The Death of Kings

February 23, 2004
After what was in effect a preamble—Emperor: The Gates of Rome
(2003)—Julius Caesar takes center stage in this second fast-moving, action-oriented installment in Iggulden's projected four-book retelling of the Roman emperor's saga. Julius, a rising young officer assigned to the Roman-controlled northern coast of Africa, distinguishes himself in a bloody raid on the fortress of Mytilene only to have his transport ship captured by pirates. He and the crew are thrown into the hold to rot while awaiting a ransom that will likely ruin his young family back in Rome. After the ransom arrives, Julius gathers his loyal men and marches along the coast, impressing the locals (pirate collaborators all) into military service. He makes good on his bloody promise to wipe out the pirates, then takes his forces to Greece, where, at long odds, he defeats old king Mithridates, who is leading an insurrection that threatens Roman rule in all of Greece. Julius returns to Rome victorious and rich—only to find that the corruption and thuglike violence at the heart of the Republic has come near to destroying those he holds dear, including his wife and small daughter. Those looking for depth of character may be disappointed that Julius Caesar is pictured as little more than a man gripped by driving ambition. Iggulden does a better job in weaving an intricate and compelling tapestry of Roman underling and slave life, with several well-developed minor characters whose craftiness, loyalty and heroics far overshadow those of their social betters.

November 1, 2003
If you liked Emperor: The Gates of Rome, you'll be good and ready for this second in a tetralogy featuring Julius Caesar.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2004
The saga of Julius Caesar continues in this second volume of the author's projected four-volume fictional chronicle of the rise of the Roman emperor. The story picks up on the eve of battle. Caesar is poised to lead a military assault; it's been six months since he last saw combat, and he is getting a little antsy. The siege goes well, but, soon after, Caesar is kidnapped (he will later be ransomed and left to fend for himself on the continent of Africa). Meanwhile, far away in Rome, his friend Brutus is building his political empire. Soon the two men will be reunited, as a renegade threatens Rome--a renegade named Spartacus. This is delightfully entertaining historical fiction, a combination of scholarship and inventiveness that brings the historical figures vividly to life while educating us, gracefully and subtly, about Rome at the height of its powers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)