Emperor: The Gates of Rome

This series made me fall in love with Caesar and Rome! Get the whole series, and when you have finished it, get Mr. Iggulden's series on Genghis Khan. You will not be disappointed. Mr. Iggulden brings these men to life. His books are some of the most treasured in my little library.

I do not understand the negative reviews for this tremendous book. This is exciting, compelling, evocative writing that brings an era and personality to brilliant life. Mr. Iggulden makes no bones to the fact that he uses a great deal of poetic license on history for plot purposes, and includes a detailed addendum in each book on where he deviates from history. So big deal: this is historical FICTION, and great fiction at that. I found the characters to be real, the action exciting, and the historical sweep ambitious and successful. The writing style is very approachable, and reminded me of other minimalist British authors like Lee Childs who have taken the simple-but-effective Raymond Carver type style and made it uniquely their own. So, if you are someone who sits and frets and scribbles in the margins at historical inaccuracies in historical fiction, then this book may not be for you. If you are someone who likes fun, interesting tough-as-nails page turners that happen to be set in Roman times, then by all means buy this book.

First off yes, those who state that this book isn't historically correct are correct. The author has taken significant liberties to say the least. However this is historical fiction, not a history book, so I'm going to review the book as such. The book gets 5 stars from me because it's one of the most enjoyable reads I've had all year. I quite literally couldn't put it down. I've already ordered the next 3 in the series. The author does an excellent job of creating a great story. I particularly like authors who can weave a great, exciting story without being ridiculously over descriptive. (I don't need the author to describe every blade of grass to me) If you can forgive the historical inaccuracy and like fast paced writing then this is more then a worthy read. I also find it interesting that his books on Genghis Khan get such great reviews in comparison (my guess is that the reason for that lies in the fact that more people are ignorant of the same historical liberties he likely took writing those novels and are judging him solely on his writing.

Emperor: The Death of Kings by Conn Iggulden is a book in the Emperor series. This book is about Julius Caesar's life from one of his first military campaigns until his posting in Spain as a governor, a few years later. The book begins with the words "The Fort of Mytilene loomed above them on the hill" pulling me right into the story. Though only a leader of a small unit, Julius Caesar and his group joined by about 20 other men attack this fort being held by rebels. Disaster follows soon after the successful battle because pirates capture the ship Caesar is sailing on as they are leaving the port. For a long time, Caesar and the rest of the officers are trapped in the hold, but they soon escape. After that, Caesar assembles an army and goes after the pirate captain. He finds the pirate captain and has a pitched sea battle. Caesar wins and gets all his money back from when he had to pay his ransom. This is the first of three major battles described in the book. After the second battle, Caesar hears that his old nemesis Sulla has died in Rome. This is important because Caesar is now free to go back to Rome, having sworn not to return to Rome while Sulla was alive. The reason for the hatred between the two men must have been explained in the first book of the series. While in Rome Caesar is in Rome he must struggle with all the events that have happened while he was away. For example, his father's house was being occupied by one of Sulla's friends Antonidus also known as Sulla's "dog". Caesar kicks Antonidus out of the house resulting in a trial, which Caesar wins. After this trial, Caesar goes to battle having been recently promoted. The battle was incredibly successful because the Roman soldiers were better trained than the slaves who they were fighting. Immediately after the battle, Caesar is posted to Spain as a Governor where the book ends. There are many characters: some military people, some family and some friends. Some characters are famous in history such as Caesar's friend Brutus and his successor Octavian. The parts of the book in Rome have to do with the political aspects, which are extremely complicated because everyone is vying for power. A friend can become an enemy in a second. The book was complicated, attention grabbing and if you are afraid of long words, do not read it. The story seemed jerky at first, but then I realized that it really flowed smoothly. I particularly enjoyed reading about the trial because it was extremely suspenseful. Because of the author's style of writing, the book is energetic and interesting. Iggulden's characters are well described and are consistent in their actions throughout the story. Sometimes the author does not give enough detail about certain events and must be assumed from the first book; however, the action is fun to read and I liked it.

I would recommend this novel to any person who enjoys reading historical fictions on ancient Rome. I have not been able to put this book down since I started reading it. Conn Iggulden is an awesome writer. I dont want to ruin the story for anyone interested in reading it, so I will just leave it at it being a story about two young men who changed the way Rome would have its politics in the future at a very changing time for Rome. The author is able to incorporate other major events and tie them in with the characters. One example is King Mithridates revolt over in Greece as well as Sulla, the first dictator in Rome.

I can't believe I've found another writer like Wilbur. Fast and furious plot - at sea, fighting savages, in the senate, gladiators, boys growing into men - great stuff! I loved the bit about the raven and holding the earth in his hands with Tubruk. Highly recommended. If you liked Wilbur's Courtney stories (Is there anyone who doesn't?) you'll like this.