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The Gates of Rome (Emperor)
 
 
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The Gates of Rome (Emperor) (Paperback)

"The track in the woods was a wide causeway to the two boys strolling down it ..." (more)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)

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61 Reviews
5 star:
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3 star:
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3.0 out of 5 stars (61 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Fictional History, Jun 18 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Emperor: The Gates of Rome (Hardcover)
There is no excuse for the historical inaccuracies of this book. When you write a novel about a historical figure, it's one thing to flesh out the story, add details to fill in the blanks, or even create a character that may not have existed. What you don't get to do is ignore the facts just because they get in the way of your story.

I am an avid fan of Colleen McCollough's Founder's of Rome series. Her books were what started my fascination with Ancient Rome. I realize they can be a little heavy but at least she's done her research. Others, too, have managed to write entertaining novels without completely distorting history. Try The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George for one or I, Claudius by Robert Graves for another.

Some of the changes the author made didn't even make sense. Why make Marius the brother of Caesar's mother instead of the husband of his father's sister? He's still his uncle. I guess the author wanted them to share the same blood lines.

How many people will read this book without any prior knowledge of this period of history and assume they know the basic facts about Caesar's life? Ignorance may be bliss but misinformation can make you look like an idiot.

Oh--and it wasn't even that good a book. The characters lacked dimension and the plot seemed very formulatic.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Tale/Poor Historical Fiction, May 25 2004
By Bookworm Plus "Bill C." (Redondo Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Emperor: The Gates of Rome (Hardcover)
Before going further, I grant that this tale of two spunky lads trying to make their mark in the days of the late Roman Republic is a potboiler that kept my interest and has me wondering what will happen in the sequel. The problem is that the main characters are very prominent historical figures and the basic story deviates way too far from actual history. This is not a case of filling in the blanks based on logical assumptions. Colleen McCullough did this very effectively in the Master of Rome series. Instead Iggulden ignored the historical facts and flow to create settings and events of his choosing. I bought this book knowing nothing about it and from the title expected it to be set in Imperial Rome. As I began to understand what was going on, I started to get a sick feeling that young Gaius would turn out to be Julius Caeser with his cohort being Brutus. Needless to say this turned out to be the case. An analogy would be a story in which George Washington grows up in a city such as New York or Charleston sharing daring and swashbuckling adventures with Benedict Arnold as his bosom buddy. Those wishing to really learn something about ancient Rome in a historical novel should try Colleen McCullough. Although I may read and possibly enjoy the sequel, I have to downgrade Emperor's rating because a good story does not excuse grossly inaccurate historical fiction.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Silly version of Rome, Jun 4 2004
By R. Fasoldt "rance" (Penn Valley, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Emperor: The Gates of Rome (Hardcover)
Although the opening sequences are as puerile as the protagonists, I think that the author has some talent in writing: I just wish he had used it. It also mystifies me why he felt it necessary to use Brutus and Caesar in such a ridiculous manner. Caesar was born in 100 B.C and Brutus in 85 B.C. And they're growing up together? Brutus wasn't a foundling, but came from an ancient family. Is it really necessary to torture facts in this way simply to reduce Roman history to the level of Days of Our Lives?

On the plus side, the author is able to catch the sense of life in the legions: hence, the second star in my review. I wish he had employed his knowledge in a more mature and subtle story. What a time that was!

Do yourself a favor, read Colleen McCullough, and skip ahead when she gets too involved in the political maneuvering. Or even better, re-read the Iliad for real power, or War and Peace to experience how Tolstoy can sweep you through history with writing that moves like a freight train.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great with the right mind set

The Emperor series rekindled a long lost love of reading lost for almost a decade. The series has had many mixed reviews, many of which have been low. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Christopher Mallette

5.0 out of 5 stars Gladiator type action 'fast paced for a slow reader like myself'
If you are interested in scratching the surface of understanding ancient Rome during Ceasar, then this book does it. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jeff W. Fowler

3.0 out of 5 stars A extremly fun read!
While this was not the most acclaimed literary book of our time it does delve into what it may have been like to grow up in ancient Rome with two different perspecitives, and I... Read more
Published on Jun 21 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars better than McCullough
I don't get this. There are reviewers here that find more fault with this book than with the "Da Vinci Code" ! Read more
Published on Jun 15 2004 by waiting2bdeleted

1.0 out of 5 stars Unadulterated garbage
If it were possible to give this book a negative rating of 5, I would. It's badly written, the plot is laughable, the events described bear no relation to what we know of the... Read more
Published on May 16 2004 by Divya Sampath

2.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story/Atrocious Writing
I really wanted to like this book. After all, there are few periods of time more interesting than Rome during the late Republic/early Empire, and few historical figures more... Read more
Published on May 4 2004 by J. Fuchs

3.0 out of 5 stars It is what it is....
I was surprised by all the negative and elitist responses to this book. I can only ask, what did you expect? Read more
Published on April 26 2004 by Patrick Devenny

4.0 out of 5 stars Corn & crossbows in early Rome ?
I really injoyed this book. A good read !! BUT... corn (a new world crop) & crossbows ( not due to arrive for several hundred years from China) was a severe irritant that did... Read more
Published on April 21 2004 by Tom myers

1.0 out of 5 stars Emperor: The Gates of Rome
Unless you dont care about historical inaccuracies this is not worth the read. Although it was easy to read and maybe even entertaining it is so riddled with historical mistakes... Read more
Published on April 11 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Adolescent Fiction
I really enjoyed reading this book. I bought a copy for my twelve yr. old nephew and he really took to the book. Read more
Published on April 10 2004

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