Imperium

A Novel of Ancient Rome

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: Simon Jones

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

When Tiro, the confidential secretary (and slave) of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events that will eventually propel his master into one of the most suspenseful courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Marcus Cicero, an ambitious young lawyer and spellbinding orator, who at the age of 27 is determined to attain imperium, supreme power in the state.

Of all the great figures of the Roman world, none was more fascinating or charismatic than Cicero. And Tiro, the inventor of shorthand and author of numerous books, including a celebrated biography of his master (which was lost in the Dark Ages), was always by his side.

Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, Imperium is the re-creation of his vanished masterpiece, recounting in vivid detail the story of Cicero's quest for glory, as he competed with some of the most powerful and intimidating figures of his or any other age: Pompey, Caesar, Crassus, and the many other powerful Romans who changed history.

Robert Harris, the master of innovative historical fiction, lures us into a violent, treacherous world of Roman politics at once exotically different from and yet startlingly similar to our own.

©2006 Robert Harris (P)2006 Simon and Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Entertaining and enlightening." (Publishers Weekly)

Excellent Historical Fiction

I listened to this book immediately following a S. Saylor book. While Saylor's book was VERY entertaining, there were several points in his tale when I said to myself "REALLY? Someone in ancient Rome would have these thought processes?". I'll save that commentary for the Saylor review, but my point is that I felt like Harris' characters were more believable in the context of the times and I enjoyed the descriptions of everyday life in Rome and the Roman Senate. Furthermore, he did an excellent job of building a plot and creating suspense.

Shorthand saves the day...over and over again.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The book wasn't bad. It just wasn't good.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

This would have been a fairly run of the mill mystery except that the author seems to have a particular fascination with shorthand. There was no scrape or mystery or close call that was not solved by shorthand. Shorthand was mentioned so often that my husband and I, briefly, turned it into a drinking game.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Focus less on shorthand.

Interesting but not captivating

I do not know a tremendous amount about Roman history so it is an interesting vehicle to learn something about it - a fact based fictional recreation of the period. However, Devil in a White City it is not. It lacks a dynamic energy or real propulsion. If you are curious about this era in history, then it may be worth your while, but don't expect excitement.

Something different

I don't know a lot about ancient Rome, but this book showed how some things were just like today - corruption, jockeying for power, using violence to silence your enemies. I thought the author did a good job of incorporating real events and speeches into a narrative that kept my attention. The narration was especially good and brought the era to life.

Political intrigue, Roman style

From the behind the scenes political wrangling, to the public oration and courtroom drama, this is a winner on all levels. My interest was captured early and held throughout as Tiro, slave to Senator Marcus Cicero, details the hidden story behind his masters rise through the Roman political scene.

I was a bit concerned about having Simon Jones as narrator because I feared all I would hear was Arthur Dent, but he did a fantastic job with the narration and my mind never heard the voice of Arthur in the performance.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Imperium. Well worth the credit spent and the time listening to the story. I look forward to the next book

Interesting but a bit slow and dry

I'm a big Roman history buff so this novel really appeal to me. Overall I enjoyed it. I learned more about people I already knew a lot about, so that was a rewarding. But it was a bit slow and dry in some points.

For fans of intelligent storytelling

My prior knowledge of Cicero was gleaned entirely from his fairly minor role in HBO's bawdy, totally over-the-top series "Rome," so I can't begin to comment on the historical accuracy of this fictionalized biography, but I loved it! The storytelling was oddly riveting, especially considering how mundane the details of Cicero's law practice must have been in reality, and the narration was nothing short of brilliant. I gulped this down and went straight to gorging on Conspirata. Can't wait for the next installment.

Fantastic

A rich tale, well written and well preformed. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next installment.

A nice bit of historical fiction on Tiero & Cicero

Very well read. I learned a lot about Cicero and how important Tiero was to his success. I want to know I'd Tiero ever got his home and acreage .

Not his best - too legal/political

Im definitely a Robert Harris fan. His mix of historical thrillers are excellent. I am no historian and as such am unaware how accurate or otherwise his portrayal of events are.
This is one of his poorer attempts - of course very similar to the next in the series - Conspsirita. The main reason is the emphasis on not just one, but multiple court room 'dramas'. There is little drama as such but a lot of political intrigue. Fine if you like that. You need to pay attention to the multitude of different characters that come, and go. However narration is perfect and you will become attached to the main 'master and servant'.
I would give 3.5 stars if I could. Great narration and good enough to finish, but not 'page turning'.