Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome
Book Review: Well Worth Listening To
Summary: 4 Stars
Robert Harris had world wide acclaim for his novel Pompeii and once you have had such praise it is very difficult to live up to the expectation of the reading public with a follow up book. In Harris's case he has not only lived up to the expectation, but in my opinion exceeded it by some distance.
Pompeii was a wonderful book and I enjoyed it tremendously and it is impossible to compare it with Imperium as like for like book, because they are not. Yes they are both about Romans and the Roman Empire but that is where the similarity ends.
Imperium is about the life and times of Cicero as told by Tiro, his secretary. It is the story of how one man - ambitious, clever, compassionate, devious, and vulnerable fights his way to be Consul of Rome
Cicero, one of the most famous Romans of all time. A man who had great political ambitions, but one who hated war and was in the main a pacifist. He served only briefly in the military as a young man and this at a time when men of Cicero's background used the military as a stepping stone to improve their political ambitions and gain high office.
Instead Cicero chose a career in law and proved to be an excellent orator and a shrewd politician. He was elected to each of the Roman offices (quaestor, aedile, praetor, and consul) on his first try and at the earliest age at which he was legally allowed to run for them. Having held office made him a member of the Roman Senate. During his term as consul (the highest Roman office) in 63 BC he was responsible for unravelling and exposing the conspiracy of Catiline.