I read this book within 3 days, because it was so difficult to put down. I have read a lot of reviews that really make this book out to be untrue to history, and a complete figment of the author's imagination, as if this was a bad thing.

I totally agree that it is a complete work of fiction, based very, very losely on several figures of the Roman period. But the author even states, at the end, that this is meant to be a work of fiction, and it is a very good one at that. If I wanted true, historical facts, then I would pick up a non-fiction book all about Julius Ceasar.

I found the book to be a light read, not full of heavy, overly complicated words. The author didn't try to show that he had swallowed a dictionary, but instead created a world that you felt a part of. I didn't spend hours trying to figure out what words meant and I didn't feel that i needed a degree in Roman history to enjoy the book.

This is a very interesting book, that did actually make me want to go and read more about Roman history, and I certainly will be getting the next installment which is out in January 2004.

The only bad thing I can say about the book is that it stops very suddenly, which is quite a dissapointing ending, but knowing that there is a second one on the way, you can see why.
I definately reccommend this book to anyone, of all reading tastes.