Conn Iggulden, Emperor: The Gods of War

Emperor: The Gods of War

Conn Iggulden

Delacorte, April 2006, $25.00

ISBN: 0385337671

In 53 B.C. Commander of Gaul Julius Caesar leads four veteran legions, hardened by the victorious campaign, across the Rubicon. Caesar's threat to Rome leads a stunned Pompey to declare him "the enemy of Rome" in the Senate chambers. However, Pompey also knows that there is nothing in the city to stop Caesar's advance. Caesar expects the war with Pompey will prove his toughest but greatest achievement.

Victory belongs to Caesar, but he will one day find the fruits bitter. However, for now he controls Rome, and no rival has surfaced since Pompey's defeat. He has the exotic Queen Cleopatra of Egypt as a mistress and ponders what next. His long time friend Marcus Brutus brooding over Caesar's ambition fears for the future of the Republic. He wonders when Caesar will claim he is the king, and begins to plan how to stop the ascent that Brutus feels will ultimately lead to the destruction of Rome.

The fourth "Emperor" tale (see THE FIELD OF SWORDS, THE DEATH OF KINGS, and THE GATES OF ROME) is a terrific ancient historical tale that feels in some ways as more of a biographical fictional account of Julius Caesar. The storyline brings alive the civil war with Pompey, who never expected a Roman legion to attack Rome, Caesar's tryst with Cleopatra, his friendship with Brutus throughout his rise to power, and his apparent thirst for more. Though Brutus' concerns come across seemingly trivial, and lacking conviction and compassion (unlike Shakespeare's version), readers will appreciate this fine entry that entertains and grips the audience from start to the Ides of March.