Emperor: The Death of Kings: A Novel of Julius Caesar; A Roman Empire Novel: 02 - Softcover

Iggulden, Conn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385343027 ISBN 13: 9780385343022

Publisher: Delta, 2009

Synopsis

From the author of the bestselling The Dangerous Book for Boys

The acclaimed author of Emperor: The Gates of Rome returns to the extraordinary life of Julius Caesar in a new novel that takes us further down the path to glory . . . as Caesar comes into his own as a man, warrior, senator, husband, leader.

In a sparsely settled region of North Africa, a band of disheveled soldiers turn their eyes toward one man among them: their leader, Julius Caesar. The soldiers are Roman legionaries. And their quarry is a band of pirates who dared to kidnap Julius Caesar for ransom. Now, as Caesar exacts his revenge and builds a legend far from Rome, his friend Marcus Brutus is fighting battles of another sort, rising to power in the wake of the assassination of a dictator. Once Brutus and Caesar were as close as brothers, devoted to the same ideals and attracted to the same forbidden woman. Now they will be united again by a shock wave from the north, where a gladiator named Spartacus is building an army of seventy thousand slaves--to fight a cataclysmic battle against Rome itself.

About this title

Review:

The first book in Conn Iggulden's highly impressive Emperor series, The Gates of Rome, immediately marked the author out as one of the most accomplished practitioners of the sweeping historical novel at work today. The second book, The Death of Kings, creates another massive panoply of the Ancient World with the young Caesar serving onboard a war galley in the dangerous tempest-tossed waters of the Mediterranean. Achieving a striking victory with his already fully formed intellect and forceful personality, things suddenly turn disastrous for him when he is captured by pirates and imprisoned on the North Coast of Africa. But Caesar knows he is not fated to end his prospects here, and uses his charisma and leadership abilities to forge a lean and lethal squadron of warriors who break out of captivity and find themselves involved in a bloody uprising in Greece. And, inevitably, Caeser is soon back on his way to Rome for another encounter that will have tremendous consequences both for him and his fellow Romans.

Iggulden's skills are many and varied: he is well aware that narratives such as this must have an irresistible forward impetus, and that's maintained with an inexorable control here. And he knows that the reader must constantly have the details of these fabulous ancient times conjured afresh throughout the book--but never at the expense of the trajectory of the story. The author's key achievement, though, is in his laser-sharp characterisation of Caesar and those he encounters--and this is where the real splendour of The Death of Kings lies: Caesar is very much a man of his time, but the conjuring trick of allowing the modern reader to enter his psychology is always handled with quiet assurance.

It's only matter of time before Hollywood gets its hand on this property, with its copious action, mighty sea battles and vivid backdrops--but this is the way to enjoy it, leaping with vigour from the printed page. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"Delightfully entertaining...a combination of scholarship and inventiveness that brings the historical figures vividly to life while educating us, gracefully and subtly, about Rome at the height of its powers."--Booklist

"If you liked 'Gladiator', you'll love Emperor: The Death of Kings."--The Times, London

"What a find. A first-time author who writes--wonderfully! Emperor: The Death of Kings combines the fantasy of Harry Potter with the historical details of John Jakes. Books don't get better than this."--Costa Rica Times

"Iggulden excels at describing battle scenes both small-scale and epic."--Seattle Times

"Iggulden is a grand storyteller." --USA Today

About this edition

• Publisher: Delta
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0385343027
• ISBN 13: 9780385343022
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480