A review by murray_m
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough

5.0

First of an amazing series McCullough has written about Rome in the time of Julius Caesar. Yet here we start with a Roman not nearly so well known, a 'new man' in the sense he was not from one of the leading Roman families. But he was a genius as a military commander as well as a highly adept politician. Gaius Marius is not a household name but he made a huge impact on the Republic. McCullough approaches her (long) story with amazing passion. She has extensive end notes to help those who need to know more about how togas were made and draped (basically we don't know) and other fascinating details. She also illustrates her stories with original maps and also likenesses of key characters. She creates the times vividly and the story is seen through the participation of a wide range of characters.
McCullough is often judged by the dreadful TV adaptation of The Thorn Birds (over which she had little control) but these books show her to be that wonderful blend of scholar and story teller.