Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome [Paperback]

Bestselling British author Harris (Pompeii; Enigma) returns to ancient Rome for this entertaining and enlightening novel of Marcus Cicero's rise to power. Narrated by a household slave named Tiro, who actually served as Cicero's "confidential secretary" for 36 years, this fictional biography follows the statesman and orator from his early career as an outsider—a "new man" from the provinces—to his election to the consulship, Rome's highest office, in 64 B.C. Loathed by the aristocrats, Cicero lived by his wits in a tireless quest for imperium—the ultimate power of life and death—and achieves "his life's ambition" after uncovering a plot by Marcus Crassus and Julius Caesar to rig the elections and seize control of the government. Harris's description of Rome's labyrinthine, and sometimes deadly, political scene is fascinating and instructive. The action is relentless, and readers will be disappointed when Harris leaves Cicero at the moment of his greatest triumph. Given Cicero's stormy consulship, his continuing opposition to Julius Caesar and his own assassination, readers can only hope a sequel is in the works. Until then, this serves as a superb first act. 350,000 announced first priting; 10-city author tour. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Adult/High School–The tumultuous history of Rome from 79 to 64 B.C. comes alive in this fictional biography of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the politician and superb orator who rose to the empire's highest office after starting as an outsider from the provinces. His first legal case drew him into a long battle with powerful Gaius Verres, the dangerously corrupt governor of Sicily. Cicero displayed his wit and talent for oration and strategy to triumph over Verres and other opponents in high-profile cases. Harris has written a fast-paced tale, the first part of a trilogy. He examines the full spectrum of Roman society, including its dark side of corruption, class divisions, betrayal, and cruelty. Cicero, who sought imperium, or ultimate power of the state, is portrayed as a sympathetic figure whose allegiance was to the idea of Republic. The author paints a vivid picture of everyday life, and the courtroom dramas are, at times, riveting. Readers will recognize other famous Romans who pop up in the story, including Julius Caesar and Pompey. They may also recognize the timelessness of the pursuit of power.–Susanne Bardelson, Kitsap Regional Library, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Harris, author of the best-selling Pompeii (2003), returns to ancient Rome in this historical tour de force. Tackling as his subject the brilliant orator and senator Marcus Cicero, Harris adopts the voice of Tiro, Cicero's faithful manservant and confidential secretary. Based on his real-life counterpart, Tiro, often credited as the inventor of shorthand and the author of a biography of Cicero tragically lost during the Middle Ages, narrates the story of his master's rise from relative obscurity to imperium, attainment of supreme power in the state. Thrusting himself upon the tumultuous Roman political scene at age 27, Cicero, an ambitious provincial lawyer, matches wits and wills with political and military heavyweights Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. The author paints a brilliant portrait of Roman senatorial intrigue and corruption, proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Harris spins a crackling good yarn, made all the more powerful by the fact that it is thoroughly grounded in history. A brilliant fictional biography of one of antiquity's most complex and triumphant characters. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

"Meticulous, absorbing and informative." - The New York Times Book Review

"A joy to read in every way." - The Independent

"An entertainingly vivid picture of one of history's most fascinating elected officials." - USA Today

"Harris's zest for political machinations serves the material well." -- The Washington Post

"A minutely observed political novel...set during the most poignant era in ancient Roman history." -- Newsday (New York)

"In Harris's hands the great game [of politics] becomes a beautiful one." -- The Times (London)

"Excellent.... Full of back-biting and double-dealing, compromise and intrigue." -- Time Out

Robert Harris is the author of Pompeii, Enigma, and Fatherland. He has been a television correspondent with the BBC and a newspaper columnist for the London Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph. His novels have sold more than ten million copies and been translated into thirty languages. He lives in Berkshire, England, with his wife and four children.

Welcome to a political adventure set in Imperial Rome--or is it Washington? The ambitions and intrigue surrounding the great Roman orator and advocate Cicero have some delicious parallels in contemporary politics. Narrator Simon Jones immerses listeners in the world presented by Cicero's facile scribe (and slave), Tiro, who recounts the events of Cicero's career. Jones makes the endless Latin names seem effortless, keeping each character straight and tossing off the names as easily as if they were his most familiar friends. In print this would likely bog down many readers--in audio each new character (and name) is welcomed. Details of Roman culture and history surround the senators, consuls, generals, and scoundrels. Jones makes Cicero's rise to power an engrossing listening experience. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.