The Gates of Rome

It takes a peculiar kind of confidence to attempt a novel set in a period, and whose protagonist, has already received a spectacular treatment in fiction.

Unfortunately, this author's confidence is sadly misplaced. Indeed, one has to wonder what the publisher was thinking when it brazenly describes this in the book's blurb as "The Ultimate Rome Story". Colleen McCullough this is not. If one hopes to read this book to gain insights into life in ancient Rome, or indeed the life of Gaius Julius Caesar in particular, one will be sorely disappointed ... as one will be if one merely expects a well-written, tightly plotted action story set in a time long ago.

This is hardly the first book in which I have lost count of the number of sentences show more that I had to re-read, usually several times, to try to discern what information the author was actually intending to convey, but that never makes the annoyance any the less.

The tenor of the book was well represented by the first few pages (I kept hoping for improvement; it never came), in which, apart from the Roman names, the action as described [the relevance of which to the plot never became clear, at least to me] might as well have occurred in medieval England as in first century Rome. It was impossible not to contrast this with the first few pages of McCullough's "First Man in Rome", in which one is instantly taken to a time and place one could never mistake as being anything other than ancient Rome.

One final, but, I think, telling point (spoiler ahead, so don't keep reading if you intend to read this book). The final words of the novel seem to suggest strongly that Caesar's childhood playmate and best friend in this book, named merely as "Marcus" throughout the book, is actually Marcus Brutus -- the Brutus who would later take part in the assassination of Caesar. This is quite a surprise, as the real Brutus was adopted by his uncle, not Caesar's father; and, even more tellingly, Brutus was some fifteen years Caesar's junior. The author does not deign to address this point in "Historical Note" at the end of the book -- a note in which he, perhaps less surprisingly, also does not mention McCullough's work.

I have given this book two stars, but only because I reserve one-star ratings for books that I can't finish. This one was rather like watching a slowly unfolding accident that should never have happened... I kept thinking that it would have to improve, and that I must just be missing some basic piece of brilliance that explained why the publishers thought this a worthwhile addition to the territory covered by McCullough. So I made it to the end (and the bizarre revelation of Marcus' identity); but I certainly don't intend to subject myself to any of the sequels. show less

This book comes storming out of the gates and tramples the reader. Ironically I feel that our main character is the least developed in the story. That may change. But overall the tension, pace and tone of the book is great. I read the author's Genghis Kahn series and thoroughly enjoyed it. So far this one is shaping up to be better. The great thing about this being historical fiction is that you know what is going to happen eventually but what you don't see coming is the artistic license that the writer uses to draw the parallels. Not too keen on the use of the word "LAD" Very misplaced.
I do see some repetition of the same formulas and concepts used in the authors other novels. This could very easily become a weakness in literary show more structure but it seems Iggulden can use it to his advantage in story telling. I do not know how I did not see it coming. But the end of this book slapped me in the head and elicited a loud "No Way" out of me, as I finished. Great ending. Very excited about book two. show less

My copy of The Gates of Rome has a review on the cover saying "If you liked Gladiator, you'll love Emperor". I believe this is a fairly accurate summary of the Emperor series. This is a rip-roaring epic set during the collapse of Republican Rome. It plays fast and loose with the facts to tell the almost larger than life story of a provincial Roman boy and his best friend Marcus who are destined to rule the known world.

Conn Iggulden starts his ambitious series with The Gates of Rome which covers Gaius Julius Caesar's life from eight-years-old to his entry into the army at about age twenty. We get (completely fabricated) details of the training and tutoring that would enable a self confident child to become the most powerful man on show more Earth.

Things really take off when Julius is sent to live with his uncle Marius in Rome and Marcus joins the legion. Marius is a powerful man, with an equally powerful adversary: his protégé and rival Sulla. The resolution of the slowly building conflict between these two giants caps off this first novel.

Mr. Iggulden is a very skilled writer. For his first shot out of the gate he was able to both paint a vivid portrait of Roman society and keep you turning the pages, eager to see what was going to happen next. The tension between Marius and Sulla is palpable and very suspenseful. Since this is historical fiction, I already knew at least broadly what was the resolution would be, yet I still hated setting the book aside at night.

The Gates of Rome was compulsively readable. It never got bogged down in details or minutia, yet explained the ancient world clearly enough that I was never hazy about what was going on. Battle scenes are vivid and exciting. I especially remember the Caesar estate under siege during a slave revolt, Marius and his fifty soldiers running the gauntlet after he demanded his triumphal march and Marcus and his troop of eight men holing up in a fortress with the corpses of those that were supposed to defend it. This is exciting stuff.

One word of warning: the Emperor series is not historically accurate. It may be better to label the series as 'fantasy' rather than 'historical fiction'. Details of Caesar's life are changed around and simplified. Some details (especially in this first book since so little is known of Caesar's childhood) are made up whole cloth. The author doesn't so much get the facts wrong, as just ignores them altogether to make his narrative more compelling. If accuracy is of paramount importance to you in your historical fiction, this may not be for you.

To his credit, the author advises in his afterward what deviations he's taken with history. He also recommends more accurate books about the life of Julius Caesar. If it weren't for the author's note at the end of each book explaining what was true and what wasn't, the false history would probably bother me more.

I do think that the inaccuracies were negligible in my enjoyment of this book. If nothing else the excitement of the story telling may encourage readers to further investigate ancient history in a way that a dry biography would not. show less

Really enjoyed this - Conn’s style fits this type of topic really well, and the audiobook narrator was a perfect fit for the story as well. Overall, there are places the book could have included more historical details, but it does a great job of telling a good story within relevant historical context, and I definitely learned about the world of the time. Books like this succeed when they make you start to think and wonder what living at that time in history yourself would have been like - would you have acted like the characters, in their context? On that front, this book succeeded, and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes next.

The Gates of Rome is the starting book of Iggulden's Emperor series that chronicles the life of Julius Caesar. This first book takes us from Julius' childhood growing up with Marcus Brutus (yes, of 'et tu Brute' fame!), until he joins a Roman legion in Greece during his late teens. Although the description of everyday Roman life was interesting, it didn't have the same impact of the might and power of the Roman Empire that I found in the 3rd and 4th books. Well narrated though and definitely worth a listen.

Entertaining enough historical fiction if you approach it as "inspired by the life of Julius Caesar" rather than meticulously researched work in the Sharon Penman tradition. It plays fast and loose with the historical record but the action scenes zip along and the characters are vivid if not always three-dimensional.

If you're interested in the period, Robert Graves and Allan Massie are more rewarding writers, and the HBO series "Rome" is a more successful mix of fact and fiction.

With me not being too familiar with this period in history I’m not as irritated as some readers are regarding the historical inaccuracies. With the author explaining what’s not true afterwards, this makes it okay with me, though realise this won’t appease hardcore fans of the Roman era.

In a nutshell, the first half of the book is brilliant, the second half’s good in parts. Think this is because it opens with action, rather than a long-winded intro, and we see Caesar growing up and dealing with boyhood.

The second part brings in a lot of characters, perhaps too many, and it takes on a more political theme. But there’re good battle scenes and some quality boy-meets-girl scenarios.

My favourite character is Renius, the no-nonsense show more ex-gladiator.

So not one for Rome purists but worth checking out if you like your historical fiction fast-paced with plenty of action. show less