Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It just fell flat for me. I haven't decided if I will finish the series or not. His Conqueror series was excellent, so I may go ahead and finish this one.
Really enjoyed this - Conn’s style fits this type of topic really well, and the audiobook narrator was a perfect fit for the story as well. Overall, there are places the book could have included more historical details, but it does a great job of telling a good story within relevant historical context, and I definitely learned about the world of the time. Books like this succeed when they make you start to think and wonder what living at that time in history yourself would have been like - would you have acted like the characters, in their context? On that front, this book succeeded, and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes next.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Iggulden's story of the early life and career of Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus is definitely not a story of the glories of Rome. True it does include details of the hedonism of this ancient civilization but this is balanced throughout by the stark realities of life including the cruelties, the excesses, the cheapness of life (perhaps especially among the nobilitas), the harsh lives of the Roman military and the dark dog-eat-dog machinations of Roman politics.
The author doesn't entirely stick to historical accuracy (and comments upon this in his historical notes) but stays close enough for authenticity. His descriptions of the far from glorious realities of daily life are very well written (there is one description of an amputation that actually made me wince and feel a little queasy and that is a first for me)
very much looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.
The author doesn't entirely stick to historical accuracy (and comments upon this in his historical notes) but stays close enough for authenticity. His descriptions of the far from glorious realities of daily life are very well written (there is one description of an amputation that actually made me wince and feel a little queasy and that is a first for me)
very much looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love how Ingaulden keeps Giaus’s and Marcus’s full names of Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus from the audience. it allows the audience to get much more attached to the boys as characters, helping to humanize their deeds.
I am looking forward to the other books in this series!
I am looking forward to the other books in this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War
More fun Iggulden. I enjoyed the mongols a bit more though, mainly because there seemed to be more of a driving historical narrative, whereas this booked seemed to be much more about micro fictional drama. Still very readable though :-)
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes