<![CDATA[The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1)]]>

false <![CDATA[The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1)]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173807751m/330947.jpg 330947 19 Rarely, if ever, does a new writer dazzle us with such a vivid imagination and storytelling, flawlessly capturing the essence of a land, a people, a legend. Conn Iggulden is just such a writer, bringing to vivid life one of the most fascinating eras in human history. In a true masterpiece of historical fiction, Iggulden takes us on a breathtaking journey through ancient Rome, sweeping us into a realm of tyrants and slaves, of dark intrigues and seething passions. What emerges is both a grand romantic tale of coming-of-age in the Roman Empire and a vibrant portrait of the early years of a man who would become the most powerful ruler on earth: Julius Caesar. On the lush Italian peninsula, a new empire is taking shape. At its heart is the city of Rome, a place of glory and decadence, beauty and bloodshed. Against this vivid backdrop, two boys are growing to manhood, dreaming of battles, fame, and glory in service of the mightiest empire the world has ever known. One is the son of a senator, a boy of privilege and ambition to whom much has been given and from whom much is expected. The other is a bastard child, a boy of strength and cunning, whose love for his adoptive family–and his adoptive brother–will be the most powerful force in his life. As young Gaius and Marcus are trained in the art of combat–under the tutelage of one of Rome’s most fearsome gladiators–Rome itself is being rocked by the art of treachery and ambition, caught in a tug-of-war as two rival generals, Marius and Sulla, push the empire toward civil war. For Marcus, a bloody campaign in Greece will become a young soldier’s proving ground. For Gaius, the equally deadly infighting of the Roman Senate will be the battlefield where he hones his courage and skill. And for both, the love of an extraordinary slave girl will be an honor each will covet but only one will win. The two friends are forced to walk different paths, and by the time they meet again everything will have changed. Both will have known love, loss, and violence. And the land where they were once innocent will be thrust into the grip of bitter conflict–a conflict that will set Roman against Roman...and put their friendship to the ultimate test. Brilliantly interweaving history and adventure, Conn Iggulden conjures a stunning array of contrasts–from the bloody stench of a battlefield to the opulence of the greatest city in history, from the tenderness of a lover to the treachery of an assassin. Superbly rendered, grippingly told, Emperor, The Gates of Rome is a work of vaulting imagination from a powerful new voice in historical fiction. From the Hardcover edition. 1808829 book 2003 The Gates of Rome (Emperor, #1) total:659|5:202|4:280|3:131|2:34|1:12| 659 2603 968 136 2 2 false true Sat May 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 13 06:47:38 -0700 2007 Sun May 25 07:11:48 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Feb 24 10:05:07 -0800 2008 Tue May 13 11:46:04 -0700 2008
I started with Conn Iggulden when my wife bought me Wolf of the Plains for me to read on a flight to Berlin last year... needless to say I loved it.

I bought Gates of Rome form Tesco [on offer] and read it in few d...more...]]> 4 2 false false Fri Sep 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 08:17:16 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 07 09:59:02 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false true Fri May 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 19:06:27 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 19:21:11 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Oct 09 14:35:05 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 14:29:04 -0700 2009 Action-packed historical drama

Conn Iggulden seemed to like my review of his "quick read," Blackwater, almost as much as I enjoyed reading that book. Being in a one-to-one conversation gave me the opportunity to ask him if he would recommend his Emperor series to anyone who had ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun May 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 12:18:26 -0700 2009 Sun May 03 08:03:50 -0700 2009
I'm not really sure what kind of review to give this book! For the first 100 pages or so, I didn't like it at all. But as I get deeper into the story, I started getting caught up. Now that I finished I think I'd like to read more of the series.

The bigg...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Jan 29 09:31:55 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 29 09:39:38 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jan 27 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 11:40:18 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 11:43:38 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 09:46:12 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 11:16:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon Apr 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 20:04:10 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 10:21:39 -0700 2009
Alas, the novel fell far short of what I'd hoped. The characters were shal...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 14:36:52 -0700 2009 Wed May 06 18:40:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Apr 10 17:40:36 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 17:48:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Apr 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 08:18:25 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 06:15:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 16:02:36 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 12:10:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 true false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 19:27:49 -0800 2009 Mon Apr 06 16:58:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed May 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 22:13:50 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 11:37:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon May 11 12:43:28 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 12:43:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jul 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 09:53:10 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 10:03:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jun 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 08:59:12 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 11:18:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Feb 27 18:10:19 -0800 2009 Mon May 18 07:35:39 -0700 2009
1. While I'm glad people are still showing interest in ancient Rome, don't we have enough fictionalizations of Julius Caesar? Aren't there other events in Roman history, other charismatic Roman personalities that we could focus on? Bet...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=330947