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Gates of Rome (Library Binding)

by Conn Iggulden (Author) "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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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

If the Roman Empire had taken as long to rise and fall as this novel takes to discover a main character and a plot, most of the world would still be wearing togas today. The story, such as it is, revolves around two boys: Gaius, the broody son of a wealthy senator, and Marcus, a prostitute's mischievous child who is reared as Gaius's brother and trained with him in the arts of war. Before the two boys reach majority, they are thrust into adulthood by the untimely death of Gaius's father and take up residence in Rome with Gaius's uncle Marius, a powerful consul who is vying with Sulla for control of the Republic. When Marcus is 14, he joins the Fourth Macedonian Legion to earn his fortune; Gaius remains by his uncle's side. Iggulden lingers long over boyhood pranks, trying the reader's patience; the pace picks up only halfway through the novel. Frequent fight scenes, ranging from individual combat to full scale battles, liven the mix somewhat, but the cartoon-like ability of the characters to bounce back after a few stitches weakens the effect. Though Iggulden has a solid grounding in Roman military history, anachronisms in speech and attitude ("Cabera took him outside and gave him a hiding") roll underfoot and trip up authenticity. A major twist toward the end reveals the protagonists to be two of Roman history's best-known figures, but readers with some knowledge of the period will have guessed their identities already. This is ultimately little more than a protracted introduction to a bigger story, which Iggulden will surely go on to tell.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Library Journal

English writer Iggulden's first novel is the story of two young boys-Gaius and Marcus, raised as brothers though one is illegitimate-as they grow to adulthood in Rome two millennia ago. At that time, the republic was beginning to fall apart, a collapse that would result in the civil wars that brought the emperors to power. It was a time of turmoil, chaos, revolutions, casual violence, and savage brutality, and Iggulden's descriptions of the culture and environment are vivid. Although covering a period unknown to most lay readers, Emperor is a surprisingly fast and often exciting read. Iggulden admits to taking some liberties with history, and his masking the identities of Gaius and Marcus is unnecessary and distracting. While the real identity of Marcus (Et tu, Brute?) may be a puzzle, readers with a fair knowledge of Roman history will quickly identify Gaius (think of the Ides of March). Also, the roles of historical warlords Marius and Sulla are not well clarified. Still, this entertaining historical novel will appeal to fans of Steven Pressfield and Michael Curtis Ford. For larger collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/02; also, look for Colleen McCullough's The October Horse: A Novel About Caesar and Cleopatra, which will be released by S. & S. in November.-Ed.]-Robert Conroy, Warren, M.
--Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews

61 Reviews
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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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