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Quote: Book 1: Emperor: The Gates of Rome

Product Details

* Pub. Date: January 2003

* Publisher: Dell Publishing

* Series: Emperor Series, 1

* ISBN-13: 9780440334217

* ISBN: 0440334217

Synopsis

If the Roman Empire had taken as long to rise and fall as this novel takes to discover a main character and a plot, most of the world would still be wearing togas today. The story, such as it is, revolves around two boys: Gaius, the broody son of a wealthy senator, and Marcus, a prostitute's mischievous child who is reared as Gaius's brother and trained with him in the arts of war. Before the two boys reach majority, they are thrust into adulthood by the untimely death of Gaius's father and take up residence in Rome with Gaius's uncle Marius, a powerful consul who is vying with Sulla for control of the Republic. When Marcus is 14, he joins the Fourth Macedonian Legion to earn his fortune; Gaius remains by his uncle's side. Iggulden lingers long over boyhood pranks, trying the reader's patience; the pace picks up only halfway through the novel. Frequent fight scenes, ranging from individual combat to full scale battles, liven the mix somewhat, but the cartoon-like ability of the characters to bounce back after a few stitches weakens the effect. Though Iggulden has a solid grounding in Roman military history, anachronisms in speech and attitude ("Cabera took him outside and gave him a hiding") roll underfoot and trip up authenticity. A major twist toward the end reveals the protagonists to be two of Roman history's best-known figures, but readers with some knowledge of the period will have guessed their identities already. This is ultimately little more than a protracted introduction to a bigger story, which Iggulden will surely go on to tell.

Book 2: Emperor: The Death of Kings

Product Details

* Pub. Date: March 2004

* Publisher: Dell Publishing

* Series: Emperor Series, 2

* ISBN-13: 9780440334804

* ISBN: 0440334802

Synopsis

After what was in effect a preamble-Emperor: The Gates of Rome (2003)-Julius Caesar takes left stage in this second fast-moving, action-oriented installment in Iggulden's projected four-book retelling of the Roman emperor's saga. Julius, a rising young officer assigned to the Roman-controlled northern coast of Africa, distinguishes himself in a bloody raid on the fortress of Mytilene only to have his transport ship captured by pirates. He and the crew are thrown into the hold to rot while awaiting a ransom that will likely ruin his young family back in Rome. After the ransom arrives, Julius gathers his loyal men and marches along the coast, impressing the locals (pirate collaborators all) into military service. He makes good on his bloody promise to wipe out the pirates, then takes his forces to Greece, where, at long odds, he defeats old king Mithridates, who is leading an insurrection that threatens Roman rule in all of Greece. Julius returns to Rome victorious and rich-only to find that the corruption and thuglike violence at the heart of the Republic has come near to destroying those he holds dear, including his wife and small daughter. Those looking for depth of character may be disappointed that Julius Caesar is pictured as little more than a man gripped by driving ambition. Iggulden does a better job in weaving an intricate and compelling tapestry of Roman underling and slave life, with several well-developed minor characters whose craftiness, loyalty and heroics far overshadow those of their social betters.

Book 3: Emperor: The Field of Swords

Product Details

* Pub. Date: March 2005

* Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

* Series: Emperor Series, 3

* ISBN-13: 9780440335276

* ISBN: 0440335272

Synopsis

The third (after Emperor: The Gates of Rome and Emperor: The Death of Kings) of four projected volumes in the much-praised fiction series based on the life and times of Julius Caesar, this sweeping epic resumes the narrative in Spain where young Julius is fantasizing about the conquests of Alexander the Great. After four prosperous years with the Tenth Legion in Spain, Julius has discovered gold and decides to return to Rome with his loyal general, Brutus. There, rich with Spanish loot, Julius enters into an alliance with Pompey, a popular and autocratic military leader, and his older, wealthy co-consul, Crassus. Sponsored by this pair of influential and unscrupulous politicians, Julius is elected consul and assumes charge of an expedition to Gaul with full powers to take spoils and rule his conquests in the name of Rome. His eventual victory over Vercingetorix is only postponed by a daring side campaign in Britain. The novel ends as Julius receives word that Pompey plans to have him slain, and Julius, Brutus and Mark Antony prepare to march on Rome, leaving avid readers athirst to read the final volume.

Book 4: Emperor: The Gods of War

Product Details

* Pub. Date: March 2006

* Publisher: Dell Publishing

* Series: Emperor Series, 4

* ISBN-13: 9780440335924

* ISBN: 0440335922

Synopsis

This is the fourth and possibly last installment in Iggulden's epic series (see also Emperor: The Field of Swords) chronicling the intertwined lives of Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus (the author leaves open the possibility of future books involving ancient Rome). Caesar has taken control of Rome, his rivals have been defeated or killed, and he has the Egyptian queen Cleopatra as his mistress. But now new enemies are gathering, especially the estranged Brutus, one of several men who fears that Caesar will declare himself king. This volume features some gripping moments but suffers from poorly defined motivation (e.g., Brutus appears petty) and strained dialog (e.g., "Did Caesar's friends really call him `Julius' when his first name was `Gaius'?"). Also, because it tries to say so much, it lacks the richness of Colleen McCullough's novels on Caesar and, although a different medium, the grit of HBO's addictive series Rome. Still, Gods of War is an entertaining and fairly compelling historical novel, an impressive feat considering everyone already knows the ending. For larger collections.

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