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)

Great writing, great narration, greatly gripping

Wonderful way to enter ancient Rome and to spend time with some of its most colorful and fascinating characters.

Great Naration, Great Book

This book got me started on my Ancient Rome kick! It made me so interested in ancient Rome, and the political environment during the era of Caesar, that I have since read (or listened) to several other books on the topic. I think that this author does a better job than others of keeping charactor names from getting confusing and explaining the nuances of the Roman political machinery. Suprisingly, I found myself drawing paralells between that government and our own. This book really made me think about the attributes that define the master politician and how they have changed in modern times.

wonderful

so well written and so well read. also read pompeii. both a brilliant writter and brilliant reader.

Excellent-History Comes Alive

Fans of Kathleen Mccollough "1st Man in Rome " series will love this book. The author makes history come alive, lot's of political intrigue.
The narrator was perfect too.

Loved It!

I totally loved this book from beginning to end. The way I would describe it is...it is written in the style of a classic Sherlock Holmes book being told from the perspective of Dr. Watson. Except Sherlock is a politician in Ancient Rome and Watson is his slave Tiro. I am not especially knowledgeable about this time period. My daughter is and a few parts left her "spluttering". But, I would tell you what I told her...This is a work of FICTION my dear and the story itself is totally worth suspending your disbelief over. My favorite part was comparing it to politics today. Can't wait to hear the next one!

Awesome story but editor fell down and stayed down

The story is riveting and Simon does a really good job with the narration, but the editor failed to do a respectable editing job. While any misspeaks or "do-overs" have been edited out, there are very long silences between chapters and at the beginning of many the Roll number for the recording is left in. The silences are so long, a few times I checked my device to make sure it didn't die. Still I am giving it high marks because the rest is so good.

John Grisham meets Julius Caesar

Robert Harris' novel "Imperium" tells the fictionalized story of Cicero through a first-person account by his servant Tito. This is the first of three novels, recounting Cicero's rise from commoner to high-profile lawyer and professional politician.

Imperium is slow and somewhat rambling story, but manages to create a believable backdrop of life in ancient Roman. Harris has effectively brought to life the white marble and flowing robes so often associated with Rome, and has made them seem elegant and sophisticated. He has used examples of corrupt and power-hungry leaders to create realistic scenarios and believable characters.

Imperium clearly links todays court-room justice and modern politics, with the their roots in the "Pax Romana" model of law.

Interesting & Enjoyable

A fun/interesting/enjoyable listen. Brings to life another era (frightening similar to our own in many ways.) If you watched "Rome" on HBO, this will be a special treat.

Vivi 530

Wonderful. Writing is superb. Characters are well developed, story is engrossing. The narrator brings everything to life in such a manner that one feels that Tiro is speaking directly to the listener over a glass of wine. The main gift is the reintroduction of Cicero's brilliance. While a work of historical fiction, it sparks an interest in the period.

A Grand Tale From A Human Perspective

Robert Harris brings Rome to life. I am familiar with the more well known names are associated with the time of the end of the Roman republic and the birth of the empire. Others were just names I occasionally heard about. They are all portrayed vividly here, and I think the success of the book is due largely to Harris selection for the story's narrator, Marcus Tullius Tiro, slave and personal secretary to Cicero.

Harris is clear that this is a novel. It is a not a historical narration. It is the story of a man as told by an admirer. Many years after Cicero's death, Tiro relates the story of his master as he witnessed it. Tiro is an entirely sympathetic character; skilled in his craft, indispensible confidant to his master, as close to a member of Cicero's family as his station will allow, dreaming of the day of his own promised freedom; it is through his eyes that we become eavesdroppers on the events of this era with which his master becomes embroiled.

The story delves into politics and legal matters of the time and drips with intrigue, but it is not quite a mystery or a thriller. After all, we are dealing here with well known historical figures in events that are well documented. The outcomes are not unknown. The question is not so much what will happen, but how it will unfold for us in this story. The story Tiro relates is that of a socially awkward but brilliant Cicero who learns the skills of rhetoric, establishes himself as a lawyer, marries his way into the senate, and doggedly embarks on a journey to make a name for himself. Cicero comes across as a man as unabashed in his quest for power and prestige (specifically what the Romans called imperium) as he is sincere in championing the highest of Roman ideals. It is inevitable that he is faced with choosing between the two at times or else finding creative ways to marry them. But if that were not the case, we would not have nearly as compelling a story.

As for the novel's historical offerings, it is replete with details of senate procedures, legal maneuvers, and campaigns and elections that political junkies will like. I have no particular interest in Roman legal matters, but I found these to be juicy ornaments that made the story more colorful. The main historical value I found in the novel was the way it presented the conflict among the factions of aristocracy and between the aristocratic and the plebian interests. Knowing what is to follow, I can appreciate how what characters in the story do to manipulate these to their own interest plays into the events that ultimately lead to the fall of the republic.