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miamcmillan's review
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i gave it four stars just for the sheer impression it left on me. the focus on the details is absolutely minute and very well done, and though the plot gets understandably very complicated at points it never really loses its propulsion. tiro is a wonderful narrator and the characters are portrayed in a very sympathetically flawed light. the insights into family life and the more personal tenets of the roman republic, and specifically the ciceros, were also a much needed breather from the heavy politics. towards the end it started to become slightly more stilted and less gripping but was still very readable and enjoyable; i think the lack of the family dynamic made it lose some of its previous vivacity. overall a delight and a very good, thorough introduction into the roman republic!
bookishcharli's review
5.0
"O tempora, o mores!"
We finally get a nice hardback book with all three of Harris' books in the Cicero trilogy (Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator). In this new gorgeous set we immerse ourselves into the wonderful, deadly world of Roman politics. This series is jam-packed with details about everyday life in ancient Rome, to the backstabbing joy of being a politician in the ancient world. Harris describes Cicero, Caesar and Octavian (among others) in the same high level of detail as the world building.
Now, this book is very heavy on the historical facts and as such, there's a lot of characters that potentially we could have had more information on, but I think that's what I like about this series, it's so heavily focused on the history rather than being yet another fiction book set in the ancient world. If a book contains ancient Rome or Cicero it's an instant read for me, and this series really didn't disappoint, Cicero is such a worthy protagonist in the shambles that was politics in Rome.
Thank you to Penguin for sending me a copy to review!
We finally get a nice hardback book with all three of Harris' books in the Cicero trilogy (Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator). In this new gorgeous set we immerse ourselves into the wonderful, deadly world of Roman politics. This series is jam-packed with details about everyday life in ancient Rome, to the backstabbing joy of being a politician in the ancient world. Harris describes Cicero, Caesar and Octavian (among others) in the same high level of detail as the world building.
Now, this book is very heavy on the historical facts and as such, there's a lot of characters that potentially we could have had more information on, but I think that's what I like about this series, it's so heavily focused on the history rather than being yet another fiction book set in the ancient world. If a book contains ancient Rome or Cicero it's an instant read for me, and this series really didn't disappoint, Cicero is such a worthy protagonist in the shambles that was politics in Rome.
Thank you to Penguin for sending me a copy to review!
acy's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
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