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raptorimperator's review against another edition
4.0
Had its moments, but was not as good as his other works. I liked ROMA more, but that might just be because I enjoy the history of the Republic more than the Empire.
readers_block's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5
Not quite as good as the first book (Roma), but still soooo good.
Some people might find some of the style of the book off putting. There's a lot of explanations of things that read sort of strangely, that a person wouldn't normally say in a regular conversation, because Saylor is trying to explain a historical event/the backdrop without distracting from the plot at hand. Ie/ he violates the rule of "show don't tell". I personally, however, loved it.
I learned so much from these two books about Roman history. It got me on a kick and I'm excited to read more. The sheer drama in the political world of imperial Rome is insane and so entertaining. Caligula, Domitian, Hadrian, etc.
The one thing I liked less about this one than the first one were that it followed fewer people (four instead of a ton of ancestors in the previous one-- not even sure how many). All of their stories are a lot longer so if you don't like one of them, it doesn't move on quickly.
Would highly recommend these books to anyone interested in Roman history. Excited to read more of his stuff.
Not quite as good as the first book (Roma), but still soooo good.
Some people might find some of the style of the book off putting. There's a lot of explanations of things that read sort of strangely, that a person wouldn't normally say in a regular conversation, because Saylor is trying to explain a historical event/the backdrop without distracting from the plot at hand. Ie/ he violates the rule of "show don't tell". I personally, however, loved it.
I learned so much from these two books about Roman history. It got me on a kick and I'm excited to read more. The sheer drama in the political world of imperial Rome is insane and so entertaining. Caligula, Domitian, Hadrian, etc.
The one thing I liked less about this one than the first one were that it followed fewer people (four instead of a ton of ancestors in the previous one-- not even sure how many). All of their stories are a lot longer so if you don't like one of them, it doesn't move on quickly.
Would highly recommend these books to anyone interested in Roman history. Excited to read more of his stuff.
sophiewilliams's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the first of the series - I think because the history of the time is much better known, it was more tricky for him to create a compelling storyline for the family.
r2bone's review against another edition
an interesting tale, i think i enjoyed the first book a bit more, mainly because this one ended too early and had a bit more magic halfway through, but still a very interesting read.
mrsmarch's review against another edition
3.0
This is the follow up to Saylor's novel [b:Roma|13134425|Roma|Steven Saylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322711293s/13134425.jpg|73039], which I also read and reviewed.
The author admits, in an afterword, that there were difficulties in writing Empire that weren't an issue in Roma. While the early Imperial Period is very well documented by contemporary authors, the writing is Emperor-centric and it is harder to delineate between the "heros and villains." This did make for a less lustrous, more cerebral read, but a good read nonetheless. As someone very familiar with the period and knowing how well-researched Saylor's works tend to be, I appreciated the everyday details and the links to contemporary accounts. For someone with only a passing awareness of the period, this could be a good introduction to the Emperors who came after Augustus.
I was a bit baffled at first why Saylor would end with Hadrian and not the Philosopher King who followed him, but after sleeping on it I decided that ending at the end of Hadrian's reign allows for an ending filled with hope and wonder for the future of the Empire, whereas Marcus Aurelius was a fairly lovely fellow with very little drama and ending the book with his reign might frankly have been a bit of a disappointing ending. Also, with an entity such as Rome, where do you end? It just keeps going and going. You might as well take an intermission at Hadrian.
I'm a bit peeved that the Wall only gets one mention, not even a retrospective comment going "Hey, that actually worked!"
I would love to see [a:Steven Saylor|42919|Steven Saylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394768071p2/42919.jpg] do a third installment around Constantine. The fascinum of the Pinarii is already getting miscontrued as a Christian amulet, so of course by the time any Pinarii are serving with Constantine, Christianity would be on the rise and the metamorphosis of the fascinum would be natural if not advantageous. Also would love to see Nicaea et c. from an interior perspective. At the end of Empire the Pinarii are Senators again and close to the Imperial family, so it would not be beyond reason to see a Pinarius on Constantine's staff. Maybe time for another set of twins, one in the military and one in the Church?
SPOILER BELOW
SPOILER: I nearly died when Suetonius asked about the Black Room. Excellent.
The author admits, in an afterword, that there were difficulties in writing Empire that weren't an issue in Roma. While the early Imperial Period is very well documented by contemporary authors, the writing is Emperor-centric and it is harder to delineate between the "heros and villains." This did make for a less lustrous, more cerebral read, but a good read nonetheless. As someone very familiar with the period and knowing how well-researched Saylor's works tend to be, I appreciated the everyday details and the links to contemporary accounts. For someone with only a passing awareness of the period, this could be a good introduction to the Emperors who came after Augustus.
I was a bit baffled at first why Saylor would end with Hadrian and not the Philosopher King who followed him, but after sleeping on it I decided that ending at the end of Hadrian's reign allows for an ending filled with hope and wonder for the future of the Empire, whereas Marcus Aurelius was a fairly lovely fellow with very little drama and ending the book with his reign might frankly have been a bit of a disappointing ending. Also, with an entity such as Rome, where do you end? It just keeps going and going. You might as well take an intermission at Hadrian.
I'm a bit peeved that the Wall only gets one mention, not even a retrospective comment going "Hey, that actually worked!"
I would love to see [a:Steven Saylor|42919|Steven Saylor|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394768071p2/42919.jpg] do a third installment around Constantine. The fascinum of the Pinarii is already getting miscontrued as a Christian amulet, so of course by the time any Pinarii are serving with Constantine, Christianity would be on the rise and the metamorphosis of the fascinum would be natural if not advantageous. Also would love to see Nicaea et c. from an interior perspective. At the end of Empire the Pinarii are Senators again and close to the Imperial family, so it would not be beyond reason to see a Pinarius on Constantine's staff. Maybe time for another set of twins, one in the military and one in the Church?
SPOILER BELOW
SPOILER: I nearly died when Suetonius asked about the Black Room. Excellent.
jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
4.0
Saylor is able to accomplish something that I hope my own writing is able to do: He makes ordinary lives interesting. Many Roman novels focus on soldiers, gladiators, villainous deeds by the rulers. In this book, you are privy to dinner conversations, strolls through the cities, gatherings of friends. Its not an adventure-excitement type of plot, but its fascinating. Saylor's character's comments on the new fashion of men sporting beards, the ideal look of men (from strong Greek to more feminine), women's hairstyles that said "Roman." It was about details of life that makes Saylor's books a delightful immersion into ancient mindsets, ideals, and city scapes.
Granted, one drawback was the amount of exposition that the characters would discuss (ie. sum up for the reader). This happened a lot in the first half of the book and began to get tiresome. Yet so much happened in the span of time the novel covers. I can understand why this was done, but I would have preferred a little less gossiping. But that is really my only gripe.
Some of my favorite moments include: (1) The opening of the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum), (2) the fallout from Mt. Vesuvius, & (3) the philosophical discussions.
The previous book with this family line, "Roma," was much more of a grand scale. This book "only" covers 100 years in Roman history. Saylor sums this up well in the end of the book author comments. And it truly was a sweeping time. It was about the emperors and not about the individuals as "Roma" was. I do like "Roma" better, but this book was a great dive into ancient times. Saylor is a magician in the way he is able to do that.
Granted, one drawback was the amount of exposition that the characters would discuss (ie. sum up for the reader). This happened a lot in the first half of the book and began to get tiresome. Yet so much happened in the span of time the novel covers. I can understand why this was done, but I would have preferred a little less gossiping. But that is really my only gripe.
Some of my favorite moments include: (1) The opening of the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum), (2) the fallout from Mt. Vesuvius, & (3) the philosophical discussions.
The previous book with this family line, "Roma," was much more of a grand scale. This book "only" covers 100 years in Roman history. Saylor sums this up well in the end of the book author comments. And it truly was a sweeping time. It was about the emperors and not about the individuals as "Roma" was. I do like "Roma" better, but this book was a great dive into ancient times. Saylor is a magician in the way he is able to do that.
richvar's review against another edition
4.0
Méltó folytatása a Rómának. Bár azzal szemben „csak” egy másfél százados időszakot ölel fel, legalább annyira olvasmányos. Az Augustus és Hadrianus között uralkodott császárok időszakába kalauzol el, az előző könyvben megismert patrícius család történetén keresztül.
jgolomb's review against another edition
3.0
“Empire” is Steven Saylor's highly anticipated follow up to his centuries-spanning historical fiction saga, "Roma". Both books trace the ancestral evolution of the Pinarii family as they bear witness to the foundation and growth of Rome and its Empire. "Roma" covered the earliest foundations of Rome through the civil wars, while "Empire" picks up at the end of the reign of Augustus in 14 A.D. through the reign of Hadrian in 141.
Roman history is made up of fact, rumor, and myth, and Saylor hits on all of those elements in “Empire”. Each of four chapters tells a discrete and self-contained story set during key moments in the real or mythological history of Rome involving both fictional and non-fictional characters and events.
Saylor uses the Pinarii like stepping stones across a stream of time; each stone provides just enough footing to propel the reader onto the next rock of time. The chapters place a different Pinarii generation under the spotlight and provide enough drama to fill an entire book in itself.
The chapters are highlight reels of their respective periods. In the early years, Saylor gives glimpses of Livia's evil which is very reminiscent of the Livia from "I, Claudius". He opens a window on Tiberius's sadistic hideaway on an island off the coast of Italy where he purportedly kept young boys for his own pleasure. The second chapter runs the gamut of Caligula's psychoses and Claudius’ dramatically failed marriages. Readers also get a surprisingly poignant portrayal of Nero "fiddling" while Rome burns. In the third chapter, Saylor provides a historical discourse that includes the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius, the history of the development of the Flavian Amphitheater (known now as The Colosseum), and the rise and fall of the Flavian Emperors. In the final chapter, Saylor takes readers to the building of Trajan’s column and the Pantheon and gives an all too brief glimpse of the philosopher-emperor Hadrian.
The biggest frustration with "Empire" is the vastly inconsistent development of Saylor’s primary characters. The Pinarii are like castles made with wet sand. Just as they gain a bit of definition, substance and depth, they either fall apart or are washed away. It's almost as if in trying to hit all events in a given era, none are enough of a focus to allow time for the solid development of members of the Pinarii clan. I felt very little emotional pull towards the members of the family, neither particularly liking nor disliking any of them. This void of raw human drama significantly reduces the cohesion of each generational chapter and no amount of historical activity is able to overcome that vacuum.
The strongest character in the book is Emperor Nero whom Saylor paints as a subdued version of any Nathan Lane character. Nero ranges from sadistic to dramatic to regal to shockingly out-of-touch-with-reality. Though his end is predictably tragic, Nero and his era are the most interestingly interpreted. I have a bit of a bias towards Hadrian, but Saylor also did a fine job representing the erudite, introspective, and insecure monument-building Emperor.
Saylor’s dialogue often feels stilted, unnatural, and boring when used to provide historical background, whereas his integration of history and fiction works well while events are actually taking place. The most awkward moments come during a series of dialogues providing background on Rome during the reign of the Flavian Emperors. In some cases, Saylor uses this approach to set up future scenes; in others, it’s as if he’s trying to shoehorn in as much history as possible.
Saylor doesn't go for the Hollywood endings when it comes to the Pinarii, and I enjoy his sense of tragedy. Without giving too much away, the Pinarii clan is admirably (yet naively) staunch in their loyalty to their Emperors and friends, and it's enjoyable to be spectator to the historical train-wreck of such an amazingly varied group of personalities and events.
Each story is connected as one generation of Pinarii gives way to the next. An interesting device that Saylor uses is having one or more characters transition a new Pinarii generation from the old. Claudius carries over from the first chapter to the second. Several of Nero’s inner clan are close with Titus Pinarius in Chapter 2 and remain close to Titus’ son Lucius is Chapter 3. Emperor Trajan is the transitional character between Chapters 3 and 4.
Saylor touches on a number of themes throughout his stories including freedom of speech and religion, human rights, philosophy, and other high- and low-lights of Roman culture. And while there’s already a lot going on in this 600-page novel, cameo appearances of Rome’s’ historical luminaries like Suetonius, Apollodorus, Dio, Sejanus and many others make for nice surprises.
"Empire" is a fun, light-weight introduction to Ancient Roman history. The writing style is smooth and simple, and Saylor hits on most of the major themes and incidents in each of the respective time periods. For those looking for a consumable introduction to and exploration of Roman history, "Empire" is a good starting point.
Roman history is made up of fact, rumor, and myth, and Saylor hits on all of those elements in “Empire”. Each of four chapters tells a discrete and self-contained story set during key moments in the real or mythological history of Rome involving both fictional and non-fictional characters and events.
Saylor uses the Pinarii like stepping stones across a stream of time; each stone provides just enough footing to propel the reader onto the next rock of time. The chapters place a different Pinarii generation under the spotlight and provide enough drama to fill an entire book in itself.
The chapters are highlight reels of their respective periods. In the early years, Saylor gives glimpses of Livia's evil which is very reminiscent of the Livia from "I, Claudius". He opens a window on Tiberius's sadistic hideaway on an island off the coast of Italy where he purportedly kept young boys for his own pleasure. The second chapter runs the gamut of Caligula's psychoses and Claudius’ dramatically failed marriages. Readers also get a surprisingly poignant portrayal of Nero "fiddling" while Rome burns. In the third chapter, Saylor provides a historical discourse that includes the explosion of Mt. Vesuvius, the history of the development of the Flavian Amphitheater (known now as The Colosseum), and the rise and fall of the Flavian Emperors. In the final chapter, Saylor takes readers to the building of Trajan’s column and the Pantheon and gives an all too brief glimpse of the philosopher-emperor Hadrian.
The biggest frustration with "Empire" is the vastly inconsistent development of Saylor’s primary characters. The Pinarii are like castles made with wet sand. Just as they gain a bit of definition, substance and depth, they either fall apart or are washed away. It's almost as if in trying to hit all events in a given era, none are enough of a focus to allow time for the solid development of members of the Pinarii clan. I felt very little emotional pull towards the members of the family, neither particularly liking nor disliking any of them. This void of raw human drama significantly reduces the cohesion of each generational chapter and no amount of historical activity is able to overcome that vacuum.
The strongest character in the book is Emperor Nero whom Saylor paints as a subdued version of any Nathan Lane character. Nero ranges from sadistic to dramatic to regal to shockingly out-of-touch-with-reality. Though his end is predictably tragic, Nero and his era are the most interestingly interpreted. I have a bit of a bias towards Hadrian, but Saylor also did a fine job representing the erudite, introspective, and insecure monument-building Emperor.
Saylor’s dialogue often feels stilted, unnatural, and boring when used to provide historical background, whereas his integration of history and fiction works well while events are actually taking place. The most awkward moments come during a series of dialogues providing background on Rome during the reign of the Flavian Emperors. In some cases, Saylor uses this approach to set up future scenes; in others, it’s as if he’s trying to shoehorn in as much history as possible.
Saylor doesn't go for the Hollywood endings when it comes to the Pinarii, and I enjoy his sense of tragedy. Without giving too much away, the Pinarii clan is admirably (yet naively) staunch in their loyalty to their Emperors and friends, and it's enjoyable to be spectator to the historical train-wreck of such an amazingly varied group of personalities and events.
Each story is connected as one generation of Pinarii gives way to the next. An interesting device that Saylor uses is having one or more characters transition a new Pinarii generation from the old. Claudius carries over from the first chapter to the second. Several of Nero’s inner clan are close with Titus Pinarius in Chapter 2 and remain close to Titus’ son Lucius is Chapter 3. Emperor Trajan is the transitional character between Chapters 3 and 4.
Saylor touches on a number of themes throughout his stories including freedom of speech and religion, human rights, philosophy, and other high- and low-lights of Roman culture. And while there’s already a lot going on in this 600-page novel, cameo appearances of Rome’s’ historical luminaries like Suetonius, Apollodorus, Dio, Sejanus and many others make for nice surprises.
"Empire" is a fun, light-weight introduction to Ancient Roman history. The writing style is smooth and simple, and Saylor hits on most of the major themes and incidents in each of the respective time periods. For those looking for a consumable introduction to and exploration of Roman history, "Empire" is a good starting point.
kbelcher1992's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the second book in this series. While it was hard to read because it was so brutal at times with some of the empires it was still extremely informative. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in Rome.
ewd09's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from Goodreads First Reads!! Empire, Steven Saylor's second book in this series,is a very interesting/entertaining read!! I enjoy historical fiction and Empire does not disappoint. This book was written to cover a little over a hundred years and spans five generations of the Pinarius family. You go from the reign of Augustus to the height of empire under Hadrian. The Pinarii witness the madness of Caligula and Nero, the eruption of Vesuvius, the spectacular opening games of the Colosseum, and the building of many spectacular Roman landmarks! The story, to me, is a little slower than the previous novel in this series. I found it, at times, a little slow. I liked the faster pace of Roma, however, in Empire, you get a better understanding of the characters themselves, you're not just flying through history. In other words, this reads more like a historical fiction than the previous Roma (which read more like a VERY entertaining history text book). I really love this series, and hope to see more from Steven Saylor in the future.