You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Quick intro on this book. I remember finding this on the shelf in my high school library my freshmen year - 14 years ago. It was a different edition of the book where the back cover only talked about a coming of age story of two boys in Republic-era Rome. No mention of their names or grand destinies. I remember my mind being blown when Gaius' full name was used for the first time (not until page 291 in this version) and then again on the last page when Marcus' surname is revealed. Somehow I didn't even make that connection until it was thrown in my face, and at the time it changed my entire opinion of the book. It's weird seeing larger than life characters having mundane childhoods and going to school, so when you know this is the book of Julius Caesar's early years it becomes a bit of a slog. You want it to jump right to his time as a famous general, though I understand why we need to start small and watch his career grow. This just doesn't hit as hard without my personal (probably naïve) twist reveal. It is still a great set-up for the larger things to come and we get a peek into a lot of the power players in the story about to unfold - Caesar, Brutus, Cinna, Pompey, Sulla, Marius and more.
Random thoughts for myself: I don't like Cabera. He works literal magic multiple times and it's a cheap plot device each time. It allows Iggulden to have large stakes in battles disappear at his convenience and if I remember correctly he sticks around for most of the series. I hope Alexandria comes back as more than just a love interest for Brutus. She gives an interesting perspective as a slave in a story about kings and generals, but she took up a lot of page count without much payoff so far. Having studied a lot of history from this period, I'm not a huge fan of Marius' storyline here. He was a larger than life figure as portrayed, but he lived a pretty long life before dying in disgrace, not during the height of his power in a civil war that was a single battle. I can forgive that here though, as it condensed the early years of Julius' life and gets us on to the start of his military career much faster instead of lingering on his indulgent youth in Rome.
Random thoughts for myself: I don't like Cabera. He works literal magic multiple times and it's a cheap plot device each time. It allows Iggulden to have large stakes in battles disappear at his convenience and if I remember correctly he sticks around for most of the series. I hope Alexandria comes back as more than just a love interest for Brutus. She gives an interesting perspective as a slave in a story about kings and generals, but she took up a lot of page count without much payoff so far. Having studied a lot of history from this period, I'm not a huge fan of Marius' storyline here. He was a larger than life figure as portrayed, but he lived a pretty long life before dying in disgrace, not during the height of his power in a civil war that was a single battle. I can forgive that here though, as it condensed the early years of Julius' life and gets us on to the start of his military career much faster instead of lingering on his indulgent youth in Rome.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Having read the War of the Roses trilogy and really enjoyed it, I was excited to try more of Iggulden's work. Was a slightly disappointed although thought the ending was strong. Think the series will get better as Julius gets more power
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fight, fight, male posturing, fight, beautiful woman gets kissed, male posturing, fight, fight, fight, male posturing, sex with beautiful woman, male posturing, fight, fight, big fight, the end. I will be listening to the next in the series.
I really enjoyed this book, I found it really readable and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next in book 2
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced