This sequel to "I, Claudius" was just as engaging as the original. ( )

The second (and much sadder) half of the story of Emperor Claudius of Rome. Essential reading if you have read the first half, but it will make you a bit sad. For all his faults, we came to rather admire Claudius in the first book, but in this one he is not quite as secretly capable, or--more importantly--lucky. ( )

Always read any book written or translated by Robert Graves. ( )

The second part of the granddaddy of all historical novels on ancient Rome (I, Claudus and Claudius the God must be read together). A small part of the genius of Graves is that he chose Claudius as his subject: A short-term, minor emperor, he demonstrates what the Julio-Claudian dynasty was all about. Graves imagines Claudius understanding all but unable to affect anything. ( )

I, Claudius and this book are the greatest additions to the ancient histories of Tacitus and Suetonius, at least until we hopefully - someday - discover the lost chapters of Tacitus' history of the early emperors. Wouldn't that be a great day? This is fiction, of course, but presented in similar, matter-of-fact style and filled with the same barrage of murderous intrigue and tyranny. What percentage of this is fact, I am not sure, though I imagine quite a lot of it is. But it's overall "factiness" just adds to the fascination of the story. How did they do it, those crazy Romans?

As sympathetic as Claudius is, he is a product of the barbarity of his age as well, but it's a fascinating barbarity that coexists with complex bureaucracies and philosophies untainted by the intervening era of Christianity. Ultimately, it's a tragedy for the uniquely brave Emperor, God or not, especially knowing what was to follow. Great read, though, and very entertaining, informative and bloody soap opera.