Caesar Obsessed: Passion, Conquest, and Tragedy in Gaul

by Anthony R. Licata

During Julius Caesar's famed conquest of Gaul , the Roman Army was frequently raided by marauding Germanic warriors. Angered by these persistent attacks, Caesar built the first bridge on record over the Rhine River —in only ten days—and conducted a brief but devastating invasion of Germania.
 
That's what history records. Caesar Obsessed offers an engrossing tale of what really happened.
 
Following Caesar's narrow victory over the tribes of modern-day Belgium, the ravishing Devorra is given as a hostage by her father, the vanquished tribal leader. Caesar's roving eye quickly settles on her, but Devorra loves the valiant Belgic warrior Gabinier. Believing he has been lost in the battle, she eventually succumbs to Caesar's carnal desires. When Devorra is spirited away to Germania during a raid, Caesar's anger sets off a cascade of seismic events, ranging from the bloody battlefields of Gaul to the chambers of cunning politicians in Rome .
 
All the while, Caesar's top aide, Curio, and the brilliant engineer, Mamurra, work tirelessly to advance Caesar's demands against staggering odds, while secretly entangled in their own highly charged romantic predicaments.
 
The risks and ensuing consequences threaten to derail Caesar's ultimate quest — to rule the Roman Empire!

380 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2022

About the author

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Anthony "Tony" Licata has built a long and illustrious career as a highly regarded Chicago attorney specializing in commercial real estate and family office clients. Widely known to clients and peers for his legal acumen and civic contributions, few were aware of Tony's knack for crafting epic tales set in ancient times, far removed from legal briefs and contracts. The publication of his first historical novel in 2017 changed that.

Inspired by the movie Spartacus as a young child in rural Illinois, Tony has long been an avid devotee of the Roman Empire and a committed student of Roman and European history through research and writing as well as international travel with his beloved daughter, Haley. This lifelong passion culminated in the publication of his debut book set in ancient Rome, Hannibal's Niece, which earned high praise from professional reviewers and fans of the genre alike. Its enthusiastic reception prompted Tony to create another sweeping saga based on historical fact, Caesar Obsessed.

When he's not counseling clients or outlining plot twists for his next book, Tony has been methodically working through his bucket list by visiting every major Civil War battlefield and many of the major battlefields of Europe.

visit: anthonyrlicata.com

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is historical fiction based on Julius Caesar’s battles. I am not usually a fan of books that take place in this era, but the story really draws you in. Caesar is preparing to invade Gaul. Due to the talent of his new engineering manager and his men, he is triumphant. This gives him the confidence to move to take over Germania. The first thing he needs is a bridge over the Rhine River. He challenges his engineer to construct a bridge in 10 days. The engineer is successful, but the invasion of Germania is not as much. Caesar retreats, but not before getting concessions. The book starts after Caesar’s death and much of the story is told in a flashback by his engineer and main man Curio. The stories of battles and engineering triumphs are interspersed with the personal lives of the men and women.

Caesar takes on a slave woman, Devorra, as a mistress and she becomes pregnant and bears Caesar’s son. The head of engineers, Mamurra, realizes he is gay and takes up with his slave Dominicus. The character you are rooting for throughout the book is Gabinier, a warrior of the Nervii tribe who is taken as a slave, but escapes and is tortured multiple times. What keeps him going is his love for Devorra, Caesar’s mistress. I was happy that after everything that happened, that they ended up together.

Thank you to the author for the advanced reader copy.

[BarbaraB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and well researched fictional account of Caesar's conquest of Gaul and the engineering feat of building a bridge over the Rhine River in only 10 days. Wonderful character development.