable of the scorpion and the frog comes to mind. A scorpion persuades the frog to carry it across the water. The frog asks: “But how do I know you won’t sting me?” “Because then we will both die,” says the scorpion – but stings him anyway. “Why?” gasps the frog, as they both sink beneath the water. “It’s my nature,” replies the scorpion. a b c d "Golden House of an Emperor - Archaeology Magazine". www.archaeology.org . Retrieved 2019-05-14. Discovery of the pavilion led to the arrival of moisture starting the slow, inevitable process of decay; humidity sometimes reaches 90% inside the Domus. [20] Heavy rain was blamed for the collapse of a chunk of ceiling. [24] The presence of trees in the park above was causing further damage. [25] [13]