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Product Description
Review
Publishers Weekly, 7/26/10
“Dando-Collins vividly recreates one of history’s most famous events…Dando-Collins energetically recreates the days leading up to the fire, the conflagration itself, and the subsequent decline of Nero’s fortunes.”
WTVF (CBS, Nashville), 9/7/10
“Did Nero really set fire to Rome in 64AD? More than just a convenient slam against a failed emperor, this book solves the historical puzzle and is interesting reading.”
Internet Review of Books, September 2010
“Dando-Collins manages the narrative skillfully, burying his transitions so that the story flows as easily and inevitably as the Tiber. The cruelty and violence are appalling but fascinating, and they help keep the pages turning…He writes with admirable enthusiasm and a good grasp of the things that interest him most, military affairs, plots, and power plays…Enjoy it!”
Washington Times, 9/17
“Dando-Collins takes readers inside ancient Rome and its political intrigues that unfold alongside a momentous human drama.”
Asbury Park Press, 9/19
“This book explores that fateful (for Rome, at least) night of July 19 in the year 64, when a blaze began beneath the Circus Maximus—ancient Rome's version of Madison Square Garden.”
PopMatters.com, 9/22
“Nero and the Great Fire of Rome is a tale that begs to be told; it is a heck of a good story…It is entertaining. It moves quickly and delivers its main points well.”
The Lone Star, September 2010
“[A] totally interesting book…You will learn the many secrets and the scandals that surround this most mysterious of historical event.”
InfoDad.com, 9/30/10
“Very well-written and very well-paced…What Dando-Collins does so well, in addition to re-creating the sense of Rome 2,000 years ago, is explain both the confluence of events leading to the fire and the later circumstances that led to the besmirching of Nero’s name…A clearheaded, intelligent look at what sort of man the last Caesar seems really to have been, and how the devastating fire for which he was wrongly blamed led to the ruin of his rule and reputation.”
Bookviews.com, October 2010
“Heavily researched”
Library Journal, 10/08/10
“Surprisingly little nonfiction exists for a general audience about the Great Fire of Rome…Dando-Collins fills this gap with an exciting, novelistic account of the fire that remains solidly grounded in the primary source literature…This book will appeal to general Roman history buffs and students with its fast pacing and dramatic content. Recommended.”
Italian America, Fall 2010
“Expos[es] the secrets and scandals surrounding this infamous historical event and separat[es] truth from legend.”
“Expos[es] the secrets and scandals surrounding this infamous historical event and separat[es] truth from legend.”
Kingman Daily Miner, 10/8/10
“A page-turner and an insightful eye-opener to ancient Roman history…Brilliantly written and highly recommended.”
San Francisco Book Review website, 11/4/10
“Dando-Collins presents another side to the story…[His] hypotheses are well-researched…The language is refreshing, simple, and not overly academic…The book retains intrigue as Dando-Collins moves from the underlying turmoil that led up to the fire to the slow dethroning of Nero. Overall, it is an easy, entertaining read.”
“Dando-Collins presents another side to the story…[His] hypotheses are well-researched…The language is refreshing, simple, and not overly academic…The book retains intrigue as Dando-Collins moves from the underlying turmoil that led up to the fire to the slow dethroning of Nero. Overall, it is an easy, entertaining read.”
Midwest Book Review, November 2010
“A fine addition to any history collection focusing on the time of antiquity.”
Military Heritage, January 2011
“Dando-Collins gives us an entirely different view of the events that led to the cataclysmic inferno that engulfed Rome on the evening of July 19, AD 64…[His] account of Nero’s brief life, the conspiracy that was concocted against him, and the great fire that consumed 70 percent of the Eternal City is intriguing.”
Asbury Park Press, 1/16/11
“Dando-Collins' chronicle of Nero's career is presented in the context of the dynamics of the empire as well as the lives of ordinary people in Rome in the first century. For most readers, it will shed new and interesting light on the man and the era.”
“Dando-Collins' chronicle of Nero's career is presented in the context of the dynamics of the empire as well as the lives of ordinary people in Rome in the first century. For most readers, it will shed new and interesting light on the man and the era.”
Reference & Research Book News, February 2011
“An excellent corrective to myth and a good introduction to first-century Roman history.”
“An excellent corrective to myth and a good introduction to first-century Roman history.”
Collected Miscellany, 4/25/11
“Dando-Collins does a superb job of describing the various plots to overthrow Nero and how he reacted to each threat…A fascinating look at ancient Rome and the power politics of the last days of the Caesar dynasty. Dando-Collins captures the scheming and back-stabbing among the power elite…A must-read for anyone interested in the politics of Rome.”
“Dando-Collins does a superb job of describing the various plots to overthrow Nero and how he reacted to each threat…A fascinating look at ancient Rome and the power politics of the last days of the Caesar dynasty. Dando-Collins captures the scheming and back-stabbing among the power elite…A must-read for anyone interested in the politics of Rome.”
UNRV.com, 6/14/11
“A rather good story, well told...An interesting read and the style will appeal to many readers who may be reluctant to persevere with more ‘academic’ treatises.”
“A rather good story, well told...An interesting read and the style will appeal to many readers who may be reluctant to persevere with more ‘academic’ treatises.”
Curled Up with a Good Book, 7/4/11
“A vivid portrait of ancient Rome that is sure to fascinate readers and anyone with an interest in history…Roman civilization comes to life throughout…Skilled writing…Well-researched."
About the Author
Stephen Dando-Collins is an Australian-born historian, editor, and author. He has written several highly acclaimed nonfiction books, including Caesar’s Legion and Tycoon’s War. He lives in Tasmania.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A New Perspective on Nero,
By
Ce commentaire est de: The Great Fire Of Rome (Hardcover)
Despite this book's title, it really recounts the reign of Nero - the last Roman emperor in the Julian line. The author, a historian, does briefly discuss the fire itself, its devastating effects and its aftermath. He considers this disaster the turning point in Nero's popularity which declined from then on until the bloody end a couple of years later. Most of the Nero biographers that I am familiar with tend to paint Nero with the same brush: cruel, lascivious, crazy, etc. This author, on the other hand, suggests that the ancient sources, on which current biographies of Nero are based, are biased. He claims that Nero was well-liked before the fire and would have done well in the rough and cruel times in which he lived, had the tables not turned on him as they did.The author writes well. In fact, all of the historical books of his that I have read thus far read almost like novels. As part of this friendly style, and as already pointed out by some prior reviewers, he takes a few liberties by adding information that cannot really be known, e.g., some facial expressions, some scenes, some minor events that "would" have happened, some likely conversations, etc. However, these don't detract from the main historical facts and make for spellbinding reading. Overall, the book is quite captivating, lively and accessible. It should be of interest to a wide readership, especially ancient history enthusiasts.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.6 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews) 8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting reading behind the Great Fire of Rome,
By lordhoot "lordhoot" - Published on Amazon.com
Ce commentaire est de: The Great Fire Of Rome (Hardcover)
This book reflects on the how the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD led to the fall of Emperor Nero four years later. Much of the book is filled with background material prior to the fire. However, from the author's point of view, it did appears that Nero initially tried to fight the fires although later on, he took advantages of what the end result of the fire provided him. Interestingly, the book didn't write much about the Christians being tormented as we see in some Hollywood movies. Perhaps the author realized (as many of us already knew) that there wasn't enough Christians in Rome during that time to create a scapegoat complex. So Nero went after the followers of Egyptian Goddess Iris who were more numerous in number. Nero seek a scapegoat because the growing rumours even back then, that he had a hand in the fire. Despite of Nero's best efforts, this wasn't going away so he needed a fall guy to take the blame. The book covered the fact that even afterward, many Roman historians still blame Nero for the fire. Whether this was a calculated effort at misinformation, it hard to tell. The book does say that most of Nero's contemporary historians does NOT blame Nero for the fire. But the negative press that Nero suffered from the fire during his life time, plus his frivolous lifestyle and his murderous tendencies, led to his downfall which was universally hailed in great rejoicing. The book does a very good job in describing all that in a very readable material. The author does take certain "liberties" with drama within the historical context but overall, I found the book highly entertaining and somewhat educational.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of detail,
By pmlvr1969 - Published on Amazon.com
Achat Amazon vérifié(Quest-ce que cest?)
Ce commentaire est de: The Great Fire Of Rome (Hardcover)
Stephen Collins does it again. Another great book from his line. Lots of detail and keeps you wanting more.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid history of Nero and his fall,
By Big George - Published on Amazon.com
Ce commentaire est de: The Great Fire Of Rome (Hardcover)
Ultimately, this is a history of Nero from about A.D.64 to his suicide. The fire of Rome was just the crisis that pushed opinion against him. There has been allot of controversy to the extent which Nero persecuted Christians after the fire. The author claims that he persecuted the cult of Isis and not Christians. It's an interesting theory, but ultimately there are only a couple of things that back the argument. However, the evidence that he went after Christians is lacking as well. He makes a claim that biased Christian authors copied the histories and changed some things, but this is just speculation and impossible to prove definitively. The meat of the book successfully shows that Nero wasn't the mindless madman that he often is portrayed as, and the people who wrote about him were biased because of his acting and singing contests. While there was something definitely a little nutty about Nero, he acted surprisingly well and sensibly at times. We must not forget that most Roman's in power, especially the emperors, were a product of their time and look like monsters to modern eyes.
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