The Field of Swords

As the author tells the gripping story of Julius Caesar's conquests in Europe, culminating with the battle for Britain, narrator Paul Blake keeps the pace lively and intense. His voice is expressive as he conveys the strong emotions of Caesar, Brutus, their warrior companions, and their alluring lovers. Overall, Blake is easy to listen, to and he stays in the background of the story. However, vocal differentiation of the wide variety of characters is, for the most part, nonexistent. He also misses an excellent opportunity to use accents in a story teeming with a variety of foreigners from all parts of the burgeoning Roman Empire. S.K.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

February 21, 2005
The third (after Emperor: The Gates of Rome
and Emperor: The Death of Kings
) of four projected volumes in the much-praised fiction series based on the life and times of Julius Caesar, this sweeping epic resumes the narrative in Spain where young Julius is fantasizing about the conquests of Alexander the Great. After four prosperous years with the Tenth Legion in Spain, Julius has discovered gold and decides to return to Rome with his loyal general, Brutus. There, rich with Spanish loot, Julius enters into an alliance with Pompey, a popular and autocratic military leader, and his older, wealthy co-consul, Crassus. Sponsored by this pair of influential and unscrupulous politicians, Julius is elected consul and assumes charge of an expedition to Gaul with full powers to take spoils and rule his conquests in the name of Rome. His eventual victory over Vercingetorix is only postponed by a daring side campaign in Britain. The novel ends as Julius receives word that Pompey plans to have him slain, and Julius, Brutus and Mark Antony prepare to march on Rome, leaving avid readers athirst to read the final volume. Iggulden has been gathering momentum gradually over his first two installments, and here he blasts full steam ahead, with blistering battle scenes ("there was more flesh than grass") and rapier-sharp political intrigue. Agent, Kathy Anderson at Anderson/Grinberg Literary Management.