Lustrum: A Novel

The late era of the Roman Republic has a unique appeal to many Western readers because of its many similarities to the present day. "Conspirata" by Robert Harris is a superlatively good novel about the political career of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the great Roman Senator and advocate. This novel is the second installment in Harris' planned trilogy, following "Imperium." It is told from the first person perspective of Cicero's slave and indispensable assistant "Tiro" who indeed did write a biography of Cicero which has, unfortunately, been lost to history. "Conspirata" takes the reader through the time during which Cicero was Consul of Rome, which office was the closest thing (excepting the occasional office of "dictator") that the Roman Republic had to a chief executive. The novel shows that Roman politics were, if anything, even more convoluted than our own, with conspiracies and cross-conspiracies constantly threatening the status quo. This novel provides possibly the best novelization that I have come across of the Cataline Conspiracy. Historians as well as novelists have differed as to the nature of this episode of Roman history. Here, Harris makes a case that it was real, and that none other than Julius Caesar was involved in it. Harris' Caesar is portrayed very different than the moral, physical, and mental superman that Colleen McCollough makes him out to be in her "Masters of Rome" series. Here, Caesar is shown as a formidable, frightfully ambitious and ruthless man bent on achieving one-man rule of the Roman Republic. In fact, Harris seems to show that Caesar always intended to essentially remake the Roman Republic, the institutions of which he viewed as archaic and unsuited to the governance of an empire as opposed to a city-state. Of course, if that was Caesar's view, history has shown him to be correct. Certainly Harris' portrayal of Caesar is far more consistent with Caesar's later seizure of power after crossing the Rubicon. In fact, it seemed to me that Harris has a deeper and more nuanced understanding of such timeless Roman figures as Cato, Cicero, Crassus, and Pompey than did McCulloch in her series of novels. This is a very well-written novel that will appeal to almost all readers who have an interest in Roman history. It may be too detailed for someone with little knowledge of the Roman Republic looking for a quick read, but for enthusiasts, this is a must-read. Highly recommended. RJB

I couldn't wait to read the book, Lustrum, but I couldn't obtain it through U.S. vendors. Apparently, this second book in the Cicero triligy is being sold now as Conspirata for us in the USA. That was annoying. Other than that...LOVING IT!!! Hail Tiro!

Power politics is an ugly business, whether it's played in the halls of the Senate in 21st century Washington, or the Senate of Republican Rome in the first century BC. Harris could have chosen to set his thriller in the former; happily for readers he has opted instead to tell a story of high-stakes political games-playing featuring the celebrated orator Cicero and the ruthlessly ambitious military leader, Julius Caesar. When the novel opens, Cicero is on top of the world -- literally and rhetorically. He's on the roof of his house, studying the skies for omens as he begins his year as Consul, the ultimate authority in Rome. Even his carping wife seems happy. Then there's a murder on the day of his accession to power -- and while the mystery never really occupies center stage in this drama, it's an ominous sign of the plots that are being brewed by Cicero's political foes behind the scene, including some of Rome's most noble families. As in the first volume of this projected trilogy, Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome, the tale of Cicero's year as consul and the conspiracy he must combat and resolve, even if it means going against his own principles, is told through the eyes of his slave and scribe, Tiro. Above all, however, this is the story of Cicero's realization that the most dangerous threat to the Roman Republic he cherishes may remain and be embodied in one of its increasingly popular military leaders: Caesar. Seeing Caesar through Tiro's eyes gave me an entirely fresh sense of how he might have been perceived not only by his aristocratic peers or a 'new man' like Cicero but by the broader population of Rome on whose support he would craft the beginnings of what would become an empire. It's an absolutely chilling portrait of someone who to the outward world appears intelligent, committed and effective, and yet who is utterly cold and manipulative. I enjoyed the first volume of this saga so much that I didn't want to wait for the second to be published in the U.S., but ordered it from the U.K. when it appeared last year. I wasn't disappointed, and was even happy to fork over the extra $10 shipping fee to get it as soon as I could after a yearlong publishing delay. Now I'm condemned to wait another year or two for the third and final volume to appear, it feels like torture. This is a book that anyone who has read Colleen McCullough's immense seven-volume series starting with The First Man in Rome will relish. Even better, it's a fast-paced version of some of the events covered in those books that will appeal to anyone who shied away from McCullough's books as being either too ponderous, excessively detailed or simply way too long. This is the story of the decline and fall of the Roman republic, the collapse of a political ideal, through the eyes of Cicero, who still cherishes that ideal and that system. The timing of his rise to the top at a time when being ruler of Rome means he must grapple with the harsh truth that his idea of Rome an

Like its predecessor "Imperium", Conspirata is a very gripping book. If this book could be summed up in one line it would be "Cicero Plays Political Chess with Caesar". This book begins just prior to the Cataline conspiracies and ends on the day Cicero is exiled by his 'one time friend' Clodius. The 5 year period the book covers focuses on Cicero's Consulship, the Cataline conspiracies (there were to some degree two conspiracies) and the First Triumvirate. While Cicero isn't completely unscrupulous he does manage to uphold some moral standard to protect the Republic (he wasn't called the 'righteous pagan' by the Catholic Church for nothing). Two things I warn the reader about: 1. If you are a Caesarphile and believe that Julius Caesar was a nice guy killed by an evil Senate then you may not like this book. Shakespeare impressed upon me that Caesar was rather innocent and did not deserve his fate. This book shows Caesar in another light and makes one literally yell out loud for Cicero to execute Caesar while he had the chance. 2. The book starts a little slow at the beginning of his consulship. Don't worry it doesn't take long to pick up speed. While you don't need to read the first Robert Harris book about Cicero 'Imperium' I recommend that you do. Imperium is a quick read and it really sets the stage for Conspirata; explaining more about Cicero the 'human' than the 'oratory machine'. If you like historical fiction you cannot go wrong with this book. I am looking forward to the next book Harris writes about Cicero.