The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome, #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome #1)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 8,381 ratings · 411 reviews

From the bestselling author of The Thorn Birds comes a masterpiece of historical fiction that is fascinating, moving, and gloriously heroic. The reader is swept into the whirlpool of pageantry, passion, splendor, chaos and earth-shattering upheaval that was ancient Rome. Here is the story of Marius, wealthy but lowborn, and Sulla, aristocratic but penniless and debauched -...more

Paperback, 1076 pages

Published August 1st 1991 by Avon Books (first published 1990)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Best Historical Fiction

84th out of 3,146 books — 13,777 voters

The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough

Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina by Robert Graves

Best Books About Ancient Rome

2nd out of 344 books — 439 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 20, 2011 Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes the bad guys, Roman history newbs and fans

Shelves: historical-fiction, keepers, roman-empire, big-fat-epics, re-reads, cover-artists-tom-hall, hero-alpha, hero-is-chained-in-my-basement, 5-stars, characters-you-love-to-hate

If I could have sex with this book, I would.

Nothing I write can really do justice to why I love this book so much. I've just finished it for at least the 4th time (most likely the 5th), and the series will probably serve as my comfort read whenever I'm in a book slump. They're great and awesome and a guaranteed satisfying read. They've spoiled me for pretty much all other HF out there, no matter the time period. Apart from Patrick O'Brian, no other author has seemed to capture an era so brillian...more

like 43 likes · see review

Jan 10, 2010 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, historical-fiction

The First Man In Rome by Colleen McCullough is a door-stopper of a book. Without the 100 page glossary, it clocks in at 931 pages. The premise of the book is that it details the rise to power of Gaius Marius, also known as the third founder of Rome. There's politics, sex, and war. Really, you would think the First Man in Rome would be right up my alley and take a short time for me to read. Eh, wrong.

Read the rest of my review here

like 7 likes · see review

May 10, 2013 Tea Jovanović rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-pleasure

Upravo sam juce na FB-u pisala o ovom serijalu... zato sto se tek sada pojavio prvi deo u Hrvatskoj... komentar je na FB stranici Povijesni romani... prevod srpskog izdanja je zastao - prevodilica je stigla do dela gde treba da ubije Cezara a to joj se nikako ne da... :) Prevodi su dobri, Zermen je veliki poznavalac Starog Rima :)

I detalj nepoznat široj javnosti... Srpski čitaoci mogu da zahvale direktno meni i mojoj neiscrpnoj upornosti da dobru knjigu doteram do čitaoca... 5 godina sam molila...more

like 3 likes · see review

Mar 01, 2008 Marilyn Ware rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've read the entire Man in Rome series - TWICE. 900 plus pages per book. My all-time-favorite books. I'd read them all yet again should I feel so compelled. I tried to get them all in hard-bound so I could keep them for my grandson to read. I'm only missing the one I loaned out. (Dang, I shouldn't do that!)

In my opinion there is not a more definitive, comprehensive, and well researched set of novels written about the Roman Empire, Caesar in particular. Love history? Read, read, read!

like 8 likes · see review

Jul 24, 2008 maricar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, series

a larger-than-life, fascinating novel...

Halfway through this book, I found myself with eyes full of dark circles. That's when I realized that I haven't had a full night's sleep since picking up this novel. Which in turn made me wonder at my reluctance towards reading another Colleen McCullough book (my previous book by her was, unfortunately, less than memorable). Suffice to say, after reading The First Man in Rome, I am now more than willing to eat my words and bow at the brilliance of McCullou...more

like 8 likes · see review

Jun 06, 2008 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

I started to get more interested in ancient Rome (particularly the Republic) after the HBO series started. I read Tom Holland's excellent Rubicon and knew I needed more--especially on Marius and Sulla, two of the most fascinating characters of this or any historical period. When I learned of McCullough's series, I began with this one and was immediately hooked. I've read all seven, but my favorites are the first 3 or 4.

I really appreciated the way she was faithful to the known history but filled...more I started to get more interested in ancient Rome (particularly the Republic) after the HBO series started. I read Tom Holland's excellent Rubicon and knew I needed more--especially on Marius and Sulla, two of the most fascinating characters of this or any historical period. When I learned of McCullough's series, I began with this one and was immediately hooked. I've read all seven, but my favorites are the first 3 or 4.

I really appreciated the way she was faithful to the known history but filled in the unknown areas with reasonable and interesting guesses (e.g., Sulla's first wife probably wasn't Julius Caesar's other aunt, if he had more than one, but she was a Julia). There are dozens of interpretations that she makes (and usually explains in the notes at the end) that are usually so well thought-out and ring true to the known history. Her take on Caesar's epilepsy was particularly interesting and reflects her expertise as a medical doctor (a perspective most historians can't draw on). Her explanation of how Marius made J.C. the flamen dialis, a priesthood that would have prevented any kind of military or significant political career, was ingenious. It's clear (and she points out as much in her afterwords) that some things may not have happened the way she portrays them. But you never get the sense that, like some historical fiction writers, she's changing the history to fit her story. Instead, she tries to understand sometimes conflicting facts to arrive at a plausible rationale.

But, mainly, it's the characters that give this series life. Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, and Julius Caesar are living, breathing human beings. She gets inside their heads, and you really get the sense that you know and understand these historical giants, who all were contemporaries of one another and of other legendary figures--Marc Antony, Cicero, Pompey Magnus, Crassus, Spartacus, Brutus, Cassius, and on and on.

I was never that interested in Roman history as a student, with its emphasis on the empirical period. But I think I find something tragic and bittersweet about the end of the republic, which, after all, was a functioning form of democracy more than 2,000 years ago. These men all held the ideal of the republic dear, but they just couldn't help destroying it, blinded as they were by their own hubris, greed, and ambition. It's a fascinating and exhilarating story, and the best way I can think of to understand this important period of Western history.(less)

like 5 likes · see review

Dec 19, 2007 Reid rated it 5 of 5 stars

Any classics scholars who have plowed through some Livy will see here the same format, told in annals dated by the Consuls. See Marius and Sulla rise from peasantry and poverty to become Rome's first military leaders to really bend the state to unknown boundaries - Marius was elected consul 5 straight terms, the first to ever be even elected back to back. This is a story of the great men who began as strong allies and, thru fame and age, grew apart. The characterization of Sulla is amazing - McC...more

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 25, 2008 Dorothea rated it 5 of 5 stars

When people wonder how I can pay so much attention to politics & not be totally angry & hopeless, I direct them to this book & it's brilliant illumination of the history that preceeds us. It's a bit much to get thru all the Latin names, but the story is so engaging one finds a way to deal with them. This is the first book in McCullough's Roman Republic series. She spent 13 years researching documents in the original Latin & Greek before embarking on the task of "fleshing out" the...more

like 4 likes · see review

Apr 08, 2013 Dangermousie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is the first volume of McCullough's behemoth series of novels about the end of the Republic. The focus of the book is on two remarkable men who brought about the start of the end of the Republic - Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In his late 40s, Marius is provincial - his wealth and talents should put him in the consul's seat or in command of an army, but because he lacks the requisite blue blood, he finds that world barred to him. Just-turned-30 Sulla's blood is bluest of the blue...more This is the first volume of McCullough's behemoth series of novels about the end of the Republic. The focus of the book is on two remarkable men who brought about the start of the end of the Republic - Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In his late 40s, Marius is provincial - his wealth and talents should put him in the consul's seat or in command of an army, but because he lacks the requisite blue blood, he finds that world barred to him. Just-turned-30 Sulla's blood is bluest of the blue, but without anything to his name, any military or civilian office is an unachievable dream. Unless they work together and change the rules (and remove the people) who prevent their rise.

Marius and Sulla are, of course, both real and well-known historical figures, yet they do not appear in fiction or popular consciousness with the ubiquity of their spiritual descendant and sorta-relative Julius Caesar. You'd have to be dead not to know about Caesar but I'd imagine most people not interested in Roman history are unfamiliar with Marius and Sulla. I'd love this book for no other reason than McCullough actually writes about them. But the book does more than write about them, it also brings them to life - there are many relationships in the book, from loving to hateful and everything in-between, but the core of of it is the uneasy comradeship that develops between two very different, yet very ruthless, talented and ambitious men. The knowledge that their friendship eventually disintegrates into envy, enmity, and an open civil war gives this an added twist.

I confess that it's Sulla who makes the book for me. Before going in, what I knew about Sulla was: (1) talented general (2) fought a civil war with Marius (3) had long-standing affair with male theater actor and didn't give a damn who knew (4) bloody dictator who instituted proscriptions that made him rich and killed a lot of people (5) was very fond of his fourth(?) wife, Caecilia Metella (6) resigned his dictatorship and retired to private life. McCullough transformed him from collection of facts in my head to a real living, breathing person. He is not a good person by any stretch of the imagination, but he is occasionally loyal, always magnetic, and so driven, so vivid, so caught in compensating for his basic insecurity for his initial have-not status, that I cannot help but root for him even as he starts getting rid those who stand in his way. (less)

like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Robert Elliot rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Colleen McCullough displays an incredible depth of knowledge of the Roman empire and skillfully blends this with a strong narrative that keeps the reader engrossed to the end, despite the fact that this book is something of a mammoth production, coming in at almost one thousand pages. It gives a fascinating insight into the broad history of the early Roman republic as well as informing us about the more ordinary aspects of day-to-day life in the Roman empire. The only difficulty with a book that...more

like · see review

Dec 27, 2012 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historic-fiction

The history is glorious in and of itself, especially for those of us who were taught about Rome as a nearly static thing. This book explains so many origins, of Caesar, of the way the army was set up, of politics, etc. and many of the personal bits are great fun, the jokes in letters men of the times sent each other, the posturing political speeches, the dishes served at banquets...

But, and here is where the book lost 2 stars for me, there are too many characters all with confusingly similar 3-w...more

like · see review

Jul 07, 2012 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Brad by: no one i found it while scrounging through books on Rome

Shelves: favorites

This is the best book series I have ever read by far. To begin with the fall of the roman republic I believe is one of the most entertaining dramas on its own in all of history, but then when you add the amazing writing style of Colleen McCullough the story just comes to life through the eyes of some of the most powerful men in the history of the world.
The series starts with the military genius Gaius Marius beginning his career with his triumphs in Africa where he meets a seer who tells him he...more This is the best book series I have ever read by far. To begin with the fall of the roman republic I believe is one of the most entertaining dramas on its own in all of history, but then when you add the amazing writing style of Colleen McCullough the story just comes to life through the eyes of some of the most powerful men in the history of the world.
The series starts with the military genius Gaius Marius beginning his career with his triumphs in Africa where he meets a seer who tells him he will become the Roman consul seven times. The book then continues as he completely revamps the roman armies, and then must learn that an even tougher battle awaits him at Rome where he must battle the Senate and climb the cursus honorum to become the First Man in Rome. The series also introduces us to the very dark and troubled and disturbed Sulla who struggled to make his way up in the social roman ladder and eventually finds his way suddenly into the elite class of Roman citizens through a mysterious death and a fortunate marriage into an illustrious named family of the Caesars who had been fighting to keep from bankruptcy when a sudden influx of cash gave them the ability to revive their family name thanks to a convenient marriage with a very wealthy and very powerful Gaius Marius.
I have never read a more entertaining historical novel like this through the eyes of its characters that was able to keep the story so historically accurate. Colleen never skips past an event of the past or attempts to change history in order to make her books more entertaining or simpler. Instead she includes every important or even trivial detail and all the while giving each as much attention as the other. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Roman history or would like to learn about the fall of the roman republic. This series will cover everything from the rise of Marius and his bloody war with Sulla. To Sulla reshaping the Roman political system and then letting his generals fight over what is left of Rome after he retires. You will meet an over confidant and brash Pompey who needs a healthy dose of humility, and you will be taken on an unbelievable journey as you follow the life of a young Julius Caesar as he leans what it takes to be a great general from his uncle Marius and how to be cutthroat from his other uncle Sulla. His charm and genius will be no match for anyone in Rome and his ambition is unquenchable. You will follow his career into Spain and then his conquests in Gaul, and political maneuverings of the most powerful men in Rome. You will see his ambition tear Rome apart and break it into his dream of what he thinks Rome should be and then we see his inability to deal with smallminded inferior men and a devious woman in Cleopatra get him killed and its aftermath as Rome is again torn apart again by his bull headed cousin Marc Antony and his incredibly intelligent heir Octavian. Other notable characters that you will get to meet are the richess man in Rome Crassus and the most witty man in Rome Cicero. The back stabbing Brutus and the unflinching and biggest prude in histoy Cato.You even get to meet the African King Jugurtha and an rebelious Gladiator called Spartacus. You will fight against the barbarion armies of Vercingetorix and hunt down the eastern king Mithridates you even meet the crafty Herod the Great. This series will not dissapoint please read it is a must.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 21, 2012 Checkman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, a-disappointment, drama

First I have to compliment Colleen McCullough on her research. Truly an outstanding effort and very praiseworthy. Her glossary at the end of the book is excellent and one which I have referred back to more then once for just general information. Having said that I now have to state that the entire series has been going down in quality since the second installment The Grass Crown . With the first two novels it is apparent that Ms. McCullough wrote them more or less simultaneously over a period of...more First I have to compliment Colleen McCullough on her research. Truly an outstanding effort and very praiseworthy. Her glossary at the end of the book is excellent and one which I have referred back to more then once for just general information. Having said that I now have to state that the entire series has been going down in quality since the second installment The Grass Crown . With the first two novels it is apparent that Ms. McCullough wrote them more or less simultaneously over a period of several years while doing her very extensive research. I read that she spent over five years researching and writing the first chapters and it shows. The attention to detail is excellent, her characters come to life, they sound and act like Romans. There is nothing modern about her dialogue, plot, or characterization. After a short while I felt like I was reading a prequel to Robert Graves classic novels about Claudius. The only thing I felt there wasn't enough of was the biting wit that was so prevalent in Graves work. But I could live with that.

Unfortunately starting with the third installment I saw the old Colleen McCullough coming through. The bestselling author who has written The Thorn Birds and Tim . It was obvious that the research was done and the dramatic stage set was built. Now Ms. McCullough is simply filling in with her trademark writing. Instead of a series of Roman novels now we have a soap opera with rather modern characters running around in togas. Instead of intriguing and fleshed out historical personae we have hero worship of Julius Caesar and two dimensional characters. I made it through the fourth installment and gave up. More tired then disgusted - for what had been rather unusual has now become typical and could just as easily be set in New York City of today. I recommend the first two novels highly. In my opinion they reach a level higher then the average summertime read, but after that one has mind candy pure and simple. Instead read I Claudius and Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina by Robert Graves if you want truly entertaining fiction set in the Roman Empire. (less)

like 1 like · see review

Oct 22, 2011 emi Bevacqua rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

It's funny I don't read many historical novels but the ones I love are all written McCulloughs (unrelated, David's American and Colleen's Australian). I really loved reading Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough (over 500 pages of it) but was sad to discover it's the last in a series of 7 giant books, and it took me three years to finally pick up another one. This time I read The First Man in Rome which is the first in her series (nearly 800 pages, this one) and I'm determined to get to #2,...more

like · see review

Aug 08, 2011 Juan-Pablo rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll keep this brief, a lot has already been said in the other reviews. The book does a decent job if you're interested in this fascinating period of the roman revolution. However, summarizing; it's over-long, the beginning (100+ pages) it's very disorganized, the narrative tricks get really old (the use of letters to cover historical and plot gaps is extremely annoying), the coverage of battles is minimal, the ending stretches far too long. On the upside, the senate scenes are good and convinci...more

like 3 likes · see review

Apr 18, 2011 Samuel Runge rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first and one of the best books in the Masters of Rome series, historical fiction at its best, at least what I look for in the genre.

pros:
- set in the late Roman Republic
- Focused on politics and important historical personages (none of this perspective of the little guy nonsense, elitism ftw!)
- good writing and complex and interesting characters

And finally and most importantly excellent research and a fine intellect allied to the notion of if it ain't broke don't change it. In my opinion t...more

like · see review

Aug 14, 2010 Stephanie Patterson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just finished the entire Masters of Rome series. I ordered this first book because a friend commented to me that it was the best series of historical novels she had ever read. My husband, who is trained in the classics, read the first novel well before I did and loved it He thought McCullough had done a great job both with the research and with imagining the rest of her story.. So I bought the other 6 books.

McCullough gives a real human dimension to historical figures and renders the daily lif...more

like · see review

Apr 12, 2009 Murray rated it 5 of 5 stars

First of an amazing series McCullough has written about Rome in the time of Julius Caesar. Yet here we start with a Roman not nearly so well known, a 'new man' in the sense he was not from one of the leading Roman families. But he was a genius as a military commander as well as a highly adept politician. Gaius Marius is not a household name but he made a huge impact on the Republic. McCullough approaches her (long) story with amazing passion. She has extensive end notes to help those who need to...more

like 1 like · see review

Sep 03, 2011 Erik Graff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: McCullough fans

Recommended to Erik by: James DeVoto

Shelves: literature

A classics professor friend recommended this to me as a well-researched novel set in the late Roman Republic. Indeed, it was, the notes included being worth a look in order to appreciate the work--much of it done by hired graduate students--involved. Most amusing was the research done as regards how it was possible for a man in a toga to urinate without becoming undone. However, although a plausible reconstruction, McCullough's actual writing style is a bit tedious.

like 1 like · see review

May 05, 2012 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I truly enjoyed this book. It covered the pre-Julius Caesar period, giving fictional accounts of how the major players during Caesar's time came to power, but in a way that is consistent with what we do know about them. I thought more might be made of Catallus' family beginnings, since he played such a huge role in Caesar's time, but there were only hints. The writing was well done. I found it a little hard to get started on this book, but I believe that is because the story is so complex, and t...more

like · see review

May 24, 2011 Dick Edwards rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book a little more than I did The Grass Crown. I think the reason for this is that I read TGC first, and was somewhat familiar with some of the characters. I still have trouble with the Roman names, and the fact that sometimes the last name is used and other times the first two names are used. If there was an explanation for Metallus being called “Piggle –Wiggle,” I missed it. The author makes no explanation of why Sulla seems to be rehabilitated during the book. He is a murdering...more

like · see review

Feb 12, 2011 Kerrie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-epic, ancient-times

If anyone asks me for a "good book" rec, I suggest McCullough's Masters of Rome series - after finding out if they like history. Because there's plenty! The detailed passages explaining the ins and outs of the Roman senate and how it all worked are not boring because McCullough is a born storyteller and can make even the driest, dustiest stuff interesting. Her characters, people who lived over 2000 years ago, are bonafide historical figures who actually existed and she brings them to vibrant lif...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 28, 2010 Paula Hebert rated it 5 of 5 stars

I found myself reding all these different novels about rome, and got the itch to go back and reread the series starting with the first man in rome. it begins during the time of gaius marius and cornilius lucius sulla, about 100 b.c. the germans are threatening the western boundaries, the patrician senate is so elitist they would rather rome fall than let a man of marius' low birth lead them. the author leads us through the next 20 years of his life, with details of daily life, the battlefield, t...more

like · see review

Jul 21, 2010 Bryn rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a huge, sprawling Roman epic, with an enormous cast, lots of big battles, lots of politicing and copious amounts of historical detail. So, with that said, you probably know now if it might appeal to you or not.

It's a well written piece, even if the history lessons do seem a bit like, well, history lessons some of the time. The people come to life as plausible individuals, even if keeping track of all the far-too-similar authentic Roman names is a bit of a headache. It is riddled with typ...more

like · see review

Jan 07, 2009 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow, 800 pages and where did it go? Ms. McCullough does an outstanding job of bringing Republic Rome to life. Excellent character development, fast-moving, hooking plot... and all based on true events and historic reasearch.

This first book in the series covers Gaius Marius's rise to be the "First Man of Rome", with the second character being Lucius Cornelius Sulla's related ascension. McCullough creates vivid, believable and lovable characters, and avoids getting bogged down in historical detail...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 15, 2010 Phil rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a brilliant beginning to the six book set that chronicles the downfall of the Roman Republic and the rise of Julius Caesar. This first book focuses on the rise of Gaius Marius against the resistance of the hereditary aristocracy. You can read Livy, Plutarch and Cicero and take a few years of college courses and decide for yourself how much McCollugh has abandoned a strict adherence to historical record to tell her story but who cares? This set of books is one of the great historical saga...more

like · see review

Jan 16, 2012 Suzanna added it · review of another edition

Shelves: didn-t-finish

Oh, my. I do love historical fiction... but this one is a struggle for me so far. After about a week of reading a few minutes here and there, I'm on page 21, which really is just a handful of pages into the novel. I feel like so many characters were introduced in the first few pages of the story, and so many locations, all with difficult yet similar names, I am going to need a spreadsheet to keep them all straight. There are occasions in the past when I have started ignoring names in a book, and...more

like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Vikram rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I want to register my displeasure with this series of books, and this place is as good a forum as any. The series begins with the lives of Sulla (Dictator of Rome) and Gaius Marius, and culminates some time after the death of Caesar (hope that isnt a spoiler). While Ms. McCullogh has done an admirable amount of research and the books are exceedingly accurate historically, the books quickly become bogged down in minutae of Roman life in general and the Senate in particular. The series devolves in...more

like 2 likes · see review

Apr 19, 2012 Bruce Hodge rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: historical fiction lovers

I've been waiting for the next installment.
Colleen McCullough is a national treasure.
This is the meatiest, sexiest most brilliantly researched historical fiction on my bedside table where it stays because, in between other books I keep picking it up and reading it again. The characters jump off the page they're so brilliantly envisioned and created. One day I'd like to be able to write a book like this. This book is a rampage through Rome's society and politics and military actions, It really ha...more

like · see review

Jan 31, 2011 Sherry H rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: hist-fiction-europe-royalty

Historical fiction is a big term, and it can be many things. I love it when it's a real history lesson - with all the correct names and dates and battles and alliances and family lineage - with the addition of living, breathing characters. The First Man in Rome is just that kind of book - something that adds life to an important and fascinating piece of our world's history. Colleen McCullough has done her homework, and in so doing, has made ancient Rome real and memorable in a way my high school...more Historical fiction is a big term, and it can be many things. I love it when it's a real history lesson - with all the correct names and dates and battles and alliances and family lineage - with the addition of living, breathing characters. The First Man in Rome is just that kind of book - something that adds life to an important and fascinating piece of our world's history. Colleen McCullough has done her homework, and in so doing, has made ancient Rome real and memorable in a way my high school world history teacher never could. The historical fact was the shining star here; the character interactions were fictional and therefore were given less attention.

The book begins before the very famous Julius Caesar is born; we get to know his grandparents and meet his father at a young age. Its primary focus is the height of the career of Gaius Marius. This is the first book in a series, so some story lines were left hanging, and to see what happens to some key characters, including the infant Julius Caesar, the reader needs to continue the series.

I enjoyed learning about the Republic, how the vast territories were governed, how politicians were elected, how wealth was achieved, how family dynamics worked, the corruption, the architecture, the mustering of an army, etc. It's fascinating to take a look at the workings of a functioning (thriving!) democracy 2000+ years ago. In addition to Gaius Marius, we have some wonderful characters: Lucius Cornelius Sulla is fascinating, Aurelia (the mother of Julius Caesar) is a strong, modern worman, and Publius Rutilius Rufus provides a charming and funny voice to the story.

The downside of this kind of fiction, and this book in particular, is that there are one zillion characters, each has 3-4 (or even 6) Latin names which are all similar to everyone else's 3-4 Latin names (did you know that all of the Julius Caesar families' daughters were named Julia?), and while some of the characters are great men (or great villains), others are not so interesting. The battle scenes can be very exciting - and very long. The politics, while intriguing and pertinent to our political environment today, are complex and often confusing. And while many things of historical impact happened, not all of them are necessarily interesting to read about. Colleen McCullough included every scrap of detail regarding this 10-year period in the book:

Overall, this was interesting, pertinent, entertaining. I liked it a lot. And I skimmed a lot. (less)

like 1 like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Masters of Rome Series	19	98	Apr 06, 2013 10:33pm

combine
Other Editions (32)

More editions...

Genres

Historical Fiction

498 users

Cultural > Italy

25 users

Roman

16 users

War

10 users

Literature > Ancient

9 users

Classics

8 users

Novels

8 users

Romance

7 users

Politics

7 users

Literature

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Roman Blood
by Steven Saylor
Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina
by Robert Graves
Eagle in the Snow
by Wallace Breem
Imperium
by Robert Harris
Julian
by Gore Vidal

About Colleen McCullough

Colleen McCullough AO (born 1 June 1937) is an internationally acclaimed Australian author. Colleen was born in Wellington in central west New South Wales to James and Laurie McCullough.

She grew up during World War II. In her first year of medical studies at the University of Sydney she suffered dermatitis from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead,...more

More about Colleen McCullough...

Books by Colleen McCullough

Fortune's Favorites (Masters of Rome, #3)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The First Man in ...

16 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: The First Man in Rome
avg rating	preview: The First Man in Rome Goodreads rating: 4.01 (8381 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480570.The_First_Man_in_Rome?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1175111884l/480570.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480570.The_First_Man_in_Rome?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough[/url]

The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website