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A review by troystory
Claudius the God by Robert Graves
3.0
I will say, that while I did enjoy this book overall, it suffered from the same problem as the prequel: namely, it felt like a history textbook, and it would go on long tangents that felt unnecessary to the larger plot. However, that being said, it was a good read. I loved the new cast of characters and the way their true intentions were slowly revealed to the reader -- Messalina especially was so charismatic and interesting to follow, like Caligula in the first book. Do I have a fondness for extravagant bad guys? Yes, obviously.
Much like I, Claudius, this book brought up the important issue of truth in the history that's been passed down to us. We don't really have a way of knowing how true the accounts of emperors that we have are, considering they were written with biases and only select versions have survived over the centuries, and this book does a good job of bringing that to light without making it the focus. It is still historical fiction, after all, and I'm sure it takes many liberties.
My least favourite things:
- the feel of the book. The point of it being an autobiography sometimes got lost.
- the long descriptions. It gets very tedious to read descriptions of battles or ships that last entire chapters.
- same goes for the really long decrees and letters that take up a good portion of the book.
My favourite things:
- the characters. Messalina, Herod, among others, were such a joy.
- Claudius himself! I really adore the way the book portrays how he's perceived as an idiot, but attempts to show you his intentions-gone-wrong and how he thinks things through.
This was a very good sequel, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Highly recommended!
Much like I, Claudius, this book brought up the important issue of truth in the history that's been passed down to us. We don't really have a way of knowing how true the accounts of emperors that we have are, considering they were written with biases and only select versions have survived over the centuries, and this book does a good job of bringing that to light without making it the focus. It is still historical fiction, after all, and I'm sure it takes many liberties.
My least favourite things:
- the feel of the book. The point of it being an autobiography sometimes got lost.
- the long descriptions. It gets very tedious to read descriptions of battles or ships that last entire chapters.
- same goes for the really long decrees and letters that take up a good portion of the book.
My favourite things:
- the characters. Messalina, Herod, among others, were such a joy.
- Claudius himself! I really adore the way the book portrays how he's perceived as an idiot, but attempts to show you his intentions-gone-wrong and how he thinks things through.
This was a very good sequel, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. Highly recommended!