Imperium - Robert Harris

Imperium is the fifth novel by Robert Harris. I have read the first three, Fatherland, Enigma and Archangel, which might be said to belong to the genre of alternative history. I have not read Pompeii which is based on the events around the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, but when I saw Imperium at the airport I was tempted to buy it. A three hour flight and nearly 200 pages later, I think it is safe to say that I was hooked. WHAT IS IT ABOUT? The book is written in the form of a first person narrative, that person being the nearly 100-year old slave, Tiro, who as a slave of the famous orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, invented a system of shorthand ...  Read the complete review

Recently I have become a big fan of historical fiction - and especially of anything set in and around the era of the Roman Empire - so, being a big fan of Robert Harris and his previous novels, could not resist when I saw this last week in Tesco for the bargain price of £3.73!! This is one of the reasons why temptation should sometimes be ignored. Quite honestly, I was very disappointed and found this newest book from the author of Fatherland and Pompeii to be the worst he has yet released.... The novel is all about a well known legal case of the Roman Advocate, Marcus Tullus Cicero as he takes on some very influential people in a bid to see justice ...  Read the complete review

Ancient Rome is back in vogue, maybe this stems from huge success of the film 'Gladiator' a few years ago but more recently this fascination has spread to TV and books. The highly enjoyable TV romp Rome presented us with the more common vision of the ancient capitol featuring plenty or orgies, assassinations and torture... an adult Roman soap opera if you like. In the sphere of literature there have been many historically based fantasy fictions such as the Emperor series by Conn Iggulden or the books by Valerio Massimo Manfredi one of which 'The Last Legion' has also been made into a film. Some authors however has attempted to bring a more realistic vision of ancient ...  Read the complete review

I've always been a fan of Robert Harris' novels, particularly Fatherland and Archangel. His previous outing to Ancient Rome (Pompeii) left me a little cold, however, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from Imperium. What I found was a gripping book. Although a historian by training, I have always found the history of Rome a bit dull. In the hands of Harris, though, it is brought back to life. I've no idea how accurate Harris' portrayal is, but it FEELS right, which is the main thing. Imperium focuses on, Cicero; a lawyer keen to enter political life and his struggles to be accepted, particularly by the Roman aristocracy. Roman politics has ...  Read the complete review