Imperium

Welcome to a political adventure set in Imperial Rome--or is it Washington? The ambitions and intrigue surrounding the great Roman orator and advocate Cicero have some delicious parallels in contemporary politics. Narrator Simon Jones immerses listeners in the world presented by Cicero's facile scribe (and slave), Tiro, who recounts the events of Cicero's career. Jones makes the endless Latin names seem effortless, keeping each character straight and tossing off the names as easily as if they were his most familiar friends. In print this would likely bog down many readers--in audio each new character (and name) is welcomed. Details of Roman culture and history surround the senators, consuls, generals, and scoundrels. Jones makes Cicero's rise to power an engrossing listening experience. R.F.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine


Crooked senators, rigged elections, bribed judges. Sound familiar? No, it isn't Washington circa 2006. It's Rome 2,000 years ago. Into this governmental murderous melee comes young Marcus Cicero, determined to attain his imperium--the ultimate power. His slave, Tiro, chronicles Cicero's rise to that power. Portraying Tiro, as well as Cicero, and other superstars of ancient Rome, including Julius Caesar, Oliver Ford Davies is unsurpassable in making all the historical events and players as accessible as today's headlines. No easy feat since Cicero is considered one of the world's greatest orators. Robert Harris's epic is presented here in a fitting epic production, but it is Davies's pacing, phrasing, and emotionally peaked presentation that make this the best historical listening experience of the year. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine