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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
This was a fantastic read! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Admittedly I did find the first few chapters a little slow (I love fast paced action!), but once things got going, it was hard to put down.
I loved the friendship between Gaius and Marcus, although I think I preferred Marcus.
I also loved the relationship that formed between the two of them and Renius, although I really disliked Renius to begin with. He was so brutal!
I thought the book was really well written, even if the author changed some things, and didn't base it fully on historical facts, for example some of the timings. I was happy to accept it for the work of fiction it is supposed to be.
Admittedly I did find the first few chapters a little slow (I love fast paced action!), but once things got going, it was hard to put down.
I loved the friendship between Gaius and Marcus, although I think I preferred Marcus.
I also loved the relationship that formed between the two of them and Renius, although I really disliked Renius to begin with. He was so brutal!
I thought the book was really well written, even if the author changed some things, and didn't base it fully on historical facts, for example some of the timings. I was happy to accept it for the work of fiction it is supposed to be.
Reading for my trip to Rome. Lots of battles, of course:)
Would have liked this better if he filed the names off and sold it as a fantasy. As history, it leaves a lot to be desired, from large changes like the events of the Sulla/Marius war to minor and utterly pointless changes like switching how Julius Caesar was related to Marius for no reason whatsoever.
Entertaining enough historical fiction if you approach it as "inspired by the life of Julius Caesar" rather than meticulously researched work in the Sharon Penman tradition. It plays fast and loose with the historical record but the action scenes zip along and the characters are vivid if not always three-dimensional.
If you're interested in the period, Robert Graves and Allan Massie are more rewarding writers, and the HBO series "Rome" is a more successful mix of fact and fiction.
If you're interested in the period, Robert Graves and Allan Massie are more rewarding writers, and the HBO series "Rome" is a more successful mix of fact and fiction.
Good but not great. There are some gross simplifications made to the rich characters of people like Marius,Sulla and even Caesar. And the thought that Brutus and Caesar grew up together is just plain silly.
But it gives a good 'feel' of ancient Rome and is a page turner.
But it gives a good 'feel' of ancient Rome and is a page turner.
I loved this book!
I adore learning about history but I tend to struggle with dry textbook style books. This is why I gravitate toward historical fiction and documentary formats. These mediums allow me to immerse myself into the time and appreciate the rich detail I would otherwise miss out on.
I am the first to admit that Gates of Rome may not be entirely historically accurate. I'm sure this would be a bugbear for any history buffs, but I was not concerned at all. Nothing to get in the way of a good story! The author actually inserted a footnote at the end of the text to address any such inconsistencies and I was very interested to hear of the artistic decisions that were made.
The writing in this book flowed beautifully for me. There was an excellent, swiftly moving plot with interesting characters who were fleshed out and felt multi-dimensional. The romantic interludes were dealt with very well with limited stereotyping and without excessive focus.
By the end I felt like I was on the streets of Ancient Rome able to see the landscape and smell the city. I will definitely continue with this series.
I adore learning about history but I tend to struggle with dry textbook style books. This is why I gravitate toward historical fiction and documentary formats. These mediums allow me to immerse myself into the time and appreciate the rich detail I would otherwise miss out on.
I am the first to admit that Gates of Rome may not be entirely historically accurate. I'm sure this would be a bugbear for any history buffs, but I was not concerned at all. Nothing to get in the way of a good story! The author actually inserted a footnote at the end of the text to address any such inconsistencies and I was very interested to hear of the artistic decisions that were made.
The writing in this book flowed beautifully for me. There was an excellent, swiftly moving plot with interesting characters who were fleshed out and felt multi-dimensional. The romantic interludes were dealt with very well with limited stereotyping and without excessive focus.
By the end I felt like I was on the streets of Ancient Rome able to see the landscape and smell the city. I will definitely continue with this series.
I don't have much to say about this book. This won't be much of a review as it will be a rant. I love historical fiction, but I don't like when people mess up with the 'historical' part and transform it mostly in fiction. I didn't care about the characters at all and I found the book extremely boring to read. I'll wait for the next ones, see if it gets better.
Good. Love the friendship established between Gaius and Marcus, makes it that much more angsty as we all know how that ends. The supporting characters were great too. I especially liked Renius and Cabera (pleasantly surprised at the inclusion of the healer). I don't mind the historical innacuracies because I felt it was exciting anyway (and if you want to actually learn history there's many other places to do that). Not my favorite of his books, but this is an early one and I know he gets better. Looking forward to reading the others!