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Book Description
PART OF THE ACCLAIMED MASTERS OF ROME SERIES
Product Description
The first book in the epic Masters of Rome series.
Rome. 110BC. A city which is home to Gaius Marius, prosperous but lowborn, a proud and disciplined soldier emboldened by his shrewdness and self-made wealth. It is also home to Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a handsome young aristocrat corrupted by powerty, a shameless pleasure seeker.
Two men of extraordinary vision, men of ruthless ambition, both blessed and cursed by the special favour of Fortune. men fated to lay the foundations of the most awesome empire ever known, and to play out a mighty struggle for power and glory - for Marius and Sulla share a formidable ambition: to become First Man in Rome.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To put it simply, I couldn't stop reading. A truly remarkable work of historical fiction based soundly in historical fact. As a fan of this type of literature, I heartily recommend this example.
Not a single character appears but is fully rounded and fleshed out; she happily delves back into a particular character's past then effortlessly brings you back to the current plot. The plots themselves are beautifully complex without being complicated. Her true masterstroke (amongst many) is in making each character human. The enemies of the books 'heroes' are not villains - simply differently minded. Even our protagonists are not above selfish or violent deeds. All is so well presented in the social and moral code of the time, without any modern comment, that you begin to forget you're reading a historical work.
Having finished this book, I was delighted to see that there are several more to follow. Until I get my hands on them I'm very happily reading the glossary!
Not a single character appears but is fully rounded and fleshed out; she happily delves back into a particular character's past then effortlessly brings you back to the current plot. The plots themselves are beautifully complex without being complicated. Her true masterstroke (amongst many) is in making each character human. The enemies of the books 'heroes' are not villains - simply differently minded. Even our protagonists are not above selfish or violent deeds. All is so well presented in the social and moral code of the time, without any modern comment, that you begin to forget you're reading a historical work.
Having finished this book, I was delighted to see that there are several more to follow. Until I get my hands on them I'm very happily reading the glossary!
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If you are at all the tiniest bit interested in the history of ancient Rome, you must read the Masters of Rome series. Some of the practices of Roman society at that time were, in modern eyes, barbaric, but McCullough presents them in a matter-of-fact way, she does not judge anyone. Even the monstrous Sulla was, at times, likeable and you can't get away from the fact he was a genius. I liked that she did not just present the bare bones of Roman history, but each character comes alive at her hands. You learn why each character behaves as he/she does, and their decisions that will eventually shape the world. You can almost imagine strolling through the Subura, taking in the hustle and bustle of street vendors, touching elbows with Roman citizens from the poorest to the grandest, soaking in the smells and the hot sun, hearing the babble of many different languages. McCullough, who must have spent countless exhausting months researching this, presents her book as if to say: this was Rome - this was how her citizens behaved - these are the laws they formulated, the battles they fought, their hopes and struggles. You may not approve but that was life in 60BC - these people are not for you to judge, but take the time to learn their story and understand how the modern world was shaped.
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is the first in the six part series called "The Masters of Rome" and this book starts deals with two of these men. Primarily focusing on Gaius Marius who is a wealthy but ancestrally poor man, which causes him to be slighted by the powerful men of Rome, despite his being the most able military commander of his time. The secondary character of this book is the charismatic Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Sulla is the degenerate but patrician son of an extremely poor family and despite his good name looks to be unable to even enter the senate. The lives of these two men, who are so closely related to the Julius Caesar, are related in this wonderfully descriptive and historically accurate book.
Be warned; you will be hooked on these books, but on the bright side your knowledge of Ancient Rome will increase one hundred fold and learning has never been so fun!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
marvellous trip to a tumultuos old experiment in democracy
When they are done well, there is nothing like a fat historical novel. You enter a world that is alien and yet so very familiar. Read more
Published 11 months ago by rob crawford
Tremendous Job
Many reviewers have commented on McCullough's scholarship. (Especially on Amazon.com. Why is it their reviews are always much better-written, more interesting than ours? Read more
Published 18 months ago by conjunction
And so it begins
Takes a little while to get into and you feel that maybe some parts could have been cut out, but once it gets going you realise that those parts you thought could have been cut... Read more
Published 20 months ago by AdNoctum
The Republic brought back to life!
Collen put together a great piece of work. It's evidently she did a lot of research and the outcome is a massive book with a deep story, charismatic characters and her personal... Read more
Published 22 months ago by B. Pique
Brilliant
Read the entire series one book after another.
I thought I was more into cut and thrust books but the detail and accuracy of Collen McCullen is nothing but brilliant.
I thought I was more into cut and thrust books but the detail and accuracy of Collen McCullen is nothing but brilliant.
Published 23 months ago by Mr. P. Knaggs
Simply Sumptuous
I borrowed this book over ten years ago. I went on to buy and read the rest of the series. I've been a fan of Roman history all my life, and have read many books (fiction and... Read more
Published on 25 May 2010 by James Ingram
Learning has never been so fun........
After reading another well known Rome fiction series (the Emperor series by Conn Iggulden), i picked up the First Man in Rome and found it hard to put down for more than a few... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by JMTAL
I love these books
These books have a special place in my heart and started a life long passion for the roman empire. The books are powerful reads that show the true nature of rome and its complex... Read more
Published on 22 July 2009 by C. J. Dyer
Ghastly amateurish rubbish
I bought this after reading the same glowing reviews that you are now reading on Amazon. Warning bells sounded as soon as I saw the Art GCSE grade C level drawings of the main... Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2008 by doonjaiasi
addictive
The whole series of the Masters of Rome is highly addictive, this is the first, the amazing thing is that these characters actually existed ! Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2008 by Mw R. Moore
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