From Publishers Weekly
McCullough (
The Thorn Birds;
The October Horse) continues her Masters of Rome series with a chronicle of one of history's most infamous love affairs. After the death of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Caesar's ambitious and brash cousin, and Octavian, Caesar's adopted son and designated heir, agree to jointly administer the far-flung empire: Antony in the East and Octavian in the West. It's not a happy arrangement, though, and their rivalry to rule Rome is the overarching theme of this sprawling, captivating saga. After a disastrous campaign to subdue the Parthians, Antony turns to Cleopatra, the enigmatic and fabulously wealthy queen of Egypt, to replenish his war chest. Determined to make Caesarion, her son by Julius Caesar, ruler of Rome, Cleopatra seduces Antony and soon has him as soft as a mushy pudding. Meanwhile, with the aid of his wife and Marcus Agrippa, Octavian secures his position in Rome and Italia. Prodded by Cleopatra, Antony gathers his forces in Greece for an invasion of Italia. The tragic denouement is, in McCullough's capable hands, no less compelling for being so well known. As with the previous volumes in this series, the author's scholarship and larger-than-life characters bring a tempestuous Rome to life.
(Dec.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description
The epic story of two of the world's most famous lovers a?? and the forces of politics, intrigue and ambition that shaped them a?? told as only Colleen McCullough can. Brutus and Cassius are dead at Philippi, leaving two Roman men to inherit the world. One is the twentya??yeara??old Octavian, whose brilliance, subtlety and political cunning give the lie to his small, sickly appearance. The other is Mark Antony, a man in his prime a?? lusty, Herculean, hedonistic, proven on the battlefields of war, politics and love. At first glance, it seems no contest: Antony is the certain winner. But in Alexandria sits Egypt's queen, Cleopatra, mourning the death of Julius Caesar, yet utterly focused on attaining world power for her only son, Caesarion. In order to achieve this, she must seduce and hold in thrall either Octavian or Antony. Her choice is Antony, whom she sees as consort, wara??lord and father of more children. No easy task for Cleopatra! Antony is first and foremost a Roman, an obstacle she must overcome before she can launch her bid for dominance. Antony and Cleopatra compellingly chronicles the events that inexorably led this stara??crossed pair to their fate. Undying love, unquenchable hate, the bitterness of defeat and the exaltation of victory march through the pages as Antony and Cleopatra pit themselves against Rome and Octavian.
