pickA consul's wife asks Marcus Corvinus to look into the death of her uncle, whose death Alexander the Great has assured her in a seance was murder rather than an accident.
Very funny first few chapters lead into an intriguing historical mystery which made me wonder when certain names cropped up how it would gel with real events and which was told by a narrator with a consistently amusing “voice“.
so-soFollows the same formula as I Claudius—same framing, same dry prose—but without a Caligula to stir things up, the results are less satisfying.
My knowledge of Roman nobility was pretty much nonexistent until recently. So, regardless of the slog that this book kinda was, I am glad to say that I am a more learned man for having read it. The audiobook includes some short historical biographies after Claudius‘s death, which was an unexpected bonus!
The 2nd half of the book, is Caesar conquering more places in Europe and becoming the ruler of Rome. He then got stabbed by a group, like Brutus and Gaius. They got into power and made their own territories. Caesar's cousin, Octavius, who was revealed to be adopted by Caesar went to war with Brutus and Gaius and reclaimed Caesar's legacy. If you like books that are historical then this book is for you.
Caesar's Legion, a book about Caesar's many great battles which mostly were his victory. Giving a focus on his 10th legion which Caesar gave extra attention (rigorous training, discipline, and better food.) to became one of his strongest armies he commands. The story starts with a battle, that shortly cuts to the start of Caesar's reign as a general. The first half talks about his battles with Parts of Europe. The view is a 3rd person observer.
pickI recently finished a Great Courses about Roman emperors and the lecturer mentioned I Claudius multiple times as a good ‘novelization‘ of his subject. He‘s not wrong, but…
The novel can be dry and any dialogue is an info dump. Of course, Graves had no easy task and I can‘t see a better way to do it without losing integrity. And I suppose you could chalk the book‘s success up to Rome itself: it‘s telling how easily it takes you under its spell.
pickA fascinating look at trading voyages via the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and how the Roman Empire was financed by the import duty on goods (mainly spices, incense, and silks) imported from Arabia, East Africa, and India via Egypt. It's amazing just how much we know.
pickInformative and well-written. Kaldellis provides a good overview of Byzantine history from the mid-10th century to late 11th century. Topics covered include the reign of Basil II, the Battle of Manzikert, and the lead-up to the 1st Crusade, among others. While mainly focusing on military and political aspects of Byzantium, religion, society and the economy are also touched on.
Definitely worth reading if you're interested in Byzantine history.
The preface starts out by describing Hadrian‘s wall like “Ramparts are attractive..nothing bigger, grander, more masterful. And more impressive …power pulses from Hadrian‘s Wall”. Honestly seems like a 🍆metaphor.
