Imperium: From the Sunday Times bestselling author (Cicero Trilogy, 4)

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Figures such as Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar, familiar to many who would read fiction about this period, loom large in this story.

Prueba de ello es que voy a continuar con la saga, aunque desafortunadamente ya sepa que esto va a acabar como el rosario de la aurora. There certainly is a load of Latin sites, characters and terms, but one does not feel that Antiquity circulates through Harris’s veins. The senator is Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and spellbinding orator, determined to attain imperium - supreme power in the state. Cicero leaves Rome to campaign amongst the people of Nearer Gaul for their vote in the consular election.

Told in hindsight by his former slave and secretary, Tiro, Imperium is about Cicero’s rise to political power: first aedile, then praetor, and finally consul of Rome. Imperium” is a Latin word (not that I remember it from my high school Latin) which can be roughly translated as “power to command,” that refers to the power of the state over the individual, but also implies the power gained from wealth and ownership of “stuff,” i. He learns from his close friend, Atticus, that Crassus is attempting to hijack the election through bribery.

The book is certainly not a mechanism for one to obtain a detailed, historical account of life in ancient Rome, but since I didn't expect it to be I was not disappointed. It's a long while since I read Graves and my memory of I, Claudius has certainly been coloured by the old BBC TV series with Brain Blessed, Derek Jacobi, et al well, we're all Romans now. Imperium tells the story of Marcus Tullius Cicero, advocate, politician and orator; his rise to power as well as the slow decline of the Roman Republic.

So I did enjoy this in parts as I love this period, but objectively speaking this just isn't that good a book. However, the two men intensely dislike each other and Cicero refuses to support Crassus's request for a triumph. Luego, en un giro de 180º , cambia todos sus principios democráticos para con el pueblo y siembra las semillas del imperio que vendrá apoyando la candidatura Pompeyo como comandante único del ejercito. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.

Y, al final, la ambición y el esfuerzo del protagonista, enfrentado a sus enemigos, en un camino plagado de conspiraciones por el poder, resulta ser casi tan interesante como si se nos presentara una gran batalla al frente de las legiones romanas. Pero conseguir un resultado similar, atractivo para todos los públicos, que se lea con agilidad e interés, a partir de la vida de un orador, de un político romano… no parece en absoluto tan sencillo. This is the tale of Cicero’s political machinations, as he juggles various parties, in a valiant but impossible task of keeping them all happy. Una figura fascinante, sin duda, pero ante todo política, es decir, un maquiavélico hijo de perra que sabia muy bien a que ascua acercar su sardina y bajo que sombra cobijarse; un hombre de principios flexibles y firme sentido de la moral, siempre y cuando esta coincidiera con sus intereses; un hombre ambicioso, batallador, inteligente, taimado, intrigante con el que es muy difícil empatizar. I think what really got me into Imperium, though, is the ominous sense of dread that permeates the final part of the book.

Senator Cicero, not only a brilliant lawyer, but also a terrific orator, and also determined to attain imperium, will defend this man against corrupt Roman Governor, Verres, and it will be a law case that will make to name of Cicero forever.

Esto último, usado como recurso estilístico en ciertas obras con ambientación histórica -que NO históricas-, suele gustarme mucho por sus posibilidades cómicas. The first sees Cicero take on a corrupt governor of Sicily as he builds a case against the man and the reader is introduced to the brutality of Roman law and punishment ("miles and miles of crucifixions") and the showdown in the courtroom. I read a reasonable amount of non-fiction to fill the gaping holes in my knowledge but once in a while I like to pick up a book by someone like Robert Harris who is able to mix history with a little imagination. Intelligent and compelling to read (for the most part anyway), it is well worth a look for fans of Robert Harris but also those interested in Roman history who want to see some of history's biggest names come to life on the page.It’s really difficult to overstate Cicero’s influence on Renaissance and later writing in Europe, so Harris is taking on a big task here. I found the description of Roman life as it is presented in Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town by Mary Beard to be clearer. The result is that although the Cicero story and setting are fascinating (to me the main interest of the book), one suspects that the real pursuit of the book is contemporary (UK’s?